Week 5 of the NFL season marks the first week with teams on bye, and as such, we’ve got a reduced 10-game main slate to tackle on DraftKings. Today, we’ll walk through the top NFL DFS Picks for Week 5. With all the data we have, it’s easy to overreact to a small sample size. That said, don’t overthink it — go back to the basics. We’ll tackle how to best do that on this jam-packed Week 5 slate.
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NFL DFS Picks for Week 5: Back to the Basics
In 2024, if you’re just using NFL DFS projections to make your picks, you’re losing out on more than half the game. DFS is a peer-to-peer game, and what constitutes a good lineup often comes down to what the field is doing.
Our NFL DFS ownership projections are part of the solution, but to get the most out of them, you need our NFL Core Package to access our NFL DFS Sims, which allow you to see the best lineups over thousands of simulated versions of the slate.
Check out our breakdown of our NFL subscriptions for pricing and a detailed overview of the tools and data available at each.
NFL DFS Picks for Week 5: Quarterbacks
Cash: Brock Purdy (SF): $6,200
Unlike Week 4, when Jaylen Daniels was the clear cash game quarterback, Week 5 lacks the same clarity. As of this writing, four quarterbacks are expected to be at least 9% owned, with all of them hovering somewhere between 9-13%. That said, San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Brock Purdy looks like the safest of the bunch, and he is the top Week 5 cash game quarterback.
Purdy comes into Sunday’s action averaging 17.9 DraftKings points per game while throwing for 1,130 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. On the whole, Purdy has been more of a solid player than a spectacular one this season, but with his weapons finally healthy, there’s a lot to like about him in a matchup with the Cardinals.
Even with backfield mate Jordan Mason projected to be the highest-owned player on the slate, there should be plenty of touches to go around in San Francisco considering their implied team total (28.75) is 2.25 points higher than the next-closest team on this slate. Arizona currently grades out as one of the best schedule-adjusted matchups for opposing quarterbacks, and Purdy can be rostered in cash games with confidence.
GPP: Jordan Love (GB): $6,500
Truth be told, I was a bit surprised when I pulled up Stokastic’s NFL DFS ownership projections and saw that Jordan Love wasn’t the highest projected owned quarterback on DraftKings. Realizing that there are always plenty of good quarterbacks to choose from and that ownership never gets too high on any one signal-caller, Love is still coming in massively under-owned. With him matched up against the Rams in what looks like a dream spot for opposing quarterbacks, Love has the highest upside of any quarterback on the slate.
While Love has only played in two games so far this season, he comes into Week 5 averaging a slate-best 25.8 DraftKings points per game. A week after throwing an incredible 51 passes, Love now gets one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses, and the field isn’t getting to him as much as they should be.
When generating lineups using Stokastic’s NFL DFS Sims, Love comes in as by far my highest-owned quarterback, showing up in 13.3% of lineups. Though the field is getting to a lot of this game as a whole, Love isn’t getting the ownership he deserves, and you should take advantage of that for Week 5.
Other quarterbacks to consider for NFL DFS GPPs: Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Geno Smith, Deshaun Watson
NFL DFS Picks for Week 5: Running Backs
Cash: Jordan Mason (SF): $7,400
A cash game stalwart in both Week 3 and Week 4, San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason is again the first player to lock into cash game lineups in Week 5. While he finally got a decent price jump to $7,400, Mason is still too cheap for his current role in a San Francisco backfield that remains without Christian McCaffrey.
Despite not being overly involved in the 49ers passing game, Mason still comes into Sunday’s action averaging 20.9 DraftKings points per game, and he should again get a ton of touches in a game the 49ers are 7.5-point favorites with the highest team total of the week.
As of this writing, Mason is projected to be optimal an incredible 40% of the time this slate plays out on DraftKings, per our NFL DFS Sims. Though he is projected to be over-owned with 45.5% of lineups expected to roster him, that number should be 100% in cash games.
If you’re not playing Mason in cash games again this week, you’re doing it wrong. It’s that simple.
GPP: Antonio Gibson (NE): $5,100
Injuries and the NFL go together like peanut butter and jelly, and heading into Week 5, several starting running backs are expected to be out of action. That leaves us with a group of cheap, popular running backs that will in all likelihood be over-owned in DFS. While there are certainly reasons to like players such as Trey Sermon and Tyrone Tracy Jr., New England’s newly minted starter, Antonio Gibson, is falling through the cracks in a major way on DraftKings.
