Introducing the NFL DFS Week 5 RB Coach article! It was another up and down week for me in Week 4. I’m going to think twice before making Breece Hall a DFS RB coach recommendation after his miserable 3.8 DraftKings/2.8 FanDuel point performance last week. 

His DFS salary trended down ahead of Week 5 but he’s still being priced as a top tier DFS RB (DK $7,300/FD $7,900). After four games Hall is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry (YPC) and I don’t think that a game across the pond against a very stingy Minnesota Vikings run defense will snap him out of his recent funk. 

 

 

 

Who knows, Braelon Allen might end up being the New York Jets RB that you’ll be regularly adding to your NFL DFS lineups before the season is over. Unfortunately, Allen’s Week 5 DK $5,300/FD $6,000 salaries make him an NFL DFS RB that I won’t be able to use this week.

The other DFS RB from the New York area Devin Singletary was also one of my Week 4 bad calls, but Kyren Williams (20.4 DraftKings/18.4 FanDuel points), Aaron Jones (17.9 DraftKings/15.9 FanDuel points), and James Conner (21.3 DraftKings/20.8 FanDuel points) performed up to par and all three have good Week 5 matchups. 

NFL DFS Week 5 RB Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

Creating an NFL DFS lineup will be a little trickier in Week 5 with Eagles, Chargers, Titans, and Lions NFL DFS RBs all on a bye in Week 5. Injuries and shifts in RB depth charts will also make it more challenging for you to create your NFL DFS lineup. 

For instance, I was originally going to recommend using New England Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (DK $6,000/FD $6,700) as a mid-tier option in Week 5 despite his recent fumbleitis. He’s got a great matchup against a Dolphins team that can’t stop the run. 

However, with Mike Reiss, ESPN NFL Nation Patriots beat writer, suggesting that Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is considering starting Antonio Gibson over Stevenson, I’ll let you decide if you want to risk putting Stevenson in your Week 5 NFL DFS lineup.

 

 

 

NFL Week 5 Running Backs

The Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield’s depth chart looks a bit murkier heading into Week 5 since Carson Steele, who looked like the teams’ primary NFL DFS RB after Week 3, was replaced by Kareem Hunt in Week 4. Steele lost a fumble on the first drive of the Chiefs’ Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers and saw his carries dry up for the rest of the game. 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (DK $4,000/FD $4,000), who was placed on the IR due to a non-physical condition, is eligible to start practicing this week. He might join the Chiefs’ backfield mix and make all of Kansas City’s RBs unusable for Week 5.

Chicago Bears NFL DFS RB Roschon Johnson’s (DK $4,900/FD $5,800) role was supposed to be expanded in Week 4 but he played the same percentage of offensive snaps (37%) as he did in Week 4. Even though he scored a TD and had the only goal line carry by a Bears RB, he actually had one less overall carry than the previous week. 

Maybe it was the rumors about his possibly losing playing time to Johnson, but D’Andre Swift ($5,700/FD $6,400), the Bears’ primary back, had his best game of the season in Week 4. He rushed for 93 yards (5.81 YPC), scored a TD and caught seven passes for 72 yards, good for 29.5 DraftKings and 26 FanDuel points.

Atlanta Falcons NFL DFS RB Bijan Robinson (DK $7,100/FD $8,300) played a season low 64% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 4. Tyler Allgeier (DK $5,000/FD $6,000), as you probably guessed, played a season high 38% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps in Week 4. 

Is this split a sign of things to come or was Robinson dealing with a hamstring injury that has limited him in practice this week? I believe the injury was to blame and while Robinson’s $7,100 DraftKings salary is his lowest of the season I’m not using him as an NFL DFS Week 5 RB. 

On the injury front, Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (DK $7,700/FD $8,500) suffered what’s being called a mild high ankle sprain in Week 4 which may cause him to miss time, and it sounds like Houston Texans RB Joe Mixon (DK $6,900/FD $8,000) could play in Week 5. Judging by the fact that you’re reading this article you’ll be playing too! 

I’m talking about NFL DFS of course and I’ve got a few NFL DFS Week 5 RBs that could help you win some cash this week. The rest of this NFL DFS Week 5 RB Coach piece will list my favorite NFL DFS Week 5 RB picks and hopefully by the end of the week they’ll be your favorites as well!

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Top-Tier Picks For Week 5

Derrick Henry, RB Baltimore Ravens - DraftKings: $7,800 | FanDuel: $9,200

Henry will be 31 years old on January 4th, 2025 but you’d never know it based on his recent performances. The $240,000 he spends annually on "body maintenance" has really paid off. He ran for 199 yards in Week 4 and 151 yards in Week 3. Henry has also scored at least one TD in each of his games this season. 

The Ravens have been making him a bigger part of their offense each week and his percentage of offensive snaps played has jumped to 65% in Week 4, up from 46% in Weeks 1 and 2. He faces the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 and in his last meeting against them in Week 4 of the 2024 season he ran for 122 yards and scored a TD.

 Henry should take advantage of a Bengals run defense that has given up just under 4.5 YPC to NFL DFS RBs this season and earn his top tier NFL DFS RB salary in Week 5. 

