The pool of players is a bit thinner now that four teams are on bye. We've spent the few weeks with 13-game slates to work with; that number has dropped to 11 in Week 5. There's less football to enjoy, but that doesn't mean we can't put together some strong DFS lineups.
In DFS, it all comes down to finding edges over your opponents. There are plenty of ways to attack this slate and find edges over other players, but we are given a finite salary, so we have to get a bit creative. But without further ado, here are the Sporting News' optimal lineups and best picks for Week 5 DFS slates on both Draft Kings and FanDuel.
DraftKings DFS Picks Week 5: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments
Sunday Main Slate, $50,000 salary
QB: Jordan Love, Packers at Rams ($6,500)
Green Bay vs. Los Angeles will be the matchup we're attacking, specifically through the Packers. This game features a respectable 48-point total with Green Bay sitting at an implied team total of 25.5, the second-highest on the slate. Specifically looking at Jordan Love, he's coming off a game where he scored 34.2 DK points. It's important to note that this came on the back of 54 pass attempts which were driven by a wonky game script that involved plenty of offensive production and turnovers. Love's volume will take a hit in Week 5, but he has a strong matchup against a Los Angeles defense that ranks 28th in fantasy points allowed to QBs and 31st in EPA allowed per dropback.
WEEK 5 DFS ADVICE
Best Stacks | Sleepers & Values | TNF DFS Advice | Weather
RB: Chase Brown, Bengals vs. Ravens ($5,600)
Through three games, it was clear that the Bengals' coaching staff preferred to utilize Zack Moss as their go-to back. But Chase Brown has simply played too well to justify keeping him off the field. Brown currently leads all running backs (min. 25 carries) with 6.34 YPC and also leads all ball carriers in rushing success rate. Brown's strong play allowed him to push Moss into a 60-40 split for snaps and near 50-50 split for opportunities last week. Most importantly, Brown saw his first goal line carry of the season last week. This backfield should be a fairly even split moving forward and if Brown's strong play continues, he should be rewarded with a goal line opportunity or two in this one.
RB: Trey Sermon, Colts at Jaguars ($5,700)
There's nothing quite like using a spot-start running back to save some money on this roster. After missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday, it seems that Jonathan Taylor will miss Sunday's game, leaving Trey Sermon as the top dog in the Colts' backfield. Sermon has already seen a good amount of 3rd down work this season (37 percent of 3rd down snaps), indicating that he'll have the opportunity to function as an every-down back this week. He should see plenty of touches and has the opportunity to torch a defense that has allowed the 7th-most fantasy points to RBs this year. Not to mention the fact that the Indianapolis offensive line has provided the 3rd-most yards before contact per rush this season. He could run all over the Jaguars on Sunday.
WEEK 5 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR: Nico Collins, Texans vs. Bills ($7,700)
The rest of this receiving room utilized some value options, so we had room to jam a high-priced alpha into this lineup. We're going to do that with the NFL's receiving yards leader, Nico Collins. Throughout the offseason, there were murmurs of Collins looking like the second coming of Julio Jones. These comparisons are looking more than appropriate after four games. We're talking about a receiver who is 6'4", 225 pounds, and has clocked the fastest speed (21.89 MPH) of any ball carrier this season. Oh, he also accounts for 28 percent of the targets in an offense led by C.J. Stroud. There's nothing not to love about Collins this season.
WR: Jayden Reed, Packers at Rams ($6,500)
Another player who's been spectacular this season is Jayden Reed. He's played two games with Jordan Love on the year and cleared 130 receiving yards in both of them. In his last 10 games with Love, Reed is averaging 25.9 PPG. For reference, on CeeDee Lamb's historic 11-game stretch to close out the 2023 season, he was averaging 28.8 PPG. Reed is quickly emerging as an elite fantasy option, and it shouldn't come as a shock that he leads all receivers in fantasy points per route run. He should have no problem picking apart a Rams secondary that has allowed a 120-plus yard receiver in three of four games this season.
WEEK 5 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Stock Watch | Trade Advice | Sleepers | Busts | Start/Sit | Usage Report | Flex Finder
WR: Dontayvion Wicks, Packers at Rams ($5,000)
We'll be hitting the Packers double stack with none other than every fantasy analyst's favorite breakout candidate, Dontayvion Wicks. With Christian Watson sidelined this week, Wicks has a tremendous opportunity. He's thrived in the past when Watson has been off the field.
If we only look at plays where Dontayvion Wicks ran a route, it's pretty impressive. Especially for a 2023 Round 5 pick.
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 1, 2024
Up at a 25% target share. https://t.co/spSZp9NNup pic.twitter.com/TzWBWekRis
It's a small sample size (290 plays), but Wicks has been a legitimate target-earner when he's not sharing the field with Watson. He had a big day without Watson last week and should be a key piece of the Packers' passing attack in Week 5.
