College Football DFS Playbook & Core Plays: Week 5 Saturday Early Top DraftKings & FanDuel CFB DFS Picks
The 2022 college football season continues on with a full Saturday slate of Week 5 games for our CFB DFS lineups. If you're looking to play college football DFS, you can build lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for Saturday's main early slate. Check out all the CFB DFS top picks, lineup strategies, teams to target, and value plays to lock in before the Week 5 action. Remember, you can access all of our College Football DFS coverage with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. If you have any questions about CFB daily fantasy lineup strategy for Week 5 or beyond, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. Plus, check out our college football daily projections and the CFB DFS lineup generator for more winning picks. Now, let's jump into the CFB DFS top plays and lineup picks for College Football Week 5.
CFB DFS College Football Week 5
Before we dive into this Week 5 slate, let's touch on a few quick notes. First off, as always, pay attention to the differences in the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates. DK's main early slate includes 13 games in the Saturday afternoon block. However, FanDuel's main slate doesn't include three of those matchups and adds in four night games instead. These changes make CFB DFS lineup building pretty different depending on the site. Be sure to check out Pete Cole's night slate playbook for more top plays on the FD side of things. Without further ado, let's get into the CFB DFS top plays for Saturday's College Football Week 5 afternoon matchups.
College Football Week 5 Betting Odds
- 12 pm ET – Kentucky at Ole Miss (-7) – 54.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Texas Tech at Kansas State (-7.5) – 56.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Oklahoma (-6) at TCU – 69.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Michigan (-10.5) at Iowa – 42 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Purdue at Minnesota (-11.5) – 52 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Illinois at Wisconsin (-7) – 43.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 12 pm ET – Navy at Air Force (-14) – 38.5 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 3:30 pm ET – Alabama (-17.5) at Arkansas – 60.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Oklahoma State at Baylor (-2.5) – 55.5 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Iowa State (-3) at Kansas – 59 O/U *DK ONLY*
- 3:30 pm ET – Wake Forest at Florida State (-6.5) – 66 O/U
- 3:30 pm ET – Michigan State at Maryland (-7.5) – 58 O/U
- 4 pm ET – Texas A&M at Mississippi State (-3.5) – 46.5 O/U
College Football Week 5 Team Totals (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Alabama – 39.5
- Oklahoma – 38.5
- Florida State – 36.5
- Maryland – 33.5
- Kansas State – 32.5
- Minnesota – 31.5
- Ole Miss – 30.5
- TCU – 30.5
- Iowa State – 30.5
- Wake Forest – 29.5
- Kansas – 28.5
- Baylor – 28.5
- Oklahoma State – 26.5
- Air Force – 26.5
- Michigan – 26.5
- Mississippi State – 25.5
- Wisconsin – 24.5
- Michigan State – 24.5
- Kentucky – 23.5
- Texas Tech – 23.5
- Arkansas – 20.5
- Texas A&M – 20.5
- Purdue – 20.5
- Illinois – 18.5
- Iowa – 15.5
- Navy – 12.5
Week 5 CFB DFS Top Plays Saturday Early Slate
CFB DFS Quarterbacks Week 5
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Bryce Young | BAMA | ARK | 9900 | 31.04 | 11500 | 29.54 |
| Young is mighty expensive as the highest-priced player on both sites, but that’s what it costs to roster the reigning Heisman winner who headlines the high-scoring Alabama offense. It may be tough to play him in cash lineups, but Young has already shown the upside to throw for 4-5 TDs with 35-45 DFS points multiple times this season. Arkansas’ pass defense has gotten lit up in three of four games thus far and ranks 126th nationally in passing yards allowed per game. Young and the Tide should exploit the matchup. | ||||||
