NFL DFS DraftKings Week 5 Lineup Advice

Another week of NFL DFS is in the books! My biggest piece of advice this week? Do your research, but trust your gut! The purpose of this article is to equip you with information that will help you formulate your NFL DFS lineups for Sunday. I share some of my favorite plays, along with some thoughts concerning a few other popular players as well. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @BenMcD_Sports as I’ll be sharing updates to my top plays as more information is released closer to kickoff! Thanks for reading, NFL DFS DraftKings Week 5 Lineup Advice!

NFL DFS DraftKings: Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers GB @ DET $6,300

I know Rodgers hasn’t exactly played up to the level we’ve come to expect from him, but still, doesn’t $6,300 seem too low? There’s going to be so much attention on Big Ben and Matt Ryan that I think he could even be overlooked at this discounted price. Oh. And there’s this…

What exactly does that mean? It means while Detroit appears to have a good pass defense, they actually give up a ton of points per pass attempt. Rodgers has gone over 40 attempts in each of the last 3 games, and if he hits that number he should absolutely smash.

Matthew Stafford GB @ DET $5,700

Here are Stafford’s stats from his last 4 matchups with Green Bay.

• 2017
• 20/29 323 3/0
• 26/33 361 2/0
• 2016
• 26/41 347 2/1
• 28/41 385 3/1

You think Stafford likes playing Green Bay? At only $5,700 not only does he carry huge upside, he is a great value that allows you to spend up elsewhere. Once again, with an O/U of 57, ATL vs. PIT is going to garner a lot of attention, but this GB vs. DET isn’t far behind with an O/U of 54. I expect a shootout, and Stafford is a big reason why.

Derek Carr OAK @ LAC $5,200

I loved Carr going into week 4, and in fact, he was the quarterback in my highest scoring lineup. He shredded the Browns defense for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. Next up is the Chargers and their 27th ranked defense in points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Fun fact – the Chargers are the only team that has allowed their opponent to score OVER their expected point total in each game they’ve played this season. Look for Carr to have to air it out to try and keep up with the high powered Chargers offense.

NFL DFS DraftKings: Running Backs

Melvin Gordon OAK @ LAC $8,600

With Kamara unavailable on this slate, you’ll have to decide if you still want to spend up at the running back position in week 5. If you do decide to splurge, playing Gordon over Gurley seems like a no brainer due to an $800 difference in their salaries. A quarter of the way through the season, we have a decent sample size that shows Gordon has as high of a ceiling of anyone this side of Alvin Kamara. Having gone over 6 receptions in all but one of their games, Gordon also has the type of floor that makes him a safe play in PPR scoring. Gordon should have no problem continuing his torrid pace against a Raiders defense that offers little resistance.

David Johnson ARI @ SF $6,300

We finally saw signs of life from the Cardinals rushing attack! Last week, Johnson recorded 22 carries on his way to 71 yards and a touchdown. The 22 carries were 9 more than his previous season high of 13. If that volume is a sign of things to come, Johnson’s salary will never be this low again. The switch to Rosen at quarterback did seem to breathe a little fresh air into the Cardinals offense, and a week 5 matchup with a struggling 49ers defense could be just what the doctor ordered to finally see a breakout game from the Arizona running back.

T.J. Yeldon JAX @ KC $5,600

I just got back from a trip to Denver where I was able to watch the Chiefs and Broncos on Monday night. (Shoutouts to my buddies Corey, Greg, and Jason for the plane tickets, hotel room, and game tickets!) The thing that stood out to me the most was that Denver was essentially able to run at will against the Kansas City defense. Both Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman scored touchdowns and could have had even bigger days had the Broncos not inexplicably decided to abandon the run. Due to Fournette suffering a setback with his hamstring, Yeldon is once again set to resume lead back duties for the Jags. He’s a virtual lock for 15 carries and is a favorite of Bortles in the passing game, meaning he’s almost never scripted out of a game. Yeldon is one of my favorite plays this week.

Aaron Jones GB @ DET $4,300

After recording only 6 carries in his week 3 debut, Jones nearly doubled that number by logging 11 carries in week 4. His 6 yards per carry showed why fans have been clamoring for Jones to see more work. The only thing holding Jones back from top 10 numbers has been volume.

Just imagine what Jones could do if he consistently saw 15-20 carries? Detroit’s run defense is nothing to write home about, and Jones could easily follow up last week’s good performance with a great performance in week 5.

NFL DFS DraftKings: Wide Receivers

Davante Adams GB @ DET $7,600

There are two main reasons I love Adams in week 5. Here is the first.

