Week 5: The Starts, the Sits, and the Fights

October 11, 2026 · Drop Nine

Week 5 is where the season stops being cute. Two teams are on bye, the injury report is long, and the guys spent most of the week arguing about backfields.

We sat through all of it. Below is every name they touched this week, sorted into who they agree on, who they're benching, and who they can't settle. London kicks first, so that game leads.

Friendly Reminder: Read the Room (and Your Roster)

No two leagues are built the same. Roster size, scoring, and how deep your bench runs all change the math, so use this as a jumping-off point, not a rulebook.

• Deep leagues: A name on the sit list may still be the best you've got. That's fine. Start him and move on.
• Shallow leagues: Check your bench and the waiver wire before you settle. There's probably something better sitting there.

Bottom line: Start your best options, go with your gut, and quit second-guessing. Lineups won't set themselves.

Before You Set Your Lineup

• On bye: Panthers and Chiefs.
• Out: Lamar Jackson (ankle; Tyler Huntley starts), Kyle Monangai (turf toe), Saquon Barkley (hamstring), DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Breece Hall (quad), Zach Charbonnet (knee), Quentin Johnston (chest).
• Injured reserve: Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) went on IR Saturday. Tank Bigsby and A.J. Brown are there too.
• Bears quarterback: Caleb Williams (hamstring) is questionable and hasn't played since Week 2. Tyson Bagent is in line to start.
• Cleared: Jayden Daniels (elbow) is starting. Dallas Goedert is good to go in London.
• Questionable Sunday: Ja'Marr Chase (concussion protocol, full practice Friday), Tee Higgins (groin/neck, full practice Friday), Ashton Jeanty (ankle/foot, did not practice Friday), Rhamondre Stevenson (knee), Alvin Kamara (back), Ladd McConkey (foot), Rico Dowdle (toe), Zay Flowers (foot), Jaylen Wright (foot), Carnell Tate (back; his coach says he'll play).
• Monday night: DJ Moore (shoulder) did not practice Thursday or Friday.

1. London First: Eagles vs. Jaguars

Kickoff is 9:30 a.m. ET. If you're reading this after that, these lineups are locked and you can skip to section 2.

• Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars): A unanimous start. The guys have him anywhere from QB6 to QB10 this week, pointing to a 69% completion rate and 8.1 yards per attempt, both career highs, with fewer off-target throws against an Eagles defense that's struggling.
• Bhayshul Tuten (Jaguars): Start. Jacksonville ranks 4th in rushing efficiency and the guys see him consolidating this backfield. They're calling him the type of back who wins leagues late, and a trade target while there's still room to grow.
• Brenton Strange (Jaguars): A start and a streamer at TE14. His route participation is up to 85%, he has 13 targets over his last two games, and his 18% target share and 6.0 usage score are second on the team behind Parker Washington. The Eagles have had trouble covering the middle of the field.
• Jalen Hurts (Eagles): Unanimous sit. The guys have pulled his must-start card: the offense is stalled, the rushing isn't there, and Lane Johnson just retired. Philadelphia managed 68 passing yards over two halves, its lowest such total in 23 years. They don't consider him a starting fantasy quarterback right now.
• Dallas Goedert (Eagles): The one voice on him says sit. He was limited in practice and could be on a snap count in a broken offense, and the question was why risk it if he's under 100%. He has since been cleared to play.
• Will Shipley (Eagles): The room is split. One side says take the volume: he's the top waiver add and the default lead back with Barkley and Bigsby out. The other ranks him RB27 to RB29, calls the lead-role assumption a bad one against a strong Jaguars run defense, and hopes you aren't forced to start him behind a line missing three starters. A third lean: desperation flex only.
• Saquon Barkley (Eagles): Out. He hurt his hamstring early in Week 4.
• Tank Bigsby (Eagles): Headed to injured reserve after core muscle surgery. The guys have him as a drop.
• DeVonta Smith (Eagles): Out with a hamstring strain that has lingered. The guys see his absence as the piece that makes the whole offense wobble.
• Darius Cooper (Eagles): No verdict. He ran 91% of the routes in Week 4 with Smith out, but the guys don't see him as an ideal high-volume option.
• Makai Lemon (Eagles): No verdict. The rookie missed training camp time and hasn't been a factor yet.
• Dontayvion Wicks (Eagles): No verdict. He landed on the injury report midweek with a hamstring strain, and the guys were left asking whether you can even play him.

2. The Consensus Starts

A lot of these cite win rate, meaning how often teams rostering the player are winning.

