Last week, the NFL’s main slate saw some of the lowest implied point totals of the season, but there ended up being a pretty even split of high and low-scoring games. Still, the early slate games were far more exciting and had a lot more fantasy points scored.
This week, we are creeping back up there with the implied point totals. Targeting those higher-point total games is imperative because it usually means more fantasy points scored.
So let’s dive into Week 5 of the season and get a base to build a week-winning NFL DFS lineup.
(NFL DFS prices are courtesy of DraftKings)
Week 5 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
Quarterback
Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) | $6,200
Out of the four weeks this season, Brock Purdy scored only 20 fantasy points once. That game came in Week 3 when he took on the Los Angeles Rams and scored 26.8 NFL DFS points. Purdy has been pretty mediocre the other three games, but the correlation is he’s played fantasy defenses that are hard for fantasy quarterbacks to score on in those games. That Week 3 game against the Rams was a favorable matchup. The Rams currently allow an average of 18.9 points per game to the quarterback position.
He faces the Cardinals this week. Arizona is currently allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Cardinals are currently a team you must start your fantasy assets against, as they’re allowing a ton of points to most positions. Not only that, but they’re letting quarterbacks throw at a clip of 8.5 Yards Per Attempt (YPA), the second-highest rate in the league.
This should be another favorable matchup for Purdy. At $6,200, you’re paying a discount for the points he could put up. So why not throw him in your lineup and start a quarterback who also plays in the game with the second-highest implied point total at 49.5?
Running Back
Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers) | $6,400
Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs has been somewhat quiet this season. He’s averaging 11.8 NFL DFS points per game through four weeks. That number is about to rise after this week, though, when the Packers take on the Los Angeles Rams. One position the Rams love giving up fantasy points to is running backs, who are currently scoring the fourth-most points per game against them (26.8 points).
The Rams are giving up a beautiful five Yards Per Carry (YPC) and are tied for allowing the fourth-most touchdowns on the ground with five. Jacobs should see a lot of work, as the Packers are favored, and the Rams have somewhat struggled. Green Bay should be able to get out ahead with quarterback Jordan Love getting another week of practice. That means the Packers will burn the clock and hand that rock to Jacobs.
Wide Receiver
Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns) | $6,200
This is a game that you should be actively targeting for your lineup. The Washington Commanders have not only done a good job of scoring points so far but also love giving them up. This week, Amari Cooper and the Browns head to Washinton, D.C., to take on the Commanders in what could be a high-scoring affair. There is a pretty solid chance this game goes over the 44.5 implied total it currently has.
As noted, the Commanders love to give up yards and points. After four weeks, they are the easiest matchup for opposing wide receivers. At this point, the position is averaging a whopping 40.6 points per game against them. Yes, that is correct – A big ol’ 40-burger to the wide receiver position per game.
It hasn’t looked great for Cooper so far this season, where he has scored over eight points in just one game. But, in Week 3, he destroyed the Giants for 27.6 NFL DFS points. The fantasy football gods were not on Cooper’s side last week, as Cooper should have had way more points than 7.5 points. The former Alabama Crimson Tide got robbed on an 80-yard touchdown that got called back on a phantom hold. I’ve watched the play multiple times, and there isn’t a soul on the Browns that held during that play. Had the “holding penalty” not happened, you’d be looking at a 21.5-point day for Cooper. He needs to be in your lineup this week.
Tight End
Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears) | $4,300
It can’t get worse, can it? The tight end landscape has been completely abysmal through the first month of the season, and the plan is derailing. So, we are going back to old reliable and chasing targets. I’ve found that chasing targets can be helpful when it comes to dart throws and streaming tight ends. You may not get a blowup game, but you won’t get goosed in the box score.
In steps, Cole Kmet has seen a decent stat line over the last two weeks, with 13 receptions on 14 targets, 131 yards and a touchdown.
I’m more than OK with that two-game stretch and to toss him into my NFL DFS lineup at an incredibly inconsistent position. The matchup isn’t half bad, either. The Bears face the Panthers, who allow the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends (9.8 points per game). Considering how bad the position has been, I’ll take nine points any day at tight end.
Defense/Special Teams
Denver Broncos D/ST | $2,900
I’ve been known to punt the defense/special teams position because I don’t like paying up. That salary, in my mind, needs to be spent on the skill positions where more points are scored. Nevertheless, I’ll be starting the Denver Broncos in most, if not all, my NFL DFS lineups this week.
The Broncos are cheap, and they’re averaging 10.5 fantasy points per game. They also take on a Las Vegas Raiders team that can’t run the ball. They’re averaging 3.6 Yards Per Carry (YPC) and have a grand total of 305 yards on the ground (the second-lowest in the league).
The Broncos are also second in the league with 16 sacks. They’ve allowed the third-fewest passing yards this season with 676, largely in part due to the lockdown abilities of Patrick Surtain. If you don’t want to pay up, the Broncos are a great defense this week.
Check out all of our Week 5 fantasy football content:
- Week 5 In the Scope Targets (2024)
- Week 5 Shore Thing Sleepers (2024)
- Week 5 Fantasy Football Trade Targets (2024)
- Week 5 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
- Week 5 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag (2024)
- NFL Week 5 PrizePicks Player Predictions (2024)
- Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 5 News & Notes (2024)
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*Photo Credit: Scott Galvin – USA TODAY Sports*