It is always important to survey the DFS landscape each week and determine potential building blocks, which are the core plays and the foundation for most lineup types. The popular options are rising to the top for good reason more often than not, but there also are overlooked plays at every position, usually only a couple names down the rankings list. In this post, we’ll be making our best NFL DFS Week 4 picks on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Stokastic provides a variety of tools for all DFS sports that can help sort through the large NFL feature slate player pool. These were utilized in coming up with the recommendations in this article and include, but are far from limited to the NFL DFS Top Stacks tool, player projections, the Boom/Bust tool, and of course the proprietary Lineup Generator which incorporates all the tools and date, including tournament field popularity and of course simulations of the slate and how that impacts the potential ROI for your lineups and those of the field.
All tools are available for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates each week. Additionally, multiple tools are also at your disposal for the sub-slates as well as the primetime “island games” which have turned into one of the most popular DFS offerings on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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NFL DFS Week 5 Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel
This week there are 10 games on the Sunday featured slate. Early birds can get in on the London action with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars squaring off in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, at 9:30 a.m. ET. Keep in mind that the Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons in Wembley Stadium last Sunday. The Browns, Buccaneers, Chargers and Seahawks are all on bye this week.
Best NFL DFS Week 5 Picks and Building Blocks: Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts (Eagles-Rams): DraftKings ($8,000, 13.9% ownership), FanDuel ($8,600, 18.7% ownership)
Philadelphia is currently listed as four-point road favorites as they take on the Rams in Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles approach this game against the 24th-rushing and 21st-passing DVOAs. Additionally, the Rams do not rate out favorably in the PFF pass-coverage metrics as they are in the bottom-three.
Last week was the first time that Jalen Hurts surpassed the 300 passing-yard milestone this season, but he has kept his fantasy backers happy with three rushing touchdowns. All told, Hurts has five passing and three rushing scores, with multiple touchdowns in each of the last three games.
Outside of rookie Anthony Richardson who rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, Los Angeles has not dealt with a running quarterback so far this season. Hurts is averaging 10 carries per game and he is on pace to match his 13 scores of last season and in all likelihood will reach the 700 rushing yard plateau for a third consecutive year. The Eagles are one of two undefeated teams and while this is not going to be an easy matchup, Hurts should be able to put his team in a position to win. Add in the passing upside and Hurts is in the mix every week as the quarterback building block for all game formats.
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs-Vikings): DraftKings ($8,200, 13.8%), FanDuel ($9,200, 14.1%)
Though this is a road matchup for Patrick Mahomes, the game is in a dome against an above-average offense and a shaky pass defense, with the 20th DVOA at this point in the season. The Vikings were able to keep rookie Bryce Young out of the end zone, but the first three quarterbacks they faced had multi-touchdown games, albeit Hurts got two of his three scores on the ground.
Last week the game was in hand for Minnesota, but it should be noted that Kirk Cousins tallied 340-plus passing yards and at least two touchdowns in each of the three preceding games. That should allow the Vikings to put points on the board, which in turn should have Mahomes throwing for most of the game.
These are the minor edges that help players reach the pinnacle of their fantasy production, so we should not overlook Mahomes on this slate and striving to be “over the field” in tournaments seems like a savvy strategy. Mahomes has three multi-touchdown games under his belt and it seems he is going to be able to work his magic, without any above average pass-catchers, other than Travis Kelce.Â
Best NFL DFS Week 5 Picks and Building Blocks: Running Backs
Bijan Robinson (Falcons-Texans): DraftKings ($7,700, 22.5%), FanDuel ($8,200, 24.0%)
Rookie Bijan Robinson is pretty, pretty good and the Houston rushing DVOA is in the bottom five this season. In each of the last three games, an opposing ball-carrier has hung at least 107 combined yards on the Texans. Houston did not allow the Steelers running backs to reach the end zone last week, but this defense allowed five rushing touchdowns in the preceding trio of tilts. In a wild twist, running back Tyler Allgeier (2) and quarterback Desmond Ridder (1) have accounted for the three rushing touchdowns for Atlanta. Robinson did score a receiving touchdown in the opener and he is strongly positioned to get his first career rushing touchdown on Sunday afternoon.
De’Von Achane (Dolphins-Giants): DraftKings ($6,100, 20.5%), FanDuel ($7,500, 19.1%)
Rookie De’Von Achane (shoulder) sat out Week 1 and in his debut in the second game, he had one carry for five yards and brought in his lone target for another four yards in New England. Week 3 was the 70-20 shellacking of Denver, where both Achane and counterpart Raheem Mostert each tallied four touchdowns. While Achane did not reach those lofty heights last weekend, he did have 101 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries and three receptions for an additional 19 yards on five targets.
The Giants are a mess. Through four games, they have allowed at least one rushing touchdown to opposing ball-carriers in each matchup, with the lead back surpassing 70 rushing yards in each game. It would be ridiculous to continue banking on this uber-efficiency from Achane, but he is in the mix for 100 combined yards and a score as a baseline and if he gets any sort of volume, there will be opportunities for another highlight-reel dash through the defense.
The Lineup Generator keeps pushing Achane into tournament lineups on both DraftKings and FanDuel, which is due to his nice combination of salary, projected points and realistically attainable upside. While there are better options for “cash games” with players who have a higher floor projection – it looks like a savvy and not particularly difficult strategy of being over the field on Achane this week. If his popularity ends up surging closer to 30% on either sites, then pivoting away from the crowd becomes a better tournament strategy.
