It’s Week 5 in the NFL and unfortunately, the injuries are beginning to pile up. A huge part of the game we love is tempered by the part we like the least about football. But as always, it’s next man up. Let’s not dwell on the bad, though.
The good news is we are in full swing of NFL football! We’ve had four weeks of collecting data, trends and habits of teams and players. With that being said, our data collection should be a bit more consistent and accurate. Of course, there are always new variables and the players still have to play the game, but we should have better assumptions and knowledge of what could and should happen here on out. So let’s dive into Week 5 and build ourselves a winning DFS team using the FastDraft app.
Week 5 NFL “FastDraft Flex Six Frenzy” Lineup Advice (2025) | NFL DFS Picks
Emari Demercado & Michael Carter (RB, Arizona Cardinals)
The injuries particularly keep piling up for the Cardinals. Just a week removed from losing starting running back James Conner, they now lost the second-stringer, Trey Benson, to Injured Reserve (IR). The next men up here are Emari Demercado and Michael Carter. I’m honestly fine with either of these two, but I give Demercado the slight edge. Both of them should be heavily involved, and it is just a matter of who makes the most of their opportunities. Demercado can catch the ball and will most likely be the third-down back. Carter should see a decent amount of carries on the first two downs. But it’s what you make of it.
More importantly, the Cardinals take on the Tennessee Titans this week in a matchup that favors both backs. Through four weeks, the Titans have been allowing a massive average of 28.1 fantasy points per game to the running back position. That puts them as the fifth-easiest matchup for running backs. Last week, the Titans got absolutely gashed by Houston Texans rookie running back Woody Marks, who managed to score two touchdowns against them. One on the ground and one through the air, they tallied him a healthy 119 total scrimmage yards. I expect both Cardinals backs to have fantasy production on Sunday.
De’Von Achane (RB, Miami Dolphins)
There’s not a terrible amount that needs to be said about Dolphins running back De’Von Achane. The kid is an absolute stud and workhorse, despite his size. Achane is currently playing on average 80% of the offensive snaps for the Dolphins, and it shows in his season stats. As of now, he’s the RB7 in Points Per Reception (PPR) scoring and I’m not sure there’s much barring injury that can push him outside the top ten for the whole season. Despite already averaging 18 opportunities a game, wide receiver Tyreek Hill was lost for the season with a traumatic leg injury, and while it may be hard to believe, I think Achane’s 18 opportunities a game is about to go up even more.
This week, the Dolphins face the Carolina Panthers, who give up a lot to the running back position. Right now, they’re allowing an average of 21 points per game to running backs, and rank bottom 12 in the league. It’s not as inciting as the matchup for Emari Demercado or Michael Carter this week, but De’Von Achane is far more athletic and will be used much more. Will defenses key on Achane more now that Hill lost for the season? Perhaps, but I’m not sure it will make a difference.
Quentin Johnston (WR, Los Angeles Chargers)
Do you remember the last two seasons when we all made fun of wide receiver Quentin Johnston because he couldn’t catch the ball to save his life? Yeah, me too, but those days are gone. Quentin Johnston is by far the clear-cut WR1 on the Los Angeles Chargers and it has been a blast the first four weeks. Johnston is the WR4 overall right now behind only Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Rome Odunze. Two sentences I never thought would ever get typed. Seriously, though, Johnston has been a stud so far. After four weeks, he’s averaging nine targets, five receptions, 84 yards and a touchdown per game. Sounds like a pretty incredible stat line average!
As some icing on the cake for Johnston this week, he gets to face the Washington Commanders, who are letting receivers score an average of 31 fantasy points per game. Look, I know there are two other mouths to feed in Los Angeles named Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey. The difference is that they have not even been close to Johnston’s production this year. McConkey is the possession receiver, and Allen is the wily old vet who will get open here and there. Trust the process and keep riding the breakout season for Quentin Johnston.
Nico Collins (WR, Houston Texans)
The Texans as a whole might not be the best team in the NFL. But that isn’t stopping their big wide receiver, Nico Collins, from having another good season. Collins is the best player on their offense and is still getting his fantasy points. He’s currently the overall WR20 in fantasy football, but that’s not something to shy away from. If this offense wants to win games, they need to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers. That’s where Nico Collins comes in. Although he has yet to find the end zone this season, I think that comes this week.
Why do I think Nico Collins gets a touchdown this week? Well, they face the Baltimore Ravens, and not the Ravens that we used to know for having a good defense. In fact, it’s quite the opposite right now. The Ravens have been getting absolutely torched through the first four weeks of the season by wide receivers. At this point, they’re allowing an extremely fantasy-friendly 32 points per game to the position. That puts them among the easiest matchups for receivers. Expect the Texans to attack through the air with their stud receiver, and with running back Woody Marks running well, it should take some pressure off quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Darren Waller (TE, Miami Dolphins)
I tried really hard not to put Darren Waller in this article, as I already included one Miami Dolphin player. But it’s hard not to call Waller a must-play this week after the performance we saw in his Dolphins debut. Three receptions from four targets for 27 yards and two touchdowns was Waller’s final stat line from Monday night. The 27 yards isn’t fabulous, but you have to respect the two touchdowns, and both of them were great catches. With the absence of Tyreek Hill, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa targeting him right away in the endzone, he will be in my DFS lineups.
But it gets better, because as mentioned, the Dolphins face the Carolina Panthers. A lot like the running back position, the Panthers give up a decent number of points to tight ends. They’re letting tight ends score an average of 12.8 points per game through four weeks. If Darren Waller continues to see targets in the red zone, and preferably the end zone, he will surpass that average no problem.
AJ Barner (TE, Seattle Seahawks)
Go ahead and call this one a dart throw if you must, but I believe tight end AJ Barner has a good game for the Seahawks this week. One big thing I look for in tight ends is their snap percentage. We all know that the tight end position is a lot of blocking and then catching the ball as a side gig. If you’re a tight end and you can’t block, you’re not getting the rock… or in some cases, snaps. Barner is a great blocker, and because of that, he’s on the field for 79% of snaps compared to fellow tight end Elijah Arroyo, who is playing 44%. Barner is only averaging 2.5 targets per game, but he also has two touchdowns in the four games played.
The matchup for the Seahawks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers most definitely favors quarterback Sam Darnold and his pass catchers. The Bucs have been solid against the run and will likely continue to do so against Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. If that happens, Darnold is going to be throwing the ball, which gives AJ Barner the chance to get more targets and find the endzone again.
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*Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio – USA TODAY Sports*