| Dillon Gabriel | OU | TCU | 9300 | 28.79 | 10700 | 28.04 |
| Like Young, we have Gabriel who is expensive but has proven he’s worth the high salary. Gabriel has looked phenomenal running the high-powered Oklahoma offense with a perfect 11:0 TD:INT ratio through four games. He’s coming off a 38 DK performance with four TDs last week and now gets a favorable matchup vs. TCU. This defense just gave up 34 points to SMU where QB Tanner Mordecai threw for 372 yards and two scores. It’s either Young or Gabriel as your QB1 for cash lineups. | ||||||
| Sam Hartman | WAKE | FSU | 8400 | 33.59 | 10500 | 30.59 |
| Since returning from injury, Hartman has been an elite DFS option as expected. He just tossed six TDs with 41 DK vs. Clemson’s defense last week and has at least 27 DK in each of his three games. This game vs. Florida State could turn into a shootout, but there is risk depending on the weather situation due to Hurricane Ian. On this slate, Hartman deserves to be considered among the top QBs for cash lineups alongside Young and Gabriel. | ||||||
| Adrian Martinez | KSU | TTU | 7800 | 24.58 | 9800 | 27.77 |
| Martinez is coming off a massive performance last week in the upset over Oklahoma. The dual-threat put up 55 DK points thanks to his 148 rushing yards and four rush TDs. Though we can’t expect a repeat of that stat line, Martinez gets a favorable matchup against Texas Tech’s subpar defense. The Kansas State QB is better suited for GPPs because he has shown the floor of 15 DK or less in each of the first three games when it’s Deuce Vaughn dominating the offensive production. | ||||||
| Taulia Tagovailoa | UMD | MSU | 6800 | 21.12 | 9700 | 20.37 |
| Taulia is a game-time decision with a rib injury he suffered last game, but it looks like he’ll play after practicing this week. Monitor his status before this 3:30 pm ET kickoff, which could make him less popular than normal with cash lineups opting for safer options. However, Tagovailoa has the upside to smash in this nice matchup vs. Michigan State. The Sparty pass defense was bad last year and was torched by Washington and Minnesota the last two games. Taulia had 350 yards and two TD in this matchup last year and could easily replicate it at home this week. | ||||||
| Max Duggan | TCU | OU | 6700 | 22.03 | 8800 | 13.60 |
| If you’re playing Gabriel, then Duggan presents a cheap Super-Flex play on the other side for a nice game stack. The TCU QB has looked good in the last two games while starting in place of Chandler Morris, who’s available this week but Duggan has still been announced as the starter. The Oklahoma defense is still unproven and just got lit up by Adrian Martinez and the Kansas State offense last game. Duggan tossed 346 yards and four TDs last year in this matchup and may find similar success this time around in a high-total matchup. | ||||||
| Spencer Sanders | OKST | BAY | 6500 | 35.88 | 10400 | 39.53 |
| Sanders is priced accordingly on FD, but he’s a huge value on DK sitting in the mid-6k range. The Oklahoma State dual-threat QB has always been a boom-or-bust DFS option over the years, but the upside is always massive – like his 53 DK performance in Week 1. He even had 29 DK vs. Arizona State earlier this season. There’s risk on the road at Baylor here, but this defense looked shaky against BYU and Iowa State already. | ||||||
| Hunter Dekkers | ISU | KU | 5800 | 20.54 | ||
| On the DK slate, Dekkers should not be ignored as a cheap Super-Flex option for cash or GPP lineups. The Iowa State QB gets to face a Kansas defense that’s allowed big games to three straight opposing QBs while ranking 100th nationally in passing yards per game. Dekkers’ game log is a bit up-and-down, but he had 27 DK in both of his two softer matchups this season. This game vs. Kansas could be a sneaky shootout in the late window and Dekkers is too cheap for someone who could very well outperform QBs priced above him. | ||||||
Other QBs To Consider:
- Jordan Travis – Florida State
- Donovan Smith – Texas Tech
