In NFL FantasyLand, things tend to start getting weird in Week 5.
- You’ve got your first bye weeks, which screws up everybody and everything.
- You’ve got a steadily increasing number of injuries.
- You’ve got fluctuating target shares, game scripts, and snap counts.
- You’ve got rookies who are finding themselves, and veterans who keep getting lost.
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This makes life difficult for coaches trying to save their jobs (Mike McDaniel, anyone?), but that’s their problem. Save your sympathy for those poor pundits who, in this bumpy fantasy landscape, have to bang out their weekly start ‘em sit ‘em columns.
Pundits like, y’know, me.
But we pundits persevere, because that’s the way we roll. And I’m going to roll into Week 5 with my head held high, my lineups cooking in the oven, and Jets QB Justin Fields teed up and ready to go.
(All fantasy points and rankings via FantasyPros.)
NFL Week 5 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Texans QB C.J. Stroud: Start ‘Em
Texans @ Ravens - 1:00 p.m. ET
Only four full-time starting QBs sit behind Stroud in the 2025 fantasy points pantheon: Panthers’ Bryce Young, Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, Browns’ Joe Flacco, and Titans’ Cam Ward — not what you’d call great company.
Making matters more embarrassing for the former OSU standout is that he has fewer fantasy points than both New Orleans’ eminently meh signal caller Spencer Rattler and Las Vegas interception machine Geno Smith.
So why would I start Stroud if he was on my roster? (Which he’s not, and he never will be.)
Because the Ravens D kinda blows. Baltimore allows the second-highest average yards per game (406.8), and their passing defense — 265.8 ypg — puts them behind only the woeful Cowboys.
To Stroud’s credit, he’s on a mild upward trajectory, racking up a season-high 18.4 fantasy points last Sunday, which landed him at QB15. Luckily for the third-year man, he’s elevating his game while the Ravens are cratering, thus a fantasy lineup insertion is logical. Sort of.
C.J. Stroud PrizePicks Projection: 233.5 Pass Yards, 13.5 Rush Yards
Jets QB Justin Fields: Start ‘Em
Jets vs. Cowboys - 1:00 p.m. ET
Yes, the 2025 Jets stink, but Fields has been a fantasy monster: In his two full games played here in 2025, he posted fantasy totals of 29.5 (Week 1, QB3) and 27.1 (Week 4, QB4). And even having missed a game-and-a-half, he’s this season’s overall QB18.
The Cowboys have what’s devolving into a historically terrible defense — last week, Packers signal caller Jordan Love ate up Dallas to the tune of 26.3 fantasy points (QB6) — so the former Bear and Steeler dual-threat is likely licking his chops…as are fantasy managers who are lucky enough to have Justin on their roster. Like me.
Titans QB Cam Ward: Sit ‘Em
Titans @ Cardinals - 4:05 p.m. ET
In three of his first four NFL starts, Ward hasn’t been able to hit double-digits in fantasy points (2.5 in Week 1, 9.8 in Week 2, and 5.5 in Week 4), and even though the Cards boast the league’s fifth-worst passing defense, I’m confident that few, if any of us believe this’ll be the rookie’s coming out party.
Cam Ward PrizePicks Projection: 184.5 Pass Yards, 9.5 Rush Yards
Broncos QB Bo Nix: Sit ‘Em
Broncos @ Eagles - 1:00 p.m. ET
Over the summer, Nix was a fantasy darling, understandable, as he finished 2024 on a tear, topping 20 fantasy points in his final three games of the season.
Here in ‘25, he’s had two solid fantasy games (21.2 in Week 2, 26.7 in Week 4) to go with a pair of stinkers (8.8 in Week 1, 13.4 in Week 3.)
After a short week, he and his Broncos have to make the trek east to stare down a Philly defense that’s recorded 8 sacks over its last three games. So Bo knows he won’t be in your fantasy lineup.
Lions RB David Montgomery: Start ‘Em
Lions vs. Bengals - 4:25 p.m. ET
The toe-related absence of Bengals QB Joe Burrow put a crimp in the team’s offensive style, but it doesn’t explain why their defense is so gosh-darn lousy. Numbers-wise, the Cincy D is parked just behind the Cowboys and the Ravens, not a place that any team wants to be.
For their part, the Lions lead the league in points with 137, and their 556 rushing yards are the sixth-most in the NFL.
The Lions' RB2 — or RB1.5, really — is coming off a brutal game in which he eked out 1.2 fantasy points. But Monty is the kind of chip-on-the-shoulder dude who most likely won’t deliver back-to-back statistical disasters.
David Montgomery PrizePicks Projection: 43.5 Rush Yards
Jets RB Breece Hall: Start ‘Em
Jets vs. Cowboys - 1:00 p.m. ET
This past Sunday, Packers RB Josh Jacobs dropped 27.7 fantasy points on, you guessed it, the Cowboys, so until further notice, if you have a competent RB1 going up against Dallas, you stick him in the starting lineup, no questions asked.
Vikings RB Jordan Mason: Sit ‘Em
Vikings @ Browns - 9:30 a.m. ET
The Brownies sit at 1-3 — tied with the Ravens in the AFC North cellar — yet boast the NFL’s top defense, so go figure.