Quarterbacks

• Matthew Stafford (Rams): The start of the week and the QB1 overall. He's topped 50 pass attempts in back-to-back games, he's home Monday night in a possible shootout, and the Bills secondary just gave up more than 30 fantasy points to Drake Maye.
• Jayden Daniels (Commanders): When he's active, you start him. He's top-12 on the rushing floor alone, and the guys aren't worried about the elbow. He's Washington's best passer and best rusher, and the Giants defense isn't offering much resistance.
• Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals): The streamer of the week. Detroit is allowing 28.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, which makes him a fine fill-in if the Chiefs or Panthers bye cost you your starter. The guys take him over Tyler Shough this week. One-game rental only: after this comes the Broncos, the Rams twice, the Seahawks, and the Chiefs.
• Kirk Cousins (Raiders): QB9 in fantasy scoring, ahead of Burrow, Hurts, and Lawrence. The guys like how confident and aggressive he looks pushing the ball downfield out of two-tight-end sets, with his tight ends and backs soaking up targets. A buy.
• Josh Allen (Bills): QB1 overall at 28.6 points per game, a win rate above 55%, and a clear gap between him and everyone else. Nothing to discuss.
• Drake Maye (Patriots): A Week 4 winner after a 29-point, QB1 finish against Buffalo. The guys credit a scheme adjustment and note the schedule is getting lighter. One voice made the start call; the others just mentioned him.
• Brock Purdy (49ers): QB2 on the season at 25.0 points per game after going in the eighth round. One start vote and no pushback.
• Jared Goff (Lions): The guys expect him to find the open spots against an Arizona defense that can't generate a pass rush. He's carrying a 53% win rate.
• Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons): A buy. Atlanta ranks first in offensive efficiency over the last two games, with 80 points in that stretch, and the guys say it's because they're finally letting him throw deep.

Running Backs

• Braelon Allen (Jets): A must-start RB2 and a top-16 back this week. With Breece Hall out, he took 100% of the Jets' running back touches and 94% of the snaps in Week 4. The guys project about 20 touches as a home favorite and take him over Rhamondre Stevenson and over the receivers he was weighed against.
• Emanuel Wilson (Seahawks): Five votes, all start. He had 21 carries and 39 receiving yards in Week 4, 24 touches and two touchdowns in all. He's a top-20 back with 18 or more touches projected as a 3-point home favorite, and he's reached at least 11.7 PPR points in 7 of his 10 career games with double-digit carries. The guys take him over Jeremiyah Love.
• Jaylen Warren (Steelers): RB10 this week. He's playing 97% of the snaps, he holds up in blitz protection, and Pittsburgh ranks 10th in rushing efficiency. The guys like him against the Colts' man coverage. The feature role came with Rico Dowdle out.
• RJ Harvey (Broncos): A top-20 PPR back built on catches. He's been targeted on 42% of his routes across 50 routes, the highest rate among 250 qualified pass catchers, and Bo Nix's 19% checkdown rate is third-highest in the league. The guys expect 6 to 7 targets. The catch: 12 carries all season and a negative share of the team's air yards (-12.3%), so one voice calls him a PPR-only play.
• Brian Robinson Jr. (Falcons): RB20 with real goal-line value. He has 10 or more carries in three straight games and four touchdowns in his last two. A solid RB2 or flex when Atlanta is favored.
• Quinshon Judkins (Browns): A strong RB2 case. He has five or more catches in two of his last three games, and the Jets have allowed 69 combined PPR points to Kyle Monangai and Jahmyr Gibbs over the last two weeks. Asked to pick between him and Emanuel Wilson, the guys took Wilson.
• Kyren Williams (Rams): Third in win rate after going 25th off the board. He leads all running backs in air yards per target with a 4.0 average depth of target, he's posting double-digit target games, and he dominated the snaps and receiving work in Week 4.
• Bijan Robinson (Falcons): A first-round pick with a win rate above 55%, at the center of an offense that funnels everything to its stars. The guys are all in.
• Derrick Henry (Ravens): Top-6 in win rate and an early-round value on volume, efficiency, and touchdowns.
• Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions): A first-round pick with a win rate above 55%, and the core playmaker in a high-volume Detroit offense.
• Ashton Jeanty (Raiders): Second-highest usage score among all running backs, with 24 targets through four weeks, tied with Bowers and Mayer for the team lead. The guys expect an uptick as the matchups soften. Check his status before kickoff.