Derrick Henry (Titans-Colts): DraftKings ($7,500, 13.5%), FanDuel ($9,000, 11.6%)
The tournament pivot to Achane or Robinson on both DraftKings and FanDuel is Derrick Henry on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. Breece Hall looks like a popular “cash game” (H2Hs, 50/50s, double-ups, 3-mans, etc.) play on DraftKings ($5,400) and FanDuel ($6,500) against the struggling Broncos, in Denver. Keep in mind that if rookie Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) is out or limited, veteran David Montgomery would push himself up the rankings for all formats at home against the Carolina Panthers.
Indy is in the middle of the pack for both their rushing and passing DVOA marks. In the opener, Travis Etienne Jr. had 18 carries for 77 yards and a score, bringing in all five targets for 27 yards. Week 2 was against Houston who did not mount much of a ground threat. Week 3 saw the pupu platter of Gus Edwards, Melvin Gordon III and Kenyan Drake combine for 22 carries and 82 yards, with four receptions and 54 more yards and while they did not score, Lamar Jackson had 101 yards and two tuddies on 14 carries.
Last Sunday, in overtime, Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers rolled up 150 yards on 34 totes with 34 yards on five receptions. Williams got both rushing scores. Henry has posted 95-plus combined yards in three of his four games, while rushing for a pair of touchdowns. In five of his last six matchups against these divisional rivals, the two-time rushing king has rushed for at least 100 yards. Clearly in his age-30 season, Henry is no longer at the top of the heap, but he still can bring his fastball and is just two seasons removed from his last Pro Bowl nomination.
Best NFL DFS Week 5 Picks and Building Blocks: Wide Receivers
Wan’Dale Robinson (Giants-Dolphins): DraftKings ($3,000, 13.1%), FanDuel ($5,400, 7.2%)
Wait, how is it that a wide receiver from a franchise that has gone into self-destruct mode is the leading option in this article?! Well dear reader, Wan’Dale Robinson is how we are going to facilitate rostering at least one of Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown or Ja’Marr Chase at their exorbitant salaries this Sunday. Robinson has played in just two games, since returning from the knee injury that cost him most of last year, but he already has 11 targets for nine receptions and 61 yards and saw his snap count increase from 11 to 48. He also had a rushing attempt for seven yards against Seattle, so clearly the Giants will be looking to get him the ball as the season starts to slip from their grasp.
Kalif Raymond (Lions-Panthers): DraftKings ($3,300, 15.4%), FanDuel ($4,800, 9.9%)
It looks like Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) is going to be out on Sunday, so Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds also enter the fray as potential discount dandies. Jared Goff should have no trouble moving the team up and down the field against the Panthers and this duo is likely to see around half a dozen targets each if ARSB is out of commission.
Best NFL DFS Week 5 Picks and Building Blocks: Tight Ends
Sam LaPorta (Lions-Panthers): DraftKings ($5,000, 15.4%), FanDuel ($6,000, 14.9%)
Rookie Sam LaPorta has been off to a strong start with 27 targets for 22 receptions, 242 yards and one touchdown. In Week 3 against the Falcons, he saw 11 targets for eight receptions, 84 yards and a score. That sort of stat line is in play on Sunday if St. Brown sits as expected. There is not much else to add, other than LaPorta is a strong fantasy point per dollar option, who could easily vie for a top-three score at this position.
Travis Kelce (Chiefs-Vikings): DraftKings ($7,600, 24.3%), FanDuel ($8,789, 17.8%)
This is an outstanding game environment for Travis Kelce, who gets to play in a dome, while also functioning as the main target for Mahomes. Even though he missed the first week with a tender hamstring, he already leads the team with 26 targets, seven more than rookie Rashee Rice. Kelce has the fifth best projection on Stokastic when comparing him to all wide receivers and tight ends in the full Week 5 player pool. Enjoy!
Best NFL DFS Week 5 Picks and Building Blocks: Defense/Special Teams
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants: DraftKings ($3,600, 12.5%), FanDuel ($4,900, 18.1%)
This all comes down to the number 23, which is the number of sacks that New York has allowed this season. Things are not likely to get much better against the Dolphins in Miami, with the Giants likely playing catch-up most of this game. The ‘Phins have a respectable 10 sacks through four games along with five turnovers. The popularity for Miami is likely to crest over 20% by Sunday morning on DraftKings and it could go higher.
Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers: DraftKings ($3,800, 6.5%), FanDuel ($4,800, 7.9%)
Detroit has tallied 12 sacks and three takeaways in the last two games in Green Bay last Thursday and against the visiting Falcons in Week 3. While the Panthers have allowed 3.3 sacks per game, the offense has not been particularly threatening, well except for the game in Seattle when Andy Dalton was under center. The Lions are seeing the draft capital they have put into the defense start to pay dividends and they could finally turn the corner and be a real playoff contender this season.
As you get your NFL DFS Week 5 picks and lineups prepped on DraftKings and FanDuel, Stokastic can help. We have more free DFS content on the NFL homepage, premium DFS software including NFL Sims and the Lineup Generator, and the best live shows and videos from your favorite analysts on our YouTube channel.
You can also talk NFL DFS picks and strategy with the team and the rest of our sharp community on the Stokastic Discord!
