Lineup Breakdown: Analysis of Week 5 Winning Lineups

Week 5 had no shortage of big performances or late-game drama, and multiple MILLIONAIRES were crowned. I'll be breaking down the big winner's lineups on both FanDuel and DraftKings, and highlight the key plays that changed their lives forever. Let's get things kicked off by looking at the big $1,000,000 winning lineup in the $25 Buy-In FanDuel Sunday Million:

Our big winner this week was “joshua9028," who has won just eight total games on FanDuel, with all of those wins coming in NFL action. A solid Monday Night Football performance by Antonio Gates sealed the deal, as he became FanDuel's latest millionaire! This lineup was a combination of low ownership and solid performances. Let's break down the winning lineup:

QB – Eli Manning ($7,700) vs. San Francisco (7.1% owned) – Finding a low-owned QB who accounts for more than 450 total yards is a great way to set your roster apart from the field. Eli was tremendous all night long while the Giants run game struggled, picking apart the 49ers secondary time and time again, finishing with 441 passing yards and 3 scores.

RB – Devonta Freeman ($7,600) vs. Washington (26.9% owned) –Freeman once again had a monster performance, one that could have been even bigger if he didn't fumble into the end zone (you're welcome, Julio Jones). Many people were hesitant on him this week, but he once again silenced the critics with 197 total yards and a score.

RB – Doug Martin ($6,400) vs. Jacksonville (3.6% owned) – The one player you NEEDED to have if you were going to cash in big in Week 5 was Martin. After struggling out of the gates this season, Martin posted his second straight solid performance. He finished with 158 total yards and a Devonta Freeman-esque trio of scores.

WR – Odell Beckham Jr. ($9,000) at Atlanta (17.6% owned) – Eli's favorite target managed to have one of the better WR games on the slate. A late touchdown grab put him over the top, as he finished with a 7-121-1 line against a porous 49ers secondary..

WR – James Jones ($6,400) vs. St. Louis (12.3% owned) – Jones only managed two catches on Sunday (the same number of receptions the Rams defense had off Aaron Rodgers throws), but he made them count. He hauled in a 65-yard TD grab from Aaron Rodgers early in the third quarter and wrapped this one up with 2-77-1, which was more than enough for his value price tag.

WR – Julian Edelman ($7,700) at Dallas (30.6% owned) – Another benefactor of a late TD grab, Edelman's 59-yard score early in the fourth quarter vaulted him from “bust" status to a solid 4-120-1 line. The Patriots spread the ball around well once again, but Edelman's effort was more than adequate.

TE – Antonio Gates ($5,500) vs. Pittsburgh (14.1% owned) – In his return from suspension, Gates was responsible for both Chargers TDs, and finished his triumphant return with 9-92-2 against the Steelers. On a week where many TEs were letdowns, Gates stood head and shoulders above any other TE not named Tyler Eifert.

K – Matt Bryant ($4,700) vs. Washington (7.9% owned) – Bryant knocked in a pair of field goals and added an extra point in the Falcons' narrow victory over the Redskins in OT. Unlike last week, there were very few high-scoring kickers, and Bryant's performance was par for the course.

D/ST – Denver Broncos ($4,900) at Oakland (22.1% owned) – The Broncos looked incredible on defense against the Raiders. They allowed just 10 points, scored a TD, forced 3 turnovers and added 4 sacks as well. They were the premier chalk option at D/ST.

If any of you know where we can find "joshua9028" or "Chenthai15" shoot us a tweet @dfcafe! We would love to have him/her on for an interview and lineup breakdown!

The DraftKings $20 Millionaire Maker produced yet another $1.2 Million dollar winner, and in Week 5, it was “Chenthai15" taking down the top prize after a huge performance by Antonio Gates on Monday Night Football! Let's break down the $1,200,000 winning lineup:

QB – Sam Bradford vs. New Orleans (5.4% owned) – Everyone's favorite QB to love to hate in the first few weeks of the season, Bradford came through with a second consecutive solid performance. He ended up with 333 yards through the air and a pair of scores at the lowest ownership level on the team (tied with Doug Martin).

RB – Devonta Freeman vs. Washington (21.7% owned) – Are you a believer yet? Freeman had yet another huge game, nearly breaking the 200-yard mark in all-purpose yards. Can we say that he was a disappointment for only scoring once? This kid is for real, and if not for a fumble into the end zone, we may have just seen 40+ fantasy points out of him.

RB – Justin Forsett vs. Cleveland (23.8% owned) – Despite having 2 TD runs vultured by Joe Flacco, Forsett finished with a solid performance in a dream matchup with the Browns. He totaled 170 yards and a score, with the TD coming late in the fourth quarter.

WR – Julian Edelman at Dallas (28.9% owned) As mentioned earlier, Edelman broke through late, even more so on DraftKings, where he eclipsed the 100-yard mark on his last TD grab.

WR – Allen Robinson at Tampa Bay (10.9% owned) – Blake Bortles and company were firing on all cylinders against the Buccaneers, and Robinson had a huge game, finishing with 7-72-2. He didn't earn the 100-yard bonus, but finding the end zone twice was more than enough.

WR Emmanuel Sanders at Oakland (6.7% owned) – Sanders was the lone bright spot for a weak Denver offensive attack, hauling in 9 catches for 111 yards. Only the defense found the end zone in this one, but Sanders was a solid play at low ownership.

TE – Antonio Gates vs. Pittsburgh (14% owned) – Gates tore up the Steelers secondary all night long, finishing with 9-92-2. He was almost solely responsible for the Chargers offensive success, and his late TD vaulted this lineup into the top spot.

FLEX – Doug Martin vs. Jacksonville (9.8% owned) – Martin was not only cheap, but ended the day as the highest scoring player. As mentioned above, he ended up with 158 total yards and a trio of scores. He was the x-factor for winning lineups this weekend.

D/ST – Green Bay vs. St. Louis (6.3% owned) – The Packers were a phenomenal play this weekend. They ended up with 3 sacks, 4 INTs, a TD, and a blocked kick in their dominant win over the Rams.

That wraps things up for the big winners in Week 5! Hopefully you had yourself a profitable Week 5 as well, and gained some insight and knowledge from these lineup breakdowns. Lineup construction is absolutely essential in taking down a big tournament, and determining the right combination of low ownership and upside is always the way to set yourself apart from the field. Dig deep in your research, check out all of our content at DFC, and you may just find yourself atop the leaderboard next week!