This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Before jumping in headfirst into the whirlwind of fun that is Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football, be sure to differentiate from the variety of games offered. Since Head-to-Heads, 50/50s and Double Ups pay nearly half of entrants, your best bet to cashing is to target players with higher floors. Think heavily-targeted number one WRs, RBs who get the bulk of a team's carries and upper echelon QBs in match-ups with a tight Vegas point spread and a high total.
Tournaments/Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) require a bit more of your inner contrarian - target offensive players with higher ceilings in advantageous matchups. Huge point totals can come from the most unpredictable of places -- the most obvious plays are not always the right ones. Though previous week's performances should be noted, each new week of action should be considered its own season. Don't chase last week's stats!
TOURNAMENTS (GPP - GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Sam Bradford (PHI, $27) - Bradford may well be the most-owned QB in both cash games and tournaments this week based on price alone. Bradford had his first multi-TD game of the season in Week 4, completing 15 of 28 passes for 270 yards and three scores (24.2 FP). The Eagles head back home to face a Saints secondary that's allowing the most pass yards per attempt (9.8) in the league and are one of two teams who have yet to record an interception (the Seahawks being the other). Saints safety Jairus Byrd and cornerback Keenan Lewis returned to the field last week, but Lewis was visibly dealing with a leg injury against the Cowboys and may not be 100 percent come Sunday. The Eagles will be playing off last week's momentum as Bradford did a great job getting Miles Austin, Riley Cooper and rookie Nelson Agholor involved. Projected for the fifth-highest team total this Sunday (26.8 points), Chip Kelly's up-tempo style offense bodes well for what should be a shootout against Drew Brees and company. Keep in mind, last week's best value at QB, Andy Dalton ($32), graced the roster of the NFL Million Dollar Baller's $100,000 winning lineup. Take the savings on Bradford in GPPs this week and build around him.
Justin Forsett (BAL, $25) - Forsett has yet to strike paydirt, but bounced back with 150 rushing yards against the Steelers last week after a rough start to his season. The 29-year-old journeyman had a career year in 2014, amassing 1,529 yards from scrimmage, 44 receptions and eight touchdowns and leading all running backs with an impressive 5.4 yards per carry. With Steve Smith Sr. missing this week's battle with the Browns, Forsett -- along with wideout Kamar Aiken -- should be heavily targeted and relied upon. Forsett will be a popular Week 5 play and could potentially be paired at the Flex spot with Todd Gurley ($10) and one of the pricey volume-horses -- Le'Veon Bell or Jamaal Charles (both $37) - at the two RB spots. Only the Dolphins have been worse than the Browns thus far against opposing running backs. The Browns are allowing 141.5 rushing yards per game at 4.8 per clip. Forsett makes for a solid play in cash games and deserves fair consideration in GPPs as well.
Emmanuel Sanders (DEN, $29) - The weekly game of "is it a Sanders or Demaryius week?" was a fun one to play last season. So far this season, both Sanders and Thomas have had a couple of noteworthy performances, but we have yet to see the monster games we've grown accustomed to. Last season, Sanders had five games of 20 or more fantasy points, including a Week 7 gem against the Chargers -- 34.5 FP on nine receptions, 120 yards and three TDs. Thomas' outings were a bit more consistent, especially after Week 3, where he collected at least 100 yards or a touchdown in 12 of his final 13 games. It's difficult to ever choose between the two and even more difficult to afford both on any given week. Sanders will line up on both sides, as he usually does, and should feast against burnable Raiders corners Neiko Thorpe and David Amerson, both of who rank among the bottom third at their position. There's not much beyond pure gut instinct telling me that it's a Sanders week. Care to join me?
Other Against-the-Grainers:
QB: Jameis Winston (TB, $29)
RB: Eddie Lacy (GB, $29), C.J. Spiller (NO, $13)
WR: Mike Evans (TB, $24), Martavis Bryant (PIT, $21), Dorial Green-Beckham (TEN, $12)
TE: Travis Kelce (KC, $21)
DEF: Kansas City Chiefs ($11)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
Quarterback
Eli Manning (NYG, $36) - Far be it for the younger Manning to be the model of consistency, but don't look now, he's had three consecutive outings of 19 fantasy points or more. Two major factors bring Eli to the forefront of our QB cash game discussion -- affordability and opponent. Eli could easily match or exceed the production of ace arms like Tom Brady ($46) and Aaron Rodgers ($43) at three-quarters of the cost, giving you savings you can use at other positions. The Giants are favored by more than a touchdown, just as the Patriots and Packers are, but have a less reliable running game and may have Manning chucking the rock for all four quarters, looking to recapture that magic he had with Odell Beckham last season. The Niners defense has allowed 43 and 47 points in their two road games with the Cardinals and Steelers. Look for Eli to play a part his part in putting up yet another 40-burger against a reeling Niners secondary that's on the road again.
Running Back
Le'Veon Bell (PIT, $37) - The beast is back! Bell did not skip a beat upon return from a two-game suspension, slinging 24.5 FP against the Ravens last Thursday on 150 total yards, seven receptions and a touchdown. The quintessential cash game running back last season, Bell averaged 20.5 FPPG and did not have a single dud outing of less than 10 fantasy points. Wideout Martavis Bryant is reinstated this week, giving QB Michael Vick another deep threat to keep the Chargers defense busy on Monday night and allowing more running room for Bell. Jamaal Charles ($37) is another 'safe' cash game alternative if you're planning to pay up at RB, but pound for pound and with the chance to hammer home some cash on MNF, look no further than for whom the Bell tolls.