Wide Receivers

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks): Second overall in win rate, and he's picking up a first down on more than 11% of his routes.
• Malik Nabers (Giants): Back to borderline WR1: top-15 in bad matchups, top-5 in good ones. The guys credit Jameis Winston for the target volume.
• Carnell Tate (Titans): A confident WR2. He leads the NFL with 52.4% of his team's air yards, took more than 70% in Week 4, and is targeted on 26% of his routes. Houston allows the most fantasy points to receivers. The guys take him over Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze.
• Jameson Williams (Lions): An easy start for the guys, with 100-yard upside against a Cardinals defense that can't rush the passer. Their logic: don't bench the player who could go off. They took him over Jeremiyah Love as a flex.
• Zay Flowers (Ravens): Targeted on 40% of his routes, second in the NFL, with 23 fantasy points in Week 4. One vote, a start. Note that he's questionable and his quarterback is out.
• Chris Olave (Saints): Ninth in win rate as a third-round pick. He's moving the chains on more than 11% of his routes in the league's fastest-paced passing offense. A buy.
• Drake London (Falcons): The same 11%-plus first-down rate, and the first read in Penix's downfield attack. The guys are all in.
• Christian Watson (Packers): Top-14 in win rate and playing like Green Bay's true number one. The guys stay optimistic on him and Matthew Golden in Jordan Love's high-volume passing game.
• Davante Adams (Rams): Top-12 in win rate, nine targets in Week 4, and a top-24 receiver in Stafford's offense.
• Tre Harris (Chargers): A priority add with top-36 value. He played 93% of the snaps in Week 4, has 13 catches for 209 yards on 21 targets, is winning against man coverage, and has outproduced Quentin Johnston. With McConkey banged up, the guys think he could be Herbert's number one.
• Malik Washington (Dolphins): A WR3 or flex. He's drawn target shares of 27 to 29% two weeks running, with 1.96 yards per route run and an 11% first-down rate, working the slot against a Bengals defense that's soft up the middle.
• Dohnte Meyers (Bengals): Nine targets, seven catches, and 82 yards in Week 4 with Chase and Higgins hurt. He's quick off the boundary, which suits Burrow's fast release. If Chase is out, the guys take him over Malik Washington as a flex.
• Romeo Doubs (Patriots): Six catches, 58 yards, and two touchdowns on nine targets in Week 4 as Drake Maye's primary target. A yes in three-receiver leagues.
• Rome Odunze (Bears): The guys' preferred Bears receiver against Green Bay's zone coverage, set up for downfield shots, and he's been getting good throws in structure.
• Luther Burden III (Bears): One vote, a start. His targets are the manufactured, short-area kind.
• DK Metcalf (Steelers): A start on a secure target floor. The guys take him over Josh Downs if Keenan Allen plays.
• Devaughn Vele (Saints): He leads the NFL in routes run as New Orleans' big slot against zone coverage. A WR3.
• Michael Wilson (Cardinals): 30 targets over his last two games. The guys are gushing, and they have him far ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr. in this offense.

Tight Ends

• Brock Bowers (Raiders): Four votes, all start. He owns a 32% target share on 24 targets and 34% of the air yards. He lines up wide or in the slot on 84% of his snaps (47% wide, 37% slot) and runs real downfield routes: an 8.5 average depth of target and a 19% in-route rate.
• Mike Gesicki (Bengals): A priority streamer and top-10 this week if Chase or Higgins sits. He hasn't taken a single inline snap all season, so he's a slot receiver with tight end eligibility. There's a revenge-game angle against Miami, too.
• Tucker Kraft (Packers): Seven or more targets two weeks running, with more third-down and red-zone work. A buy if he keeps getting healthier.
• George Kittle (49ers): Four votes, all start. He's tenth in win rate, healthy, and still hitting 50-yard touchdowns. The guys expect short-area zone beaters against Seattle, and one admits he's starting him simply because he's George Kittle.
• Juwan Johnson (Saints): TE10 and a low-end starter, riding New Orleans' dropback volume and his chemistry with Tyler Shough.
• Colston Loveland (Bears): A low-end starter on one vote, helped by the Bears' in-structure passing game. He has a 13% in-route rate in heavy personnel.
• Michael Mayer (Raiders): In play. He has 24 targets, tied with Bowers and Jeanty, as a true inline tight end (78% inline) in the Raiders' two-tight-end sets.
• Trey McBride (Cardinals): The Lions allow the most fantasy points to tight ends in the NFL. That's the whole note.

