This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.
These are my favorite DraftKings tournament plays for Week 5, picking strictly from the main Sunday slate that starts with the 1 PM ET games and concludes with the late-afternoon games. The slate no longer includes Sunday Night Football, which means we only have 11 games to choose from as bye weeks kick into effect. The focus here is on value more so than projected ownership, but it's still a nice bonus if a player doesn't figure to be a popular choice.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, GB (at DAL), $8,100 - I'm usually not a fan of paying up at quarterback unless Tom Brady has a matchup that encourages a pass-heavy approach from the outset. This is a good time to make an exception to one of my loose "rules", as the QB position isn't loaded with viable sub-$6,000 options the way it was last week. While Rodgers typically performs much better at home, he shouldn't have any trouble carving up a Dallas defense that's giving up the sixth most DK points to quarterbacks despite avoiding the position's elite players until this week. As a bonus, the Cowboys may be playing without arguably their best defensive player in Sean Lee (hamstring), who still hadn't returned to practice as of Thursday. Even if the Packers are missing Davante Adams (concussion) and/or Ty Montgomery (ribs), Rodgers should be plenty efficient and is a near-lock for major volume.
Other options: Russell Wilson, SEA (at LAR), $7,100; Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. GB), $6,800; Philip Rivers, SD (at NYG), $5,800; Brian Hoyer, SF (at IND), $4,700
Running Back
Todd Gurley, LAR (vs. SEA), $8,000 - A popular bounceback candidate entering the season, Gurley has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations thanks to his newfound prowess as a receiving threat. With a minimum of 16 carries and four targets in every game, he's yet to come up shy of 20 DK points and leads the league with 31.7 per game. It's seemingly only a matter of time before he joins the Le'Veon Bell-David Johnson price range, which makes him a bargain at $8,000 even if you're a bit intimidated by the matchup with Seattle's defense. I still expect the Seahawks to ultimately be a subpar matchup for running backs, but it's nonetheless worth noting that they've given up 5.0 yards per carry this season while also ranking 30th in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric for run defense.
LeGarrette Blount, PHI (vs. ARI), $4,200 - The second RB spot is giving me trouble this week, as it's rather difficult to roster a second high-priced back when I already have Rodgers, Gurley, Randall Cobb and Dez Bryant in a lineup. The problem with the various discount options, Blount included, is that none of them offer much as pass catchers, which is a major drawback on a full-point PPR site. Blount admittedly has a tough matchup and has only caught three passes this season, but I'm leaning in his direction because he can be stacked with the Philadelphia defense and probably won't have to compete with Wendell Smallwood (knee) this week. My interest in Blount goes out the door (and towards Christian McCaffrey and Alex Collins) if Smallwood ends up playing.
Other options: Le'Veon Bell, PIT (vs. JAX), $9,500; Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (vs. GB), $8,800; Christian McCaffrey, CAR (at DET), $5,700; Frank Gore, IND (vs. SF), $4,400; Alex Collins, BAL (at OAK), $4,000; Wayne Gallman, NYG (vs. LAC), $3,900; Thomas Rawls, SEA (at LAR), $3,700
Wide Receiver
Randall Cobb, GB (at DAL), $6,700 - The Cowboys' conservative zone scheme has mostly worked as intended, limiting production from outside receivers like Brandon Marshall, Demaryius Thomas, J.J. Nelson and Sammy Watkins. The problem with this type of defense is that good offenses can easily take advantage with high-percentage throws to slot receivers, backs and tight ends (unless you have the likes of Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Kam Chancellor patrolling the middle of the field). The Rams provided a perfect example Sunday when Todd Gurley and slot receiver Cooper Kupp combined to catch 12 of 15 targets for 154 yards and two scores. The week before, it was Larry Fitzgerald lighting Dallas up from the slot with a 13-149-1 receiving line. This is more than I'd normally be willing to pay for Cobb, but I love the matchup and prefer him to the more expensive Jordy Nelson ($8,100) as a stack partner for Aaron Rodgers.
