DraftKings: Week 5 Main Slate

Week 5 of the DraftKings NFL main slate rolls on this Sunday. And, like I mentioned last week, we have a shortened slate to deal with. With two teams on bye and an international game, we only have an 11-game slate this week. There will also be no surprises about which plays will be the most popular on the slate. It will be players from either the Detroit Lions or the Arizona Cardinals. Any skill-position player from either team is in play. For that reason, I’ll skip them in this week’s article. The Lions hold the highest team total on the slate by almost a touchdown. That game will have fireworks, but every player will be chalk. So it will be impossible to ignore those players on the actual DraftKings slate. We will change it up here. Keep an eye on the weather this week. A few games are likely to be affected by the weather.

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Week 5 DraftKings Main Slate Picks

Quarterback

Favorite Play: Drake Maye, New England Patriots ($6,300)

To dodge the bad weather and pivot off the chalk. We land on Drake Maye. Maye rebounded last week against the Buffalo Bills for 28.2 DraftKings points. That total is almost as many DraftKings points as he scored through the first three weeks (28.6). The touchdown variance finally swung Maye’s way this week with three passing touchdowns against the Bills. Now he gets to carry that momentum into the game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Who, I must say, have done an impressive job remodeling the franchise in one offseason. New starters Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, along with rookies Treydan Stukes and Hezikah Masses, are big parts of why the Raiders are 3-1.

Now enter Drake Maye, who has struggled with turnovers in this young season. The Patriots lead in giveaways with 10, while the Raiders lead in takeaways with nine. So there is risk involved, but on a chalky DraftKings slate with some weather implications. A quarterback with Maye’s rushing ability shouldn’t be overlooked on a DraftKings slate. Maye currently has the second-most rushing yards at the position this season.

Contrarian Play: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans ($4,900)

If I am being honest, anyone not named Jared Goff or Jacoby Brissett qualifies as a contrarian play this week. I’m choosing Cam Ward, who had a solid showing last week against the Baltimore Ravens in catch-up mode. And Ward will have plenty of that to do this week against the Houston Texans. Houston is the third-biggest favorite on the slate at 7.5 points.

And typically, Houston’s defense wouldn’t be a target. However, it has looked like a shell of its former self. The team gives up the eighth-most points to opposing quarterbacks. And they are giving up the seventh-most points in the league. It is an uncharacteristic start for one of the league’s best defenses. Demeco Ryans is taking back play-calling duties due to the slow start. It could ultimately be a get-right game for the Houston Texans. I’m willing to roll the dice on Ward against a defense that has been making quarterbacks look good to start the year.

Running Back

Favorite Play: Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals ($6,900)

We won’t see Tee Higgins this week. Ja’Marr Chase, on the other hand, is currently on track to play. No matter Chase’s status, Chase Brown is still a fantastic DraftKings play. He saw 11 targets last week. That role made him a fantasy football league winner in 2025. Brown may not see that many targets this week.

He will have plenty of opportunities to score fantasy points. Miami allows 27.1 fantasy points per game to running backs. That total is the third-most in the league. It’s been a rough start running the football, with Brown averaging 3.6 yards per carry to start the year. Brown also doesn’t have a run over 15 yards this season yet. He will look to rebound in DraftKings lineups as his team is a 6.5-point favorite heading into Sunday.

Contrarian Play: Braelon Allen, New York Jets ($5,400)

Look, the Jets were a disaster last week. They only had the ball for approximately three minutes in the first and fourth quarters combined. Against the Browns, that likely will not be the case. Allen will get all he can handle if the game stays close, as sportsbooks predict. The spread is 1.5 points, so it’s a toss-up.

If the game script favors the Jets, Allen will get all of the work he can carry. Allen saw 94% of the backfield snaps last week. Granted, the team took only 32 offensive snaps. Despite the low number, it showed he is the guy until Breece Hall returns. And it appears Hall will miss this week as well. The Browns have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to running backs. However, I am taking the chance with Allen’s snap share in this spot.

Wide Receiver

Favorite Play: Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers ($5,700)

Golden’s monster game is right around the corner. Through four games, Golden has the 10th-most targets with 37. Yet he hasn’t posted a DraftKings score higher than 15.5. Something is bound to give with Golden. Entering Week 5, he is WR7 in expected fantasy points. Green Bay is also throwing the ball the seventh most in the league.

This week, the matchup is the Chicago Bears. Over the first four weeks, they’ve allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. Considering two of their four games were against Carson Wentz in a rainstorm and the New York Jets, who barely touched the ball. That number feels padded. It’s not too long ago that Bryce Young threw for 361 yards against the Bears in Week 1. So, on paper, it reads as a tough matchup. It isn’t as tough as it may seem. Golden and Christian Watson are the engines of that offense. Both are great DraftKings plays this Sunday.

Contrarian Play: Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins ($4,600)

Malik Washington quietly has a large lead over the rest of the team in targets with 28. Chris Bell is second with 13. Obviously, with the low team total of 18. The third-lowest of the week, no one is going to chase the Miami Dolphins in their DraftKings lineups. I mentioned last week with Parker Washington how the Bengals struggled with slot receivers. Before last week, they gave up the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers in the slot. Second time’s the charm with Malik Washington on DraftKings. As they shut down Parker in a big way last weekend

Check out all of our Week 5 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings

Tight End

Favorite Play: Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears ($4,600)

Tyson Bagent was just what the doctor ordered, to the tune of nine targets, a season-high for Loveland. Loveland’s DraftKings salary does not yet reflect that uptick in targets. His DraftKings salary actually decreased by $100. Bagent draws the start yet again for an injured Caleb Williams. Obviously, things could change when Williams returns. However, we only have to worry about this week on DraftKings. And with a 26% target share this past week, Loveland should be at the top of DraftKings plays against a Green Bay team in a game that has high-scoring potential.

Contrarian Play: Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers ($2,900)

It looks like they’re using Darnell Washington more and more each week. Those stiff-arm highlights should do that too, to be fair. In his last two games, he’s gotten nine targets compared to four in his first two. Michael Pittman Jr. is now out for a few weeks. So, McCarthy and company will have to get creative. Playing Washington will let DraftKings users get creative with their lineups, given his low salary. It is a touchdown-or-bust play, but he’s been used in the red zone. He is tied for second with two red zone targets on the Steelers. So Rodgers looks his way, and if he scores, it frees up a ton for DraftKings lineups.

Final Thoughts

This week on DraftKings will be defined by the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions. I hope I gave some proper alternatives to that game. And I do suggest plugging at least one or two of them into your DraftKings lineups. The total and scenario are too much to ignore. However, other games also have high totals. Fading that game is by far the best way to be different on DraftKings this week. That’s the beauty of DraftKings. The choice is yours. If it doesn’t work, next week is a whole new slate. Best of luck, everyone, in Week 5!

Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!