Week 5 of the fantasy football season is here, and it brings with it our first bye week of the season.
With rosters stretched across fantasy football leagues, let's look at the best starts and sits for Week 5.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
| Week 5 Starts | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | QB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Javonte Williams | RB | Denver Broncos |
| Amari Cooper | WR | Cleveland Browns |
| Tutu Atwell | WR | Los Angeles Rams |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | New Orleans Saints |
Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits:
| Week 5 Sits | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | QB | Houston Texans |
| Rico Dowdle | RB | Dallas Cowboys |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR | Seattle Seahawks |
| Mark Andrews | TE | Baltimore Ravens |
Quarterback Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Trevor Lawrence in Week 5
A matchup against the most predictable defensive coordinator is exactly what a winless Jaguars need, which provides an opportunity for a streaming Trevor Lawrence start in Week 5.
Evan Engram is trending to play on Sunday, which provides an important short throw target for Lawrence, who has struggled to complete the easy throws this season.
Lawrence has had success against the Colts and Gus Bradley’s Cover-3 defense. He has finished as a top-12 quarterback scorer in fantasy in all four matchups over the past two seasons.
Sit C.J. Stroud in Week 5
C.J. Stroud is coming off his best fantasy scoring game last week, but a matchup against the Bills and their run funnel defense provides a difficult fantasy matchup and sit opportunity in Week 5 for a quarterback who was probably overdrafted in fantasy football.
Stroud does not rack up fantasy points with his legs, and the Bills don’t give up a lot of passing yardage.
They have averaged 165 passing yards against this season, a trend that goes back to last year when the Bills ranked in the top 10.
It’s a difficult matchup for Stroud to rely on touchdowns this week.
Running back Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Javonte Williams in Week 5
Javonte Williams has one more week until Audric Estime is eligible to return from the IR and faces a Raiders defense as a home favorite.
This is a now-or-never moment for Williams, who is startable in Week 5.
Williams is coming off his best game of the season in which he rushed for 77 yards. That is more than he rushed for in the first three weeks combined.
Williams has benefited from the Sean Payton check down offense as he is averaging three receptions a game, which boosts his floor.
The Broncos are favorites against a Raiders team who have some internal issues, improving Williams' chances of finding the end zone for the first time this season.
Sit Rico Dowdle in Week 5
Rico Dowdle has earned the starting running back role in Dallas, but the Steelers defense has limited fantasy production to running backs.
On top of that, Dowdle has reached double digit PPR fantasy points once this season, making him a sit candidate in Week 5.
Dowdle has beaten out Ezekiel Elliott but has not been efficient as a runner, a trend that is unlikely to change against the Steelers.
Dowdle remains in the bottom 10 of the league in rushing yards over expected per attempt, and the Steelers have limited opposing rushes to a 33.3% success rate, the third-best in the league.
Only the Kansas City Chiefs have allowed fewer PPR points to running backs than the Steelers this year.
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Wide Receiver Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Amari Cooper in Week 5
Amari Cooper’s 2024 season is off to a rocky start, including the offseason, but he is a must-start in Week 5 against the Commanders' secondary.
The usually quiet receiver was subject to trade rumors in the summer and is clearly on borrowed time in Cleveland.
The usage for Cooper has been great as he’s averaged 9 targets per game, but he’s had a couple of drops and Deshaun Watson has struggled.
Cooper is internally incentivized to break out, improving the chances that a wide receiver needy contending team will trade for him.
The Commanders defense, like last year, allows the most PPR fantasy points to wide receivers, setting Cooper up for a great game.
Start Tutu Atwell in Week 5
Week 5 provides a great spot to start every Green Bay Packer, but the Rams should be able to provide some pushback in what could be the highest-scoring game of the week, which makes Tutu Atwell a nice FLEX start.
Atwell has eclipsed 80 receiving yards in back-to-back games, and the Packers are bottom 10 in points allowed to outside wide receivers.
Sit Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Week 5
Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to keep pace with DK Metcalf in terms of targets, but the short passes aren't full of fantasy value, meaning Njigba could be a sit option in Week 5.
In the small sample size of four weeks, the Giants have limited slot receivers to 2.8 receptions per game, which could limit Smith-Njigba’s volume.
The Seahawks are touchdown favorites and play an important division game next week. They could lean on Kenneth Walker and the run game.
Smith-Njigba is a low-ceiling play this week who could be benched for higher-ceiling options.
Tight End Lineup Advice, Fantasy Football
Start Juwan Johnson in Week 5
The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed a league-high 7.5 receptions and 91.5 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends, providing an opportunity to start Juwan Johnson in Week 5.
Johnson ran a season high in routes on Sunday, signaling that his offseason injury is improving, and it is unlikely that Taysom Hill will suit up on Monday.
The Saints are touchdown underdogs and may need to lean on the passing game more than in previous weeks, improving Johnson’s reception floor.
Sit Mark Andrews in Week 5
Andrews has not caught a pass in back-to-back weeks, and the Ravens are favorites against a Bengals defense that has struggled to stop the run, making Mark Andrews a Week 5 sit candidate.
The Ravens have averaged 272 rushing yards over the past two weeks as the offense has developed a scheme that makes it difficult to stop either Derrick Henry or Lamar Jackson, but it has also minimized Andrews’ role for the time being.
Andrews has only run 16 routes over the past two weeks and has been off the field for more passes than he’s been on the field.
Stash Andrews on the bench for the time being. I’m still hesitant to drop him as his role could change if Henry slows down or misses time.