Dez Bryant, DAL (vs. GB), $6,500 - Bryant has faced a murderer's row of cornerbacks to open the season, contending with Janoris Jenkins, Aqib Talib, Patrick Peterson and Trumaine Johnson in the Cowboys' first four games. While Dez mostly was unable to overcome the matchups, Dak Prescott remained eager to get the ball to his top wideout, targeting Bryant nine times in Week 1, 16 times in Week 2 and 13 times last week. The only matchup Prescott shied away from was the one in Week 3 against the incomparable Peterson. With Bryant finally freed from the string of tough matchups, I'm expecting another push for double-digit targets and at least one trip to the end zone. A.J. Green roasted Green Bay for 10-111-1 in Week 3, and Julio Jones was on his way to a huge outing Week 2 until the Falcons pulled away and went run-heavy after halftime.
Allen Hurns, JAX (at PIT), $4,700 - Hurns has been busy since Allen Robinson (knee) went down for the season, catching 13 of 20 targets for 144 yards and two touchdowns in three games. That isn't exactly a monster workload, but it does equate to a 20 percent target share, which seems likely to rise if Marqise Lee (ribs) isn't available Sunday. Hurns is already tied for third in the NFL with seven red-zone targets, including a team-high three from inside the 10-yard line. He doesn't exactly look the part of a traditional red-zone threat, but he's nonetheless managed to convert 12.7 percent of his career catches into touchdowns, with the help of a few deep balls. I'm not particularly worried about the Steelers' excellent numbers against the pass, considering they've faced DeShone Kizer, Case Keenum, Mike Glennon and whatever's left of Joe Flacco.
Other options: A.J. Green, CIN (vs. BUF), $8,200; Jordy Nelson, GB (at DAL), $8,100; Larry Fitzgerald, ARI (at PHI), $6,800; Golden Tate, DET (vs. CAR), $6,300; T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs. SF), $6,000; Sammy Watkins, LAR (vs. SEA), $5,000; Jeremy Maclin, BAL (at OAK), $4,200; Kenny Stills, MIA (vs. TEN), $3,700; Torrey Smith, PHI (vs. ARI), $3,600
Tight End
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ (at CLE), $3,500 - ASJ has stepped right into a key role since returning from suspension, logging 76 and 77 percent of offensive snaps in his first two games, with nine catches for 77 yards on 10 targets. This is an ideal matchup for him to break out, as the Browns allowed a league-high 13 touchdowns to tight ends last season and have already surrendered 30 catches for 270 yards and four touchdowns (on 37 targets) to the position through four weeks this year. No team has given up more catches to tight ends, and only the Giants have allowed more touchdowns.The Browns have managed this despite facing an unintimidating slate at the position, going up against Jesse James, Ben Watson, Jack Doyle and Tyler Kroft.
Other options: Jimmy Graham, SEA (at LAR), $4,900; Martellus Bennett, GB (at DAL), $4,100; Evan Engram, NYG (vs. LAC), $4,000
D/ST
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. ARI), $3,100 - The Eagles are also my favorite streaming option for season-long leagues this week, facing an Arizona offense that doesn't have any running game and is tied for the league lead with 17 sacks allowed. Carson Palmer has already thrown five picks while attempting 45.8 passes per game, and he'll undoubtedly need to air it out again in a matchup with a Philadelphia defense that's faced 153 pass attempts and only 66 rushes this season. Even with DT Fletcher Cox (calf) looking unlikely to play, the Eagles should have plenty of pass rushing firepower in the form of DT Timmy Jernigan and DEs Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Derek Barnett and Chris Long. There are some attractive sub-$3,000 options this week, but the Eagles are worth the price if you can fit them in your lineup. One way to make that more affordable is by stacking them with running back LeGarrette Blount ($4,200).
Other options: New York Jets (at CLE), $3,000; Oakland Raiders (vs. BAL), $2,900; Baltimore Ravens (at OAK), $2,900; Indianapolis Colts (vs. SF), $2,700; Miami Dolphins (vs. TEN), $2,700; Buffalo Bills (at CIN), $2,600; Carolina Panthers (at DET), $2,500
