Fantasy Football Dating App Week 5

Every Sunday morning, fantasy owners face similar choices to the ones "dating" app users do on Saturday night. There are plenty of options out there. The question is whether you swipe left and pass on potential opportunity or swipe right and open the door for exciting possibilities. Each week, we'll talk about which players deserve a swipe right when setting your daily fantasy lineup.

Marshawn Lynch

What do Dion Lewis, Justin Forsett, Joseph Randle, and Devonta Freeman have in common, besides recently losing their anonymity? They are all less expensive running backs I'd rather have than Lynch this week. There is no questioning that Marshawn is one of the most productive and entertaining backs in the league, and fully capable of producing fantasy gold on the field to match the metal in his mouth. But potential doesn't necessarily translate to results, and if you are the third most expensive RB on the board after missing a week due to injury, you best be a better bet than a banged up Beast. Go bargain shopping on the guys above and leverage the savings into sure things like Julio Jones and Gronk instead.

T.Y. Hilton

None of the Colts players (Andrew Luck, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, even Adam Vinatieri) have justified their preseason draft position, yet that hype still inflates their prices out of line with their production. In the most glaring example, Hilton is somehow priced similarly to PPR god Julian Edelman despite averaging less than 75 yards a game without a single score. Having an injured QB certainly hasn't helped. Matt Hasselbeck looks so old out there that even Peyton Manning calls him "sir." Regardless of whether Luck returns, there is no way I'm betting on Hilton to turn it around during yet another short-week slop fest when so many better options are available.

AJ Green

Another guy I absolutely love, as he consistently produces catches, yards, and scores in a surprisingly souped up offense. As a result, he typically has both a high floor and a high ceiling, which is rare for the position. However, I'd stay away from him this week because of his matchup with a Seattle secondary that has neutered virtually every receiver they have faced thus far, giving up only 54 total points to the position all year.

Todd Gurley

Oh boy, here we go. Gurley looked amazing last week, gashing a tough Arizona defense for 161 total yards while displaying a strength/speed combo that makes him a nightmare for would-be tacklers. While the matchup with Green Bay isn't ideal, they give up a TD a week on the ground and it's your last chance to get him at a bargain basement $4,300 price tag. Plus, the only way to stop Aaron Rodgers is to keep him off the field, so expect the Rams to call Gurley's number early and often. Many thought that the Rams were crazy to select an injured running back so high in the draft, but after last week, it would appear to be much crazier for DFS players to not pick him now.

Alex Smith

Smith is having a surprisingly great year in Kansas City and gets to take on a Bears team that appears hell bent on showing Chicagoans exactly how lucky they are to have the Cubs. While not the most obvious pick, he's really cheap, and he's coming off a game where he threw for 386 yards. Vegas believes that only offensive juggernauts like the Packers, Patriots, and Falcons will score more points than the Chiefs this week, making it highly likely that Smith finally returns a significant return for a team that selects him.

Charles Clay

For the tight end position, there are basically three strategies. You can go top-shelf with Gronk, mid-tier with guys like Travis Kelce or Greg Olsen, or you select from the bottom-shelf, hold your nose and take your shot. Many times, this last strategy causes you to wake up with a headache whose power is only rivaled by your regrets. However, this week I like Clay to be the guy that results in a surprisingly good time. He's averaging the fourth highest fantasy points among tight ends, and that's even with having a long TD called back last week because Richie Incognito decided to go all "Dumb and Dumber" on Damontre Moore's legs. With Shady, Karlos Williams, and Sammy Watkins all questionable, someone has to be the center of attention in Buffalo, which means it's a good week to bet on the big man's upside.