This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
With Thursday Night Football in the books, it's time to turn our attention to the weekend slate of games and all the fun on Rival Fantasy. In addition to their season-long fantasy leagues, there is a Fantasy Bingo contest and a Challenges contest in which to participate. For new users, click here for a first deposit match of up to $200.
Let's focus on the Challenges contest for Week 5. Challenges puts two players in a head-to-head matchup. The player who scores the most fantasy points wins the contest.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Allen destroyed the Dolphins last week, throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns. He also added four carries for 17 yards and another score. After a disappointing performance in the Bills' season opener against the Jets, Allen has thrown eight touchdown passes and rushed for two scores in the last three games. Up next is a matchup against the Jaguars in London. While they aren't putting up an eye-popping stats on the defensive side of the ball, they allow a modest 20.5 points per game.
Allen is coming off his best performance of the season, but Mahomes is coming off his worst. He was shut down by the Jets, throwing for just 203 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Still, this is a terrific spot for him to get back on track playing the Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings have a potent offense and averaged 26.7 points per game at home last season. However, their defense is bad and has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year. Mahomes and the Chiefs might need to throw a lot in this matchup, making him the better choice over Allen.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings vs. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
Diggs was the main beneficiary of Allen's dismantling of the Dolphins. He was only targeted seven times, but he turned them into six receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns. He only had one touchdown reception through the Bills' first three games, but he has totaled at least 100 receiving yards in three of four games this season.
For the first time this year, Jefferson failed to record at least 100 receiving yards in a game when the Vikings took on the Panthers in Week 4. He didn't exactly struggle, though, finishing with six receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He has been targeted a whopping 47 times through four weeks and is already up to 543 receiving yards. With the expectation that the Vikings will have to throw a lot to try and keep up with Mahomes and company, Jefferson has the edge over Diggs in this matchup.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos vs. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence has been a big disappointment. He has thrown for fewer than 250 yards in three of four games and he has thrown multiple touchdown passes in a game once. He hasn't exactly faced the most overwhelming defenses, either, with games against the Colts, Texans and Falcons. Better days should be on the horizon, given that he has plenty of appealing pass-catching options in Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk and Evan Engram. The Jaguars likely will need him to dial up plenty of passes this week, given how potent the Bills have been on offense.
Facing the Bills defense' isn't ideal for Lawrence. Still, things might be a little easier for him with Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White having torn his Achilles last week. Wilson faces a difficult matchup in the Jets, who have already shut down Allen and Mahomes this season. Wilson has nine touchdown passes, but all four of his opponents have had bad defenses that have allowed at least 25.3 points per game. The Jets have allowed 21.0 points per game. In terms of their pass defense, they have allowed five touchdown passes and recorded five interceptions. Take Lawrence over Wilson.
