NFL DFS Week 5 D/ST Picks 2026: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Defenses

Published: Oct 09, 2026

Updated: Oct 09, 2026

We turn the page to another week as the NFL DFS Week 5 DST picks preview the top plays for the Sunday main slate. Last week was a bit of an odd one for this position. It didn’t feel like there was any one particular defense that really stood out with a big game. The New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks both returned double-digit fantasy points, but neither popped for a slate-breaking score.

So it was a quiet week overall for the DST position on DraftKings and FanDuel. There is one game on this slate with a total over 50 points, and the other 10 games are under 46 points as of Friday morning. With one obvious game to target for skill position players, we have plenty of games with lower totals to attack as we finalize our lineups with a DST.

NFL DFS Week 5 DST Picks

Cincinnati Bengals – DraftKings: $3,500 | FanDuel: $4,900

The Bengals enter this week as the most expensive team on DraftKings and the second-most expensive on FanDuel. However, the pricing on DraftKings is still rather soft. Usually at this point in the season, the most expensive DST on DraftKings is typically priced between $3,800-$4,000. So we’re getting a little savings here, and they have an outstanding matchup against the Miami Dolphins, albeit on the road.

The Bengals are 6.5-point favorites, and the Dolphins have an implied team total of just 18 points. According to Sam Hoppen, the Miami offensive line ranks 31^st in unblocked pressure rate allowed (15.7%) and 29^th in pressure rate allowed (47.2%). The downside to this is that Malik Willis is mobile enough to avoid sacks. In Weeks 1 and 2, he was sacked nine times. However, in Miami’s last two games, he’s only been sacked twice. But the Dolphins have been unable to score 14 points in any game this season, and that gives Cincy a decent floor.

The Bengals aren’t the defensive basement dwellers they once were. Now they have given up some points, but they still have four sacks in three of four games this season. Given how bad Miami’s offense has been this year, the Bengals have a good enough floor for cash games, and the price tag on DraftKings isn’t all that prohibitive.

Houston Texans – DraftKings: $3,400 | FanDuel: $5,000

The Texans are priced up this week, and it’s entirely due to the matchup. Houston will go on the road to face the Tennessee Titans. The Texans are favored by 7.5 points, giving the Titans a 15-point implied team total, which is on the lower end of the spectrum for our NFL DFS Week 5 DST picks.

This defense has not looked nearly as good as they have in recent years. This defense is usually carrying the team to the playoffs, but the offense and defense haven’t been able to sync up through four games, and they’re winless entering Week 5. When the defense is holding opponents to under 20 points, the offense can’t score. And when the offense has been scoring, the defense is allowing their opponent to put up 30+ points.

The good news is that this is one of the best matchups on paper for Houston. They go against Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans. We did witness a bit of a breakout from Carnell Tate last week, but Ward currently ranks 26^th among qualified quarterbacks in EPA/play (-0.06), and he’s 27^th in average depth of target (6.6 yards).

Cam Ward is probably the worst quarterback the Texans have faced this year. And this defense has been pretty difficult to run on. So for that reason, we can spend up for the Texans because they offer a great floor for our NFL DFS lineups. But we do need to see this team start forcing more turnovers because they won’t hit their ceiling without some big defensive plays.

Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $2,900 | FanDuel: $4,400

I am a little surprised that this game is projecting to be so close. Currently, the Bears are slight favorites by 1.5 points on the road against the Green Bay Packers. Perhaps it’s the divisional narrative for this game, but Chicago’s defense has played pretty well of late.

In their last three games, they’ve allowed a total of just 28 points to the likes of the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings. And they’ve held each of those opponents to under 250 yards of offense.

This matchup is especially enticing because the Packers can’t run the ball at all, and the offensive line is the worst it has looked in years. The Packers' offensive line ranks bottom five in yards before contact per carry (0.79), stuffed run rate (22.9%), and quick pressure rate allowed (24.1%). Entering Week 5, the Bears rank sixth in blitz rate (38.8%), fourth in sack rate (8.6%), and first in average time to pressure (2.44 seconds).

Because of the offensive line issues, Jordan Love is playing some of the worst football of his career. He currently ranks 30^th among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage over expected (-7.0%), and he’s not getting out of the pocket to scramble at all. In three of four games this year, he’s completed under 60% of his pass attempts. I’ll take the Bears upside in this matchup, and they pair well with D’Andre Swift in tournament contests.

