Fantasy football rankings Week 5: Dave Richard's tough start/sit calls include benching Jalen Hurts

Fantasy football is all about the matchups, but sometimes even the most favorable matchup isn't enough to make a player worth starting. Four weeks into the season, we've seen plenty of unexpected performances and disappointing stars and injuries that have completely changed the outlook for certain players. And with bye weeks complicating lineup decisions, it is becoming increasingly important to know when to trust a big name and when to take a chance on someone else.

Take Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert, for example. Both are difficult to trust in Week 5 because of offensive line concerns and challenging matchups. Meanwhile, players such as Ollie Gordon, Woody Marks, and T.J. Hockenson are making strong arguments for starting positions, despite entering the season with significantly less fantasy appeal.

That's why you can't just go off of Draft position or what happened last Sunday. Who gets into your lineup depends on defensive schemes, injuries, offensive tendencies and individual matchups.

We'll go through each Week 5 game and point out the players with the toughest start/sit decisions. We'll highlight the less obvious calls, point out the opportunities worth exploiting and help you feel more confident about the lineup you're putting out on the field.

Dave Richard's Week 5 rankings: Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DST

The Cowboys pass rush is below average in terms of both blitz rate and pressure rate, and they have just four sacks through four games (only the Giants have fewer). That should keep the Bucs' quick pass game going. Further downfield throws? That's a problem since Daniels completed just 3 of 9 throws of six-plus air yards for 46 yards last week against the Packers, who entered Week 4 with an even lower pass rush pressure rate than the Cowboys and still amassed three sacks versus the Bucs. And while we're getting to that point of the season where running backs have an edge in Thursday night games, Dallas' run defense has let up only three explosive runs on 23 RB rush attempts per game and ranks sixth-best in defensive total rush EPA. Dallas' offense should do what it does because the only pass defense the Bucs have slowed in 2026 has been the Vikings with Kyler Murray and without Justin Jefferson. That means we should see another long game for a Bucs offense that scored 14 points last week and 19 or fewer points in each of its past three. 

• MUST-START: CeeDee Lamb, Javonte Williams
• START: Dak Prescott, George Pickens, Bucky Irving (low-end No. 2 RB), Cowboys DST

• SIT: Jalon Daniels, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Jake Ferguson, Kenneth Gainwell, Ryan Flournoy, Ted Hurst, Cade Otton, Buccaneers DST

It's bad enough that the Eagles will come into Week 5 with Lane Johnson retired, Landon Dickerson on IR, and Cam Jurgens dealing with a concussion on top of DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley being big-time question marks. It's made worse by Philadelphia's new offense not yet taking hold. The Jaguars' pass rush isn't dominant but they do have five sacks over their past two games and have begun finding the quarterback without having to blitz much. The Jaguars run defense, however, is beginning to look dominant: No. 1 through four weeks in yards per carry allowed (2.9), defensive rush success (75.4%), five-yard rush rate allowed (19.7%), yards after contact per rush allowed (1.79) and missed tackles on RB runs (five). It's really hard to back anyone in the Philly's offense, including Jalen Hurts, who would theoretically have to do a lot of his damage rushing against this run defense and/or find ways to make big stats through the air.

• START: Trevor Lawrence, Parker Washington, Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars DST
• FLEX: Will Shipley (low-end PPR flex), Dontayvion Wicks (low-end flex)
• SIT: Jalen Hurts, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., Darius Cooper, Makai Lemon, Chris Rodriguez, Brenton Strange, Zach Ertz, Eagles DST

Is the Bears run game more like the Falcons, or more like the Vikings, Jets and Buccaneers? Those last three run offenses were held by Green Bay to 3.7 yards per rush or worse, with only two runs of 10-plus yards combined. But the Falcons came to Lambeau Field on a Thursday and smashed them, which seems to be what the Falcons are going to do a lot of this season. Considering how well the Bears ran the ball last week against the Jets, their overall commitment to the run game, and their backup quarterback situation, I'm reasonably sure we'll see a run-leaning approach from Ben Johnson's crew. That's made easier by the absence of Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who was a solid tackler for them. Chicago leads the NFL in RB carries and is top five in yards per rush (4.9), RB rushing touchdowns (six), yards after contact per rush (3.30), and just outside the top five in yards before contact per rush (1.59) and explosive rush rate (8.3%). D'Andre Swift was benched for fumbling last week, but he did the same thing in two games last year and had at least 16 touches in the very next game after his lost fumble, so I'd still expect him to lead the way for Chicago.

