Let's get the honest accounting of last week out of the way first. The best of it was the Dallas stack, with Prescott throwing for 335 yards and the game-winning touchdown to CeeDee Lamb, who piled up 17 catches for 189 yards. Brenton Strange was the dart throw that landed, catching 7 passes for 95 yards to lead Jacksonville, and Lawrence went 18 of 23 for 227 yards in that same win over Cincinnati. Mahomes, my Play of the Week, finished 15 of 30 for 225 yards and two scores in a Chiefs win, though Travis Kelce managed just two catches. The misses were louder than the hits. I faded Drake Maye, and he threw three touchdowns and ran for 54 yards in the upset of the Bills, Josh Allen's night ended with a late interception and Buffalo's first loss, Kyler Murray went 27 of 37 without a touchdown in a game the Vikings won on five field goals, and Brissett threw three picks, including a pick-six on the final play.

Now on to Week 5, where the bye weeks arrive. The Chiefs and Panthers are off, which takes Mahomes and Bryce Young out of the pool, and with Thursday night, the London game and Monday night all sitting outside the main slate, Prescott, Lawrence, and Allen are nowhere to be found this week. The quarterback board is thinner than usual, which makes the matchups matter more than the names.

NFL DFS Week 5 QB Picks

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $6,900 | FanDuel: $8,700

Burrow is the top price on both sites, and I'm fine paying it. He has completed 71.3 percent of his passes for 1,171 yards through four games, and last week he threw 54 times for 428 yards even after Ja'Marr Chase left in the first half. The loss to Jacksonville came down to two interceptions and a Cincinnati offense that kept stalling at the finish line, not to any problem with the arm. Now he draws a Dolphins defense that is still looking for its first win, one that lets opponents complete nearly 78 percent of their passes and is allowing 235 passing yards a game and 7 touchdown passes allowed. The Bengals are 7.5-point road favorites with the total at 42.5, and that total has been sliding as Chase's status clouds the game. If Chase sits, Burrow still has Tee Higgins and a passing game that has been throwing close to 40 times a game. The only thing that can cap him is a game script this comfortable, but a quarterback this accurate against this defense is where I want to start.

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders - DraftKings: $6,000 | FanDuel: $8,000

Everything with Daniels starts with the elbow. He dislocated it in Week 2 against Dallas and missed two games, and Dan Quinn said Monday the goal is a full week of practice and a start on Sunday, with Daniels wearing a brace designed to keep the elbow slightly bent. He is listed as questionable, so check his status before locking in. If he plays, I love the spot. In his two starts, he went 29 of 51 for 260 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and he added 100 rushing yards on 12 carries, which is the extra gear that makes him so valuable. The Giants are 3-1 but have allowed 9 touchdown passes, tied for fifth-most in the league, and give up 212 passing yards a game. Washington is a 3.5-point home favorite with the total at 43.5, and with Marcus Mariota doubtful with a sprained MCL, this is a pure play on Daniels being healthy.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $6,300 | FanDuel: $7,800

I faded Maye last week, and he made me pay, so let me own that and explain why I'm back. He led the Patriots to a 29-26 win over the previously unbeaten Bills with 269 yards, three touchdowns, and 54 rushing yards, including the 23-yard game-winner to Efton Chism with under two minutes left. He still threw an interception and lost a fumble, so the turnover problem isn't solved, but the legs give him a floor most pocket passers don't have: 136 rushing yards on the season already. The Raiders come to New England as 3.5-point underdogs with the total at 45.5, and they can score. Kirk Cousins threw for 365 yards against Kansas City, so the Patriots may need to keep throwing to keep pace. Las Vegas is allowing 223 passing yards a game and has allowed 7 touchdown passes, which is not a defense that has been shutting anybody down.

 

 

 

Best NFL DFS QB Values for Week 5

Best DraftKings QB Value

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $5,500 | FanDuel: $6,800

Detroit is the story. The Lions rank last in the league in points allowed and passing yards allowed, giving up 327 passing yards a game and 11 total touchdown passes allowed, and they just let Bryce Young throw for 329 yards while cornerback Rock Ya-Sin went down with a hamstring injury. This game also carries the highest total on the slate at 54.5, with Arizona a 4.5-point home underdog, which is exactly the script Brissett's volume feeds on. He has averaged 38 pass attempts a game this season, and last year he threw 40 a game for a bad team. Yes, he threw three interceptions last week, the first time he has done that in a game in his career, but he had just one turnover in the three games before it. On DraftKings, a defense giving up 327 a game also makes the 300-yard bonus a realistic target, and he adds a little with his legs too, four carries for 18 yards last week.

Best FanDuel QB Value

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $5,500 | FanDuel: $6,800

On FanDuel, I'm looking at the same game from a different angle. The site has him as the QB17, six spots lower than he sits on DraftKings and the biggest discount on the board, and with no yardage bonus on FanDuel, the case rests on touchdowns. Detroit has allowed 11 touchdown passes in four games, nearly three a game, while Brissett has 6 on the season, so that gap between what this defense gives up and what he has produced is the thing to chase. He also has a rushing score this year to go with the passing volume. Between Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison, who scored on the opening drive last week for his first touchdown of the season, he has enough targets to get there.