- Will Rogers – Mississippi State
- Payton Thorne – Michigan State
- Jalon Daniels – Ksnas
CFB DFS Running Backs Week 5
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Mohamed Ibrahim | MINN | PUR | 9500 | 30.75 | 10600 | 27.33 |
| When it comes to DFS running backs, Ibrahim is as safe as it gets. He’s basically locked into 100+ rushing yards, 20+ carries, and 25 DK points nearly every game and this week should be no different. Minnesota is a double-digit favorite at home against Purdue and Ibrahim should see his normal workload and DFS production. He’s expensive, but rarely not worth it in cash lineups. | ||||||
| Eric Gray | OU | TCU | 7600 | 20.2 | 8600 | 16.58 |
| In Oklahoma’s high-powered offense, Gray is averaging a whopping 7.5 ypc this season with back-to-back 100+ yard games. He’s also put up 27 and 25 DK in the past two with 23 total touches last week in OU’s closest game, including seven receptions. That’s a good sign that he’ll be plenty involved in another high-scoring, closer matchup with TCU this week. He’s more of a GPP play, though, because Dillon Gabriel or Marcus Major can steal rush TDs from him and limit his upside. | ||||||
| Deuce Vaughn | KSU | TTU | 7200 | 22.68 | 9400 | 18.80 |
| Though Texas Tech’s rush defense has been solid this year, Vaughn is still a great cash play because we know he’ll get the volume as Kansas State’s workhorse back. He’s actually quite affordable on DK compared to other top-priced RBs on the slate, and his FD price tag is more respectable. Unfortunately, Adrian Martinez took all of his rushing scores last week but Vaughn easily could’ve found the end zone a couple times to smash the slate with his 100+ yards. Look for 20+ DFS points per usual this week. | ||||||
| Devon Achane | TA&M | MSST | 6400 | 21.15 | 9700 | 21.83 |
| Achane was already a great DFS RB, but he’s now even more important to the Texas A&M offense with Ainias Smith out for the season. We should see Achane see plenty of touches and work in the passing game in Smith’s absence as the clear top playmaker for an A&M attack that will have to keep pace with the Mississippi State offense here. Look for 20+ touches, 100+ total yards, and a TD or two. He’s priced up on FD, but the DK price tag is very nice for your RB2 in cash or GPP lineups. | ||||||
| Chris Rodriguez Jr. | UK | MISS | 6000 | 0 | 7000 | 17.11 |
| Rodriguez finally makes his season debut this week after missing the beginning of the season due to suspension. We could see Kentucky feed him early and often in this tough road matchup against Ole Miss. The price tags on both sites don’t reflect how good of a running back Rodriguez is, though we don’t truly know what his role will be right away. Still, this is a guy who racked up 1,379 rushing yards as one of the best RBs in the country last year. The Ole Miss defense gave up 272 rushing yards to Tulsa last week. He’s an option in cash or GPP. | ||||||
| Quinshon Judkins | MISS | UK | 5000 | 20.55 | 7600 | 21.27 |
| Believe it or not, Judkins is actually slightly outproducing Zach Evans this season despite the latter being a top RB talent in the country. However, Judkins is proving his raw talent himself and the true freshman is being used plenty in the Ole Miss backfield. He saw a massive workload last game with 17 more carries than Evans, which puts him at 70 carries for 429 yards this season compared to 59 and 365 for Evans. His 5k price tag on DK is very solid for your RB2 or FLEX in cash. | ||||||
| Jase McClellan | BAMA | ARK | 4900 | 14.52 | 5800 | 13.90 |
| McClellan has been working as a complementary back to Jahmyr Gibbs this season, but that doesn’t mean he should be ignored for DFS. He’s averaging 8.4 ypc and has 16+ DK in three of four games while being plenty productive alongside Gibbs. We could start to see more carries and red-zone work for McClellan because he’s been a slightly better runner while Gibbs is the better pass-catcher out of the backfield. He’s so cheap on both sites, especially on FD, and is worth playing in all formats. | ||||||
