DraftKings NFL DFS Picks For Week 5 Main Slate: Fire Up Jamo

Week 5 is a pretty interesting NFL DFS slate.

For starters, this is the first week of the season with teams on bye. But we also have elite offenses and superstars off the main slate, including the Bills, Rams, Ravens and Falcons.

Quarterback

Jacoby Brissett vs. Detroit Lions ($5,500)

The Detroit Lions secondary.

The gift that keeps on giving.

Brissett is coming off a three-interception game against the Giants, but a home meeting with the Lions presents the ultimate get-right spot for the veteran signal caller. This is by far the worst pass defense in the NFL, as Detroit is coughing up a league-worst 28.3 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. The Lions are also allowing the fourth-highest EPA per dropback (0.267) and second-worst EPA per play (0.156).

This game should feature plenty of points and pass attempts, especially for Brissett, as Detroit opponents are averaging 41.3 passes per game (second-most). A league-high 40.5% of drives against the Lions have resulted in touchdowns. It wouldn't shock me to see Brissett toss four touchdowns in this game, especially if Arizona is chasing points. Jeremiyah Love is dealing with some injury stuff, and this is already a Cardinals offense that is sporting the fifth-highest dropback rate from inside the 10-yard line (64%).

Brissett is pretty easily the top value quarterback on the board, and because we don’t have Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford on the main Sunday slate, you aren’t sacrificing immense upside by playing Brissett.

Especially in this matchup.

Others to consider:

Jared Goff @ ARI ($6,600)
Joe Burrow @ MIA ($6,900)
Aaron Rodgers vs. IND ($5,300)

Running Back

Braelon Allen vs. Cleveland Browns ($5,400)

Braelon Allen.webp

It’s easy to overlook because the Jets offense was only on the field for 32 plays in Week 4. But Braelon Allen’s role was elite in his first start of the season. With Breece Hall sidelined, Allen logged 94% of the snaps and handled all 14 of New York’s designed rush attempts. It was also encouraging to see him play 86% of the long-down-and-distance snaps, considering that easily could have been Isaiah Davis’ role.

A 94% snap share and every single carry may be difficult to repeat this Sunday, but Allen’s usage is going to be massive either way. It will also help for the Jets offense to, I don’t know, actually be on the field this week. Allen draws a favorable matchup with a Cleveland run defense that is allowing the highest explosive rush rate in the league through four weeks (14.3%), as well as the ninth-highest rush success rate (43.9%).

The Browns rank top-10 in terms of fantasy points per game allowed to opposing backfields, but that’s only because they haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown yet. And if they are without Mason Graham and Mike Hall on the defensive line, this already vulnerable run defense could look much worse.

Since the start of last season, Cleveland is allowing 4.7 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns with Graham off the field. This game script should allow Allen to see 20-plus touches, making him a great play.

D’Andre Swift @ Green Bay Packers ($6,200)

What a rollercoaster week for Swift.

Last Sunday, he was benched for the entire second half after a brutal fumble, paving the way for Kyle Monangai to carry the ball 30 times.

But now? The Bears can’t afford to bench him.

Monangai has been ruled out with a toe injury, thrusting Swift into a huge role this Sunday in Green Bay. Swift hasn’t played a game without Monangai since he entered the NFL, but prior to Chicago’s bye week last season, Swift was averaging a healthy 17.2 touches per game. I think he cruises past that this week, especially given how much Ben Johnson wants to run the football. And 20 touches against a Green Bay defense surrendering 27.5 fantasy points per game to opposing backfields (second-most) is absolutely a recipe for success.

Aaron Jones @ New Orleans Saints ($6,500)

Aaron Jones.webp

Jordan Mason has been sidelined for the past three weeks. During that span, Jones has accounted for 51.1% of Minnesota’s total touches, the highest rate of any running back in the league. Jones is averaging 23 touches per game in that stretch, trailing only Derrick Henry, Kenneth Walker and Jonathan Taylor. I was a bit skeptical the Vikings would continue to give the 31-year-old so much volume, but they clearly don’t trust anyone behind him right now.

Expect similar usage on Sunday.