Jordan Mason, RB San Francisco 49ers - DraftKings: $7,400 | FanDuel: $8,700

Mason has rushed for at least 100 yards and scored at least one TD in three of his four games in Week 5. He has a very good matchup against an Arizona Cardinals run defense that has yielded the third most rushing yards (501) and rushing TDs (5) to the RB position this season. 

Mason is averaging just under 23 carries per game and with this matchup between the 49ers and Cardinals expected to have one of the higher overall point totals on the slate, San Francisco should continue to feed Mason the ball at a high rate giving him a good chance to provide NFL DFS players with a good return on their investment in him in Week 5.

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Mid-Tier Picks For Week 5

Josh Jacobs, RB Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $6,400 | FanDuel: $7,000

You might look at Jacobs’ nine carries in Week 4 and wonder why he’s an NFL DFS Week 5 RB coach recommendation but you have to remember that the Packers were playing from behind for much of their matchup against the Vikings. 

Jacobs has a juicy matchup against a Los Angeles Rams run defense that was responsible for Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift’s resurrection in Week 4. The Rams have given up the most rushing yards to NFL DFS RBs (524) and the third most TDs to the position as well. 

Jacobs has flown under the radar with a 4.63 YPC this season and with a favorable matchup in Week 5 he could produce his second 100 plus rushing yard game of the season.

Chuba Hubbard, RB Carolina Panthers - DraftKings: $6,100 | FanDuel: $6,800

Hubbard is taking Stevenson’s spot as a mid-tier NFL DFS Week 5 RB coach suggestion. The Panthers’ overall offense has looked a lot better since Andy Dalton took over as the teams’ QB. Hubbard fell flat when I recommended him as a value pick back in Week 1 but since then he’s averaging 5.76 YPC and 4.3 receptions per game. 

Hubbard should be able to continue his hot stretch against the Bears who’ve given up 4.64 YPC and five rushing TDs to NFL DFS RBs this season. Jonathan Brooks might eventually take over as the Panthers’ lead RB but for Week 5 Hubbard should be a good mid-tier NFL DFS RB option.

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Value Picks For Week 5 

Najee Harris, RB Pittsburgh Steelers - DraftKings: $5,800 | FanDuel: $6,500

Harris has been a much better NFL DFS RB when playing at home and he has a good home matchup against a Dallas Cowboys team that has had a hard time stopping the run. Jaylen Warren is expected to play in Week 5 but coming off his knee injury, if he’s active, he may be a bit limited. 

The Cowboys’ fantasy points against RB stats might be a bit skewed because they’ve faced Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara this season but Harris should have a bounce back game in Week 5 after an awful Week 4 performance in which he rushed for a pathetic 1.46 YPC.  

D’Andre Swift, RB Chicago Bears - DraftKings: $5,700 | FanDuel: $6,400 

I am buying into the narrative that Swift can build upon a big Week 4 performance against terrible Carolina Panthers run defense. Swift has a great home matchup against the Panthers who have allowed the second most rushing yards (505) and second most rushing TDs (6) to RBs this season. 

I know he’s only had one good game this season, but in his four-year career prior to joining the Bears he averaged 4.5 YPC and 49 receptions per season.

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Fades For Week 5

Kareem Hunt, RB Kansas City Chiefs - DraftKings: $5,500 | FanDuel: $7,100

There’s a huge discrepancy between DraftKings and FanDuel salaries in Week 5. DraftKings is valuing Hunt similarly to Bucky Irving ($5,400), Cam Akers ($5,500) and Rico Dowdle ($5,600). None of those NFL DFS RBs have a clear cut starting job. FanDuel is valuing Hunt between Josh Jacobs ($7,000) and Travis Etienne, Jr. ($7,200) who are the clear cut bell cow backs for their respective teams. 

I don’t think either salary is a good representation of Hunt’s value for Week 5 because of the continued uncertainty surrounding the Chiefs’ backfield hierarchy as they get ready to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday. 

Jonathan Taylor, RB Indianapolis Colts - DraftKings: $7,700 | FanDuel: $8,200 

As this article is being written Taylor hasn’t been officially ruled out for Week 5 but there’s a good chance he won’t be active. If he is inactive, I’d consider using his handcuff Trey Sermon (DK $5,700/FD $5,900) against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

The Jags have been pretty friendly to opposing NFL DFS RBs this season and people tend to forget that Sermon is just 25 years old and in his college career at Oklahoma and Ohio State he averaged 6.5 YPC.

 

 

 

NFL Week 5 RB Play Of The Week 

Kenneth Walker, RB Seattle Seahawks - DraftKings: $6,800 | FanDuel: $7,400

Walker III returned to action with a bang on Monday night scoring 33.6 DraftKings points and 31.6 FanDuel points. He’s got a great home matchup against a hapless New York Giants team that gives up 5.05 YPC to RBs this season. 

I expect the Seahawks to breakout to a sizable early lead and with the Giants inability to score TDs, Seattle will likely maintain their big lead. Walker should get at least 100 carries and score at least one TD in Week 5. 

The game might get so out of hand that the Seahawks might opt to use RB Zach Charbonnett to close out the game but by that time Walker III would have provided you with enough production to give you a good return on his NFL DFS RB Week 5 salary.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 5 RB Projections