There are an abundance of tools at FantasyLabs to use for your NFL DFS lineups each week. Our most popular tools are our NFL Player Models, which house our NFL DFS projections from Sean Koerner.
You can use these projections in our models with our Lineup Builder to hand-build your lineups or use our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups for your NFL DFS tournaments.
In this article, we will go position by position, highlighting my favorite plays for both cash games and single-entry/three-max GPP contests. These plays are also viable in large field tournaments but do not focus on ownership percentages.
NFL DFS Cash Game + Single-Entry GPP Locks
NFL DFS Quarterback Picks
Tom Brady ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons
I have no doubt the Bucs will be locked in for this game after getting embarrassed at home by the Chiefs on national television last week. Despite the result, Brady still threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns while absolutely looking like his old self.
Tampa Bay has the second-highest implied team total on the Week 5 main slate, sitting at 28.25. The Falcons could be on a massive letdown after beating a good Browns team last week as well. Brady is simply too cheap at just $6,000 on DraftKings and gives you over $2,000 worth of savings from both Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen.
The Falcons have allowed the eighth most points to opposing signal callers on the year, and you can expect Brady to approach the 300-yard bonus and multiple touchdowns in this spot.
Josh Allen ($8,400 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel) Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Obviously, we have to include Josh Allen in this section regardless of opponent. He was somewhat held in check last week in some awful weather in Baltimore and still finished with 24.52 DK points thanks to his 70 yards on the ground. The Bills boast the highest implied total on the slate at just under 30 points, and we know that no quarterback accounts for more of his team’s touchdowns than Allen does.
Simply put, if the Bills hit their team total, Allen will have 30 DraftKings points, with an easy chance to approach 40.
Nobody else has this ceiling. If you can find the value elsewhere, getting up to Allen is the smart way to go.
NFL DFS Running Back Picks
Leonard Fournette ($7,800 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons
For many of the reasons why I love Tom Brady this week, I like Fournette. This is a total smash spot for the Bucs, and Atlanta was just gashed by Nick Chubb last week to the tune of 118 yards and a touchdown on just 19 carries. Rookie Rachaad White mixed in quite a bit last week, but Tampa was getting boat raced, and Fournette still caught seven balls for 57 yards and a touchdown.
He should go back to his normal usage this week and is one of the strongest bets on the week to find the end zone. You could also play him with Brady pretty easily, as most of the touchdowns will flow through the two of them if Tampa hits their total.
Uncle Lenny is the best running back play on the slate and should be a lock in cash games.
Jeff Wilson Jr. ($5,500 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel) San Franciso 49ers @ Carolina Panthers
Wilson played great again last week against a strong Rams rush defense, posting 74 yards and a touchdown on his 18 carries. Obviously, the threat of Deebo Samuel stealing his goal-line work looms, but the 49ers should handle the Panthers in this spot without issue, and I would expect them to lean on the ground game and save Deebo’s legs if they could.
It’s never fun to roster yardage and touchdown backs on DraftKings because things can go sideways pretty quick, but San Francisco is a decent sized road favorite here, and we know they want to run the ball. Wilson is very palatable at just $5,500 on DraftKings.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Cooper Kupp ($9,600 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel) Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys
I am done fading Cooper Kupp. There is always some semblance of value to where fitting him is not too difficult, and yet it feels like he’s been under-owned these past few weeks due to his price tag. Last week he caught a whopping 14 balls against the 49ers elite pass defense. This week he will again see a pretty tough defense in the Cowboys, but it’s simply impossible to find his floor/ceiling combination from any other player in fantasy football right now.
So far through four games, Kupp has seen target counts of 15, 14, six, and 19 (lol), making it nearly impossible for him not to hit the 100-yard DraftKings bonus when he’s getting this ridiculous workload. Matthew Stafford targets only two players right now, Kupp and Tyler Higbee, who we will touch on in a bit.
Obviously, $9,600 is a lot to pay for anyone, but Kupp is on another historic pace this season, and I will not stand on the sidelines.
Tyler Lockett ($5,600 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel) Seattle Seahawks @ New Orleans Saints
Lockett is simply too cheap for his role right now. He’s seen 11, 11, and eight targets in each of his past three games while hauling in a combined 24 catches for 276 yards in this new-look Seahawks offense. He draws a Saints defense that surprisingly has not played very well to begin the season, allowing the sixth-highest catch rate and 10th-most receiving yards to opposing wideouts.
We have known Lockett to disappear for stretches at a time over his career. However, he’s remained pretty consistent this season and at just $5,600 on DraftKings makes for a rock-solid mid-range receiver play in all formats.
He is our No. 1 ranked WR in terms of points per salary on the week.
Zay Jones + Brandin Cooks ($4,100 / $6,100 DraftKings, $5,700 / $6,800, FanDuel) Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
I will include both of these players because it makes for a really strong correlated mini stack in the same game. Let’s start with Cooks, who for whatever reason absolutely torches the Jaguars. In six career starts against Jacksonville has DraftKings point totals of: 32.2, 21.2, 17.3, 33.1, 19, and 27.3. That’s an absolutely absurd track record to have against one team, but it is clear Cooks absolutely gets up when he plays the Jags.
This of course is not the only reason to play him this week, we like him because he’s dominating the target share in Houston right and is coming off his best game of the year where he caught all seven of his targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. His price is still quite reasonable at just $6,100, and while he may not be the No. 1 priority in cash games, he’s absolutely on the shortlist.
The obvious way to run it back, whether you like Cooks or not, is to play $4,100 Zay Jones, who is coming off a 10-catch game where he went for 85 yards and a touchdown against a good Eagles defense last week. For whatever reason, DraftKings did not alter his price, and he’s one of the top receiver values on the slate against a vulnerable Houston defense.
NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Cade Otton ($2,500 DraftKings, $4,100 FanDuel) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Cameron Brate has been ruled out already with a concussion, and the only other tight ends on the Bucs roster are Kyle Rudolph — who was a healthy scratch last week, and Ko Kieft, who is a sixth-round rookie. Cade Otton is a rookie himself, but was on the field for 43 of 64 snaps last week and caught three passes for 29 yards.
He is the absolute stone minimum on DraftKings this week at just $2,500, and we know he’s going to be out there running routes for Tom Brady in a game where Tampa Bay has over a 28-point team total.
Otton is likely your best option in cash games.
Tyler Higbee ($4,300 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel) Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys
Higbee is still underpriced for his role thanks to playing on Monday night football, where he saw a whopping 14 targets and caught 10 balls for 73 yards. Matthew Stafford has very little faith in anyone besides his tight end and Cooper Kupp right now, so expect Higbee to be peppered again against a good Cowboys defense.
You are likely paying down for Otton in cash, but he will be very highly owned, and if you want to differentiate in tournaments, Higbee has shown to have massive upside and is playing at home in the dome.
His floor/ceiling combo right now is quite high for someone who costs just $4,300.
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