So if the Bears run game is going to be good, does that mean fewer pass attempts for the Bears pass game? That would have been the case last week had the Jets offense actually converted a third down or had an offensive drive last longer than seven plays. I wouldn't lean too heavily on last week's inflated Bears stats, considering they ran 89 offensive plays, way more than normal. But I would be interested in Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, given the Packers' zone-leaning, low-pressure, pass-rush defense. Burden's efficiency has popped since Caleb Williams hurt his leg, specifically leading top Bears pass-catchers against zone coverage the past two weeks with a 31.8% target per route rate and 2.77 yards per route run. But Odunze saw a big boost last week against the Jets' zone-heavy defense, and I know Odunze isn't quite at the level of Drake London, Justin Jefferson and Garrett Wilson, but the Packers got wrecked by those outside receivers. When Tyson Bagent has time to throw, he has demonstrated that he'll take some chances looking for Odunze. That's enough to lean toward Odunze winning his matchups versus Burden getting enough numbers getting schemed up on shorter throws, but both are at worst quality flex options. 

• START: Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, D'Andre Swift, Tucker Kraft, Rome Odunze (low-end No. 2 PPR WR), Bears DST
• FLEX: Luther Burden III
• SIT: Jordan Love (high-end No. 2 QB), Tyson Bagent, Kalif Raymond (bye-week PPR WR), Kyle Monangai (bye-week RB), Colston Loveland (bye-week TE), MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, Jonnu Smith, Packers DST

Drake Maye seemingly turned a corner last week, throwing on time to Romeo Doubs a number of times and keeping other plays alive with his legs, whether he was pressured or not. The Raiders pass rush is unquestionably the best part of their defense and figures to bring heat often, just as they've done every week this season without having to blitz much. But in competitive games over the past two weeks, they've dabbled a little more in man-to-man coverage, especially on third down. That man coverage hasn't sat well with Doubs this year (23 routes, four targets, one 2-yard catch); last week, he crushed the Bills' zone coverage just as he did the Steelers' zone in Week 2. It'll take work from him on early downs against the Raiders in order to have a good game. 

• MUST-START: Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty
• START: Drake Maye (borderline start), Rhamondre Stevenson, Raiders DST
• FLEX: Romeo Doubs (low-end flex)
• SIT: Kirk Cousins (borderline start), Tre Tucker, Michael Mayer, TreVeyon Henderson, Hunter Henry, Demario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Cody White, Mike Washington Jr., Patriots DST

T.J. Hockenson did his best Trey McBride impersonation last week, getting almost all of his targets against zone coverage, including several when Kyler Murray was under pressure and wanted to get the ball out quickly. That was especially a byproduct of the Vikings offensive line struggling in pass protection -- they lost left guard Donovan Jackson early on, left tackle Christian Darrisaw left before the end of the third quarter and his replacement allowed a bunch of pressures. There is no question that the Saints will try to come after Murray, just as the Dolphins did, especially if Darrisaw is out. Will they be successful? That's debatable -- New Orleans' pass rush hasn't been very good, especially outside of Chase Young, but against a depleted Vikings offensive line, they should at least be competitive. Kyler Murray's track record against Brandon Staley-coached defenses is really good (22-plus Fantasy points in 3 of 4 meetings), but Murray himself hasn't been great this year and figures to have some pressure problems. The end result should mean forced targets to Hockenson again -- and not as many to Jordan Addison for the second week in a row. 

• MUST-START: Chris Olave
• START: Tyler Shough (low-end start), Aaron Jones, Juwan Johnson, Jordan Addison (low-end No. 2 WR), T.J. Hockenson, Vikings DST (borderline start)
• FLEX: Devaughn Vele, Alvin Kamara
• SIT: Kyler Murray, Kendre Miller, Saints DST 

The Browns have yet to allow a rushing touchdown this year but have yielded at least 4.3 yards per carry in every game. This goes hand in hand with them comfortably moving into a single-high safety, man-to-man defense through their past three games -- the kind of defense that should be very focused on the run. It's worth noting that Geno Smith has targeted his running backs at a 23.8% rate on their routes against single-high, albeit with modest results. Braelon Allen has taken every touch for the Jets since Breece Hall got hurt in Week 3, including five catches in a smidge more than five quarters of football. Allen was a colossal disappointment in Week 4 in large part because the Bears offense kept the Jets defense on the field all game long -- the Browns aren't as likely to do the same thing. 

