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Week 5 of the NFL season is just beginning as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Chicago Bears! The Buccaneers and Bears game currently has a 44.5 over/under with the Bucs being favored by 3.5 points.
In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for Thursday Night Football on October 8th, 2020 (Week 5). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. Lineup construction can differ greatly from FanDuel to DraftKings with the biggest difference being the Captain and MVP slots. On DK, you'll pay 1.5x the salary of a player in order to roster them as your captain while the price doesn't change on FanDuel.
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DFS Quarterbacks
The last time we saw these two quarterbacks playing against each other in a meaningful game was in Super Bowl LII when Nick Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles past the New England Patriots. Fast forward a few years and here we are seeing them battle it out on Thursday Night Football with brand new teams. Nick Foles supplanted Mitch Trubisky as the starter in Chicago and takes on a tough task going up against a Bucs secondary that has generated five interceptions and 14 sacks through the first four games of the season. Foles gives the Bears a little more security at the position and did a great job leading a major comeback against the Falcons but this will be a daunting challenge as he looks to keep up with Brady.
Tom Brady had a big day last Sunday as he threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns against the Chargers. On the season, Brady has thrown for 1,122 yards and 11 touchdowns while only being picked off four times. While he is out Chris Godwin and Justin Watson, he will have reliable targets in Mike Evans and Scotty Miller to throw too in addition to Ronald Jones II and Rob Gronkowski. The Bears Defense has done well defending the pass as they are limiting opposing offenses to just 230 passing yards and holding opposing quarterbacks to 12.4 fantasy points scored per game.
Other plays: With both quarterbacks having tough matchups, it might be tough to trust both of them in cash games. Brady has the overall better matchup in this game and is trustworthy in casg games while Foles is viable in tournaments.
DFS Running Backs
The running back situations for both teams seem to be pretty straight forward for this Thursday night game. With Leonard Fournette labeled as doubtful and LeSean McCoy listed as out, it looks like Ronald Jones II will see most of the workload in the running game. Jones is coming off of a big-time performance as he had 111 yards on 20 carries while hauling in six catches on nine targets. With a workload like this, it is hard to fade him in any format. Taking on the backup duties will be Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Vaughn saw some targets against the Chargers and even hauled in a catch for a touchdown so he does have some appeal in large tournament formats. The Bears are in the middle of the pack when it comes to rushing defense as they are allowing 115 yards per game on the ground which means this seems to be a solid matchup for the Bucs rushing attack.
The Bears rely heavily on David Montgomery to be their bell-cow type back. Montgomery has seen double-digit carries in each of the first four games of the season and is also seeing a little over four targets per game. While he hasn't found paydirt on the ground, he has notched a receiving touchdown in week two against the Giants. With how the Bears have fallen behind early in games, it doesn't favor the game script for the Bears to pound the rock as they have in prior years so his upside can be limited. The Bears have been using Cordarrelle Patterson and Darnell Mooney on sweeps and end-around plays as compliments to Montgomery and their traditional run plays. The Bucs have a very stingy run defense as they ranked second in the league with allowing only 64.3 rushing yards per game so Montgomery will need to get involved in the passing game to see any type of fantasy success.
Other plays: Jones offers the most upside of all of the running backs on the slate due to his snaps and target share while Montgomery gives your lineups a solid floor. Both are viable in all formats while Vaughn could be used in tournament lineups.
DFS Wide Receivers
The Thursday night showdown features some receivers that can really bring upside to your lineups. For the Bucs, they look to be banged up as Chris Godwin and Justin Watson are listed as out for this game while Scotty Miller and Mike Evans both carry the questionable tag. If they were able to go, they would be great candidates in all formats. Evans has been on fire over the last three weeks as he has recorded 16 catches in 22 targets while accumulating 228 yards during that stretch. He has been a big target for Brady as he has hauled in five touchdowns in four games played this season and will continue to see a high target volume with Godwin being out. Miller is another receiver that benefits both Godwin and Watson out as he has seen 12 total targets over his last two games and has become a reliable target for Brady in the slot. Outside of them, Jaydon Mickens and Tyler Johnson could see playing time since the depth at the receiver position for the Bucs seems to be low this week.
For the Bears, the conversation always starts with Allen Robinson II. A-Rob ranks fifth in the league in his team's target share percentage (26.1%) while averaging 10.2 targets per game. Robinson has produced back-to-back 100-yard performances while also snagging a touchdown in both of those games. While the Bears offense isn't explosive, Robinson sees enough targets to be viable in all formats. Outside of Robinson, the Bears have Anthony Miller and Darnell Mooney who are battling for the #2 spot on the roster. We have seen Miller succeed in the slot before and Mooney has seen an uptick in targets over his last two games played so they both could be considered in tournaments.
Other plays: Evans, Robinson, and Scotty Miller are the safest receiving options on this slate and are viable in both cash games and tournaments. If needing salary relief, Anthony Miller, Darnell Mooney, Jaydon Mickens, and Tyler Johnson could be salary relief candidates in tournaments.
DFS Tight Ends
If this were 2014, we would have a big-time tight end matchup on our hands. Rob Gronkowski has been pretty quiet to start the season for the Bucs as he has only hauled in nine total catches for 88 yards. With O.J. Howard going on IR for an Achilles injury, Gronk could see an uptick in targets but will still have to deal with the other tight end vulture that is Cameron Brate. Brate hauled in his only target against the Chargers for a touchdown and we have seen him be involved in the red-zone prior to Gronk arriving in Tampa.
For the Bears, Jimmy Graham as really emerged as a receiving threat in this offense. He is seeing over five targets per game and has already brought in three touchdown catches throughout the first four weeks of the season. Graham has been a great safety blanket in this offense and could be viable in all formats. Outside of him, Demetrius Harris and Cole Kmet are the other Bears tight ends that they rotate in and out but are not as reliable from a fantasy standpoint like Graham is.
Other plays: Graham offers the safest floor while Gronk is the best option for the Bucs. The cheaper priced option for tournaments would be Brate but he carries a low floor.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
While both defenses have been a little shaky at times to start the season, the safer of the two options is looking like the Buccaneers Defense. Chicago's offense ranks 24th in the league in scoring (21.3 points per game) and with how well the Bucs get to opposing quarterbacks (14 sacks) and generate turnovers (five interceptions, three fumble recoveries), it is hard to imagine them not being able to have success in this matchup. Both of these teams have had their fair share of kicking troubles and it would be wise to not trust either kicking option in cash games.
Other plays: Bucs D/ST offers the best upside out of this group and is even viable in cash games. Both Cairo Santos and Ryan Succop could be used in tournament formats but are risky plays given that they have missed two field goals out of seven attempts each.
Good luck, RotoBallers, and remember to mix it up and don't be afraid to be different in these large field GPPs!
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