Welcome to the Game Environment series. This series will provide several weekly games to target and fade, based on macro-level factors that impact fantasy production. For more on these factors, click here. We recommend using this in conjunction with our micro-level analysis, including the buy low report, the strength in numbers series, our quarterback, kicker, tight end, and defense streaming articles, and the slate of DFS analysis we provide.
Week 5 review
Targets
- Giants at Cowboys
- Cardinals at Jets
- Eagles at Steelers
Dak Prescott’s injury put a huge damper on the Giants vs. Cowboys matchup, but the game was a shootout nonetheless. Going forward, I expect the Cowboys to play slower and run more, but it’s likely that they will still be a relatively fast-paced team. The Cardinals put a beatdown on the Jets, but hopefully you stacked Kyler Murray with DeAndre Hopkins and brought it back with Jamison Crowder. I elected to bring it back with Jeff Smith as a pivot off chalk Olamide Zaccheaus. Unfortunately, Smith did little despite his 11 targets. The Eagles and Steelers matchup was exactly the low-owned shootout we wanted, but very few people played Chase Claypool. He exploded for over 40 points and won someone a million dollars. I was certainly not targeting him, but it illustrates how the game environment raises the ceiling for many players — even those with limited workloads.
Fades
Colts @ Browns
Buccaneers @ Bears
Vikings @ Seahawks
Each of these games worked well as a fade, as both three of these defenses combined for defensive touchdowns. Russell Wilson did provide some late-game magic to bump up the fantasy scoring, but the Vikings controlled the pace early, and the Seahawks were limited to only 48 offensive plays, nearly 20 below their season average. On to week 6.