What’s that? The best quarterback in football regrets not giving Adams 20 targets? Maybe he makes up for that in a shootout with Detroit this Sunday. The other reason I love Adams this week? That little red number one next to his name that will scare a lot of NFL DFS players away. We already saw that Detroit actually allows a ton of points per pass attempt despite their overall rank in pass defense. I honestly expect Rodgers and his #1 wide receiver to both be overlooked this week and I’ll be all over them in GPP contests.

Doug Baldwin LAR @ SEA $5,000

After missing the first few games due to a knee injury, Baldwin finally got onto the field last Sunday. He managed to play over 75% of the snaps, and that number should begin to climb as he works his way back into football shape. Right now the Rams look like they could hang 50 on the ‘85 Bears. I don’t expect them to slow down against an injury depleted Seahawks defense which just lost Earl Thomas. Wilson is going to be playing catch-up all day and Baldwin should be the main beneficiary.

Marvin Jones Jr. GB @ DET $4,700

In what should be a high scoring game, all 3 of the top Lions WRs are in play. If I’m using Stafford I’ll be stacking him with a combination of Tate plus Golladay/Jones. The alluring thing about Marvin Jones Jr. is his affordable price. Despite the emergence of Golladay, Jones is still one of the league’s premier deep threats, and all he needs to do be a good value is to grab one deep touchdown pass against a Packers secondary that is prone to giving up big plays.

Jordy Nelson OAK @ LAC $4,500

I expect Derek Carr to have a big week. However, I suspect Amari Cooper will stay true to form by following up a great performance last week with a dud this Sunday. There’s also a good sample size that shows why Cooper is hard to trust this week.

So who else will I be targeting from this Raiders offense? The Football Farmer – Jordy Nelson! After a slow start to the season, he has shown a strong connection with Carr over the last couple of games and scored 17.8 and 32.3 fantasy points, respectively. With Hayward most likely shadowing Cooper, I love Nelson to surpass his season high of 8 targets. With that type of involvement in a high scoring affair, Nelson could be one of the best value plays of the week.

NFL DFS DraftKings: Tight Ends

Zach Ertz MIN @ PHI $6,500

With Gronkowski playing Thursday night, your high priced tight end options are Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce. Both guys are featured in their teams’ passing game, so this is really just a question of who has the better matchup. The Vikings defense was exposed last Thursday night when Kupp and company were seemingly able to get open at will. Ertz is going to be open over the middle all day against a disappointing Minnesota defense.

Jared Cook OAK @ LAC $4,800

Don’t let Cook’s salary fool you. His ceiling is just as high as Ertz and Kelce. He leads the Raiders in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He’s already gone over 30 points twice this year, and has another shot to do so in week 5. The Chargers were just torched by George Kittle for 6 catches, 125 yards, and a touchdown. I love a Carr/Cook stack again this week.

Vance McDonald ATL @ PIT $3,700

This game has an O/U set at a staggering 57 points. Even if you don’t stack either of these teams, you’re going to want some exposure. McDonald offers a great opportunity to get in on the action without having to spend an arm and a leg. He shares a great connection with Roethlisberger and has scored double digits in both games he’s played this year, including a 24.2 point outburst against Tampa Bay in week 3. Tyler Eifert was having a solid game against the Falcons defense last week before suffering a gruesome injury, and at a position that has so much uncertainty, McDonald is one of the safer plays of the day.

NFL DFS DraftKings: Defense/Special Teams

Tennessee Titans DST $4,000

This one is easy. Josh Allen has been sacked more than any other quarterback in the league, and the Titans defense is tied for having the 7th most sacks in the NFL. The Bills are a more dangerous team with Allen under center as opposed to Nathan Peterman, but still don’t present a serious threat to put up a ton of points. Tennessee’s pass rushers should have a blast pressuring Allen in the second half when the Bills will most likely be in catchup mode.

Carolina Panthers DST $3,100

How much longer does Eli Manning get to stay the starting quarterback because he’s Eli Manning? He takes too many sacks, turns the ball over, and rarely takes any downfield shots. Their conservative offense has essentially made OBJ a non-threat, which neutralizes one of the main weapons you’d need to be concerned about if you are using the Panthers defense. With New York going on the road and Carolina coming off a bye week, the Panthers should completely dominate this game.

Best of luck in Week 5 of your NFL DFS contests across DraftKings, FanDuel and FantasyDraft and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest Fantasy Football news and analysis!