The bye weeks have arrived in fantasy football, making it more imperative for fantasy managers to get the most out of their active stars to win a given week. Week 5 was challenging as some big names delivered key results while others underwhelmed, dragging down their real life squads alongside fantasy owners hoping for a critical victory as the fantasy season approaches its halfway point.
With only two teams slated for byes in Week 6, there will be plenty of opportunities to bench a struggling star in exchange for an alternative with a better matchup. Let's take a look at some options you should pull the rip cord on entering Week 6, beginning in Baltimore with Derrick Henry.
4 Fantasy stars that should be benched after Week 5
Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
The loss of Lamar Jackson made Baltimore's offense much more stagnant, which is to be expected, but the bigger storyline was a complete lack of production from Derrick Henry. The Houston Texans stacked the box to contain Henry and dare Cooper Rush to beat them, a strategy that was wildly successful as Henry gained just 33 yards on 15 carries, relying on a touchdown plunge to salvage his day for fantasy purposes in a 44-10 blowout loss.
While the early headlines surrounding Henry have been his fumbling issues, he has quietly been less effective on the ground, totaling under 50 yards in four of Baltimore's five games this season. Given Henry's non-involvement in the passing game, any loss in rushing value makes Henry a much more volatile asset for fantasy players to use in their starting lineups.
With Jackson highly questionable for Week 6 against the Rams, expect another frustrating week of stacked boxes for Henry to fight with. Playing Henry in this spot means you're essentially hoping he can find the end zone again, which is not necessarily a bad bet, but he's clearly benchable until Jackson returns.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The going has been tougher for Cincinnati's elite pass catchers since Joe Burrow went down with a severe case of turf toe in Week 2. While experienced fantasy players were hoping for a repeat of 2023, when Jake Browning kept both Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase viable as starters, 2025 appears to be a new script with Chase gaining far more favor than Higgins.
While Higgins' fantasy owners did get a touchdown in Week 5, he caught just 3-of-7 targets for 22 yards. The target volume has been solid for Higgins over the past two games as he was targeted six times in Week 4, but the quality of those targets has been lacking, making it more of a struggle for him to produce without his quarterback.
Until Browning is able to string together more consistent play, it's tough to bank on Higgins in fantasy lineups. Two more tough defensive matchups are on tap with Green Bay and Pittsburgh in Weeks 6 and 7 so Higgins is more in line of a touchdown-dependent flex option than a bona fide fantasy starter.
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
After it looked like the Houston backfield had swung in Marks' favor after Week 4, veteran Nick Chubb re-emerged with a vengeance against Baltimore in Week 5. The workload between Chubb and Marks was nearly even again, but Chubb notably out-touched Marks 11-7 and found the end zone, racking up 61 yards rushing to just 24 for Marks.
Game flow also worked against Marks as Houston's wide margin allowed them to work the forgotten Dameon Pierce in as a mop-up option, taking seven potential carries for Marks off the board. This distribution is a bad break for managers who took a FAAB plunge on Marks in recently weeks as it is looking more like a committee set-up then a 1A/1B with Marks in the lead chair.
The Texans are on bye next week but a string of tougher defenses against the run (Seattle, San Francisco, Denver and Jacksonville) are on tap for Houston's next four games. Marks has more pass catching ability than Chubb, making him an asset in games where the Texans are trailing, but expecting more than flex duty from a Houston running back is unwise.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
There was rare joy in New Orleans as the Saints earned their first win of the season but their star running back didn't play much of a role in the festivities. Alvin Kamara, who has slowly been getting phased out of New Orleans' game plan, carried just eight times for 27 yards in the win, trailing long-time backup Kendre Miller, who turned 10 carries into 41 yards.
While the passing game did offer some saving grace for Kamara backers, four catches for 28 yards isn't doing much ot pay the fantasy bills. With new coach Kellen Moore perhaps looking to go to a youth movement, the Saints may opt to shield Kamara from injury with an eye towards shopping him prior to the trade deadline to a running back-needy team.
A deadline deal will help Kamara in the future but at the here and now he is looking far less productive and receiving less work than ever before. Another home game against New England on Sunday figures to be close, which could push game flow in the favor of the between-the-tackles running style of Miller, making Kamara a flex-only option for teams with limited options available.