3. The Consensus Sits (and Drops)

Quarterbacks

• Justin Herbert (Chargers): On the drop list. The Chargers play at the league's slowest pace (35.3 seconds per snap), rank 24th in passing EPA, and threw 3.1% below expectation in Week 4. The guys have hit the panic button on the offense and the coaching staff.
• Daniel Jones (Colts): Three sits. The Colts are 31st in dropback EPA because he can't push the ball downfield or outside the numbers, and the guys say he's sinking his receivers with him.
• Kyler Murray (Vikings): On the guys' drop list. They'd rather spend the roster spot on a waiver add.
• Bo Nix (Broncos): Two of three say stop starting him. His average depth of target was 5.3 yards in Week 4, his scramble rate is down to 2%, and the offense has turned into checkdowns. The holdout says his value now runs through those checkdowns to RJ Harvey.

Running Backs

• Alvin Kamara (Saints): RB27 to RB29 across the room. The guys don't buy last week's touchdowns, and Minnesota's run defense is the wrong place to chase them.
• D'Andre Swift (Bears): Benched in Week 4 for a fumble, and Ben Johnson said it was about performance, not injury. Two sits and one conditional: he's playable if you believe he gets his role back right away. The back who took his work, Kyle Monangai, is out.
• Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals): Three sits. He had zero snaps inside the 5 in Week 4, trailed Tyler Allgeier in snap share 46% to 54%, and is losing third downs and two-minute work. The guys can't trust him as a top-15 back and took Jameson Williams over him.
• Ollie Gordon II (Dolphins): A sit or low-end flex. His 100-yard Week 4 leaned on one long run across nine carries, the Bengals have allowed two touchdowns to running backs all year, and Jaylen Wright is back to take early-down work. One voice still likes him as a flex.
• Omarion Hampton (Chargers): Sell low or sit. The backfield is a three-way split: 25 snaps for Hampton, 26 for Keaton Mitchell, 25 for Kimani Vidal in Week 4. The guys say touchdowns are the only thing holding up his value, and the offensive line is in rough shape.
• Jaylen Wright (Dolphins): Back from a foot injury to split work with Ollie Gordon II. A desperation play only.

Wide Receivers

• Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals): One of the guys says he can name 36 receivers he'd start first. He has an 8.1% target share against a 12.2% league average, a 4.64 usage score, and a route tree that's mostly vertical. They're starting Carnell Tate and Denzel Boston over him.
• Josh Downs (Colts): Two sits. Off-target throws and a compressed Colts passing game have made him an erratic WR3. The one exception: start him over DK Metcalf only if Keenan Allen is out.
• Courtland Sutton (Broncos): On the drop list. No further discussion.
• Ladd McConkey (Chargers): He aggravated a lingering foot injury and left Week 4 early, and he'd been running routes on only 52% and 59% of dropbacks. The guys have him as a sit.
• Tee Higgins (Bengals): The guys had him doubtful with an adductor strain and treated him as unusable. He has since practiced in full and is listed as questionable, so check before kickoff.

Tight Ends

• Dalton Schultz (Texans): A drop. He saw two of the five passes thrown to Houston tight ends in Week 4 and has been phased out of the passing game.
• Kyle Pitts (Falcons): Not part of the plan. Atlanta's targets go to London and Bijan and nobody else, and the guys who drafted him are taking the loss.

