Welcome to the bar! The Week 5 DFS Cocktail Hour is here to satisfy your thirst for DFS football strategies. We’ll be looking at useful ingredients that you can use as part of your weekly DFS plays. Additionally, we’ll mix up my cocktail from this week’s Operation: Domination program.
A reminder that we’re looking at cash games on the DraftKings Classic mode, using the Sunday through Monday games. All player scores mentioned use DraftKings scoring as displayed by FantasyData.com.
Week 5 DFS Cocktail Hour: Base Spirits
This week’s base is a tasty one, indeed. The Cowboys head north to the New York metropolitan area to face not the division rival Giants, but the barely winless New York Jets. I say barely, because this team could easily be 2-2 (if not 3-1) if the ball literally bounces the other way a couple of times. At any rate, you have one of the weekend’s highest over/unders in a game where both defenses are prone to fantasy point bonanzas for opponents.
We’re going with the Gotham side of things in this one. As far as Justin Fields ($5,600) goes, if you’ve watched the show or followed me, you know my thoughts. He’s a fantasy starter if he’s a Sunday starter. Fields is QB16 on the season, but he’s QB7 in fantasy points per game. Remember, he missed Week 3. But when he’s been in, he’s been a boon to your 2025 fantasy hopes. Dallas has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks this season. Keep in mind, they’ve faced Jalen Hurts, Russell Wilson, and Jordan Love in shoot-outs, and Caleb Williams in his career-best performance.
Fields has the second-most rushing yards of any quarterback despite missing Week 3. He’s thrown for over 200 yards and a score in both full games this season. And crucially, he hasn’t thrown an interception yet this season. The Cowboys aren’t favored by a ton here. It should be a close game. But if this game plays out as I see it, you’re going to be happy going with Fields here.
So, who do we pair him with??
You know it, I know it, and the American people know it (as my dad and Bob Dole liked to say…). If we’re playing the quarterback, we’re playing one of his pass-catchers (reminder- it’s CASH GAMES we’re talking about). And there’s no better (healthy) pass-catcher in the New York Metropolitan Area than Garrett Wilson ($6,100). Wilson is WR7 on the season (WR6 in points per game) and is fourth in the league in wideout targets. Dallas is horrendous against the pass. In addition to surrendering the most points to quarterbacks, they’ve allowed the most points to receivers. This Dallas defense misses Micah Parsons, no doubt. But Mel Renfro, Charlie Waters, Deion Sanders, Lee Roy Jordan, and Darren Woodson aren’t walking through that door anytime soon, either. Expect Wilson to eat early, often, and well versus Matt Eberflus and the Cowboys’ secondary.
Souring Agent
We’re going to balance the Jets’ pass attack with the most potent weapon the Cowboys have left to offer. George Pickens ($6,600) is a top-seven fantasy play according to the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings. He’s coming off a WR2 (and overall third-best) performance in DraftKings scoring against a previously tough Green Bay defense. CeeDee Lamb is still missing. The Cowboys still need to throw (second in pass attempts through Week 4). If Dak throws, he’s going to look at Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson. Pickens stepped up last week. I expect more to come this week. Dallas’s secondary hasn’t communicated well. They’ve surrendered the most yards, touchdowns, and yards per attempt in the league this season. Wheels up on the Jets, baby.
Sweetener
We’re going to sweeten this Week 5 DFS Cocktail with a running back in a juicy, JUICY match-up. Jahmyr Gibbs ($7,700) and the Lions are going up against a Cincinnati Bengals’ run defense that’s given up the seventh-most yards and fifth-most touchdowns in the league to date. After a 2-0 start, the Bengals have been outscored 76-13 the past two weeks. The Lions are a top-10 unit in terms of rushing yards per game, rushing yards per attempt, and rushing scores. Meanwhile, the Bengals have given up the second-most points to opposing running backs. Gibbs is a man among boys. He ranks top-10 in numerous fantasy-relevant stat categories and is RB5 in DraftKings points per game. I expect the Lions to DOMINATE here. Follow suit and play their running game (David Montgomery is an awesome GPP play this week, as is the Lions’ DST) this week.
Garnishes
As always, how you dress up the rest of your lineup is up to you. Using our Week 5 DFS Cocktail core, I was still able to put together lineups with some high-powered running back options like James Cook ($7,400), as well as Breece Hall ($5,900) if you want to go all-in on the J-E-T-S. I was also able to double down on the Lions as heavy favorites, plugging in their DST for $3,500. If you’re looking for some affordable options, check out GOYAADI’s DFS Cheapskate plays.
Week 5 DFS Cocktail: The P.P.R.
It’s a popular fantasy scoring system and soon-to-be-popular fantasy football cocktail. It’s the P.P.R. (that’s Pimm’s/Pineapple/Rum, to be clear). This is an Operation: Domination tropical take on a traditional Pimm’s Cup.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces Pimm’s No. 1
- 1.5 ounces pineapple juice
- 1.5 ounces dark rum
- 1.5 ounces 7-Up/Sprite
- Ice
- Fruit. Literally all kinds of fruit. Cut small enough to live in a rocks glass with ice and alcohol.
Directions:
Pour Pimm’s, pineapple juice, dark rum, and 7-Up or Sprite (what the Brits call “lemonade”) in a rocks glass with ice and stir. Add fruit for garnish and body and serve COLD. Slàinte mhath!
A few notes:
- For a “Half-P.P.R.” (my personal preference), use Squirt or a sour mix in place of 7-Up. The Full P.P.R. with Sprite will be more spirit-forward. I find the Half a little more “chill”, so to speak.
- The Week 5 DFS Cocktail is even awesomer (it’s a word) if everything is chilled beforehand. Frozen fruits (grapes, berries, etc.) can act as ice substitutes and also offer nutrition. Because we’re all about health stuff at Operation Domination.
- This cocktail can be made in bulk for parties or particularly lonely nights. The recipe is literally 1:1:1:1 for the four main ingredients. And since it’s not a shaken cocktail, stirring a big pitcher doesn’t detract from the finished product.