| Richard Reese | BAY | OKST | 4900 | 18.65 | 7500 | 17.47 |
| Reese is in line to be Baylor’s lead RB for a third straight game with Taye McWilliams not expected to play again. He’s put up two productive games with workhorse-like touches as the starter in McWilliams’ absence and we’ll see the same again this week. The Oklahoma State rush defense gave up 118 yards and TD to Arizona State’s Xazavian Valladay earlier this season and we could see Reese do something similar or better. He’s too cheap on DK at sub-5k. | ||||||
| Trey Benson | FSU | WAKE | 3000 | 13.85 | 7100 | 12.98 |
| Simply put, Benson is majorly mispriced on DK as he should not be at the minimum right now. The FD price tag is much more representative of what Benson’s role and production has been in Florida State’s backfield. Though he’s splitting work with Ward and Toafili, Benson is doing a ton with his limited touches like his 27 DK last week with two scores and 7.8 ypc. He’s close to a lock in DK cash just because of the minimum in a high-total matchup here vs. a shaky Wake Forest defense. | ||||||
Other RBs To Consider:
- Braelon Allen – Wisconsin
- Brad Roberts – Air Force
- Blake Corum – Michigan
- Jirehl Brock – Iowa State
- John Lee Eldridge – Air Force
- Roman Hemby – Maryland
CFB DFS Wide Receivers Week 5
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Xavier Hutchinson | ISU | KU | 7800 | 27.32 | ||
| There aren’t many top-priced WRs worth rostering this week, but Hutchinson is definitely in play in all formats on the DK slate. He’s seeing a ton of targets in the Iowa State passing game and has at least eight catches and 84 yards in all four games so far. That’s a solid cash floor on its own. Now he faces a suspect Kansas pass defense that will struggle to contain Hutchinson all day. Bank on a big performance here. | ||||||
| Charlie Jones | PUR | MINN | 6400 | 36.08 | 10000 | 26.00 |
| At some point Jones has to cool off, right? The Purdue wideout continues to be a DFS and real-life stud with at least nine receptions and 25 DK in all four games thus far. He even did it again last week without starting QB Aidan O’Connell, who’s a game-time decision on Saturday. At this point, he’s worth playing until he doesn’t smash the slate – which may come this week in a much tougher matchup on the road at Minnesota. Still, fire away in GPPs. | ||||||
| Tayvion Robinson | UK | MISS | 5800 | 18.62 | 8300 | 14.63 |
| When Will Levis and Kentucky throw the ball, Robinson is usually on the receiving end. He has at least six catches in three of four games and is coming off a massive 36 DK performance last week. Things get a bit tougher against Ole Miss, and there is some risk that he busts like his down performance vs. Florida. For that reason, limit to GPPs this week. The upside for a big game is definitely there, though. | ||||||
| Michael Brown-Stephens | MINN | PUR | 5600 | 9.67 | 6000 | 8.50 |
| With Chris Autman-Bell out for the season, Brown-Stephens stepped into Minnesota’s lead WR role last game with six catches for 73 yards. This is a great sign that Tanner Morgan may be lookin his way often when Minnesota is throwing it moving forward. His price tags on both sites don’t reflect his apparent new role as the team’s top target. Purdue’s pass defense has struggled at times this season already. | ||||||
| Ja'Corey Brooks | BAMA | ARK | 5000 | 10.72 | 6100 | 8.73 |
| Brooks had been relatively quiet this season before exploding last week for six catches, 117 yards, two scores, and 32 DK points. Maybe this is a sign of things to come for the sophomore wideout who showed flashes last year when John Metchie and Jameson Williams went out with injuries. No Bama WR has taken over as the clear top target for Bryce Young this season, so playing Brooks on the cheap is better than the higher-priced guys right now. | ||||||
| Jacob Copeland | UMD | MSU | 5000 | 10.75 | 6200 | 8.75 |
