5 Best NFL FanDuel Picks Plays for Week 5's Sunday Main Slate

• Tetairoa McMillan's strong start should continue against a soft WR defense in the Dolphins.
• Jake Ferguson has been a frequent target in the Dallas offense, a trend that is continuing up in recent games.
• Can the Cardinals build on Marvin Harrison Jr.'s breakout? A matchup with the Titans seems promising.

There are 11 games on this week's FanDuel Picks Sunday main slate, giving us plenty of options when building Picks lineups.

Here are some of my favorite options for this week.

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FanDuel Picks NFL Plays for Week 5's Sunday Main Slate

Tetairoa McMillan More Than 4.5 Receptions

The start of the season for the Carolina Panthers hasn't been exactly what they want -- they're just 1-3 -- but first-round rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan is off to a solid start.

McMillan has averaged 69.5 yards per game through the air with 8 or more targets in all four games to date. His catch tally has been 5, 6, 3, and 4, however.

That's a lot of empty volume, and among the 35 WRs with at least 25 targets this year, McMillan is just 28th in catch rate (51.4%).

A matchup with the Miami Dolphins can help turn things around.

Miami has let up a catch rate over expectation of +5.4% to WRs thus far, which ranks sixth highest in the NFL. Their raw catch rate of 74.0% is second highest, too.

Spencer Rattler More Than 15.5 Rushing Yards

Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints remain quite scrappy this year. Their 0-4 record and -55 point differential (third worst in the NFL) doesn't really reflect that, but this week, they project to remain competitive against a visiting New York Giants team.

That Giants team has been generating pressure and playing man defense, so Rattler sets up well to scramble, which he's done 2.3 times per game. He's also averaged 1.8 designed rushes per game for 25.5 yards on the ground, on average.

Rattler has run for 29, 14, 10, and 49 yards, so he's had more than his stat projection (15.5) in two of four games. The script here sets up well for Rattler to take off a few extra times, and the Giants have let up 5.55 yards per carry to QBs so far, well above the NFL average of 4.61.

Jake Ferguson More Than 4.5 Receptions (Mild)

A mild lineup pick here, Jake Ferguson is set up for a lot of volume this week against the New York Jets.

In terms of receiving usage, we can look at a lot of numbers, but target per route rate tells us a lot about a player's involvement when he's on the field and used as a wideout. Average for pass-catchers is around 20.0%, and elite is around 30.0%.

Through Week 4, Ferguson's target per route rate is 30.5%, and in the last two weeks with CeeDee Lamb effectively off the field for both games entirely, Ferguson has been targeted on 35.6% of his routes.

The Jets' defense is eighth in target per route rate allowed to tight ends, so plenty of volume should flow Ferguson's way on Sunday.

Sam LaPorta More Than 0.5 Rushing + Receiving Touchdowns (Spicy)

Sam LaPorta has not had a touchdown yet in 2025, and that could change this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, his Detroit Lions are on the road and outdoors, but the workload for LaPorta remains strong despite some weaker red zone usage.

LaPorta rates out with 0.5 expected touchdowns this season, which isn't incredible, but the matchup is.

Cincinnati has allowed the fifth highest target per route rate to opposing tight ends this season, and they're tied for the most targets allowed to TEs, as well.

LaPorta has had just 5.6% of the team's red zone plays go his way -- despite a 90.9% red zone snap rate. Cincinnati's defense could funnel more of those looks his way this week, a game in which the Lions should put up points.

Marvin Harrison Jr. More Than 54.5 Receiving Yards

Surely the Marvin Harrison Jr. second-half breakout on Thursday in Week 4 will translate to Week 5, right? Well, it should.

His Arizona Cardinals host the 0-4 Tennessee Titans and have had extra rest, having played early in Week 4. Their running back situation is also suboptimal, which could lead to some additional passing volume early on.

The Titans are sixth worst in the NFL by yards per route run and fifth worst in catch rate over expectation allowed to WRs. They also let up a 21.0% target per route rate to the position, which is the sixth highest in the league.

Beyond that, they've permitted 12.7 yards per target on passes traveling at least 10 yards downfield against opposing wideouts, which is 2.7 yards worse than the NFL average.

A lot lines up for Harrison Jr. -- matchup-wise. And he is in line for his third game with more than 54.5 receiving yards in 2025 as a result.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.