• MUST-START: Garrett Wilson
• START: Quinshon Judkins, Braelon Allen, Harold Fannin, Browns DST
• FLEX: Denzel Boston
• SIT: Deshaun Watson, Geno Smith, KC Concepcion, Kenyon Sadiq, Isaiah Williams, Jerry Jeudy, Jets DST 

The Colts have played the third-most man-to-man coverage this year, with a lean toward single-high safety coverage. No quarterback has seen that specific kind of coverage, called Cover-1, more this season than Aaron Rodgers. And while he is fairly inefficient against it, he has thrown three touchdowns and his pass-catchers average 6.4 yards after catch per reception, which ranks well. DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson have been Rodgers' go-to guys overall, but especially against Cover-1, with Wilson especially averaging 2.96 yards per route run. Wilson has found at least 15 PPR points in each of his past two games and exactly six targets in each game. The Colts also sport some of the ugliest metrics against slot receivers so far this season, including bottom-six marks in catch rate and yards per catch allowed; Wilson is primarily the Steelers slot receiver. He's an interesting flex. 

• MUST-START: Jonathan Taylor
• START: Jaylen Warren, DK Metcalf (low-end No. 2 WR), Tyler Warren, Steelers DST
• FLEX: Josh Downs, Roman Wilson
• SIT: Aaron Rodgers (high-end No. 2 QB), Daniel Jones, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Pittman, Darnell Washington, Colts DST

Ollie Gordon impressed last week, taking advantage of good blocking by his O-line, especially when the Vikings loaded the box early in the third quarter and he rumbled for 53 yards with a lot of after-contact gains. He's tough, he's got some burst, and he can catch a little, too. It's easy to see him as the Dolphins' preferred back as of now, but I bet that could flip if Jaylen Wright breaks a couple of runs himself. That might be the only reason Gordon is a tough start this week: The matchup isn't as scary as it looks. The only team to struggle running the ball on Cincinnati was Houston; the Bucs and Steelers each fielded a running back with 20 PPR points, and Bhayshul Tuten was on his way toward that same number but had two touchdowns called back by penalties (teammate Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored and averaged 5.8 yards per carry). The Jaguars duo combined for 20 PPR points, even with the penalized plays. I'm impressed by the Dolphins run blocking and think it could lead to some more good gains for Gordon, which is why I'm OK starting him. 

• MUST-START: Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown
• START: Mike Gesicki, Ollie Gordon (low-end No. 2 RB), Bengals DST
• FLEX: Dohnte Meyers
• SIT: Malik Willis, Malik Washington (bye-week PPR WR), Mitchell Tinsley, Chris Bell, Greg Dulcich, Dolphins DST

The Titans run defense hasn't been bad at all, but they have been the most run-on defense in the league through four weeks (27.5 RB runs per game). Despite that volume, they've let up just 3.6 yards per carry (seventh best), and they've held opposing backs to a lean 4.5% explosive rush rate (ninth-best), and just 2.41 yards after contact per rush (fifth-best). So they don't give up a lot of big runs and have even done decently since Week 1, holding Derrick Henry in check last week and slamming on the Giants and Eagles running backs in Weeks 2 and 3. This isn't good news for David Montgomery or Woody Marks, neither of whom is particularly efficient this season. However, Marks has found the end zone from inside the 10-yard line in each of the Texans' past two games and has a notable role in the passing game. He's also been within seven snaps of Montgomery in three of four games, so this backfield is already close to a split. If we're giving Marks the nod near the goal line and in the passing game, then he's the one to be interested in starting, even in a tough matchup. 

• MUST-START: Nico Collins
• START: Woody Marks (borderline No. 2 PPR RB), Texans DST
• FLEX: Carnell Tate
• SIT: C.J. Stroud (bye-week QB), Cam Ward, Tony Pollard, David Montgomery, Dalton Schultz, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jaylen Noel, Tyjae Spears, Titans DST

Jameis Winston did have some terrific throws last week against the Cardinals, including both touchdowns to Malik Nabers and Theo Johnson. However, there were more off-target throws and late reads, the same kinds of things we saw from him in Week 3. Against almost any other defense I'd head for the hills on Winston, but the Commanders pass defense isn't too far off from the Cardinals. In fact, they've allowed more than 30-plus Fantasy point games to quarterbacks than the Cardinals; they play just as much zone coverage as the Cardinals; their pass rush pressure rate is slightly higher than the Cardinals but not when they don't blitz; and they have a significantly lower sack rate than the Cardinals. So if we're to fade Winston, it's because of who he is as a thrower and not the matchup at all. I'd buy back into him finding at least decent totals, especially with him connecting with Isaiah Likely and Cam Skattebo on shorter throws against the Commanders' two-high zone defense, which they've played a lot of this year.

