NFL Week 5 DFS Picks: Best Value Plays

Week 5 of the NFL season brings the first bye weeks of the year, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers both sitting out this weekend. The week got off to an exciting start with a big upset on Thursday night and now moves to a 12-game Sunday slate, opening with the Eagles vs. Jaguars in London. With byes, key injuries, and players trending up, here are the best options for your DFS lineups this Sunday. 

Here are the best Week 5 DFS picks and lineup recommendations for Sunday’s games. Be sure to check out our NFL betting trends page as well, for data and odds on every game.

NFL Week 5 DFS Picks

Pos	Player	Matchup	FPPG	Salary
QB	Jacoby Brissett	DET @ ARI	15.8	$5,500
RB	Jaylen Warren	IND @ PIT	15.1	$6,700
RB	Jeremiyah Love	DET @ ARI	12.2	$6,100
WR	Rome Odunze	CHI @ GB	9.3	$4,700
WR	Michael Wilson	DET @ ARI	14.2	$6,200
WR	Romeo Doubs	LV @ NE	11.1	$5,000
TE	Trey McBride	DET @ ARI	17.3	$6,700
FLEX	Malik Nabers	NYG @ WAS	12.0	$6,300
DST	Browns	CLE @ NYJ	5.3	$2,800

Jacoby Brissett, ARI/QB ($5,500)

Jacoby Brissett tops our lineup for Sunday despite a rough outing last week vs. the Giants. The Cardinals offense has a premier matchup this week vs. a Lions defense that has quickly established itself as one of the worst in the league early in the season. Detroit was decimated by Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense last Sunday evening, and Brissett and the Cardinals should be able to replicate much of what Carolina did given the weapons on the Arizona offense. The Lions’ defense is conceding 31.75 PPG over the first four weeks, and we should see a fairly high-scoring game based on the star power on both offenses.

The Cardinals vs. Lions game has the highest implied total (54.5) on Sunday, and Brissett and the high-tempo Cardinals offense will play a big role in that win or lose. The 33-year-old leads the league in 40+ pass-attempt games since 2020 and now faces the league’s worst secondary this season. Detroit allows a league-high 304.0 passing yards per game and has conceded the most TDs (17) of any team this season. Look for Brissett and a few of his favorite weapons we included in our picks to enjoy a fruitful afternoon vs. the Lions.

Jaylen Warren, PIT/RB ($6,700)

The Steelers offense has slowly blossomed since some poor showings to start the season. A big reason for the offensive improvements has been the elite overall play of their RB1, Jaylen Warren. The veteran back has been among the best all-around RBs and ranked top five at his position in scrimmage yards (452) after the first four weeks. Pittsburgh’s backfield will get a bit more crowded this week, with Rico Dowdle expected to return from his two-game absence. Warren’s best two games of the season came without Dowdle competing for carries; however, based on how good the offense looked with Warren as the lead back, we should see the Steelers lean more on him rather than a 50/50 split.

Warren’s 6.5 yards per carry over the last two weeks makes him a promising option against a Colts run defense that has struggled early on. Indianapolis has allowed the sixth most fantasy points to RBs this season (28.1) and ranks 26th, allowing 131.0 rushing yards per game. Warren has been extremely reliable in the short passing game as well, and should continue to thrive as Aaron Rodgers’ primary check-down option, given how poorly the offensive line has protected the veteran QB this season. Warren has now had back-to-back games with 3 receptions and has combined for 82 yards through the air over the last two weeks.

Jeremiyah Love, ARI/RB ($6,100)

The #3 overall pick in this year’s draft has had an up-and-down beginning to his professional career through his first four weeks on the Cardinals. Love still appears to be the primary back in Arizona, though the reintroduction of veteran back Tyler Allgeir seems to affect his fantasy outlook. Even so, this week’s matchup vs. the Lions is too good to pass up, especially after the night Panthers’ RB Chuba Hubbard had against Detroit last week.

Carolina’s lead back finished SNF with 20 carries for 122 yards and 2 TDs, and the Lions are now allowing just under 120 yards per game to opponents on the ground. Love’s 4.1 yards per carry over his first four games is nothing to gloat about; however, more carries could bode well for the young back, who has already voiced fatigue after a high snap count in his first four games. While Love’s fantasy outlook may look bleak going forward, the young RB has an elite matchup and should still outproduce his fairly low price point of $6,100.

Rome Odunze, CHI/WR ($4,700)

Bears wideout Rome Odunze appeared to be on the brink of stardom early last season, but his production slowed to a near halt by the time the season ended. The third-year man has struggled to see the targets many believed he deserved due to the arsenal of weapons in Ben Johnson’s offense. Last week, Odunze saw seven targets from Chicago’s backup QB Tyson Bagent, the first time he had seen that many since Week 3 of last year. The 24-year-old capitalized, catching six of his seven targets for 94 yards.

