The NFL season keeps rolling along. It's hard to believe we're already a month into things, which is a good time to ask the dreaded question: How are your fantasy teams doing?
Hey, I can't blame you if things are going poorly. Injuries have really sucked the fun out of things this year, but there's probably still time to turn things around, even if you're 0-4 in some leagues. (Which, hey, I feel you — I have one winless league left and I'm not ready to blow it up yet.)
Here is a fantasy football start and sit for each offensive position for Week 5 of the NFL season.
Start: Justin Fields - Quarterback - New York Jets
Here's some advice that applies not just to this week but to every week going forward: Start quarterbacks who are facing the Dallas Cowboys defense.
Dallas allows more fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks than any other NFL team, and there's no reason to think the defense is going to magically fix itself, because the lack of a pass rush is just too much for this team to overcome.
Is Justin Fields an elite fantasy quarterback? No — despite his rushing ability giving him a high floor and ceiling, he isn't moving the ball well enough through the air. This week, though? He's a top-five play.
Sit: Tua Tagovailoa - Quarterback - Miami Dolphins
With Tyreek Hill done for the season, life is going to be rough for Tua Tagovailoa's fantasy managers. Sure, having Darren Waller as a red zone target is nice, but you have to get to the red zone to throw red zone touchdowns and earn those four fantasy points, and I foresee a lot of stalled Dolphins drives.
That's especially true this weekend, as Miami takes on Carolina. The Panthers have done a good job limiting opposing passers to an average of just one touchdown pass per game while picking off four balls already. This is not a week to play Tua.
Start: Woody Marks - Running Back - Houston Texans
Houston finally let Woody Marks play the role of lead back in Week 4 and he responded with a huge day, finishing with 119 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.
This matchup with the Ravens would be a game-script fade for Marks in normal circumstances, as Houston would be forced to throw too much to keep up with Lamar Jackson, but Jackson will miss this game. Cooper Rush is far scarier, which should allow Houston to keep the ball on the ground and steadily gain yards against a mediocre Ravens rush defense.
Sit: Isiah Pacheco - Running Back - Kansas City Chiefs
The matchup against a good Jaguars run defense is tough, but that's not even the main reason to fade Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco this weekend. The main reason is simply that Pacheco isn't playing great football right now.
Actually, that's kind of a misleading way to frame it. Pacheco's 4.0 yards per carry is a slight step up from last season. He's just not getting the ball enough or in high-value situations. His general lack of touches and explosiveness means that he needs the ball in the red zone, but his six red zone touches rank just 33rd among running backs. He won't score touchdowns without that going up, and he won't have much fantasy value if he's not finding the end zone.
Start: Chris Olave - Wide Receiver - New Orleans Saints
Trusting one of Spencer Rattler's receivers seems like a bad decision, right? Rattler's in the running for the "worst quarterback in the league" moniker, and Chris Olave is coming off a game where he had just 20 receiving yards.
But, dig deeper. Olave was only targeted six times last weekend against the Bills, but he had at least 10 targets in each of the team's first three games. Now, he's set to take on a Giants defense that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to the wide receiver position.
And yeah, Olave had his lowest yardage and target total of the season last week, but he found the end zone! It wasn't all bad! This could be a big week for Olave.
Sit: Chris Godwin - Wide Receiver - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans is out this week, but Chris Godwin is back again after making his season debut last weekend against the Eagles.
But Godwin didn't look like his old self in that game, catching just three of the 10 balls thrown his way for 26 yards. With Evans sidelined, I wouldn't be shocked if Emeka Egbuka winds up being the guy that Baker Mayfield looks toward the most, as Godwin just looks rusty still.
It also doesn't help that Tampa faces Seattle, a team that's allowed the second-fewest fantasy points and the second-fewest receiving yards to opposing wide receivers.
Start: Darren Waller - Tight End - Miami Dolphins
Darren Waller returned to the NFL last week, playing his first game since 2023. He somehow managed to find the end zone twice.
I mentioned above why I'm fading Tagovailoa, so you might think okay, Justin, so why are you starting his tight end???
Two reasons. First, positional scarcity. There are plenty of quarterback options you can depend on beyond Tua. At tight end? You get past the top handful of guys and it falls off a cliff. Waller's ability to still make acrobatic plays in the red zone is a huge plus.
Second, Waller doesn't need a ton of targets to hit. If the Dolphins can even get close to the end zone, he's going to get targets.
Need a third reason? How about the fact that while Carolina's pass defense has been solid overall, it's also allowed the second-most receiving yards to tight ends.
Sit: Hunter Henry - Tight End - New England Patriots
The Bills defense has allowed just nine catches for 67 yards and a touchdown to opposing tight ends this season. That's despite Buffalo facing two guys — Buffalo's Dalton Kincaid and New Orleans' Juwan Johnson — who are weekly fixtures in FantasyPros' consensus top 10 rankings.
Henry is also usually high in the rankings as he's a focal point of this offense, but the Bills tight end defense scares me too much. Henry's far from matchup-proof, and while he found the end zone last week against Carolina, he did so with just two targets. He also had a real stinker against Miami a few weeks back, catching just one pass.