4. What the Guys Can't Agree On

• Tyler Shough (Saints): He leads the NFL with 280 pass attempts, and one side calls him a buy in shootouts. The other has him QB12 but benched this week against Minnesota's pressure after the hits he took against Atlanta, and would rather play Brissett. A third puts him in the QB8-to-QB15 pile where anything can happen.
• Caleb Williams (Bears): The guys' case was 22.5 points per game and a strong day against Green Bay's zone if he's kept clean and playing in structure. The problem is availability: he's questionable and Tyson Bagent is in line to start.
• Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots): Two starts, one sit. For: he's back to being the primary runner and goal-line back, and he's RB19 on catch and touchdown potential. Against: RB27, an even carry split with Henderson, and fumble risk on top of it.
• TreVeyon Henderson (Patriots): All three votes are conditional. He's a top-12 back if Stevenson is out, he's averaged 24 PPR points in games Stevenson missed, and he's out-carried him two weeks running (14 carries in Week 4). If Stevenson plays, he's a split-role flex.
• Tyler Allgeier (Cardinals): He's playing 54% of the snaps and owns third downs, the two-minute offense, and the work inside the 5. The guys call him a weekly flex who should be rostered everywhere, but nobody made him a flat start.
• Mike Washington Jr. (Raiders): A stash with top-15 upside if Jeanty misses time. Klint Kubiak's staff picked him for their zone scheme and has been handing him early-down carries with Jeanty in the passing-down role. The guys floated league-winner potential.
• Keaton Mitchell (Chargers): He led the backfield with 15 touches in Week 4 and Mike McDaniel likes him as a spark. But two of three votes are sits: a role player who won't top 55% of the snaps in a three-man committee on a slow team.
• Woody Marks (Texans): One vote, a desperation flex. He's rotating by drive with David Montgomery, he's been first on the field, and he's scored on his series. The guys think he could take the job.
• Denzel Boston (Browns): He took 63% of Cleveland's air yards in Week 4 and sits at 51% on the season, second in the NFL. One side calls him a certified WR2 and plays him over Marvin Harrison Jr. The other calls him a volatile deep threat who needs a busted coverage.
• Keon Coleman (Bills): 116 yards and a touchdown in Week 4, now working as a big slot (30% slot, 43% off the line), with a first down on 11% of his routes and 2.4 yards per route run. Two say WR3 or flex. One is worried about Trent McDuffie.
• Khalil Shakir (Bills): One says he'll lead Buffalo in targets. One says avoid, because the Rams haven't allowed a receiver past 50 yards all season.
• Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals): This isn't about talent; the guys call him the toughest cover in his division. He was a 50/50 call in the concussion protocol when they recorded, and his status decides how Gesicki and Meyers get used.
• DJ Moore (Bills): Both votes hinge on the shoulder, which capped his route participation at 52%.
• Dalton Kincaid (Bills): One says he'll be Buffalo's best pass catcher against the Rams, more so if DJ Moore or another receiver sits. One calls him a Week 4 loser who was invisible for most of the game, now a fringe TE12 against a defense that has allowed 12 catches for 85 yards to tight ends all season.

5. On Bye, Out, or on IR

On Bye

• Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs): Number one overall in win rate. The guys keep beating this drum and will pick it back up next week.
• Chuba Hubbard (Panthers): A late-round pick with a top-15 win rate, holding the feature role in an offense that ranks 9th in efficiency.
• Tetairoa McMillan (Panthers): Top-15 in win rate and tied with Amon-Ra St. Brown for fourth in the NFL in routes run, in the league's third-fastest offense.
• Jalen Coker (Panthers): On the guys' buy list in that same fast-paced Carolina offense.
• Bryce Young (Panthers): No verdict, just a mention: QB6 in Week 4 with 20-plus points against Detroit, averaging 22.0 per game.
• Jonathon Brooks (Panthers): On IR and on the guys' drop list.

Out or on IR

• Lamar Jackson (Ravens): Out with an ankle injury. The guys had no verdict on him anyway; he came up in draft-cost comparisons and for his efficiency with Zay Flowers.
• Kyle Monangai (Bears): Out with turf toe. The guys had him as a sit after his 30-carry Week 4, worried the toe and a dislocated thumb would mean a reduced snap count or an early exit.
• Jadarian Price (Seahawks): On IR and on the guys' drop list alongside MarShawn Lloyd. His absence is what opened the door for Emanuel Wilson.
• Zach Charbonnet (Seahawks): Ruled out. He's still ramping up.
• Michael Pittman Jr. (Steelers): Now on IR. The guys already had him on the drop list, saying he'd landed in Aaron Rodgers's doghouse.
• A.J. Brown (Patriots): On IR and not eligible to return until Week 6. The guys are already looking ahead to his return.

6. Name-Dropped, No Verdict

• Joe Burrow (Bengals): He came up for his connection with Chase, his draft cost in the tier behind the top quarterbacks, and who becomes his number one if Chase or Higgins sits.
• Deshaun Watson (Browns): Mentioned only as the quarterback throwing deep to Denzel Boston.
• Aaron Rodgers (Steelers): The guys liked his last two weeks, against Cleveland and Cincinnati.
• Jameis Winston (Giants): Discussed for what he does for Nabers's targets, and for whether he's the reason Skattebo isn't seeing passes.
• Cam Skattebo (Giants): The Giants rank 32nd in rushing efficiency and aren't using him as a receiver.
• David Montgomery (Texans): A trade-market comparison for Tuten, plus a harsh review of his last three weeks.
• Chase Brown (Bengals): Inefficient on the ground, saved by his targets out of the shotgun.

That's the whole board. London goes first, the rest of Sunday follows, and Bills at Rams closes it out Monday night. Check your inactives, trust your roster, and go play.

Go get your guy.