Yes, Browns DL Myles Garrett and company have to travel across the pond to face a Vikings team that’s been decamped in Europe for the last two-ish weeks, and are thus acclimated to the time change, but Cleveland’s finest allow just 70.3 rushing yards per game, and even if they’re still jet-lagged, they should have enough in the tank to keep Mason under wraps.
Jordan Mason PrizePicks Projection: 73.5 Rush Yards, 13.5 Receiving Yards
Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving: Sit ‘Em
Buccaneers @ Seahawks - 4:05 p.m. ET
This one’s a travel thing.
At approximately 3,100 miles, the Tampa-to-Seattle trip is the second-longest between any two NFL cities, with Miami-to-Seattle topping the list at 3,400. For context, Tampa-to-Seattle is only 650 fewer miles than Cleveland-to-London, so it’s almost like the Bucs will be playing an international game.
More problematically, as of this writing, Irving’s dealing with a balky ankle that required an MRI, but even if he takes the turf at Lumen Field, he could be physically compromised, and, frankly, pooped.
Oh, did I mention that Seattle has the league’s sixth-best rushing defense? I didn’t? Well, Seattle has the league’s sixth-best rushing defense. Do with that information what you will.
Bucky Irving PrizePicks Projection: 65.5 Rush Yards, 24.5 Receiving Yards
Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Start ‘Em
Colts vs. Raiders - 1:00 p.m. ET
Coming into the season, the only Colts I had any fantasy interest in were RB Jonathan Taylor and QB Daniel Jones. Had their WR2 (Josh Downs) or WR3 (Alec Pierce) been available in a late round of my fantasy draft, I might’ve taken a flyer.
But Pittman? Not so much.
Even though the Colts rank fourth in the league in passing, I’m still not super into Pittman…or at least I wasn’t until last Sunday, when he saw 10 targets.
Sure, he only caught 5 of them, but he’s one of Jones’ two favorite pass-catchers — the other one being rookie TE Tyler Warren — and that likely won’t change at any point soon. At a homer against the Raiders' 17th ranked passing D, I’ll take a flyer.
Michael Pittman Jr. PrizePicks Projection: 52.5 Receiving Yards
Dolphins WR Malik Washington: Start ‘Em
Dolphins @ Panthers - 1:00 p.m. ET
With Dolphins star WR Tyreek Hill out for the year, Washington is Miami’s de facto WR2, and last week, the Panthers allowed Patriots QB Drake Maye to hit on 82% of his passes, all of which means Washington could be a thing.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers: Sit ‘Em
Ravens vs. Texans - 1:00 p.m. ET
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson jacked-up hammy could keep him sidelined for two or three weeks, meaning the poor Baltimore receivers will have to make their hay with QB Cooper Rush.
Cooper Rush isn’t Lamar Jackson, which means that Zay Flowers most likely won’t be Zay Flowers.
Zay Flowers PrizePicks Projection: 66.5 Receiving Yards
Patriots WR Stefon Diggs: Sit ‘Em
Patriots @ Bills - 8:20 p.m. ET (SNF)
I don’t trust revenge games, especially this one.
Here in Diggs’ return to Buffalo, his emotions will be high…but Diggs’ emotions are always high, and you can’t run crisp routes if your head is exploding.
Besides, QB Drake Maye’s favorite target is TE Hunter Henry (Henry has 24 targets to Diggs’ 22), and if the former Bill isn’t crisp, Maye will look elsewhere. As well he should.
Stefon Diggs PrizePicks Projection: 47.5 Receiving Yards
Bills TE Dalton Kincaid: Start ‘Em
Bills vs. Patriots - 8:20 p.m. ET (SNF)
On one hand, Bills QB Josh Allen is a fantasy football deity. He’s currently the league’s QB1, averaging 24.9 fantasy points per game, and he’s topped 23 fantasy points in three of his four games.
On the other hand, he’s a ball-spreading pain in the tush. Five of his pass catchers have 13+ targets, so we never have a clue as to which Bill will be worth a fantasy start.
But Kincaid’s 3 receiving tuddies are a team-high, and New England allows the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, so we might just get to see Dalton Kincaid do Dalton Kincaid things while Josh Allen does Josh Allen things.
Dalton Kincaid PrizePicks Projection: 33.5 Receiving Yards
Lions TE Sam LaPorta: Start ‘Em
Lions @ Bengals - 4:25 p.m. ET
Remember when I pooped on the Bengals D about 15 paragraphs ago? I’ll stand by that.
Sam LaPorta PrizePicks Projection: 39.5 Receiving Yards
Buccaneers TE Cade Otten: Sit ‘Em
Buccaneers @ Seahawks - 4:05 p.m. ET
I’m not even going to look up stats for this one, because last Sunday, Otten flunked the eye test, big-time.
Okay, maybe I’ll look up one stat: He managed 9 yards on 3 targets. Taking that stat and the 3,100-mile trip into account, no thank you.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson: Sit ‘Em
Vikings @ Browns - 9:30 a.m. ET
Hold your nose, because I’m about to drop Hockenson’s week-by-week fantasy points totals: 1.5, 1.2, 10.9, 3.9.
P.U.
The Browns allow an average of 9.8 fantasy points to opposing tight ends, so right now, fantasy managers all over FantasyLand are praying that the Vikes leave T.J. in London.
T.J. Hockenson PrizePicks Projection: 38.5 Receiving Yards
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