GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 3: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after scoring a touchdown. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Week 5 of the NFL 2026 season. There are 11 teams on the main slate this week, and it is going to be fun.
First, of the 11 teams on the main slate, one game stands out. So, the objective this week is to find a way to the leaderboards utilizing a game that at least 90% of the field will be using and that you will most likely have to use all or part of to get in the money.
Second, you are going to need to utilize different strategies depending on whether you are playing a large-field tournament, small-field tournament, or cash games. The smaller the field, the closer to chalk you are going to be able to reside, but you are still going to need to make your lineup different (unless, of course, you are playing cash…chalk it up, but lean into difference.
And now let’s discuss the games: the beautiful, necessary piece of the puzzle is, of course, the Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals +5.5, 54.5. The Lions are a road favorite by less than a touchdown, and the over/under is 8.0 points more than the next games.
Which brings up the next two games of interest:
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 19: Tyson Bagent #17 of the Chicago Bears dives for a touchdown during the second quarter in the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers +1.5, 46.5 and
San Francisco Niners @ Seattle Seahawks, -3.0, 46.5.
And then there is the:
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 13: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Las Vegas Raiders drops back to pass against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
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Las Vegas Raiders, implied total 21 @ New England Patriots, implied total 24.5
How To Play DraftKings Main Slate Week 5
- This week, projections and ownership are your chaos meter.
- Followed closely by injuries: who is in and who is out.
Top Projected Ownership Week 5 DraftKings Main Slate
*Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit, $9800, 45% projected ownership
*D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago, $6200, 30.8% projected ownership
*Trey McBride, TE, Arizona, $6700, 20-30% projected ownership
*Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona, $6200, 37% projected ownership
*Amon-Ra St.Brown, WR, Detroit, $7900, 25% projected ownership
*Jared Goff, QB, Detroit, $6600, 20.3% projected ownership
*Jacoby Brissett, QB, $5500, 22.8% tournament projected ownership
These are tournament projections.
Injury Watch Week 5
CINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 4: Dohnte Meyers #81 of the Cincinnati Bengals catches a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on October 4, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
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- Cincinnati Bengals: Status of receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins →WR, Dohnte Meyers $3500
- Washington Commanders: Status of receivers Stefon Diggs (out) and Terry McLaurin→WR, Antonio Williams $3800
- Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty out→RB, Mike Washington $4200
- New York Jets: Breece Hall out→RB, Braelon Allen $5400
Stacking Options
The Detroit Lions have an implied team total of 30 points, and their opponents, the Arizona Cardinals, have an implied team total of 24.5.
- Cardinals’ defense ranks last in passing yards per attempt (8.6) and has allowed the third-most touchdowns per game, 3.8
- The Lions have allowed the most touchdowns per game, 4.3.
- Cardinals left tackle Paris Johnson is out for the season.
QB Jacoby Brissett $5500 + RB Tyler Allgeier + WR Michael Wilson $6200 +TE Trey McBride $6700/ WR Amon-Ra St. Brown $7900 + Flex Sam LaPorta $4900
This lineup leaves you $4567 each for the remaining three positions.
QB Jared Goff $6600 + RB Jahmyr Gibbs $9800 +WR Jameson Williams $5900/ WR Michael Wilson $6200 + TE Trey McBride $6700
This lineup leaves you $3700 for each of the remaining four positions. (It can be done…look for the replacement for injured players for high-ceiling, low-floor options).
The Other Guys
If you are leaning into the chaos of only utilizing pieces of the Lions/Cardinals game, here are some pieces to consider, but by all means, not definitive. Lean into your chaos.
Head coach Ben Johnson is still on the “score the most points” in a season journey; we need that for him to push the Packers into playing faster than their 58.8 (24th-ranked) plays per game.
QB Tyler Bagent $4700 + RB D’Andre Swift $6200 (if Kyle Monangai is out) + WR Luther Burden $4900/ WR Christian Watson $6400 + TE Tucker Kraft $4700
This lineup leaves you $5775 for each of the remaining four positions OR $5860 for each of the remaining five positions if Swift is removed.
QB Deshaun Watson $5100 + RB Quinshon Judkins $5700/ TE Kenyon Sadiq $3800
TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 22: Tykee Smith #23 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackles Quinshon Judkins #10 of the Cleveland Browns (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
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This game has the lowest predictive total for the week. Judkins is only averaging 3.0 yards per carry, but he had seven targets last week, giving him a nice floor. Watson is the epitome of a chaos play.
Leaves you $5900 for each of the remaining seven positions.
Week 5 DraftKings Main Slate: Let Chaos Reign
With only 11 games and only one game with an implied total above 47, it’s time to let your inner chaos demon rule. Good Luck, play nice.
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