When setting your weekly NFL DFS lineups, it can be just as helpful to have an idea of whom you DON’T want to include as whom you do. Every Friday we’ll highlight a few players that you might want to fade. When a player appears here, it mainly refers to fading him in cash games. If you play in a lot of large field, multi-entry tournaments, you might consider just being underweight on these players relative to the field rather than not using them at all.
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Players I’m fading for Week 5 include:
Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh
This is much more about Ben Roethlisberger and the Denver Broncos’ defense than Johnson himself. In the three games he’s played, he has between 10-13 targets apiece and two touchdowns with nice fantasy return on value. But Big Ben does not look great, and the Steelers are traveling to face one of the league’s best defenses in Denver. Adding to the mess is that Chase Claypool will probably be back this week, and JuJu Smith-Schuster is getting healthier as well. There are just a lot of options I’d prefer to roll with in his moderate salary range.
Miami Dolphins’ WR
I’m a fan of Jaylen Waddle and have to start him in a deep season-long dynasty league this week, but I’m steering clear of all the Dolphins in DFS. He and Davante Parker would appear to have increased appeal on the heels of the team placing Will Fuller on IR. Plus, Tampa Bay has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. This is where context is important though: every team the Bucs have faced is better than Miami, including Atlanta. Miami scores the second-fewest points per game while allowing the eighth-most. The Bucs defense was a popular pick to be Top 5 this season, and I think we’re going to see them come on strong this weekend at home.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota
Cook, if healthy, would have been my and everyone else’s top RB play this weekend against the Lions. However, he has yet to practice in any capacity as he and the team try to encourage his ankle to recover without strain. So, it’s likely that we see him active on Sunday, but I fear another time share with Alexander Mattison is in the cards. If the team would just let him heal and start Mattison, he’d be the play of the week, but as of what we know now, I have to fade them both.
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A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee
Brown looks ready to return for Week 5 while Julio Jones is trending toward missing another game. The Titans get a sweet matchup with the Jaguars, who have been fantasy friendly to both QB and RB so far this season while allowing the fifth-most real and overall fantasy points to opponents this season. The reason to fade Brown is the team’s reliance on Derrick Henry, my favorite RB play of the week. I don’t think Tennessee has a potent enough offense, even in a great matchup, to play both of them, so it’s Henry for me.
Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina
Darnold is a surprising QB5 for fantasy this season with his five passing and five rushing TDs through four weeks. Having rostered Darnold in dynasty from the beginning, I’m happy to see him thriving in the change of scenery. This week though, I’m reluctant to roll him out in DFS lineups. Part of it is that I see so many QBs in games that should be higher scoring than this one and part of it is that I’m afraid Darnold’s rushing touchdown prowess evaporates if/when Christian McCaffrey is back. Given how great McCaffrey claims to feel, that could very well be this weekend. Darnold will probably be fine, but you can find several more intriguing options, including Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and even Kirk Cousins, in his salary range.
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Players I like, but who are expected to have high ownership in Week 5 include: Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette, Damien Williams, Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Laviska Shenault, Ja’Marr Chase, Dalton Schultz, Darren Waller, NE D/ST, NO D/ST. You might consider deviating away from this player pool and pivoting in large GPPs if you’re after a more unique lineup.
