Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts & Sits (2021)
| Week 4 Hit Rate | Week 4 Percentage | Season Long Hit Rate | Season Long Percentage | |
| QBs | 3 of 8 | 37.50% | 15 of 32 | 46.88% |
| RBs | 6 of 8 | 75.00% | 21 of 32 | 65.62% |
| WRs | 3 of 8 | 37.50% | 17 of 32 | 53.13% |
| TEs | 4 of 8 | 50.00% | 15 of 32 | 46.88% |
| DLs | 2 of 4 | 50.00% | 5 of 16 | 31.25% |
| LBs | 2 of 4 | 50.00% | 6 of 16 | 37.50% |
| DBs | 1 of 4 | 25.00% | 2 of 16 | 12.50% |
We have made it through the first four weeks of the season and this has been a wild start to a season. From unlikely performances to surprise releases, the NFL has been action packed off the field and in fantasy. We have four weeks of data to work with so let’s put that to use to optimize your lineups.
Here are your Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts & Sits of the Week!
Quarterbacks
Start: Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers against the Philadelphia Eagles
Trust me, I can’t believe I just typed that either. But, Darnold heading into Week 5 as the QB5 and was the overall QB1 in Week 4 in fantasy football mainly due to his ability to run into the endzone. Star running back Christian McCaffrey is hopeful to play this week and that only helps to open up the offense. The Eagles are giving up the sixth-most points per game on defense so Darnold has a nice matchup here.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
Kirk Cousins against the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford against the Seattle Seahawks, and Daniel Jones against the Dallas Cowboys.
Sit: Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team against the New Orleans Saints
Maybe I was just a week early on the sit call for Heinicke? The Saints’ defense is only allowing 17.3 points per game and the second-fewest rushing yards per game. They are beatable through the air so Heinicke will have that going for him, but with other options with better matchups, I’m hoping you don’t have to rely on him.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits:
Derek Carr against the Chicago Bears, Trey Lance against the Arizona Cardinals, and Joe Burrow against the Green Bay Packers.
Running Backs
Start: Cordarelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons against the New York Jets
Is this because Patterson and the Falcons are playing the Jets? Partly. But Patterson has basically overtaken the backfield and wide receiver duties for the Falcons. Fantasy managers were hopeful for Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts, and for Mike Davis’ workload, but nope. Apparently, no Julio Jones just means more Patterson.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
D’Andre Swift against the Minnesota Vikings, Aaron Jones against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Zack Moss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sit: Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles against the Carolina Panthers
Sanders is the RB33 going into Week 5 and has underperformed in every game other than the season opener. The Eagles have almost taken out of the run game, but he has slightly more value in PPR leagues. Regardless, he has nine rushing attempts and six receptions over the last two games. The Panthers did just get bodied by Ezekiel Elliot, but Sanders won’t have as easy of a time.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits:
Mike Davis against the New York Jets, Melvin Gordon III against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Myles Gaskin against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wide Receivers
Start: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals against the Green Bay Packers
Do I think Chase is going to finish as a top-10 receiver? No. But, do I think that the Bengals are going to have to be super pass-heavy this week to stay in the game especially if Joe Mixon is out? Absolutely. With Mixon and Tee Higgins banged up, Chase waltz’s into a heavy workload. Yes, the Packers are giving up the eighth-fewest passing yards in the NFL, but I am basing this off of usage and opportunity. Both are looking great for Chase this weekend.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
Diontae Johnson against the Denver Broncos, Chris Godwin against the Miami Dolphins, and Jakobi Meyers against the Houston Texans.
Sit: Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Man, it has been a long two weeks since Sutton’s nine-reception, 159-receiving yard performance in Week 2. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is dealing with a concussion and so the Broncos are going to be either finding a way to roll him out there or they are going to go with Drew Lock. Sutton has been too inconsistent and is facing a tough Pittsburgh defense this week.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits:
Kenny Golladay against the Dallas Cowboys, Jamison Crowder against the Atlanta Falcons, and Marquise Brown against the Indianapolis Colts.
Tight Ends
Start: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is going to be an all-around ugly game for the Miami Dolphins, but they are likely going to have to throw for most of the game. I had Gesicki as a start last week and he finished as the TE7 posting five receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers gave up a touchdown to both Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry last week so that bodes well for the tight end in this matchup.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
Dawson Knox against the Kansas City Chiefs, Dalton Schultz against the New York Giants, and Mark Andrews against the Indianapolis Colts.
Sit: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons against the New York Jets
This is probably the game he is going to go off now so Pitts’ managers, you are welcome. Pitts was WAY too overhyped for re-draft leagues and just hasn’t performed so far this year. That isn’t entirely his fault as the Falcons offense as a whole has been bad. Pitts has 15 receptions for 189 yards through four games. He isn’t at a bad pace, he just isn’t returning the value at which he was drafted for your lineups. Now, he is falling behind while guys like Knox and Schultz are stepping up for their teams.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits:
Austin Hooper against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Goedert against the Carolina Panthers, and Hunter Henry against the Miami Dolphins.
With IDP options being so plentiful in fantasy football, each week we’re going to list for you an option at each position with honorable mentions to help set your lineups with confidence.
Defensive Linemen
Start: Matt Judon, New England Patriots against the Houston Texans
Judon is coming off of back-to-back 20 point fantasy outings. His usage may be capped against a bad Texans team, but maybe the Pats offense will come together so that the defense can be on the field more. Judon has played at least 50% of snaps for three straight weeks and he has performed well each week.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
Von Miller against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Harold Landry against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Quinnen Williams against the Atlanta Falcons.
Linebackers
Start: Denzel Perryman, Las Vegas Raiders against the Los Angeles Chargers
Perryman has 48 tackles through four games which are the second most for a linebacker in the league. This is translating great to fantasy because he is currently the LB6. The Raiders are using him all over the field and he is succeeding against teams with a strong run game especially. Enter, the Los Angeles Chargers and Austin Ekeler.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
Foyesade Oluokun against the New York Jets, Logan Wilson against the Green Bay Packers, and Christian Kirksey against the New England Patriots.
Defensive Backs
Start: Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants
Diggs was a start for me last week and he responded with two interceptions against the Carolina Panthers bringing his total to five for the season with at least one in each game. Diggs has been playing out of his mind and he is going to be on the hunt against turnover happy Daniel Jones.
Additional Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts:
Byron Murphy against the San Francisco 49ers, Daniel Sorensen against the Buffalo Bills, and Malcolm Jenkins against the Washington Football Team.