We’re firing into the Week 5 weekend action, and this is where the fantasy football season starts to get much more challenging — and much more interesting.
In addition to finding replacements for slow starters and injured players, we also now must contend with bye weeks, too. The Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans are off, and that means a solid number of fantasy regulars are on a bye, too.
The good news is that the weather appears to be mostly favorable, although we might get some rain in the Indianapolis-Jacksonville game, as well as the Sunday night contest between Dallas and Pittsburgh, so make sure to double-check the weather forecast on Sunday morning.
We also have our first London game, as the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings tangle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kickoff is at 9:30 a.m. ET, so be cognizant of the early start time if you have players on those two teams.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@danieledobish), or check out our start/bench list for Week 5:
Quarterbacks
Start ‘Em
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts: No, really. Lawrence has completed just 53.3% of his passing attempts, and he has thrown for 178 or fewer yards in three of four games. To be fair, he faced Miami at full strength on the road in Week 1, and four playoff teams in four weeks. He showed some signs of life with his first multi-TD game in Week 4 in Houston, and he jelled nicely with WR Christian Kirk. Lawrence also been without security blanket TE Evan Engram since Week 1. The Colts give up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs, so if you need a bye-week replacement, Lawrence is likely available.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams: If you had any reservations about getting Love back into the lineup, forget about all of that. After a two-game absence due to an MCL issue, he was back with 389 yards, a 59.3% completion rate, and four TDs. Yes, he also tossed three picks, but you can’t complain too much. He’ll now face a Rams pass D that has allowed eight pass TDs and 932 yards through four games, giving up the sixth-most points to opposing QBs.
Sit ‘Em
Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears: If you were looking for a bye-week option and kicking the tires on Dalton, well, don’t. He has injected optimism and excitement into the Panthers offense, making them look like an NFL-caliber unit again. However, for fantasy quarterbacks, the Bears are statistically the worst defensive unit to face, allowing just two TDs with five INTs through four games.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers: In a week with four teams on bye, especially if Prescott is your QB1, you won’t necessarily sit him. However, Prescott faces a tough game on the road in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers are sixth-best in fantasy in terms of limiting the opposing QBs’ point total. Add in the fact there is rain in the forecast, perhaps heavy at times, and we could have more of a ground-based attack, which hurts Prescott’s potential.
Running Backs
Start ‘Em
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys: As mentioned above, we could have significant rain for the Sunday night game in Pittsburgh. As such, we might get a more ground-oriented offense for the Steelers, which will heavily favor Harris, especially since Dallas allows the third-most fantasy points to RBs anyway. Not only is he solid running with the pill, but he is reliable catching the ball out of the backfield, if QB Josh Fields does elect to dump it off.
D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers: Swift had a few brutal games to start his journey in Chi-town, rolling for just 68 rushing yards on 37 carries, well under 2.0 yards per attempt. He finally snapped back into form with a strong showing against the Los Angeles Rams last week, posting 93 yards and a long TD run, averaging a healthy 5.8 yards per carry. And, he had six receptions in his first three games but seven receptions for 72 yards against the Rams. The Panthers are awful against the run, so Swift should run it back in Week 5 as a strong RB2 candidate.
Sit ‘Em
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens: Brown had some eye-popping numbers in Carolina last week, going for 80 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 15 carries. He has averaged 5.3 or more yards in each of his past three games, and Brown has 6.3 yards per attempt through four games. However, he’ll be facing a Baltimore run defense that has allowed just 170 rushing yards through four games, easily the best mark in football.
Breece Hall, New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings: Remember, again, this game kicks at 9:30 a.m. ET. Hall might not see the alarm clock go off at all. There are a multitude of things working against Hall, who was drafted with the intention of being a RB1 in all fantasy leagues. One, the Vikings’ run defense is tough, allowing just 249 yards and only one rushing score on the ground through four games. Two, the emergence of rookie Braelon Allen has given Hall longer stretches on the bench. None of that is good for Hall’s short-term fantasy outlook.
Wide Receivers
Start ‘Em
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns at Washington Commanders: As good as things have gone for Washington this season, the pass defense hasn’t been great. The Commanders have allowed 703 receiving yards and 10 TDs through the air, by far the worst in the NFL. It is expected the Browns will find themselves behind in this game, so Cooper could see his targets, receptions and yardage all increase, making him an intriguing low-end WR2.
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints: Somebody has to camp out under all of those passes by QB Patrick Mahomes. WR1 Rashee Rice landed on injured reserve this week, so he’ll be gone for at least four games. We’ve seen the rookie out of Texas haul in two long touchdowns of 35 or more yards in his first two games, including a 54-yard score last week against the Chargers. That was the longest pass play of the season for Kansas City. There’s more where that came from.
Sit ‘Em
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: It’s not so much the matchup which is tough. The Patriots have allowed plenty of receiving yardage to the opposition through four games. But, Hill’s quarterback situation is awful, and Cheetah has managed 40 or fewer receiving yards with no touchdowns in each of his past three games since QB Tua Tagovailoa went down. QBs Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle nor Tyler Huntley have been unable to take advantage of the team’s speed demon.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs: Shaheed has two long touchdowns of 59 or more yards in the first two games, and he is coming off a season-high eight grabs for 83 yards last week in Atlanta. He has performed like a solid WR3 or flex option most of the season. However, facing the Chiefs is a tougher matchup, especially on the road, and Shaheed will have a difficult time solving a defense that ranks top-10 against opposing wideouts.
Tight Ends
Start ‘Em
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos: Bowers will be facing a pretty strong Denver pass defense. However, with no WR Davante Adams for a second straight weekend, Bowers is the top option for production. The Raiders are likely to move the ball down the field in small increments, and Bowers will be the biggest beneficiary on the short to intermediate routes.
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams: Kraft has blown by Luke Musgrave as the top tight end option in Green Bay, and now that Love is back to full strength, it only cements Kraft as a TE1 in most fantasy leagues of 12 or more teams. He racked up six grabs for 53 yards and a TD last week against the Vikings. Kraft did lose a fumble, which is a concern, but facing a Rams D that has been gouged by opposing TEs is a big plus.
Sit ‘Em
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans: The good news is that Kincaid’s production has gradually increased in every game since Week 1, going from 11 yards against Arizona in the opener to five grabs for 47 yards on seven targets last weekend. However, the Texans will likely stunt his fantasy growth as Houston allows the third-fewest points to TEs.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers: The good news is McBride was a full participant in practice Thursday and Friday as he makes his way back from a one-game absence from concussion. He is one of the most exciting TEs in terms of fantasy production. However, the 49ers have limited opposing TEs greatly, allowing the fourth-fewest points, so it could be a slow go for McBride, unless LB Fred Warner (ankle, questionable) misses this one.