Gibson enters Week 5 averaging 7.7 DraftKings points per game, and he’s generally been pretty solid behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson. With Stevenson unable to protect the football and losing another fumble in Week 4, he has officially lost his starting role, putting Gibson in line to start at running back this week.
After Buffalo running back James Cook ran all over the Dolphins in Week 3, Miami’s defense responded by giving up big games to both Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard of the Titans in Week 5. Though Stevenson’s benching is unlikely to land him on the sidelines for the entire game, Gibson is popping in both our NFL DFS Boom-Bust Tool and our NFL DFS Sims.
As of this writing, Gibson is projected to be optimal 7.96% of the time this slate plays out on DraftKings. But with only 4.1% of lineups expected to roster Gibson, it makes sense why he looks so good from a leverage perspective. Stokastic’s Pre-Contest Simulator only confirms these thoughts, as Gibson is clearly not getting the love he deserves on DraftKings.
Other running backs to consider for NFL DFS GPPs: Derrick Henry, Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker III, Rhamondre Stevenson, Trey Sermon, Cam Akers, Alexander Mattison, Tyrone Tracy Jr.
NFL DFS Picks for Week 5: Wide Receivers
Cash: Jayden Reed (GB): $6,500
Projected to be the second-highest-owned player on the slate behind only Mason, Jayden Reed is another cash game lock at $6,500. With Jordan Love back under center last week, Reed responded by putting up 30.1 DraftKings points in a loss to the Vikings. In the two games that Love has played this season, Reed is averaging 33.1 DraftKings points, and still discounted at $6,500, there’s no getting away from him in Week 5 cash games.
With both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs out for the Packers on Sunday, Reed has an eye-raising 25.46% chance of being optimal on Sunday. As with Mason (in that Reed is currently projected to be over-owned with 29.7% of lineups expected to roster him), his high ownership number should be 100% in cash games. With Love healthy and both Watson and Doubs out, Johnson is severely underpriced at $6,500, and there’s no reason to get away from him in those contests.
Other wide receivers to consider for NFL Cash Games: Nico Collins, Deebo Samuel Sr., Diontae Johnson, Michael Pittman Jr., Dontayvion Wicks, Jordan Whittington
GPP: Tutu Atwell (LAR): $4,900
Going back to Green Bay-Los Angeles in what looks like the highest upside game on the slate, veteran Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell is emerging as one of the best tournament wideouts on the slate. Atwell has been more of a solid piece than a spectacular one throughout his career, but with the Rams missing both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, he has caught eight balls over the past two weeks as his rapport with Matthew Stafford continues to grow.
While Demarcus Robinson got all the preseason hype and rookie Jordan Whittington is projected to be the second-highest owned wide receiver on the slate, Atwell has started to establish himself as Stafford’s top target, and his speed has always offered big-play upside.. With the field so heavily focused on the Green Bay side of this game and the other Rams receivers, Atwell is flying a bit too far under the radar.
Atwell is currently projected to be optimal 7.08% of the time this slate happens on DraftKings. With only 6.0% of lineups expected to roster him, Atwell isn’t getting the ownership he deserves, and he’s easy to get over the field on in tournaments. Stokastic’s Pre-Contest Simulator confirms these sentiments as Atwell is currently showing up in 6.7% of simulated lineups.
Other wide receivers to consider for NFL DFS GPPs: DK Metcalf, Stefon Diggs, Tee Higgins, Brian Thomas Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tank Dell, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel
NFL DFS Picks for Week 5: Tight Ends
Cash: Tucker Kraft (GB): $3,500
Unlike last week, when the tight end position was pretty murky for cash games, Week 5 offers much more clarity. As of this writing, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft is projected to be one of the highest owned players on the entire slate, and he is the clear top cash game tight end for Week 5.
Kraft enters Week 5 averaging only 8.0 DraftKings points per game, but he is coming off his best game of the season in Week 4. With Jordan Love back under center, he saw a massive spike in usage, generating an 84% route share in Week 4. While there are plenty of reasons to get away from Kraft in GPPs, plug him in and move along in cash games.
GPP TE Options: George Kittle, Brock Bowers, Erick All Jr.
NFL DFS Picks for Week 5: D/ST
Cash DST Options: Seahawks, Broncos, Texans
GPP DST Options: Seahawks, Bears, Broncos
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