A sub-100% healthy Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier combined for 105 rush yards on 22 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown run by Allgeier against the Giants last week. That's the latest example of a New York run defense that ranks third-worst in yards per rush allowed to RBs (5.0) and second-worst in opponent explosive rush rate allowed (12.8%). The only reason their defensive EPA isn't lower is that just two RBs have scored on them. The worry is not the matchup, it's which Commanders RB warrants Fantasy usage: Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a season-low 11 touches last week and yet the 7.0 PPR points was his second-highest mark of the season; Austin Ekeler split first- and second-down work with Croskey-Merritt in his debut and looked good doing it; Kaytron Allen and Craig Reynolds also got a few snaps. By my count, that's four RBs excluding Rachaad White, who leads the Commanders in targets and third-down snaps despite missing Week 4. Washington's O-line remains a problem. If White plays, he might be the safest RB in the group; if not, Croskey-Merritt would be worth trusting with low expectations, since he played most of the team's third-down snaps last week and led them in carries.

• START: Jameis Winston and Jayden Daniels (low-end starters), Malik Nabers, Stefon Diggs, Cam Skattebo, Isaiah Likely,
• SIT: Antonio Williams, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Austin Ekeler, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Chig Okonkwo, Giants DST (bye-week DST), Commanders DST 

Los Angeles' offensive line may be forced to use as many as four rookies in the starting lineup against a Broncos pass rush that's blitzed at a top 10 rate this year and is dying for a get-right spot. I can't help but think that even with a couple of backup cornerbacks, the Broncos will get really aggressive against Justin Herbert. By the way, one of those backups is former first-rounder Jahdae Barron, who hasn't been too bad this year in limited play. Herbert will be forced to move out of the pocket, and without a number of reliable big-play receivers, could end up turning the ball over a few times, just as he's done several times this year. Not that Denver's run defense is anything great -- they've allowed the seventh-most PPR points to running backs this year -- but even they should be able to handle the three-headed backfield the Chargers have seemingly settled on. Omarion Hampton had just 11 touches last week and needed a miracle 16-play drive aided by two Seahawks penalties just to have a chance to sniff the goal line. Without that score, no one would even consider Hampton. You could even make the case that Keaton Mitchell has the higher floor in PPR because he's seen his playing time and targets tick up over the Bolts' past two games.

• START: Jaylen Waddle, RJ Harvey, Broncos DST
• FLEX: Courtland Sutton, Tre Harris (low-end flex)
• SIT: Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, Omarion Hampton (bye-week RB), Keaton Mitchell (bye-week PPR RB), Quentin Johnston, JK Dobbins, Evan Engram, Troy Franklin, Oronde Gadsden, Kimani Vidal, Chargers DST

If Arizona's defense was so bad that Jameis Winston could throw three touchdowns over 29 attempts against them last week, then the matchup is clearly spectacular for Jared Goff. This is also the week ex-offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is coming back to take on the defense he practiced against for three years. And if the Lions put points on the board, then Jacoby Brissett will have no choice but to rally his offense and throw a bunch of passes. Some issues make his outlook a little harder: Reliable left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is out for the year, forcing the Cardinals to replace him with rookie Jayden Williams, a seventh-round pick who had a fairly solid preseason but will go head-up with Aidan Hutchinson on Sunday. He's the engine of a Lions pass rush that's created a pressure on at least 44.8% of an opponent's dropbacks without blitzing in each of the past three weeks (only the Vikings are better). Brissett has rarely been under pressure this season but on the 46 dropbacks when he has been, he's been sacked 10 times, thrown two interceptions, averaged just 3.7 yards per attempt and owns a 38.2 QB rating. I'd expect a large dose of work for Trey McBride since he's his best short-area target, and perhaps lowered expectations for everyone else on the Cardinals.

