First off, let me say “Kudos!” to those of you who had Zavier Scott and Emari Demercado outscoring Derrick Henry in Week 4. Your clairvoyance is unrivaled! The NFL regular season is always chock-full of surprises for us week in and week out. Let’s take a quick look at how I did last week.
Putting a Bow on Week 4
What went wrong?!
My most glaring mistake (admittedly, not my only one) from last week certainly was having my tight end “Start” and “Sit” completely backwards. Eagles’ tight end Dallas Goedert did, as I suspected, see spotty usage, as he was targeted only four times. But he made those of us who benched him pay dearly, as he caught all four of them, twice ending up in the end zone. Both of his touchdowns were on designed plays specifically for him, signaling to yours truly that maybe he is a bigger red zone threat than I previously suspected. Though with the amount of playmakers on the Philly offense, games like this for Goedert are going to be sparse.
Juwan Johnson, on the other hand, appeared to turn back into a pumpkin, if only for one game. He caught his three total targets for 28 yards. Most of what success the Saints had in Week 4 came on the ground, as they accumulated 189 rushing yards compared to only 109 passing yards. Johnson also missed a couple of snaps after going down awkwardly on his first reception. He returned shortly thereafter, though, and finished the game without any evidence of injury.
Kyler Murray was making me feel pretty clever for much of the Thursday night game last week. Then, as he has done many times before, he started throwing up points in bunches. While he did finish outside the top 12 on the week, he likely did enough not to cost you your matchup if you started him.
In the “plus” column…
D’Andre Swift finished as a mid RB2 last week, coming in at RB18 in Half-PPR scoring. As suspected, his sheer volume in an offense that is improving will likely pay off in “plus” matchups, even if it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing running back play.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt left managers wanting more last week, despite averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He and Chris Rodriguez Jr. each had seven carries. The rest of the teams’ 22 carries were split up amongst Deebo Samuel Sr., Jeremy McNichols, Chris Moore, and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Washington backfield is going to be a tricky one to navigate in the coming weeks.
Lastly, you did yourself a favor if you were able to keep Tee Higgins on the bench in Week 4. Higgins led the Bengals in receiving yards and still netted just 32 yards on three catches. Hopefully, the hapless Bengals can find some semblance of an offense here in the coming weeks.
That’s enough living in the past. Bye weeks are now upon us, and there are plenty of injuries to navigate this week and in the weeks to come, so let’s dive into Week 5!
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Week 5 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
Quarterback
Start: Justin Fields
It may seem like I’m grabbing the low-hanging fruit here, and maybe I am. Don’t worry, I have two “spicier” starts listed in the “Honorable Mentions.” But there is a point to this. If you drafted Fields this year, you likely didn’t only draft Fields. I’m here to tell you that unless that other quarterback is Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, or maybe Drake Maye, Justin Fields is your guy for Week 5. I have him and Maye in one league, and as of now, I’m starting Fields. With Lamar Jackson expected to miss Week 5, we have the former Buckeye at No. 5 in our fantasy rankings this week. However, the conversation for Fields starts at QB3. Jayden Daniels, who is coming off an injury, and our No. 4 quarterback, Drake Maye, have tough matchups this week.
Fields, on the other hand, has the Dallas Cowboys, who just gave up over 26 fantasy points to Jordan Love. The Cowboys were first in points allowed to opposing quarterbacks heading into Week 4, a ranking they still hold one week later.
Justin Fields‘ Advanced Rushing Metrics
We know the former first-round pick is a serious rushing threat. If we remove the Week 2 dud versus Buffalo, Fields has shown more of the arm talent he flashed at times in Chicago and Pittsburgh so far this season. He’s been pretty accurate, too, completing 72.7% of his passes in Week 1 against his most recent former team and 74.1% last week versus Miami. He’s practically an every-week starter when healthy in any event, but in plus matchups like this one, he is a must-start.
Honorable Mentions: Bryce Young, Jaxson Dart
Sit: Matthew Stafford
The Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback is coming off an amazing game in Week 4 against an Indianapolis defense that is just south of average (20th) in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. In tougher matchups, however, Stafford has struggled a bit. In Weeks 1 and 3, he scored 13.6 and 14.8, respectively, against the Houston Texans (the second-toughest matchup for QBs) and the Philadelphia Eagles (14th). The Rams’ Week 5 opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, are currently fifth among those ranks.
Look for an all-out effort from San Fran’s defense, as they attempt to pick up the slack for their injury-riddled offense. Matthew Stafford returns to Earth, if only for one week.