Todd Gurley (STL, $10) - At minimum price for Week 5, Gurley could easily be the most-owned player this entire fantasy season. Gurley showed an incredible combination of power and speed last week, breaking off four runs of 20 or more yards, including a beastly 52-yard dash. Most of his 146 yards came in the second half as the Rams pulled off the 24-22 upset on the road against the Cardinals. There is a good possibility the Rams will have to force pass plays most of the second half if the Packers have a hefty lead but, simply put, Gurley is a must-play at the 10 dollar tag this week. Fade at your own risk.
Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald (ARI, $29) - Fitzgerald has been playing like the 25-year-old version of himself, averaging 21.6 FP through the first four games on 30 receptions, 432 yards and five TDs. The 32-year-old is QB Carson Palmer's go-to guy again and has 10 receptions of 20 or more yards so far this season. Fitz has lined up in the slot on nearly two-thirds of his snaps this year and should be able to have his way with diminutive 30-year-old slot corner Josh Wilson. If you're building your team this week around Le'Veon Bell and a pricey QB, looking to save some cash at receiver, Fitz could fit in nicely in what looks like yet another plus matchup.
Kendall Wright (TEN, $23) - Wright is reasonably priced again, and makes for a good cash game option given his early-season rapport with rookie QB Marcus Mariota. Wright had a stinker in Week 2 (2.7 FP) but was the focal point of the Titans offense against the Bucs in Week 1 (18.1 FP) and at home against the Colts in Week 3 (19 FP). Wright is one of the league's most underrated possession receivers, but is the ideal WR3 in season-long leagues and DFS lineups because of his ability to get open both outside and in the slot as well as the sheer volume of looks sent his way. Wright has another plus matchup with Bills nickel back Nickell Robey manning the slot. Robey was abused by the Patriots' Julian Edelman in Week 2 to the tune of 11-97-2. The Bills have also allowed the second-most touchdowns (10) to receivers so far this season.
Kamar Aiken (BAL, $14) - Aiken fits better as a GPP dart-throw most week, but with Steve Smith out for this one and with Browns CB Joe Haden questionable with broken ribs, Aiken steps in as Flacco's primary downfield weapon this week. In Week 4, Aiken hauled in a 16-yard touchdown and finished with 77 yards, catching five of seven targets -- 16.2 fantasy points in total. Aiken is not a world beater, but he has decent size (6-foot-2, 215) and should see close to 10 targets in this one. There are few potential volume plays among the cheap wideout options, so we have to strike when the opportunities present themselves. Lock in Aiken unless you're worried about Darren Waller or the ghost of Marlon Brown.
Tight End
Owen Daniels (DEN, $15) - It goes without writing that Rob Gronkowski ($34) is our top cash game option at tight end each and every week. But if you're stacked elsewhere and need a gem on the cheap, "Stone-Legs" Daniels may be the guy for you. The oft-injured Daniels isn't the shiftiest of receivers, but QB Peyton Manning has a knack for finding his tight ends flat-out open in the end zone far too often. Daniels has just 61 yards on 12 receptions in four games, but has scored a touchdown in each of the last two games. This week, the Broncos visit a Raiders team that has been blown away by opposing TEs in four consecutive weeks:
Week 1: Tyler Eifert (CIN) - 26.9 FP
Week 2: Crockett Gillmore (BAL) - 23.3
Week 3: Gary Barnidge (CLE) - 19.5
Week 4: Martellus Bennett (CHI) - 19.8
Unless you think the train stops here, let's roll with Daniels on a Manning-led squad that is sure to make a few trips to the red zone this Sunday.
Defense/Special Teams
New York Giants ($14) - There's no such thing as a 'safe' defense for cash games in DFS. Last week, our top options were extremely mediocre (Seahawks 9.0 FP, Broncos 10.0 FP) while, the supposedly sturdy Texans dropped negative points (-2) on the few who used them. When breaking down defenses, the best we can do is 1) target home teams, 2) target oft-intercepted QBs like Jameis Winston, Kirk Cousins and Colin Kaepernick, and 3) project game flow based on Vegas numbers (is opposing offense heavily favored?). The Giants check all three boxes for us this week so long as you think they can build enough of a lead to force Kaepernick to make some second half mistakes, not to mention first half ones. Last week's top defense, the Atlanta Falcons (22 FP on 3 Fum Rec, 2 TD), did not receive much consideration nor ownership but fit the basic formula of a heavily-favored, offensively-powered home team going up against a sub-par quarterback in Ryan Mallett. There are no guarantees in the wacky world of the NFL, but there are definitely some mismatches on the Week 5 slate to consider. The Giants top that list, while the Chiefs, Falcons and Packers all fit that criteria as well. Even the lowly Bucs are an against-the-grain option in GPPs against Blake Bortles and the Jaguars.
Honorable Mentions:
QB: Tom Brady (NE, $46)
RB: Jamaal Charles (KC, $37), Doug Martin (TB, $17)
WR: Odell Beckham (NYG, $34), Jordan Matthews (PHI, $26), Eddie Royal (CHI, $16)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (NE, $34)
DEF: Atlanta Falcons ($10)