Best NFL DFS DST Values for Week 5

Best DraftKings DST Value – Las Vegas Raiders; $2,500

The Raiders may not garner significant ownership due to the resurgence of the Patriots offense a week ago when they upset the Buffalo Bills on the road. But Buffalo’s defense has its leaks, and divisional matchups are always tricky to read.

The Raiders don’t blitz often, but they generate a good enough pass rush without a consistent blitz package. The Raiders rank top 10 in pressure rate (44.5%) and sack rate (8.2%). And we know the Patriots offensive line has had its shortcomings. The New England O-line ranks 31^st in pressure rate allowed (48.6%).

Now the Raiders have been getting beat on the ground. They’ve allowed 154.6 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks. The Patriots have been decent at running the ball, but we also know their running backs and quarterback are prone to fumbling the ball. And New England’s O-line ranks 30^th in the NFL in yards before contact per carry (0.66) so while I’m a Patriots fan at heart, I’m a believer that this revamped Raiders defense could give Maye and Co. some frustrations on Sunday.

Best FanDuel DST Value – Washington Commanders; $3,300

The Commanders are about as cheap as I’d want to go on FanDuel this week. They’re a cheap DST playing at home against the New York Giants. So the “Jameis Winston Experience” could be on full display. Can he go out and chuck the ball for 300 yards and multiple scores? Sure. But can he also go out there and be a complete disaster? Absolutely!

The bad news with this defense is that they give up points. Their last three opponents have all scored 30+ points on them. However, the Giants have an implied team total of just 19 points for this NFC East matchup.

The Commanders do have multiple takeaways in back-to-back games, and I will always lean into DSTs that blitz at a high rate. The Commanders are surprisingly second in the NFL in blitz rate (47.4%), according to Sam Hoppen. They may not be very effective with sacks because they’re 15^th in pressure rate (40.1%) and 23^rd in sack rate (4.6%). But if they’re proactively making an attempt to get to the quarterback, then I can justify them as a cheap play against a quarterback whose name is synonymous with variance.

NFL DFS DST Fade for Week 5

Detroit Lions – DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $4,100

The Lions aren’t horribly priced, but they are the sixth-most expensive DST on DraftKings, and they’re in the middle of the pack on FanDuel. And this defense straight up stinks. Now they do have a decent pass rush. According to Sam Hoppen, the Lions are third in pressure rate (46.6%) and sixth in sack rate (7.9%). In two of four games this season, they’ve recorded at least five sacks, and they have 15 total on the year.

But that’s about where the positives stop. They’ve only forced one turnover in their last three games, and they’ve allowed at least 24 points to all four of the opposing offenses they’ve faced. Moreover, three of the four offenses they’ve faced have put up over 440 yards of offense.

As of Friday morning, this game has the highest implied total on the main slate by far at 54.5 points, and the next-closest game is at 45.5 points. Despite being the underdogs, the Cardinals have an implied team total of 24 points. Everybody and their mother will target the skill-position players in this matchup. As for the DSTs, you can definitely look elsewhere because the pricing on Detroit doesn’t make much sense.

NFL DFS Week 5 DST Play of the Week

Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $3,100 | FanDuel: $4,600

This recommendation could certainly get me in trouble, and I totally get it. But I think there’s enough reason to believe in the Vikings delivering a ceiling performance.

The matchup is far from perfect against the New Orleans Saints just a few days after New Orleans celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the “Domecoming.” But this is also a short week for New Orleans because they recently appeared on Monday Night Football and they got stomped by the Atlanta Falcons in that game.

And what did the Falcons do? They got to Tyler Shough for a dozen quarterback hits. The Falcons tout the second-best pressure rate in the NFL (48.1%), and they’re doing it with a 19.3% blitz rate, which ranks 30^th in the NFL according to Sam Hoppen. Moreover, the Vikings are first in blitz rate (64.1%) and lead the league in pressure rate (48.4%) and sack rate (10.5%).

Now what makes Shough such a valuable asset in fantasy football is the volume. He’s averaging over 40 pass attempts per game. But that’s still great for this DST’s outlook. The Vikings love to blitz and disrupt the opposing offense’s passing attack. And the Saints let Shough air it out plenty. More pass attempts mean more opportunities for sacks and turnovers.

The Vikings are favored by 2.5 points as of Thursday afternoon, and the Saints have an implied team total of 19 points. And that seems very low for this offense, but that’s also Vegas giving respect to Minnesota’s defense.