NFL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Buccaneers vs. Cowboys Thursday Night Showdown

October 8, 2026

Koby's top NFL DFS lineup picks for the Buccaneers vs. Cowboys Thursday Night Football game on FanDuel, DraftKings. His NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks for Thursday, October 8, 2026.

Week 5 is upon us! The Falcons might be the real deal now that they have a legit QB. They made light work of the Saints' defense, and the Falcons' defense really kept Tyler Shough at bay. This would have been a great matchup had Baker Mayfield been at QB, but I'm not sure how much I trust Jalon Daniels to lead this offense, even against the Cowboys' poor defense.

That said, we have an NFC Showdown as the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (2-2). I'll be your NFL showdown guy this season, so make sure to catch my articles for Thursday and Monday Night Football. If you have questions about other showdown slates, feel free to hit me up on X @DFSKoby, where I'm happy to help y'all out!

I will provide daily fantasy football picks for DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday Night Football in Week 5, Buccaneers vs. Cowboys on October 8, 2026. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. 

MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Dak Prescott - QB, $15.6K (DK), $173.7K (FD)

I thought about rolling with Javonte Williams here, but this Bucs' run defense has been really good this year. They've allowed only one touchdown to running backs and give up the third-fewest rushing yards per game this season. So that has me leaning towards the Cowboys pushing the passing game in this one. The Cowboys have a ton of routes to go with, and I'm leaning toward a slight discount on Prescott compared to CeeDee Lamb.

If George Pickens or Jake Ferguson end up being the main focus, then we already get a big lead going with Prescott compared to Lamb. He has finished with 15+ fantasy points in all four games this season. The big thing is hoping Prescott passes the ball around; he has peppered Lamb quite a bit this season. Getting a bit of both guys in the MVP spot will be big, but I think Prescott will garner slightly lower ownership compared to Lamb, who has been lights out recently.

Chris Godwin Jr. - WR, $10.8K (DK), $12.3K (FD)

Chris Godwin Jr. was the quick favorite for rookie QB Jalon Daniels. He led the team in targets last week against the Packers with seven. He caught six of those, but only for 31 yards. This Cowboys secondary has been terrible across the last two seasons; they were giving up the most receiving yards and touchdowns to WRs last season, and are giving up the eighth most so far this season.

Godwin should be in a great position to expose this Cowboys defense. He should line up against Reddy Steward in the slot, who is giving up .38 fantasy points per route run; if he plays on the edges, he should line up against DaRon Bland, who is giving up .40 FPPRR. He is second on the team in snaps played this season, only behind Emeka Egbuka among WRs. The Buccaneers will likely be playing from behind, which should mean plenty of passing opportunities.

Other Captains/MVPs: CeeDee Lamb

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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Jake Ferguson - TE, $6.4K (DK), $7.6K (FD)

Jake Ferguson might have the best matchup of anyone on the slate. The big hole for the Buccaneers' defense has been the TEs. They are giving up the fifth-most receiving yards to TEs and the ninth-most touchdowns to TEs. Ferguson has been a little lackluster this season, but he has seen the second-highest target share in the redzone this season, sitting only behind Lamb.

Mike Gesicki, Harold Fannin Jr., and Tucker Kraft all had great games against this Buccaneers defense. Ferguson already has three touchdowns this season in tougher matchups, too. If Prescott can get him the ball more often, then Ferguson should be able to take advantage of it. He has played in 70% of snaps in three of the four games this season. Look for Ferguson to be a big target for Prescott. I also don't mind him as a cheap captain option to free up salary elsewhere.

Jake Ferguson and the Cowboys answer back!

@BALvsDAL on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/SpB4Tqj9pX

— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

If you want to take a shot on Brevyn Spann-Ford, he's slowly seen an uptick in snaps, too. He could make for a sneaky pivot, as he is in a great spot, too.

Bucky Irving - RB, $8.4K (DK), $11.2K (FD)

I think Bucky Irving is too expensive as a captain, but he can be a solid Flex option. The Cowboys' run defense has been fairly mediocre this season, especially in the red zone, where they allowed a TD on 73% of opponent red-zone trips. They've allowed four rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown to RBs so far, and Bucky leads the team in red zone targets and red zone rush share. The Bucs tend to throw the ball more than run in the red zone.

Irving leads the team with a 28.6% red zone target percentage. He has only one TD this year, but it's only a matter of time before Irving gets going again. I think Irving goes a bit underowned after his performance alongside Daniels last week. Which could make Irving a solid GPP option.

Other Flex Options: Cowboys D/ST, Jalon Daniels, Javonte Williams

Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Brandon Aubrey - K, $5.4K (DK), $6.8K (FD)

I went back and forth between Aubrey and the Cowboys Defense, as I think both are in good spots, and I'll likely have a piece of both. That said, Aubrey is one of the best kickers in the league; he doesn't have to worry about weather in Dallas, and he's got one hell of a leg. This is a good matchup, as the Buccaneers have had a solid red zone defense, oddly enough. They have given up a TD on only 45% of redzone drives. That is good for fifth-best in the league!

Aubrey already has three games of 10+ fantasy points; you don't get that kind of production out of too many guys that cheap. Aubrey has been off to a rough start; he is well below his career percentage, but I'm expecting him to improve and finish with at least 10 fantasy points.

Cade Otton - TE, $4.4K (DK), $5.8K (FD)

Cade Otton was another big target for Daniels. He saw six targets and caught four. He should be a big checkdown guy for Daniels, who will likely face decent pressure from the Cowboys defense. Otton is pretty cheap for the amount that he plays; he has played in 90% of snaps or more in all four games.

I think Otton's big downside is how little he's been targeted in the red zone this season. Other than that, Otton should make for a good value play. I'm banking on Otton benefiting most from the Buccaneers' value receiving options. Both Ted Hurst III and Tez Johnson have been fairly inconsistent and aren't playing a ton of snaps either.

This catch by Cade Otton 😮

CLEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/CJC0SvSh0o

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Other Value Options: Brevyn Spann-Ford, Ted Hurst III, Ryan Flournoy

Sample NFL DFS Lineup

Here is a lineup option I like for the Thursday Night Football slate on FanDuel. Note that sample lineups are not intended to be used in contests by readers, but instead to show the type of roster construction that I am considering when building my lineups.

More DFS Analysis and Lineup Picks