Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Picks for Week 5

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan)

Created Oct 9, 2026

Last Updated 2026-10-09 15:37:35 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming NFL DFS main slate on DraftKings for Week 5. A 2025 Fantasy Sports Writers Association award winner, Jordan’s deep dive into the best stacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends is a must-read before you start building your lineups.

This week’s slate has one game that’s going to dominate lineup construction…and for good reason. The Lions and Cardinals have two defenses that have struggled to stop opposing passing attacks, and both offenses have usage that is concentrated enough that stacking this game makes a ton of sense. The biggest question isn’t whether we should target it but how much exposure we should get.

I do think there are other QBs who aren’t getting nearly enough attention, including one who’s incredibly cheap. It’s hard for me to envision the winning lineup not having at least one piece of the DET/ARI game, but that doesn’t mean we have to build the same lineups as everyone else. There are plenty of ways to get unique elsewhere, and I actually think it’s pretty easy to do on this slate.

This is the first weekend where it feels like we have a clear group of chalk plays but also plenty of ways to build around them. The key will be figuring out which popular plays are worth eating the ownership on and where we can find the upside to separate ourselves from the field.

NFL DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, WRs, & TEs for Week 5

Game Stacks

Jacoby Brissett ($5,500, QB, Arizona Cardinals)

Michael Wilson ($6,200, WR, Arizona Cardinals)

Trey McBride ($6,700, TE, Arizona Cardinals)

Jahmyr Gibbs ($9,800, RB, Detroit Lions)

Jameson Williams ($5,900, WR, Detroit Lions)

This is the chalk game on the slate for a reason, and the Lions’ defense isn’t equipped to stop anybody right now. Well, maybe the Vikings, but outside of that, they’ve been horrible against the pass. The good news is that Arizona has one of the most concentrated passing offenses in the league.

Wilson and McBride are both great plays, and I’m perfectly fine not chasing a Marvin Harrison Jr. ($4,400, WR) game here. Wilson and McBride have combined for over 50% of the team’s targets this season, and if Brissett is going to put up a big score, I expect those two to account for the majority of his production. It’s a very similar situation to stacking Geno Smith with Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq a few weeks ago.

I’ll be writing up Jared Goff separately, so I want to focus on the other Lions I’m interested in playing without necessarily stacking them with Goff. Williams hasn’t gotten much love this season, but his aDOT is over 14 yards, and I think his big-play ability fits perfectly with the game script I want to target. If Detroit can hit a few explosive plays and build a lead, it could force Arizona into a pass-heavy approach, creating even more opportunities for Brissett to feed Wilson and McBride.

The Cardinals haven’t been particularly bad against the run this season, but Gibbs is a completely different animal from the RBs they’ve faced. There’s also an interesting coaching angle here, with Detroit’s offensive coordinator coming over from Arizona. He should have some familiarity with the weaknesses of the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, who was retained this offseason. Between Gibbs’ explosiveness and the potential for the Lions to create big plays, I think the Lions have several ways to put Arizona in a position where Brissett is forced to throw the ball a ton.

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