Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 5

We're a quarter of the way through the 2025 fantasy football season entering Week 5. A lot has happened in the first four weeks, but with bye weeks beginning in Week 5, the fantasy season is really just getting started.

Whether you're 4-0, 0-4, or somewhere in between, there's still plenty of season left. Depth will be tested during these bye weeks, and a deeper player pool just makes start or sit decisions that much more meaningful.

Looking ahead to Week 5, FanDuel Research's fantasy football projections serve as a solid baseline for deciding who to slot into your starting lineup. But when we pair those projections with some recent historical data, even further lines can be drawn. From there, factors like game environment, strength of opponent, and the latest news can help shape our start/sit decisions.

Below, you'll find every fantasy-relevant player, sorted by position and bucketed into tiers. These tiers are meant to reflect your typical 12-team, half-PPR scoring formats with only one starting quarterback -- though the general rankings can be loosely applied to most formats. Any player not listed can be assumed sit-worthy in most leagues.

Here is the Week 5 fantasy football start/sit.

All betting references refer to the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats unless otherwise stated.

Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 5

Quarterback

Start

Justin Fields (NYJ)
Justin Fields returned from a one-week absence in Week 4 and demonstrated exactly what makes him a must-start fantasy quarterback. Though Fields managed only 226 yards and a single touchdown through the air, he finished with 27.1 fantasy points thanks to 81 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. In his two full games, Fields has now finished as the QB2 and QB4. That's mighty appealing even in a neutral matchup, and he now welcomes the Cowboys' horrendous defense to town. Dallas enters Week 5 ranked 32nd (dead-last) in schedule-adjusted pass defense and 26th against the run. Their 0.74 fantasy points per dropback allowed is second-worst in football, trailing only the Dolphins -- the defense Fields shredded in Week 4. Fields has top-five upside in Week 5.

Jaxson Dart (NYG)
Box score watchers won't be very impressed with Jaxson Dart's NFL debut; he finished with 111 passing yards and took five sacks. But he was up against a tough Chargers defense and managed to lead the Giants to their first W of the season. Dart still racked up 19.8 fantasy points thanks to 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground -- good for QB11 on the week. Granted, losing Malik Nabers hurts his upside moving forward, but that rushing work should give him a pretty solid floor week-to-week. This week, Dart is indoors against a Saints secondary ranked 29th in adjusted pass defense. They've let up the fourth-most fantasy points per dropback and are dead-last in pressure rate, elevating Dart into my top 12 quarterbacks in Week 5.

Sit

C.J. Stroud (HOU)
On one hand, C.J. Stroud is coming off his best performance of the season and now gets to face a Ravens secondary which has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per dropback to opposing QBs. On the other hand, Stroud's "breakout" performance resulted in only 18.4 fantasy points, and Baltimore is still above average in passing yards per attempt allowed. Stroud has now finished as a top-12 quarterback in just four of 20 full games since his rookie season, so we really have to pick our spots with him. This was already one of Week 5's five slowest games by adjusted pace. Now, with Lamar Jackson likely to miss this game and the over/under down to 40.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook, it's just hard to get excited about either offense here.

Running Back

Start

Woody Marks (HOU)
Woody Marks -- the top waiver wire target heading into Week 5 -- is someone worth starting in Week 5, even if this isn't the best spot for offense. Marks has seen has snap rate rise in each of Houston's first four games, and he appeared to take hold of the Texans backfield in Week 4. The rookie saw 29 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) in their first win of the season, netting 119 total yards and 25.9 fantasy points. Nick Chubb will still be involved here, but Marks has played 80% of their red zone snaps the past two games and has been much more effective in the passing game (2.40 yards per route run versus 1.07 for Chubb). While he won't score two touchdowns every week, this Texans offense is starved for playmakers. Against a Baltimore defense permitting the fourth most fantasy points per adjusted opportunity, Marks is a solid RB2.

David Montgomery (DET)
David Montgomery hasn't been a very consistent fantasy option this season. He's finished -- in order -- as RB36, RB23, RB2, and RB62 through Detroit's first four games. Monty has yet to clear a 40% snap rate in any game this season, and that's concerning for his rest-of-season outlook. Even so, he's been on the field for 46% of the Lions' red zone plays and averaged 2.5 red zone rush attempts per game. That'll play when Detroit carries lofty offensive expectations as they do in Week 5. The Lions are tied for the highest implied total (29.5 points) against a Bengals defense allowing the second-highest Rushing Success Rate in the NFL. With Detroit favored by double digits against a bad defense, we could see plenty of work from both backs in a positive game script. There's legitimate multi-touchdown upside here, and that alone is worth starting with four teams on bye.

Sit

Chase Brown (CIN)
We had Chase Brown pegged as a sit last week, and he proceeded to only score 8.6 fantasy points off a season-low 16 adjusted opportunities. Brown hasn't finished as a top-30 running back since Week 1 as the Bengals offense has struggled mightily without Joe Burrow. It's hard to imagine that changing against a strong Detroit defense in Week 5. Cincy has the third-lowest implied total this week (19 points) -- though it's worth noting they've managed 13 points combined in two full games with Jake Browning under center. With his opportunities dwindling on a bad offense, there's just enough upside to justify starting Brown in all but the most running back-needy fantasy squads.

