NFL Week 5 DFS: Matchups, Slates & Lineup Strategy
Week 5 is the first week with teams on bye. Carolina and Kansas City are off, so the schedule has 15 games instead of 16. Tampa Bay at Dallas opens the week Thursday night.
Philadelphia at Jacksonville kicks off at 9:30 AM ET in London, ahead of the rest of the Sunday slate. The other 13 Sunday and Monday games run in the usual windows.
Full Week 5 schedule
| Matchup | Date | Kickoff | DFS window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys | Thursday, October 8 | 8:15 PM ET | Thursday Night — Thursday Night Football |
| Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars | Sunday, October 11 | 9:30 AM ET | Special — London, England. International game |
| Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Cleveland Browns at New York Jets | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| New York Giants at Washington Commanders | Sunday, October 11 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers | Sunday, October 11 | 4:05 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals | Sunday, October 11 | 4:25 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks | Sunday, October 11 | 4:25 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons | Sunday, October 11 | 8:20 PM ET | Sunday Night — Sunday Night Football |
| Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams | Monday, October 12 | 8:15 PM ET | Monday Night — Monday Night Football |
How the Week 5 slates break down
Teams on bye
Carolina and Kansas City are off this week. Their players score nothing, so check every saved lineup for anyone from those two teams before you submit.
Early slate: eight games, 1:00 PM ET
Chicago at Green Bay, Cincinnati at Miami, Cleveland at the Jets, Houston at Tennessee, Indianapolis at Pittsburgh, Las Vegas at New England, Minnesota at New Orleans, and the Giants at Washington.
Afternoon slate: three games, 4:05 and 4:25 PM ET
Denver at the Chargers kicks at 4:05 PM ET. Detroit at Arizona and San Francisco at Seattle kick at 4:25 PM ET.
Primetime, showdown, and the international game
Tampa Bay at Dallas opens the week Thursday night at 8:15 PM ET. Philadelphia at Jacksonville is the 9:30 AM ET London kickoff. Baltimore at Atlanta closes Sunday on Sunday Night Football at 8:20 PM ET, and Buffalo at the Rams play Monday Night Football at 8:15 PM ET.
Lineup strategy for Week 5
Two teams are off, so the pool is smaller
The main slate has 11 games, down from 12 in Week 4. Fewer games means fewer places to find a stack, and the same popular games get picked more often. Look for a game that fits your build but gets less attention.
The London game is its own slate
Philadelphia at Jacksonville kicks off at 9:30 AM ET, hours before the 1:00 PM games. Sites usually run a game like this as a separate slate, so check each site's slate list before you build. A two-team pool is a different job from a main-slate build.
Four games of usage data is a real sample
By Week 5, a player's snap share and target share have been tested against four different opponents. A role that held across all four tells you more than one big box score. Price still lags a role that grew slowly.
Thursday opens the week before the injury news settles
Tampa Bay at Dallas is on Thursday, so you set that lineup days before the Sunday reports are final. If you play the Thursday-to-Monday slates, check each player's status again before the Sunday games start.
Build your Week 5 lineup
Take these matchups into the NFL lineup builder to lock in players and build for DraftKings or FanDuel, check this week's projections before you lock anyone in, and scan the injury report for status changes that land after this page publishes.
Common Week 5 DFS questions
- What's the Week 5 NFL DFS schedule?
- Fifteen games: Tampa Bay at Dallas on Thursday night, Philadelphia at Jacksonville at 9:30 AM ET in London, eight games at 1:00 PM ET, three in the 4:05-4:25 PM ET window, Baltimore at Atlanta on Sunday Night, and Buffalo at the Rams on Monday Night.
- Which teams have a bye in Week 5?
- Carolina and Kansas City. Fifteen games are on the schedule instead of 16.
- How many games are on the Week 5 main slate?
- Eleven: the eight 1:00 PM ET games and the three games in the 4:05-4:25 PM ET window. The London game, Thursday night, Sunday night, and Monday night each run separately.
- What time is Week 5 Thursday Night Football?
- Tampa Bay at Dallas kicks off at 8:15 PM ET on Thursday, October 8.