Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Tips for Week 5 WRs
Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming NFL DFS main slate on DraftKings. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan will do a deep dive into the best ways to attack the wide receiver position to help you climb the leaderboards.
We bounced back in a big way last weekend with the successful calls of C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, and running it back with Brian Thomas Jr. We also highlighted the advancements of Justin Fields, showing how he’s continued to improve, and we hit on George Pickens having a prime matchup against the Colts’ secondary—one we’ll be targeting again this weekend. While the ceiling and value plays were weaker than expected, the opportunities were there, which is what we focus on with Vanek’s Views.
This weekend’s slate is shorter due to bye weeks and the London game, and I love these smaller slates. They force me to lock into a more one-sided strategy, and I feel I become a better DFS player in these situations. While high-scoring matchups like Ravens/Bengals, Bills/Texans, and Cardinals/49ers are getting plenty of attention with their massive totals, I’m opting to focus on some of my favorite matchups of the slate: Packers/Rams and Commanders/Browns.
This slate marks the first time I’ll be sharing a deeper dive into some of the advanced data metrics that I’ll be discussing each week. These insights are perfect for identifying key players to boost in our NFL DFS optimizer and using that strategy to differentiate your lineups. By leveraging these metrics, you can quickly build unique lineups that stand out from the crowd and give you an edge in your DFS contests.
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Vanek’s Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Tips for Week 4 WRs
Stacks
Jordan Love ($6,500, QB, Green Bay Packers)
Jayden Reed ($6,500, WR, Green Bay Packers)
Dontayvion Wicks ($5,000, WR, Green Bay Packers)
Kyren Williams ($7,600, RB, Los Angeles Rams)
The Packers mounted a big comeback against the Vikings defense last week, ultimately falling short, but it showed that Jordan Love had settled into the game and that they had a response to Brian Flores’ defensive creativity. Now they face a Rams defense that has struggled this season. Love put up strong numbers in the second half against the Vikings, and I expect that momentum to carry over into this matchup.
Jayden Reed has been the alpha in this offense, scoring over 30 DK points in both of his starts with Love this season. While the Packers have several second-option receivers, I’m particularly interested in Dontayvion Wicks. He saw 13 targets in last week’s game, and in the three games where Wicks has played over 70% of the snaps in his career, he has averaged 8.3 targets per game. With Christian Watson likely out, I expect Wicks to be a full-time player in this offense. The Rams have to bring a safety down into the box and play Cover 3 against Josh Jacobs, and when they do so, we see how Reed is the alpha. But I also see that Wicks is the highly productive player when given the chance, and his 25% target per route run rate is higher than Romeo Doubs.
The Packers’ run defense is susceptible to chunk plays, and with the Rams’ offensive line healthier and Kyren Williams being a key part of the offense, I’m targeting him on the other side of this game. I want the Rams to play with the lead, forcing the Packers into a pass-heavy game plan. Williams has averaged over 100 total yards per game and scored 4 touchdowns in the last couple of weeks. He’s been the go-to player when the Rams get into the red zone. I also like Tutu Atwell as a potential play because of his big-play ability, which could spark a shootout, but I’m not forcing him into my builds.
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