NFL Players You Should Start & Sit in Fantasy Football for Week 5

We need to issue a sincere apology to fantasy football nation.

We’ve led you into making some solid fantasy selections so far this season, and until last week, we had avoided any instances of catastrophe. But we led you astray in Week 4. We told you to bench Chris Godwin.

Yeah, we messed up. Big time.

Despite facing the Rams’ fourth-ranked passing defense—which had just locked down OBJ—Godwin had a career day. The second-year wideout caught 12 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in Tampa’s explosive, 55-40 win.

Granted, our picks for Week 4 were mostly good—like our recommendations to start Wayne Gallman and sit Will Fuller and Josh Allen. But we deserve to be roasted for that Godwin pick.

Can you forgive us?

Week 5 offers a clean slate, or so we’re telling ourselves, as well as plenty of juicy fantasy matchups. Below, we fill you in on our picks for must-starts and must-sits. If you’d like to keep tabs on how we’ve performed to date, you can check out our picks for Weeks 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Peyton Barber has been the Bucs’ primary back so far this season, but Jones surpassed him in snap total during the epic Rams-Bucs battle. Jones got 20 touches, carrying the ball 19 times for 70 yards and a score in addition to hauling in a touchdown through the air. Barber, on the other hand? He had only nine touches.

It appears Jones is now Tampa’s main weapon out of the backfield. With bye weeks and injuries a factor at this point, you might want to consider giving him a start despite a matchup against New Orleans that doesn’t look great on paper. The 2018 second-round pick from USC brings potential to go off for a big play at any moment.

Jameis Winston has been cooking over the past three weeks and turned himself into one of the best plays in fantasy football. Even though the Bucs have a tough game against the Saints this weekend, we don't expect Winston to slow down. Go big and play Jameis this Sunday.

It’s no secret who’s the go-to offensive weapon for the undefeated 49ers is Kittle. While Jimmy Garoppolo has had a so-so season through three games, Kittle has remained his primary target as predicted. The athletic tight end has caught 17 passes for 165 yards.

Though he doesn't have a TD yet this season, he may break through Sunday. The Niners draw the Browns, whose secondary has been depleted by injuries and who allowed a big day to Delanie Walker in Week 1.

Watson is our other must-start tight end this week. This will mark his first game back from suspension with the Patriots. But he and Tom Brady know each other well from Watson's previous stint with New England (2004-09, his first five seasons in the league).

Expect him to get off to a big start. The Patriots’ offense will be motivated after a poor showing in Buffalo, and they’re playing a Washington team that has consistently struggled to contain opposing tight ends. TE is a weak position, so Watson is a good option despite his lack of a track record this season.

Fresh off their big Thursday night win against the Packers, the Eagles face the lifeless Jets. New York’s passing D is one of the worst units in the league (No. 28), having given up big days to Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Allen.

Wentz has had a strong start to the season. Though his yardage totals haven't been jaw-dropping, he's thrown nine TDs to only two INTs, and his passer rating of 95.3 is respectable, if not overwhelming. Despite a week of rest for the bye, the Jets will be lit up by Wentz and the Eagles’ strong passing attack.

It’s probably crazy to even mention Thielen on this list, considering he was one of the top WRs selected in most drafts. But his start to the 2019 season has been poor, to say the least. After bursting out of the gates in 2018, his early 2019 production of 13 catches for 179 yards through four games, with an uninspiring 59 percent catch percentage has been startling. You were certainly hoping for more than three catches a game if you took Thielen early.

With that in mind, you might be tempted to relegate him to the bench. Don’t do it this week. His matchup against the Giants is a favorable one, as New York’s secondary—despite a strong showing against the dreadful Redskins passing unit—is vulnerable. The Giants are allowing 280 passing yards per game, and the Thielen-Cousins connection is too strong to stay contained for much longer.

Tate will immediately become one of the Giants’ top receiving targets as he returns from suspension to make his debut for Big Blue. And, with Daniel Jones’ encouraging first two starts, there’s reason to believe in this passing attack. But the Giants have faced two poor passing defenses in the past two weeks, and they face a much bigger challenge this week.

The Vikings’ pass D is one of the best in the NFC. Believe in the veteran wide receiver this season, especially as Jones gains experience—but don’t start Tate in Week 5.

The rookie has led Jacksonville, which looked dead in the water, to back-to-back wins, including a dramatic finish over the Broncos. He was impressive again. For the season, he has tossed seven TDs to one INT, and his QB rating of 106.9 is strong.

Nonetheless, he’ll face an aggressive Carolina pass rush this week. The Panthers have locked down opposing passers this season and stymied Deshaun Watson in Week 4. Carolina, which has the highest sack rate in the NFL, will get after the rookie from Washington State.

Jacobs has Raiders fans excited, as they should be. The rookie from Alabama is ninth in the league in rushing and has also shown some promise as a pass catcher. He gets plenty of reps in Jon Gruden’s offense, so he’s a reliable volume play week-to-week, but he’ll line up across from Khalil Mack & Co. this Sunday afternoon. Ouch.

The Bears’ vaunted D, which is allowing a measly 61.5 rushing yards per game, will lock in on stopping Jacobs. Given that Chicago will all but certainly be without Mitchell Trubisky, this could turn into a low-scoring affair. Bottom line: believe the Jacobs hype, but bench him this week.

The 0-4 Redskins are pushing the Dolphins and Jets for “worst team in the NFL” status. While the team’s coach and QB situations are in flux, Washington welcomes a decent opponent to town: the New England Patriots.

The Pats have the second-best passing D in the league. Behind Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson—who had two interceptions in a surprisingly great game against Buffalo—New England’s secondary has been locking down opposing wideouts since last season’s Super Bowl. Given the difficulty of his own situation and of the opponent, it’d be shocking to see McLaurin put up solid numbers this weekend.

Witten was a trendy pickup early in the season, as—fresh off a one-year stint as a Monday Night Football commentator—he showed no signs of rust, scoring touchdowns in Dallas’ first two games. This past Sunday, the veteran caught four passes for 50 yards in Dallas’ loss to New Orleans, but he also had a costly fumble.

Though he’s a good option to have on your roster, as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Dak Prescott like to target the veteran in the red zone, Witten is a bad play this week. He and Dallas face the Packers, whose secondary is the third-best against opposing passers in the league. Now, Green Bay’s rushing D has been porous, so Ezekiel Elliott is a great play, and you’ll still want to start Amari Cooper. But stay away from Witten this week.

Yes, Melvin Gordon is back for the Los Angeles Chargers. No, we don't think you should play him this week. Not only do the Chargers have a stacked backfield, but Gordon has been away too long to really trust him yet. Stay away for now.