Week 4 of the NFL season is officially in the books! The NFL landscape has already been riddled with injuries and unexpected twists. If you’re facing tough lineup decisions, I’ve got you covered.
Let’s break down my start/sit fantasy football picks for Week 5.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em: Sam Darnold (Vikings) vs. Jets
This is one of the juiciest revenge game scenarios we’ve seen in a long time.
A little over three years after the Jets gave up on the former No. 3 overall pick, Darnold and company “host” his former squad this weekend in London. New York has seen multiple quarterbacks come and go since Darnold’s departure, recently going all-in on Aaron Rodgers. The former MVP was expected to provide a spark to an offensive unit featuring some of the best positional players in the league.
The early returns have been… underwhelming. The Jets rank 20th in points per game with 19 and are coming off a stunning 10-9 loss to Denver.
Meanwhile, that guy they gave up on a few years ago? He’s outperforming Rodgers in virtually every category. Yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, passer rating… you name it. Many were concerned about Minnesota’s offensive ceiling with Darnold under center. He’s answered those questions by leading the Vikings to a 4-0 start. The 27-year-old currently ranks as QB4, averaging 20.3 fantasy points per contest.
Fire Darnold up as a solid QB1 in a matchup we know he’ll be fired up for.
Sit ‘Em: Dak Prescott (Cowboys) at Steelers
Dak put up a decent fantasy statline against the Giants last Thursday, racking up 16.7 points. That said, outside of Week 3, this hasn’t been the same guy who finished as the overall QB3 last season.
I’m not sure if it’s Dallas’ offense lacking the firepower they’ve boasted recently or the loss of Kellen Moore, but the Cowboys don’t look as dangerous on that side of the ball. They also definitely don’t look as formidable defensively, but that’s not relevant to this pick.
After throwing for a career-high 36 touchdowns in 2023, Prescott is on pace for fewer than 26 through four weeks. That’s enough of a sample size to foster concern about his fantasy prospects. There will still be weeks where Dak is a clear start due to matchup, but that’s certainly not the case against this stout Steelers defense, which has allowed just 11.2 points to opposing signal callers.
Check out my full Week 5 quarterback start/sit article for more picks here!
Fantasy Advice Twitter Takeover
On Sunday from 11-1 ET, Jeff Pratt will be taking over the DraftKings Network X account to answer all of your start/sit questions. Don’t miss out!
Running Back
Start ‘Em: D’Andre Swift (Bears) vs. Panthers
Michael Corleone pretty much sums up my thoughts on Swift.
The 25-year-old struggled so much with efficiency through the first three weeks of the season — although contrary to what Twitter experts will tell you, the tape suggested a lot of the blame falls on Chicago’s offensive line — that Roschon Johnson was expected to take over the Bears’ backfield against the Rams.
Not only did Swift retain his role as the lead back, he rattled off a ridiculous 29.5 PPR points, racking up 165 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Following this breakout performance, Swift will certainly remain the go-to guy against an extremely vulnerable Panthers run defense.
Sit ‘Em: Devin Singletary (Giants) at Seahawks
Thursday night’s performance against the Cowboys was a reminder of why so many people were concerned about Singletary’s fantasy prospects in New York.
The Giants’ offense simply isn’t good. They have multiple talented players, but few are worth starting on a consistent basis due to the team’s inconsistent production. Malik Nabers is the obvious exception, as he seems to draw more targets alone than the entire Patriots’ receiving corps on a weekly basis.
New York’s RB1 may be worth starting on a matchup-dependent basis, but that won’t be the case against an incredibly stout Seahawks defense on Sunday.
Check out my full Week 5 running back start/sit article for more picks here!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em: Christian Kirk (Jaguars) vs. Colts
The Jaguars are a mess, but both of their top receivers have quietly come to life over the last couple games. I’m also quite high on Brian Thomas Jr.’s prospects this week — so if you have him, start him — but I’m giving the slight edge to the veteran.
Kirk racked up a whopping 22 targets across Weeks 3 and 4, catching 15 of those balls for 140 yards, also finding the end zone against Houston. Jacksonville’s run game is in a state of complete disarray, which means Trevor Lawrence will have to keep looking to the air in hope of securing his squad’s first win.
Kirk has been Lawrence’s go-to guy when healthy, and I expect that to remain the case against a Colts secondary that has allowed 36.23 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers.
Sit ‘Em: Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) vs. Cardinals
It’s time.
Two weeks of underwhelming production could be a coincidence. Three weeks is when concerns are heightened. Four weeks is when you move a guy to the bench.
The frustrating thing about Aiyuk’s situation is we all know he’s due for a huge outing at some point. The 26-year-old is simply too talented to be kept under 10 fantasy points per game consistently. However, when a “franchise cornerstone” only sees 25 targets over four games, it’s time to look elsewhere until further notice.
With San Francisco’s receiving corps fully healthy — and the emergence of Jauan Jennings — there are almost too many weapons for Brock Purdy to work with, and this is without Christian McCaffrey available. Hopefully Aiyuk’s stint on your bench won’t last long and he breaks out of this slump, but there are better options available this week.
Check out my full Week 5 wide receiver start/sit article for more picks here!
Tight End
Start ‘Em: Cade Otton (Buccaneers) at Falcons — THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Otton was the recipient of a ridiculously high snap share last year, it just never translated to production. Two games into the 2024 season, it looked like that may be the case again.
Then, the 25-year-old flipped a switch. Over Weeks 3 and 4, Otton caught 13 of 17 targets for 99 yards. Amidst one of the ugliest fantasy tight end landscapes we’ve seen in years, those numbers make him a virtual must-start this week.
The Falcons allow almost 12 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, and Baker Mayfield is fresh off another huge game. Now is the time to ride the hot hand.
Sit ‘Em: Mark Andrews AND Isaiah Likely (Ravens) at Bengals
After Week 1, tons of fantasy analysts eagerly wrote up the positive prospects of starting both Andrews and Likely, myself included.
After putting up respectable numbers in his next game, Andrews failed to catch a ball in either of Baltimore’s matchups with Dallas or Buffalo. He only saw two total targets.
It hasn’t been much better for Likely, who caught just four balls over his last three games, never seeing a snap share higher than 62%. At this point, it’s pretty clear how the Ravens are going to utilize their offensive weapons. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will pace the team on the ground, with Zay Flowers — and surprisingly, Justice Hill — handling a majority of the receiving work.
Todd Monken’s scheme simply may not feature tight ends the way Greg Roman’s did. Until one of Andrews or Likely carves out a consistent role, they shouldn’t touch your starting lineup.
Check out my full Week 5 tight end start/sit article for more picks!
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 5 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
