Week 5's main slate has no shortage of interesting matchups. Things start up right away with five early contests beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET and continue with seven games later in the afternoon.
CFB Week 5 Saturday Main Slate Overview
Arkansas, Notre Dame, USC, Illinois, Mississippi State and Tennessee are clocking in with the highest projected game totals, and we've done our best to mimic Vegas' results with our own selections. I've also placed a bit of interest in Indiana despite the slightly lower total, but I expect this matchup to hit the Over. Baylor is a heavy favorite against Oklahoma State, but I also think it's worthwhile to look at a couple of key positions on the Bears' roster. Unlike last week, I think it's prudent to use a quarterback in your S-FLEX position, and I've offered a few budget options at other positions to help you get there.
Weather Report
GT/WAKE - 80 percent chance of rain
Top DraftKings Picks for CFB Week 5 Saturday Main Slate
Quarterback
Sawyer Robertson, 
Baylor ($10,100) @ Oklahoma State
After 20 years as the head coach, Mike Gundy is out at Oklahoma State after a horrible 2024 season and a 0-3 start this fall. It's hard to see a path where this team will have success against Baylor, but they might have enough fire in them to keep Robertson out there for three quarters. The Bears are better than their 2-2 record might indicate, and sleeping on their elite signal caller would be a mistake. When Robertson gets enough snaps, few quarterbacks are as effective. DraftKings is pulling no punches with this salary, but I contend that he's well worth it.
Taylen Green, 
Arkansas ($9,100) vs. Notre Dame
The Irish's defensive unit is strong, but Green is a singular dual-threat talent who is tough to plan for. The scrappy Razorbacks have been victims of bad luck after two consecutive narrow losses, but they have an excellent chance of righting the ship in an uninviting home environment. Teams have had limited success in forcing Green to beat them through the air, and I expect Notre Dame to try a similar tactic. The Irish allowed Marcel Lee to get loose a few times during the loss to Texas A&M, and Green's skillset is very similar.
Also consider: Joey Aguilar, 
Tennessee ($8,300) @ Mississippi State
Running Back
Waymond Jordan, 
USC ($6,400) @ Illinois
Jordan is coming in at a steep discount compared to the other elite running backs on the list, so I'm wasting no time to slot him in. While he does share a load with Eli Sanders, we've observed that Jordan gets the lion's share of carries against stronger competition in the Big Ten. The Illini surrendered 312 rushing yards to Indiana last week, and the Trojans have a similar kind of explosive passing offense that will give Jordan opportunities to sneak through for some breakaway plays.
Leshon Williams, 
Kansas ($3,900) vs. Cincinnati
Daniel Hishaw's injury allows for a great budget opportunity in Williams, who should get most of the carries against the Bearcats. He's the kind of player we need to draw down our per-player average after splurging on expensive quarterbacks. He racked up 168 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in a little over one half of play.
While Baylor's Bryson Washington ($9,100) is built for this kind of game and certainly worth considering, his salary is a little too high for me. Instead, I would be interested in rostering backup Caden Knighten ($3,500) if the game gets away from Oklahoma State as expected.
Wide Receiver
Of course, Jeremiah Smith ($9,000) immediately comes to mind as we peruse the receiver slot. While I would fault no one for rostering him, I think we can save a little money by looking just below him on the list in hopes of similar production.
Makai Lemon, USC ($7,300) @ Illinois
Lemon Rivals Smith in terms of target share and overall production, and I think Jayden Maiava will need to air it out to balance their offensive attack against Illinois. I especially like Lemon if Ja'Kobi Lane sits again, which seems increasingly likely.
Mario Craver, 
Texas A&M ($5,200) vs. Auburn
I'm not sure why Craver is coming in this low, but I'm not complaining. It may just be a name recognition issue, but the sophomore has delivered with explosive numbers in every game this season. He racked up a stellar 207 receiving yards last week against Notre Dame, and we saw how Auburn can surrender passing yards after losing to Oklahoma last week.
Omar Cooper, 
Indiana ($5,500) @ Iowa
The Hoosiers have several talented receivers on their roster, but Cooper has broken out over the past couple of weeks. I like him over Elijah Sarratt, who is slightly more expensive. This game has a good chance of hitting the over, so there should be plenty of possessions for Cooper to have a chance at his sixth touchdown of the season.
Also consider: O'Mega Blake, Arkansas ($6,000), Chris Brazzell, Tennessee ($5,800)