• MUST-START: Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Trey McBride
• START: Jared Goff, Jacoby Brissett (low-end start), Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams, Michael Wilson,
• FLEX: Jeremiyah Love
• SIT: Tyler Allgeier (bye-week RB), Marvin Harrison Jr., Isaac TeSlaa, Lions DST, Cardinals DST

Emanuel Wilson should see the bulk of the Seahawks carries again in Week 5, including at the goal line, but the matchup is much tougher. In the 49ers' past three games, they've held running backs under 4.0 yards per rush with zero rushing touchdowns, and they haven't allowed a single explosive run in their past two games (Cardinals, Broncos). Fred Warner leads the charge but it's been their defensive backs who have really stepped up to keep backs from crushing on the edges on outside zone runs. Wilson has been much better on his zone runs than gap runs this year, which plays right into the Niners' strength. Starting Wilson with the hope he delivers something solid on over 15 touches is fine, but don't expect him to be nearly as good as he was in Week 4. It doesn't help that his playcaller was previously under Kyle Shanahan's tutelage, so there's going to be some familiarity with the Seahawks run scheme that will help the Niners. 

• MUST-START: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle
• START: Brock Purdy, Emanuel Wilson, Mike Evans (low-end No. 2 WR), Seahawks DST
• FLEX: Deebo Samuel
• SIT: Sam Darnold, A.J. Barner, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, 49ers DST

In 17 career starts, Tyler Huntley has led a wide receiver to 14-plus PPR points four times and 15-plus PPR points twice. Huntley does have a history of leaning on his tight ends, throwing to them at a 34% career rate. Maybe that will spark some optimism for Mark Andrews, who does have experience with Huntley in Baltimore and has some outstanding games with him (12.3-plus PPR in six of 12 starts, including the playoffs). But Huntley's get-the-ball-out style means fewer downfield passing attempts and below-average efficiency, making for a challenging fit with what the Ravens have done with Zay Flowers through the first few weeks. Complicating the issue is a Falcons defense that boasts the No. 1 pass rush pressure rate (47.3%) while using a bottom-five blitz rate. The takeaway here is to reel in expectations for Flowers, who still can make big things happen on just one play, but reconsider Andrews as a reliable short-area option for a QB who has thrown 51% of his throws over the past three seasons inside of five air yards. 

• MUST-START: Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Derrick Henry, Falcons DST (borderline start)
• START: Zay Flowers
• SIT: Michael Penix Jr., Tyler Huntley, Mark Andrews (bye-week TE), Kyle Pitts, Rashod Bateman, Brian Robinson Jr., Ravens DST

The expectation is a high-scoring shootout along the lines of their 2024 game when the Rams beat the Bills 44-42. However, this is a different Rams defense from what Josh Allen saw in that game: Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is trending toward playing, cornerback Trent McDuffie has played extremely well (27.8% catch rate allowed), they're far more aggressive about playing man-to-man defense (especially on third down), their pass rush has actually been better since Myles Garrett got hurt, and not a single running back has more than 13.8 PPR points against them. All but one of the passing touchdowns allowed by the Rams this year came with at least 2.79 seconds from snap to throw (and all but two were 3.64 seconds or longer). Every reception of 20-plus yards also came on plays where the quarterback found time (at least 2.67 seconds). This suggests that when Allen buys time, he should be able to find open receivers, be it downfield or in the paint, when the Bills are in the red zone.

This year, that's meant big things for DJ Moore (3.1 yards per route run when Allen has had over 2.5 seconds to throw) and Dalton Kincaid (3.43 yards), and in Week 4, it was especially huge for Keon Coleman (5.27 yards per route run). Whoever draws McDuffie in coverage isn't going to be an effective Fantasy option -- that figures to be Moore if he plays, Coleman if he doesn't. And while Kincaid didn't run many routes last week, it might have been because Kincaid was doubled and chipped a bunch by the Patriots, or because the Bills wanted Dawson Knox on the field more to block, or both. At least Kincaid looked fine in the post-game film review -- his coverage will obviously be tighter if Moore is ruled out. I'd be hesitant to start Moore if he plays because he figures to draw McDuffie the most in coverage, but his presence could open things up for Coleman, Kincaid and Khalil Shakir. If Moore is out, then either Coleman or Kincaid will get a lot of looks from McDuffie and the other could be doubled; Shakir (and James Cook) figure to be in the clear either way.

• MUST-START: Josh Allen, Puka Nacua, James Cook
• START: Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Davante Adams, Dalton Kincaid
• FLEX: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman
• SIT: Tyler Higbee (bye-week TE), Blake Corum, Dawson Knox, Ty Johnson, Rams DST, Bills DST