Best NFL DFS QB Stacks for Week 5

Best QB/WR Stack

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $6,900 | FanDuel: $8,700

Stack with:

This stack lives or dies on the injury report. Chase is in the concussion protocol and has to clear it in phases before he can play, and Higgins is day-to-day with an adductor injury after catching 11 passes for 157 yards on 16 targets before leaving last week. Both are listed as questionable. Cincinnati has its bye in Week 6, so there is a real chance the team plays it safe with both, and the sliding total tells you the market sees that coming. If both play, this is the stack, because Miami lets opponents complete nearly 78 percent of their passes. If only Higgins plays, he's still the target hog. If both sit, I'd rather pair Burrow with a cheap piece like Dohnte Meyers or Mike Gesicki, who caught a touchdown from Burrow last week, than pay up for a depleted group.

Best QB/TE Stack

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $5,500 | FanDuel: $6,800

Stack with:

McBride has seen double-digit targets in all four games, 46 in total, and sits at 33 catches for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns. At 7.3 yards per catch, this is a volume play more than a ceiling play, and Michael Wilson out-targeted him 30 to 23 over the last two weeks. But the touchdowns have been the missing piece, none in his last two games, with backup tight end Elijah Higgins catching Brissett's two-yard score last week. A game with a 54.5 total against the league's most generous pass defense is the kind that finally fixes that.

Best Contrarian Stack

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos - DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $7,600

Stack with:

Let's be clear that the Denver passing game has been rough, which is exactly why this works as a contrarian stack. Nix has thrown for 819 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 6.1 yards per attempt, and Waddle, who cost Denver a first- and a third-round pick, has 16 catches on 26 targets for 185 yards and one touchdown, which came last week. Nobody is going to be excited about that. But Waddle's role isn't the problem; he went 8 for 10 for 138 yards back in Week 2, and the Chargers are a good place for a passing game to find itself. Los Angeles has started 0-4, allowing 226 passing yards a game and with 6 touchdown passes allowed, and Denver is a 3.5-point road favorite with the total at 42.5. Nix also has a goal-line rushing score this year for a little extra floor, and if this offense finally clicks, you'll have it almost to yourself.

 

 


 

NFL DFS QB Fades for Week 5

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers - DraftKings: $6,500 | FanDuel: $8,300

This is a price and matchup fade, not a quality one, because Purdy has been as good as anybody. He has thrown for 1,007 yards and 11 touchdowns with a single interception, has not been sacked once, and ran for 93 yards on 10 carries over his first three games. But Seattle is the one defense I'd pick to bother him. The Seahawks are allowing just 161 passing yards a game, the second-fewest in the league, and they have picked off 6 passes against only 6 touchdowns. The game is in Seattle, where the home team is a 3-point favorite with the total at 47. At $8,300 on FanDuel, he is the second-most expensive quarterback on the slate, and I'd rather spend that salary on one of the cheaper quarterbacks in a better spot. It's a fade for me.

DraftKings vs. FanDuel QB Picks for Week 5

The biggest gap on the board belongs to Brissett, who is priced as the QB11 on DraftKings but only the QB17 on FanDuel, so FanDuel is discounting him six spots further down the list for the same matchup. Nix runs the other way, QB10 on DraftKings and QB7 on FanDuel, which makes DraftKings the cheaper way into the Denver stack, and Daniels shows a smaller version of that same split. Burrow, Maye, and Purdy are priced about the same relative to the field on both sites, which means the Purdy fade is easiest to follow on FanDuel, where his $8,300 price is steeper.

PlayerDK RankDK PriceFD RankFD PriceCheaper Site
Joe BurrowQB1$6,900QB1$8,700Even
Jayden DanielsQB6$6,000QB4$8,000DraftKings
Drake MayeQB4$6,300QB5$7,800Even
Jacoby BrissettQB11$5,500QB17$6,800FanDuel
Bo NixQB10$5,600QB7$7,600DraftKings
Brock PurdyQB3$6,500QB2$8,300Even

Ranks exclude quarterbacks ruled out or doubtful for Week 5.

 

 

 

NFL Week 5 QB Play of the Week

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $5,500 | FanDuel: $6,800

Brissett is the play of the week because everything lines up. The highest total on the slate, the most generous pass defense in football, a team that figures to be chasing points, a quarterback who throws close to 40 times a game, and a price that sits in the middle of the pool on DraftKings and near the bargain bin on FanDuel. The three interceptions last week are a real concern, and I'm not going to wave them away, but a defense this generous gives him a better chance to survive them than almost any matchup he will see this season. Jacoby Brissett is my NFL DFS QB Play of the Week.

NFL DFS Week 5 QB Rankings

  1. Joe Burrow
  2. Jared Goff
  3. Drake Maye
  4. Jayden Daniels
  5. Jacoby Brissett
  6. C.J. Stroud
  7. Tyler Shough
  8. Jordan Love
  9. Bo Nix
  10. Sam Darnold
  11. Kirk Cousins
  12. Deshaun Watson
  13. Aaron Rodgers
  14. Kyler Murray
  15. Jameis Winston
  16. Brock Purdy
  17. Justin Herbert
  18. Geno Smith
  19. Daniel Jones
  20. Cam Ward
  21. Tyson Bagent
  22. Malik Willis