As of October 8, 2026 — real salaries, injuries, and depth charts refreshed today. Salaries and matchup data can still move before lock — injury news and line moves aren’t reflected here until the next update.
Here’s the real value board for Week 5, pulled straight from this week’s salaries — no hand-picked “sleepers,” just the players whose points-per-salary clears the bar for their price. This week’s model now carries four real weeks of current-season results in its trailing-form calculation.
This week’s top value plays
Brock Purdy, QB, SF — $6,500, 26.0 projected (3.99 per $1k) Confirmed starter, the clear value leader at any position this week. DK’s own FPPG (25.4) runs in close agreement.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, NYJ — $3,800, 10.4 projected (2.74 per $1k) Confirmed starter at a real discount price, DK’s own number (10.4) matching almost exactly.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET — $9,800, 29.4 projected (3.00 per $1k) The most expensive name on this board, and it still clears — tied directly to Wednesday’s highest-total game of the week (DET @ ARI, 54.5), where both Detroit’s and Arizona’s offenses carry real matchup signal.
George Kittle, TE, SF — $5,200, 16.8 projected (3.24 per $1k) Confirmed starter, and the one real individual standout from Wednesday’s SF @ SEA notes, where the rest of that game’s skill positions read close to neutral.
Chris Olave, WR, NO — $7,700, 24.3 projected (3.16 per $1k) Confirmed starter, close agreement with DK’s own FPPG (24.8).
Trey McBride, TE, ARI — $6,700, 20.6 projected (3.08 per $1k) The clean top-tier tight end value this week, same DET @ ARI shootout tie-in as Gibbs above.
Bo Nix, QB, DEN — $5,600, 18.1 projected (3.23 per $1k) Confirmed starter, reasonable agreement with DK’s own number (15.3) — this site’s model running a bit more bullish here.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, ARI — $5,500, 16.3 projected (2.96 per $1k) Confirmed starter, a third real name tied to this week’s DET @ ARI shootout alongside Gibbs and McBride.
Worth knowing: a real number that moved today
Malik Nabers (NYG, $6,300) is a confirmed starter and still a real mid-tier value at 2.48 per $1k — but it’s worth saying plainly that his number moved today. This week’s first pass at projections ran before his real Questionable tag had synced into the model; once today’s refreshed injury data came through, his projection came down from 21.0 to 15.6. Same story for a handful of others this week — Rhamondre Stevenson, D’Andre Swift, and Brock Bowers all carry a real Questionable tag that’s now properly reflected below their name, not hidden behind a healthy-looking salary.
Worth knowing: defenses lead this week’s value board again
Four of the top values by raw points-per-salary this week are defenses — Las Vegas, Minnesota, New York Jets, and New England all clear 3.5+ per $1k. Las Vegas leads the entire board at any position (5.26 per $1k), with real agreement from DK’s own number (9.5). Las Vegas and New England specifically carry an identical 1.38x matchup multiplier against each other this week — the real signal in Wednesday’s notes was on both defenses, not either offense, and it shows up here too.
FAQ
Why isn’t every high-value name on this board a pick?
Because “value” only measures points against salary — it doesn’t know whether a player’s current role actually supports getting those points. This week’s board is checked against real, team-reported depth-chart data before any role gets described as a “starter”; when that data doesn’t back the number up, this post says so directly instead of quietly including the name anyway.
Does an injury designation change the numbers?
Yes — a real “Questionable,” “Doubtful,” or “Out” status pulls a player’s projection down in this site’s model, and an “Out” or “Doubtful” designation excludes a player from this board outright regardless of ranking basis. Any remaining designation is shown as a plain label so you can weigh it yourself.
Why do some players show such a large gap against DK’s own FPPG?
DK’s FPPG is a simple recent-average number with its own real limitations — it can lag a role change, overweight one big or one bad recent game, or simply use a shorter window than this site’s model. Neither number is automatically “right”; a large gap is a real signal worth investigating, not an error to explain away.
When does this get updated before kickoff?
Whenever a salary, projection, or depth-chart change is significant enough to matter. Check the “as of” line at the top of the post — it always reflects the most recent real update, not just when this was first published.
For the full ranked board — not just the top picks — plus this week’s player pool by position and tier, that’s happening in the community. Last week’s read: Week 4 Value Plays.