It is still unclear who will line up under center for the Bears in Week 5, though Odunze still seems slated for another high-usage week. The Packers allow the 19th most yards per game to perimeter receivers, and we have already seen two big games from star WRs vs. the Green Bay secondary over the first four weeks. With how poor the Packers’ run defense has been and the Bears’ dynamic RB duo expected to see a heavy workload, Odunze should serve as the perfect complementary piece to surprise the defense and pick up those explosive chunk plays we’ve seen so many times from the young receiver.

Michael Wilson, ARI/WR ($6,200)

We teased some of the weapons of Brissett’s that could be slated for a big game this week, and star WR Michael Wilson is certainly near the top of that list. This QB-WR duo in Arizona has built some of the best chemistry in the league, and Wilson now ranks top five in targets among WRs. His target share over the last two weeks has jumped to 35%, and a high-usage day for a WR vs. the Lions can only lead to a big day. 

The most recent evidence came Sunday evening, when Panthers WR1 Tetorioa McMillan destroyed the Lions with 14 receptions, 192 yards, and 2 TDs. That game marked the second straight week that an opposing WR1 has finished with 10+ receptions and 100+ yards vs. this Lions defense. With the volume we’ve seen from this QB/WR duo this season, the two should have no problem linking up for yet another big performance against Detroit’s secondary.

Romeo Doubs, NE/WR ($5,000)

Since arriving in New England from Green Bay in the offseason, Romeo Doubs and his new QB, Drake Maye, have struggled to get off to a strong start. The veteran wideout saw his first game with more than four targets last week, and made the most of the opportunity with 6 receptions for 58 yards and 2 TDs. While he had some drop issues early this season, Doubs and Maye appear to be working through early chemistry issues and could build a solid partnership over the next few weeks.

Doubs has quickly become Maye’s top man because of injuries plaguing the Patriots WR room. Star wideout A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins have both already been ruled out vs. the Raiders this week, so we should see another high dosage of Maye and Doubs in this matchup. His 21.6% target share last week led the team, and we could see even more volume for the veteran wideout given the inexperience of the other WRs around him. He will have a solid matchup vs. Las Vegas’ two-high safety look, which Doubs has performed fairly well against this season. He leads the team with a 19% target-per-route-run rate against this defense look this season.

Trey McBride, ARI/TE ($6,700)

We saved the best for last among Brissett’s weapons to watch this weekend: TE Trey McBride. The fifth-year tight end has arguably grown into the best at his position and has had a strong start to the season, leading his position group in almost every major stat. His 8.25 receptions per game compete with even the league’s most elite WRs, and his 46 targets through four weeks are tied with WR CeeDee Lamb for the most in the NFL. He will face a Lions defense that has been equally as bad agasint TEs as it has WRs.

Detroit has given up 7 receptions to TEs in the last three straight weeks and faces its toughest assignment yet against McBride. The 26-year-old has had at least 7 receptions in every game this year, and has yet to finish a game with fewer than 10 targets. If the Lions thought their last few TE matchups were difficult, there’s no telling what McBride’s stat line will look like after Sunday afternoon.

Malik Nabers, NYG/WR ($6,300)

The Giants’ young star WR has struggled to return from his devastating injury, though last week’s performance suggests he could be getting back into form. He finished last week with 6 recpetiosn for 112 yards and a TD against the Cardinals, and will now look to follow that up against his division rival Commanders on Sunday afternoon. He and backup QB Jameis Winston appear to be building some solid chemistry with a steady increase in targets week by week, and a potentially high-scoring game could mean another high-volume day for Nabers on Sunday.

Washington has struggled through the air all season, and ranks 25th coming into Sunday, allowing 242.5 passing yards per game. Opposing WRs are scoring 38 PPR fantasy points per game vs. the Commanders, and Nabers will surely add to that after voicing his desire for more targets going forward. Coach Matt Nagy clearly ran more plays for his young star last week, and you can expect Winston to keep feeding his primary playmaker based on the positive results from getting him targets.

Browns D/ST ($2,800)

The Browns defense performed well on Thursday Night Football vs. the Steelers and will have another chance to show improvement against a struggling Jets offense. New York ranks 25th in the league, scoring just 19.0 PPG, and continues to struggle with injuries coming into Sunday’s matchup. Star RB Breece Hall has already been ruled out once again, and we should see yet another poor rushing performance from the 27th-ranked rushing offense against this Browns front.

Even with the departure of DPOY Myles Garrett, Cleveland has found ways to pressure the QB and ranks fifth in the league with 12 sacks in four games. If the Browns’ secondary continues the trend we saw vs. the Steelers, Geno Smith and the Jets offense should become fairly one-dimensional and easy to read, based on what we’ve seen so far this season.

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