Honorable Mention: Bo Nix
Running Back
Start: J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins has had a great start to the 2025 season and is very clearly the best back in Denver. Although rookie RJ Harvey significantly narrowed the gap in target share from what was present in previous weeks in Week 4, Dobbins was still much more efficient, gaining a full two yards more on a per-carry basis than Harvey.
J.K. Dobbins‘ Explosive Rating
The Broncos fly east to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5. And while the Eagles allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in the league last year, it’s been a different story through four weeks of the 2025 season. In fact, Philly can be found at the 23rd spot in those rankings this year, surrendering 24.1 fantasy points per game to the position. Denver head coach Sean Payton knows what he’s up against in scheming against Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and he will lean on his veteran running back in this one. Harvey will likely still be a factor in the passing game and will receive some carries, but Dobbins is a good play this week in your RB2 slots, being the more efficient and explosive back.
Honorable Mentions: Woody Marks, David Montgomery
Sit: Isiah Pacheco
Don’t be fooled by his receiving touchdown last week; Pacheco is still not seeing anything close to viable volume.
Isiah Pacheco‘s Opportunity Metrics
It’s all bad, and worse still, Brashard Smith looked good against the Ravens and is set to have his workload increase on passing downs. If you need a flex play in a deep league, Pacheco’s only saving grace at this point is that he is attached to a good team.
Honorable Mentions: Bhayshul Tuten, Justice Hill
Wide Receiver
Start: Michael Pittman
Pittman has quietly had a great four games to open the 2025 season, and currently sits atop the WR2 ranks at WR13 in PPR scoring. His Dominator Rating of 48.4% is No. 4 in the league, showing he is a monster part of this passing attack. Pittman is a true alpha X receiver and the clear top target for new Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. His Target Premium of +18.9% illustrates the upgrade at quarterback and the impact he has on the game versus the other pass-catchers on the team.
Week 5 brings the Las Vegas Raiders and their porous pass defense to Indianapolis. Through four weeks, they are 30th in points allowed to opposing wide receivers. Let’s get Pittman in our lineups wherever we can.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Olave, Wan’Dale Robinson
Sit: Chris Godwin
I know, he had ten targets last week, and that definitely is encouraging to see for a player in his first game back from injury. He was also on the field for over 80% of the Bucs’ offensive snaps. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were in the “Start” section of this article before too long.
But not in Week 5. The Buccaneers are set to travel to the opposite corner of the country to do battle with the Seattle Seahawks. Currently, the Hawks are second in the league against wideouts. Cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen are talented players who have made life tough for the likes of Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., and DK Metcalf in recent weeks. Though he may still see a decent target share with Mike Evans out of the lineup, let’s keep Godwin on the bench for another game if we can.
Honorable Mentions: Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy
Tight End
Start: Hunter Henry
Don’t look now, but Hunter Henry is your TE3 on the year in PPR scoring; he is No. 1 in Standard scoring, which no one uses anymore, right? He is also our fifth-ranked tight end this week.
Hunter Henry‘s Opportunity Metrics
Even in a tough matchup in Buffalo, Henry is a solid start. The Patriots’ second-year quarterback, Drake Maye, has targeted his tight end, who is now in his ninth year as a pro, more than any of his other pass-catchers. That’s not changing this week. Start Hunter Henry in all formats.
Honorable Mention: Dalton Schultz
Sit: T.J. Hockenson
The Vikings’ backup quarterback, Carson Wentz, threw the ball 46 times last week against Pittsburgh. On those 46 pass attempts, T.J. Hockenson ran 44 routes. On those routes, he garnered five targets, which he was able to turn into four receptions for 39 yards.
It’s common knowledge that in the Minnesota passing attack, it’s Justin Jefferson, then everyone else. Many believed (myself included) that Hockenson would be at the top of the “everyone else” category, especially while the team awaited the return of Jordan Addison. That was not the case, however, as he was able to earn only one more target than wide receiver Jalen Nailor over that span. Last week, the former Hawkeye was outpaced by Jefferson, Nailor, and pass-catching back Zavier Scott.
In another game across the Atlantic Ocean, this time in London, the Vikings will take on the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have been a tough defensive matchup overall and have been above average in defending the tight end position, ranking ninth in PPR points allowed per game.
Given the matchup, the strong return of Jordan Addison, and Carson Wentz‘s propensity to push the ball downfield (340 air yards last week), I’m looking elsewhere for upside at the tight end position heading into Week 5.
Honorable Mention: Brenton Strange
Find me on X and Instagram with your start/sit questions, or to give some feedback on the article.
Many Successes!
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