Falcons, Patriots stars primed for monster fantasy week

According to the two largest weekly fantasy football organizations – DraftKings and FanDuel – there will be millions of dollars made this season.

For those getting started in week five, or just looking to continue their search for riches, there are several bargain starters allowing them to save some of their 60,000 to invest in the explosive Atlanta Falcons offense.

With Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Devonta Freeman and wide receiver Julio Jones all among the fantasy scoring leaders, getting discount production at other positions is huge.

Though the Washington football team has posted good defensive numbers thus far this season, they have yet to face an especially productive offense.

A 2-2 record against the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams (without Todd Gurley), New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles sounds better than it actually is.

None of the four prior opponents boast an offensive prowess even comparable to that of the Falcons.

Ryan gets the start over New England Patriots’ Tom Brady, because of the possibility that the Pats won’t need their starters in the fourth quarter facing a vastly depleted Dallas Cowboys team.

The trick to searching for discount deals isn’t always about correctly guessing a breakout performance. It’s actually more about finding the right player in a favorable matchup.

Coming off of consecutive three-score games, Freeman is a must play against Washington. But who to start at the RB2 position?

Patriot running back Dion Lewis is averaging almost 50 rushing yards and 60 receiving yards, to go with two scores in three games. His 16.7 fantasy points per game (FPPG) make him the fourth most productive running back, but his cost (6,900) find him ranked number 15.

Brady’s safety blanket, Lewis may not come with brand recognition or flashy game stats but his fantasy production-to-cost value makes him a very safe start at the RB2.

Like Freeman, Falcons wideout Jones is a must start coming off what was, by far, his worst performance of the year. Averaging almost 23 FPPG, despite a five-point game in week four, Jones is not only the highest scoring receiver (by more than a full point) he is the fifth-highest scoring player, period.

Along with 26-year-old Falcon, Julian Edelman is primed for a big performance. The Cowboys have just enough healthy bodies to slow one of the New England’s weapons.

And given Rob Gronkowski’s performance through the first three weeks Dallas DC Rod Marinelli will be forced to double-cover Gronk. Edelman’s projected 14.2 FPPG may be off by as many as eight to 10 points.

Quickly developing a rapport with rookie QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans Kendall Wright is destined to be one of the top fantasy WRs this season. Yet his 13.7 average FPPG comes with a massive discount.

His cost of 5,900 is significantly lower than the 9,000 Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr.’s, who posted an identical FPPG, is priced at.

Facing a Bills team that has done an admirable job of stopping the run, but allowing nearly 300 passing yards per game, the Mariota-Wright hookup is one that will see much action.

Coming off a four-game suspension, and returning to an offense that seems to be designed for him to succeed, Antonio Gates may be the best value on the board.

Quarterback Phillip Rivers’ favorite targets, the San Diego Chargers standout will be welcomed back to the huddle with open arms and copious targets. His backup Ladarius Green was a productive fill-in, but in facing a Pittsburgh Steelers team that allowed 29.5 points to Gronk in week one, Gates is a safe play at his cost of 5,500.

Kickers have been a strangely unproductive position thus far this season.

But the accuracy and leg strength of Cairo Santos, coupled with his Kansas City Chiefs’ ability to move the ball but not cross the goal line with it, make him a great play.

His cost of $4,600, well below the league average, only intensifies the positives for Cairo against a less-than-stellar Chicago Bears defense.

In searching for a discount defense, a safe bet is taking which ever D will face the San Francisco 49ers right now.

Sure, the Denver Broncos will likely grab you 10-plus points, but at a cost 600 less than that of the Orange Crush, the New York Giants don’t face much of a threat in a 49ers offense that has struggled to anything.

In production-cost value, the Giants are the better bet.