TE: David Njoku, Browns at Commanders ($5,000)
No tight end played better than David Njoku down the stretch of the 2023 season. He was fantasy's TE1 from Week 8 on, averaging 15.8 PPG. It looked like he was going to pick up right where he left off (4 receptions, 44 yards) before he suffered an ankle injury early in the 3rd quarter of Week 1. Njoku is on track to return after a 3-week absence and could provide a bright spot in a desolate TE landscape.
FLEX: Jordan Whittington, Rams vs. Packers ($4,600)
Jordan Whittington has emerged as the WR1 in Los Angeles with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua sidelined. Last week, Whittington led all Rams receivers in routes and targets while finishing second in air yards share. He appears locked into a full-time role until Kupp and Nacua return. This is a role that should lead to a steady dose of targets in a game where Los Angeles will have to take on a pass-heavy offensive approach to keep pace with Green Bay.
D/ST: Miami Dolphins, at Patriots ($3,300)
This is as simple as taking advantage of a dysfunctional offensive line and offense as a whole. Jacoby Brissett has been pressured on his dropbacks at the highest rate in the NFL and can't put together a solid drive as a result. The Miami defensive line should be living in the New England backfield this week.
FanDuel DFS Picks Week 4: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments
Sunday Main Slate, $60,000 salary cap
QB: Jordan Love, Packers at Rams ($8,200)
Our primary stack will be carrying over from Draft Kings to FanDuel. Love is in a great spot against a rather weak secondary. The Packers should put up in the range of 28 points this week and Love will be a big part of their offensive production.
RB: Kenneth Walker, Seahawks vs. Giants ($7,400)
Kenneth Walker has been incredibly impressive in his two games this season. He's scored at least 20 FD points in both contests and has looked great with the ball in his hands. Among running backs with at least 25 carries, Walker ranks top-10 in yards per carry, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards after contact per attempt. His only drawback is that Seattle has been on the league's most pass-heavy offenses this year. However, in a game where the Seahawks are favored by six points, Walker should see a healthy workload.
RB: Chase Brown, Bengals vs. Ravens ($6,100)
It's really hard to get away from Chase Brown considering how good he's looked. Now that he's pushing Moss for both snaps and high-value touches, he the perfect ceiling-based bet to make in large-field tournaments. He's a staple in our DK and FD lineups.
WR: Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Ravens ($9,300)
Much like our DK lineup, the use of value plays in other slots of this lineup opens the door for us to add in a stud receiver. It was Nico Collins on DK, and it'll be Ja'Marr Chase on FanDuel. After a slow start to the year, Chase has picked things up in the last two weeks, combining for 45.8 FD points. His peripheral metrics haven't been great, but he's been able to rip off multiple 40-plus yard touchdowns to make up for his lack of targets. Bengals vs. Ravens has the highest total on the slate, and Chase will be a key piece of Cincinnati's offensive game plan if they're going to keep pace with Baltimore.
WR: Jayden Reed, Packers at Rams ($7,200)
Go check out the DK lineup to see just how good Jayden Reed has been in his last 10 games with Jordan Love. Reed is the focal point of any stack involving Love, so it's no shock to see him here.
WR: Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars vs. Colts ($6,300)
Brian Thomas Jr. may be one of the biggest values on FanDuel this week. Thomas, a rookie, has gone through a gauntlet of high-end secondaries (Dolphins, Browns, Buffalo, Houston) and come out the other side averaging 12.3 PPG. He now gets an Indianapolis secondary that has been porous this season and is susceptible to talented outside receivers. Nico Collins, Rome Odunze, and George Pickens all went for 110-plus yards against Indianapolis. The Colts' Cover 3-heavy scheme also favors Thomas who averages 0.63 fantasy points per route run against Cover 3. Thomas is already on the trajectory of having a breakout rookie season and he should continue on this path in Week 5.
TE: Pat Freiermuth, Steelers vs. Cowboys ($5,100)
It's gross, but Pat Freiermuth has been one of the steadiest producers at tight end this season. He's caught at least four balls in every game this season which provides a non-zero floor. Coupled with the emergence of the Steelers offense that led to a Freiermuth touchdown last week, he has a legitimate ceiling. As is often the case with tight ends, we're going to need a touchdown for this play to smash.
FLEX: Dontayvion Wicks, Packers at Rams ($5,900)
The breakout of Dontayvion Wicks is officially here. The Packers have a matchup against the Rams that could very easily lead to strong fantasy performances from multiple receivers. As highlighted in the DK lineup, this could very easily be Wicks alongside Reed.
D/ST Dolphins, at Patriots ($4,200)
It's the same story on FanDuel as it is on Draft Kings. The Patriots' offense has been putrid this season and has allowed Jacoby Brissett to be pressured on nearly half of his dropbacks. This should be a low-scoring affair with strong days for both defensive units.
