Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, right, and receiver Larry Fitzgerald have been one of the most productive duos in 2015. (Getty)
It’s a popular tactic to use a quarterback/wide receiver teammate tandem in DraftKings NFL fantasy football.
The idea is to find a quarterback who loves to feed his No. 1 receiver the ball on a consistent basis, ensuring fantasy production for the pass-catcher and QB. But your quarterback also needs to be a chucker. You want him throwing 35-40 times per game so he can accumulate fantasy points throughout. Not every quarterback is capable of this. You need to stay away from them.
You just can’t throw any combo out there. As much as I want to use Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins, I’m not also going to play QB Ryan Mallet because A) his only stats come from Hopkins as he throws to nobody else and B) he might get benched for Brian Hoyer at the half. But I will use Hopkins because I know at least he will pile up the fantasy points.
In order to qualify, the tandems need to have a favorable Week 5 matchup, have reasonable salaries and, you know, not stink at football. I have found some of who fit that criteria.
And don’t forget to bookmark our fantasy football rankings 2015 page to keep up-to-date on the latest projections and rankings so you know you who to start and who to sit each week. All of my rankings for Week 5 are posted.
Here are the best quarterback/receiver teammate combos for Week 5:
Carson Palmer ($6,600) & Larry Fitzgerald ($6,800), Cardinals, at Lions
“Old-timers” Palmer and Fitzgerald have become one of the most productive QB-WR teammate tandems in the league, hooking up on 30 of 37 attempts for 432 yards and an NFL-best 5 touchdowns. Yet somehow they both still come at bargain prices. It’s possible a now-healthy Michael Floyd could start dipping into some of Fitz’s targets, but Palmer knows where his bread is buttered. And it certainly doesn’t hurt the Lions are near the bottom of the NFL in fantasy points allowed to both quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Josh McCown ($5,100) & Travis Benjamin ($4,500), Browns, at Ravens
This is a risky combo here, no doubt. But do you know how many fantasy points McCown is averaging over the past 2 games? Twenty-five! 25! And Benjamin is blossoming into a legitimate receiver, garnering 20 targets from McCown over those games. The Browns won’t be able to play a ground-control offense in this game and it’s no secret the Ravens can’t play a lick of pass defense. At a combined $9,600, the McCown-Benjamin duo could be the bargain of the bunch.
Philip Rivers ($6,200) & Keenan Allen ($7,200), Chargers, vs. Steelers
Rivers leads the league in passing yards and Allen has double-digit receptions and/or a TD in 3 of 4 games. That’s going to be 4 of 5 as the Steelers are definitely beatable in the secondary. It’s kind of surprising Rivers is still this inexpensive for the numbers he’s putting up, but who am I to complain? Allen will get his, as will Rivers, who is getting Antonio Gates back from suspension. Expect big-time production from both for under a combined $13.5K. I’ll take that.
Tom Brady ($7,800) & Julian Edelman ($7,000), Patriots, at Cowboys
If you can get Brady and Edelman for under $15,000, that’s a bargain. At over 52 fantasy points combined per contest, it’s easily the best production of any QB/WR tandem. And they come cheaper than Aaron Rodgers/Randall Cobb ($15.4K), Matt Ryan/Julio Jones ($15.9K), Eli Manning/Odell Beckham ($15.8K) and Peyton Manning/Demaryius Thomas ($15.1K). So, yes, at $14,800 total, Brady and Edelman are a steal. Expect Edelman to see his usual dozen or so targets and turn them into 20+ points. And Brady vs. a Cowboys secondary which has given up 644 yards and 4 TDs over the past two games? Yeah, get on board. Pitch and catch, pitch and catch.