| The Maryland receiving corps is a bit tough to predict right now for DFS purposes because Tagovailoa spreads it around and there are four legit weapons. Copeland, the former Florida transfer, has had two games with four catches but was held in check the other two times. He has the talent to smash his price tags, but the targets and receiving stats aren’t totally locked in. Still, he’s worth a shot as a value on both sites. | ||||||
| Caleb Ducking | MSST | TA&M | 4700 | 19.2 | 8800 | 16.58 |
| Ducking is priced up on FD, but he’s way too cheap on DK and should be a popular cash value. In Mississippi State’s pass-heavy Air Raid offense, Ducking currently leads the team in receiving yards and receiving TDs while tied for the team lead in receptions through four games. There’s simply no reason for him to be under 5k, let alone 6k, on the DK slate. | ||||||
| Braydon Johnson | OKST | BAY | 4300 | 21.67 | 8400 | 16.20 |
| How about another mispriced player on DK? Johnson is Oklahoma State’s top receiver who’s put up 24+ DK in two of three games already. Yet, he’s sitting below 5k on DraftKings and presents a nice salary-saver there. He’s more of a GPP dart on FD while priced up. He’s a clear favorite target of Spencer Sanders, much like Tay Martin was last season. | ||||||
| Brayden Willis | OU | TCU | 4000 | 12.59 | 6200 | 11.22 |
| Since Oklahoma loves to spread the ball around to different playmakers, it’s tough to roster Marvin Mims or Theo Wease in cash lineups at their current price tags. Willis, though, presents a cheap avenue to the OU offense as a one-off or possible pairing with Gabriel. The tight end had two TDs last week and could be a red-zone target once again this week in a high-total matchup. He’s cheap enough on both sites to take a shot in GPPs with multiple two-score games already this season. | ||||||
| Ben Sims | BAY | OKST | 3700 | 12.2 | 6300 | 11.70 |
| The Baylor tight end has been a favorite target of Blake Shapen this season. He leads the team in receptions with 14 in three games played, totaling five in two of those three contests. The cash floor is higher than you’d think and his price tags don’t reflect it yet. | ||||||
| Evan Stewart | TA&M | MSST | 3600 | 10.7 | 6000 | 8.20 |
| With Ainias Smith out for the season, Stewart is in a prime position to step into more targets and receptions as one of the top playmakers for A&M’s offense. Even with Smith playing, Stewart has been productive with 13 receptions over three games played. He’s also too cheap on both sites with a favorable game script coming with the Aggies needing to keep pace with Mississippi State. | ||||||
| Jahmal Banks | WAKE | FSU | 3000 | 17.95 | 7700 | 17.80 |
| Banks has emerged as a favorite target for Sam Hartman outside of A.T. Perry. He just had six catches for 141 yards and two scores last week vs. Clemson. He also has six receptions and two TDs in back-to-back games now. Of course, DK has him at min price which may make him a free square in cash games. Banks is worth playing even at a higher price on FD in this high-total matchup with Florida State. | ||||||
Other WRs To Consider:
- Myles Price – Texas Tech
- Derius Davis – TCU
- Malik Heath – Ole Miss
- Nehemiah Martinez – Texas Tech
- Malik Knowles – Kansas State
- Cameron Latu – Alabama
- Ontaria Wilson – Florida State
CFB DFS Week 3 Early Core Plays
DraftKings Cash:
- Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota
- Jahmal Banks – Wake Forest
- Braydon Johnson – Oklahoma State
FanDuel Cash:
- Dillon Gabriel – Oklahoma
- Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota
DraftKings GPP:
- Charlie Jones – Purdue
- Eric Gray – Oklahoma
- Evan Stewart – Texas A&M
FanDuel GPP:
- Adrian Martinez – Kansas State
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. – Kentucky
- Devon Achane – Texas A&M
Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!
Keep the College Football DFS winning going! Check out our College Football DFS Projections & the CFB DFS Lineups Generator. Plus, check out our partners over on PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, Monkey Knife Fight & join our Discord!