Jones draws a second consecutive elite matchup, facing a Saints defense that just allowed five rushing touchdowns and over 200 yards to Bijan and Brian Robinson. New Orleans is now coughing up the third-highest explosive rush rate (11.7%), while their 15.3% stuff rate is the fifth-lowest in football. The Saints have also allowed 6.0 yards per carry with a league-worst 15 missed tackles on outside zone runs to this point. Despite seeing elite usage, Jones is averaging an underwhelming 13.8 PPR PPG over the last three weeks. Zero touchdowns during that span tells the story, as Jones hasn’t seen a carry from inside the 5-yard line. If Minnesota’s offense can get going (and this is absolutely a spot for that to happen), Jones can unlock more of a ceiling.

Others to consider:

Chase Brown @ MIA ($6,900)
Jaylen Warren vs. IND ($6,700)
Quinshon Judkins @ NYJ ($5,700)

Wide Receiver

Jameson Williams @ Arizona Cardinals ($5,900)

We still haven’t had that week-deciding game from Jameson Williams yet, but he did eclipse 50 yards for the first time last week, reaching the century mark in the process.

This will be the ceiling week.

Arizona’s pass defense is absolutely one to attack. The Cardinals are coughing up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts, but here’s what makes this spot even more exciting for Williams. Arizona is allowing a 20.3% explosive passing play rate, the highest mark in football. Only the Browns are allowing more air yards per target than the Cardinals (10.5).

Arizona is deploying Cover-6 at one of the highest rates in football, which can create opportunities for Williams. Play-action concepts can put Cover-6 defenses in a bind because the strong safety has to show in run support. The Lions rank top-five in play-action rate (32%), while Williams has accounted for a team-high 29% of Detroit’s play-action looks. He’s also seen the most targets against Cover-6 so far this season (6).

With the Cardinals also allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing outside wide receivers, Williams could eclipse the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive game.

Luther Burden @ Green Bay Packers ($4,900)

Look, I know Luther Burden’s hyped sophomore season hasn’t exactly started the way we’d hoped. But he is way too cheap this week.

The Bears passing attack has been just fine without Caleb Williams, and Burden continues to operate as Chicago’s go-to option. Burden has accounted for over 28% of the Bears’ first-read targets this season, the highest rate on the team. He’s also averaging a healthy 7.2 targets per game. With Kyle Monangai out, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a few more schemed touches headed Burden’s way. We’ve seen both Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent get the ball out a lot faster over the last two weeks, which stands to benefit Burden.

You still want to see Burden in the 75-80% route range (he was at 69% last week), but the Bears also ran the football 50 times against the Jets. I’d expect closer to 75% of the route this weekend, and we did see Kalif Raymond’s usage fall way back down on Sunday. Burden still has immense upside, but he doesn’t even have to go crazy at his current price.

Others to consider:

Nico Collins @ TEN ($7,500)
Michael Wilson vs. DET ($6,200)
Garrett Wilson vs. CLE ($6,600)

Tight End

Mike Gesicki @ Miami Dolphins ($4,100)

Mike Gesicki becomes almost unplayable if both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins suit up on Sunday. If one of the two is sidelined, Gesicki is a lot more interesting. And if both wideouts are out?

Forget about it.

We know the Bengals essentially use Gesicki as a slot receiver in their offense, so he’d play a massive role if Cincinnati’s All-World receiver duo isn’t complete. Since 2024, Gesicki has a solid 21% TPRR with either Chase or Higgins off the field, compared to 18% with at least one wideout on the field and 16% with both on the field.

This would be an ideal spot for Gesicki to see more opportunities, facing his former team in Miami, a defense allowing the fourth-most receptions (7.3), third-most receiving yards (83.3) and fifth-most fantasy points (14.9) per game to opposing tight ends this season.

Juwan Johnson vs. Minnesota Vikings ($4,500)

Juwan Johnson has been very good this season, ranking as the TE4 in fantasy points per game (15.0). He’s benefited from the Saints throwing the ball as much as any team in the league, but it doesn’t seem like that is going to change going forward. The Saints face a tough test on Sunday, as Brian Flores and the blitz-heavy Vikings come to town. Minnesota is blitzing on 67.3% of dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL.

Tyler Shough is going to have to continue getting the ball out quickly, which could benefit Johnson, who has been targeted on 28% of his routes against the blitz this season and 25% since the start of the 2025 campaign.

Others to consider: