Do you have tough lineup decisions to make Sunday? I’ve got you covered.
Welcome to your one-stop shop for Week 5 fantasy football start/sit advice. In this article, I’ll highlight one pick from each of my positional start ’em, sit ’em articles for this week’s slate. Check out each article for a deeper dive into that position!
Quarterback
Sit ‘Em: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Saints
The unthinkable has become a reality.
Patrick Mahomes has not been great this season. It’s really that simply. The best quarterback in the league — sorry Josh Allen fans — has failed to score more than 17.4 fantasy points in each of his four outings. He currently ranks as QB16 on the year.
The reigning back-to-back champs boast a 4-0 record, but outside of their Week 1 win against the Ravens — which could’ve been a loss if Isaiah Likely had a smaller shoe size — all of their games have been underwhelming. Now with Rashee Rice sidelined, Isiah Pacheco out and Travis Kelce playing like a shell of his former self, Kansas City’s offense isn’t nearly as formidable. Mahomes is best left on your bench until he proves his value as an elite fantasy quarterback again.
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.
Check out my full Week 5 running back start/sit article for more picks here!
Wide Receiver
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: Pat Freiermuth (Steelers) vs. Cowboys
After three weeks of proving he could maintain a consistent fantasy floor — which is not a high bar this year — Freiermuth finally showcased his ceiling against the Colts, finding the end zone en route to a 16.7 PPR point outing.
Through four games, he sits at standard TE6 and PPR TE5, which was certainly not an expected outcome heading into the season. What’s even more impressive is he’s accomplished that with a dual-threat quarterback under center. It’s worth noting that Justin Fields put together his best performance of the season against Indianapolis, demonstrating a correlation between his production and Freiermuth’s.
I expect both players to keep the positive momentum rolling against a vulnerable Cowboys defense on Sunday night.
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.