Isiah Pacheco (KC)
It doesn't seem like we're ever seeing the 2023 version of Isiah Pacheco again, and it appears the Chiefs have finally figured that out. Pacheco failed to lead this running back room in snaps for the first time last week, while his seven rush attempts are his fewest since Week 1. Kareem Hunt has been the more efficient rusher this season, and he's been their de facto red zone back even when Pacheco was playing more total snaps. Now, with rookie Brashard Smith in the mix (season-high 26% snap rate in Week 4), Pacheco looks like -- at best -- the No. 2 option in a three-headed backfield. That's not someone worth starting in fantasy, even in deeper leagues.

Wide Receiver

Start

Wan'Dale Robinson (NYG)
Wan'Dale Robinson hasn't done much of anything since his 24.2-fantasy point blowup in Week 2, finishing as the WR80 in back-to-back weeks. Even so, he's set to serve as the Giants' top target in Week 5 after seeing a 25% target share with Malik Nabers going down in Jaxson Dart's first start. Now, we're going to need Wan'Dale's average depth of target (aDOT) to climb a bit higher than the 1.0-yard mark he posted last week, but it was encouraging to see him earn two of New York's three red zone targets. There should be a decent floor here moving forward, but I'm bullish on Robinson's Week 5 upside given the matchup. New Orleans has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per target and fourth-most yards per route run to opposing wide receivers, giving Wan'Dale plenty of appeal in an indoor game.

Chris Godwin (TB)
Chris Godwin's season debut wasn't anything flashy, and his 4.1 fantasy points make have fantasy managers hesitant to slot him into their starting lineups. But for someone coming off a major injury, I'm not sure what more we could've asked for from a utilization perspective. Godwin saw 10 targets (tied for the team-high) while leading the team in air yards, downfield targets, and red zone targets. Sure, the efficiency left a lot to be desired, but that's must-start usage from a player proven to be a reliable fantasy contributor with Baker Mayfield. A road date against Seattle's top-10 defense isn't ideal, but the Bucs are three-point 'dogs here, so we should see plenty of volume Godwin's way.

Sit

Brian Thomas Jr. (JAX)
I've tried to be patient with Brian Thomas Jr. and this Jacksonville passing game, but we're four weeks into the season -- it's time to react to what we're seeing. BTJ has yet to crack double-digit fantasy points this season, and the only game he finished as a top-36 wide receiver was in Week 1 thanks to a rushing touchdown. Thomas still leads this team in target share (23.2%), but he's no longer seeing all of the Jaguars looks. He's been held under 60 yards in each of the first four games -- a trend that's likely to continue against a Chiefs secondary that's top-10 in yards per route run allowed to wide receivers.

Jakobi Meyers (LV)
Jakobi Meyers is trending in the wrong direction. He's seen 11 total targets the past two week after commanding 22 looks in the Raiders' first two games, and he's failed to finish as a top-36 wide receiver in three straight weeks. Meyers continues to boast one of the highest route rates in football, and the single-game target shares (30%, 28%, 15%, 35%) have been strong. The production just hasn't been there, thanks in no small part to Geno Smith facilitating the third-lowest on-target rate in football. Indy's secondary showed some cracks in Week 3, but they've done well to limit downfield looks to wide receivers. While there's a modest floor here, I question the ceiling in the wake of Ashton Jeanty's breakout performance.

Tight End

Start

Zach Ertz (WSH)
Zach Ertz took a step back with Marcus Mariota under center the past two games, notching 5.3 and 5.1 fantasy points after cracking double-digits in Weeks 1 and 2 catching passes from Jayden Daniels. But Daniels plans to play this week, so we can move Ertz firmly back into our top 12 at the position. He continues to be a primary part of this Washington passing game (16.5% target share in all four games), so getting Daniels back should do numbers for his actual production. Now, this week's matchup (at the Chargers) isn't the best on paper, but this game is indoors and LA is allowing an above-average number of fantasy points per target to opposing tight ends. So long as Daniels suits up, Ertz is a TE1 in fantasy.

Mason Taylor (NYJ)
Mason Taylor finished as the TE14 last week, but considering the usage that could be the floor moving forward. The rookie has played at least 70% of the Jets' snaps each of the first four weeks, and his target share has climbed every game. Last week, Taylor's 26% target share ranked fourth among all tight ends, and his 33% target per route rate actually trumped top target Garrett Wilson's (27.6%). Wilson is still the alpha in this passing game, but there should be enough cake for both pass catchers to eat with the Cowboys in town for Week 5. Dallas is dead-last in adjusted pass defense, and they've allowed the seventh most fantasy points per target to opposing tight ends. As such, Mason Taylor is on the TE1 radar in Week 5.

Sit

Mark Andrews (BAL)
The good news for Mark Andrews is that he saw a season-high eight targets last week. The bad news is they're likely to be without Lamar Jackson in Week 5. Backup Cooper Rush isn't a total dud, but it's hard to feel great about any Ravens pass catcher without their two-time MVP under center. A tough date with the Texans won't help matters, either, for Houston is up to fourth in adjusted pass defense. They've been extra stingy against tight ends, allowing the sixth fewest fantasy points per target and a bottom-10 target rate to the position. There are enough viable dart throws at tight end to warrant sitting Andrews with so much up in the air with this offense.

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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.