Week 5 of the NFL season is here, and with it comes another exciting slate of daily fantasy football action on DraftKings. If you’re grinding cash games—whether it’s head-to-heads, double-ups, or 50/50s—locking in the right core plays is essential for building a safe, high-floor lineup. In this breakdown, we’ll highlight the best NFL Week 5 DraftKings cash game picks, including top-value options, must-have studs, and salary-saving plays to help you maximize your edge. Let’s dive into the core DFS plays you can trust for your cash builds this week.

Quarterback

Justin Fields - $5600

Fields has only played 2 complete games, however in week 1 he scored 29.5 Fantasy Points and in Week 4 he scored 27.1. When he's healthy and playing against subpar defenses he can be a fantasy all star. He rushed for 81 and a score last week against the Dolphins, and against the Steelers 48 yards and 2 scores. Given the state of the Dallas Defense, and his price point this seems like a no brainer. We always want QB's in good game environments and that use their legs. We check both boxes here.

WIDE RECIEVERS

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - $7100

I know JSN is coming off a rough week only seeing 5 receptions on 4 targets. However in cash we need guys that have a solid floor, and there are very few that give us the floor JSN does. He's seen 8.5 targets per game, a 35% target share, and ranks 2nd in receiving yards. He also ranks 2nd in yards per route run, 4th in yards per target, and runs route on 87.2% of Darnold's drop backs. Tampa bay has been more vulnerable to the passing attack than on the ground, JSN seems like a solid play this week. 

Garret Wilson - $6100

Wilson has scored over 20 fantasy points 3 of 4 weeks, and has a touchdown in 3 of 4 games. He also hasn't seen less than 8 targets in a game this season. Averaging 9.5 per game, a 36.5% target share (20% inside the red zone), and a staggering 100% route participation. With this he's averaging 7 receptions per game, and 78 yards per game. Dallas ranks in the bottom of almost every defensive metric this year. Lock Wilson into your lineups.

RUNNING BACKS

This is an absolute insane week for value at running back. This is a week we can spend up for both our top options, and still have 2 stud WR's.

Jonathan Taylor - $8000

We almost always want to pay up and get an alpha running back. Jonathan Taylor is an almost must play this week, especially in cash. Just look at his productivity this year. 1st in Rushing Yards(414), 8th in Receiving Yards(113), averaging 3.3 receptions per game, and 2nd in total touchdowns (4). He's also seen 18 red zone carries, and ranks 2nd in total carries, sees 83% of the snaps. The man is always on the field

De'Von Achane - $7300

With the options we have this week coming from injury, I will be paying up for another top tier running back in a good matchup who is being used in the passing game. Achane is only averaging 12.5 carries per game, however he's on the field for 80% of snaps. He's second in targets seeing 6 per game, and he gets most of the red zone touches. The ground game isn't where he been particularly effective, its been the pass game. #4 in receiving yards, 3rd in receptions and 7th in total touch downs. 

Extreme Value Options

Breece Hall vs DAL $5600, no Allen

Rachaad White vs SEA $4700, no Irving.

Rico Dowdle vs MIA $4300, No Hubbard.

Everyone of these guys projects fantastic this week, you can go any route you want. This opens up alot of salary for WR and TE.

Tight End

Jake Ferguson - $4800

I don't normally like to spend up at TE in cash. With all the value we have, Ferguson is strongly in my cash pool this week. Dallas currently ranks 1st in pass plays per game. With the defense as bad as it is, we can assume the likelihood of a shootout is going to be high every week. So far on the year, Jake ranks 1st in receptions, 5th in receiving yards, 1st in targets, 2nd in target share, and 2nd in target rate for this position. The last 3 games he's had 16.8, 21.2, & 17.0 fantasy points. He's also seen double digit targets in 2 of those games, including 13 receptions against the bears. This Jets defense hasn't been great in either part of the game, ranking 12th against the pass and 25th against the run, ranking 30th in points allowed to tight ends.