Welcome to the NFL DFS Week 5 RB Coach article!! If you took my advice ahead of Week 4, overall, you probably had a profitable week. I mean, no one expected Jaylen Warren to be inactive, and sure, J.K. Dobbins missed out on scoring a TD, but I did predict Ashton Jeanty’s coming-out party. 

Omarion Hampton, my pick of the week, delivered as promised. Injuries to his offensive line are concerning, but he should continue to be useful in future NFL DFS lineups.  

NFL Week 5 NFL DFS RBs

We’ve got four teams on a bye in Week 5 (Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers), and that means we can’t use Bijan Robinson or Josh Jacobs, two of the best NFL DFS RBs on the planet, in our DFS lineups. On a positive note, the week off might give Pittsburgh Steelers NFL DFS RB Jaylen Warren time to recover from his injury. He owes all of us one.

I’m not using Christian McCaffrey in my DFS lineups this week.  He takes on the Los Angeles Rams, who are giving up the fewest fantasy points per game to NFL DFS RBs, as well as the fewest catches to the position. 

The New England Patriots are using a full-blown running back by committee approach to using their NFL DFS RBs, so I’m avoiding that backfield as well. 

It should also come as no surprise that I’ll be avoiding using Chase Brown this week. He’s up against the Detroit Lions in Week 5, and they are tough against the run. There’s also a good chance that the Bengals fall behind in their matchup pretty early and quickly abandon their run game.

I actually was all set to recommend putting Trey Benson in NFL DFS lineups, but since he’s going to be out four to six weeks (meniscus), maybe Michael Carter could be a sleeper option.

Enough with all the negativity!! There are plenty of NFL DFS RBs that should be able to help you win some cash this week! The following are my favorite NFL DFS RBs for Week 5.  

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Top-Tier Picks For Week 5

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

DraftKings: $7,700 | FanDuel: $9,000

Gibbs had a productive week against a very good Cleveland Browns run defense in Week 4. This week, he faces the Cincinnati Bengals, who have one of the worst run defenses against NFL DFS RBs. This game could get out of hand early, but even if the Lions are so far ahead of the Bengals that they choose to rest Gibbs in the fourth quarter, based on his potential production, he still would have earned his NFL DFS salary by that time. 

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

DraftKings: $7,000 | FanDuel: $8,400

No, Derrick Henry is not done. “Father Time” hasn’t caught up to him. He’s still gaining 5.8 YPC this season, and if QB Lamar Jackson misses time due to his hamstring injury, Henry will be even more heavily involved in the Ravens’ offense. I love his bargain basement NFL DFS salaries for Week 5. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Mid-Tier Picks For Week 5 

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

DraftKings: $6,000 | FanDuel: $6,200

Skattebo has had double-digit DFS fantasy points per game in each of the last three weeks on both the DraftKings and FanDuel platforms. He’s got the Giants’ backfield all to himself, and with the G-Men easing rookie QB Jaxson Dart into their offensive scheme, they ran the ball almost 61% of the time in Week 5. Dart ran the ball 10 times last week, but Skattebo had 25 carries and will also continue to be a huge part of their offense for the near future. The Giants and Skattebo have a good matchup against the New Orleans Saints, who have given up the seventh most PPR fantasy points per game to NFL DFS RBs.  

Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys

DraftKings: $6,200 | FanDuel: $6,900

Williams is gaining 5 YPC this season and is playing an average of just under 72% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps. With Miles Sanders’ Week 5 status in question, Williams will likely be even more heavily involved in the Cowboys’ offense against the New York Jets. Williams should have a big week against a Jets run defense that has given up 355 rushing yards to NFL DFS RBs over their last three games.  

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Value Picks For Week 5 

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

DraftKings: $5,800 | FanDuel: $6,400

Judkins has settled in as the Browns’ primary back, and although his DFS salary has slowly increased this season, it is still very affordable. He’s averaged a robust 4.8 YPC this season and takes on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. The Vikings’ run defense is exploitable. They gave up 121 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to the Pittsburgh Steelers' NFL DFS RBs in Week 4. 

Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

DraftKings: $5,900 | FanDuel: $7,300

It looks like the Jaguars made the right choice when they traded Tank Bigsby away and made Etienne Jr. their primary NFL DFS RB. He’s averaging 6.1 YPC on the season and has, what appears to be, a good matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. The Chiefs have been known to have a stout run defense, but over the past two weeks, they’ve given up 6.81 YPC to NFL DFS RBs.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 5 RB Play of the Week 

De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

DraftKings: $7,300 | FanDuel: $8,100 

The Dolphins lost a big piece of their offense with Tyreek Hill suffering what some fear could be a career-ending knee injury. With Hill out, the Dolphins will likely lean on their run game more. They already started doing that in Week 4. The Dolphins executed the fifth-highest percentage of run plays in Week 4 (55.36). Achane has a very favorable matchup in Week 5 and will be running against the Carolina Panthers, who have given up 5.37 YPC to NFL DFS RBs.