Week 5 Fantasy Rankings: Who should you start & sit this week? | Fantasy Focus
Daniel Dopp, Field Yates, and Mike Clay break down Week 5 fantasy rankings across all positions, with big storylines being Lamar Jackson's injury, Lane Johnson's retirement hurting the Eagles' offensive line, and a running back position that feels unusually thin this season. The crew also runs mailbag questions and a head-to-head 'fantasy face-off' debating streaming and flex options at QB, RB, and WR.
# Week 5 Fantasy Rankings: Start/Sit Deep Dive
This episode of Fantasy Focus Football walks through full Week 5 rankings across every position, with Daniel Dopp, Field Yates, and Mike Clay flagging the injuries and volume shifts that matter most. The central argument: running back is in genuinely bad shape beyond a thin top tier, which inflates the value of high-volume mediocre backs, while a handful of quarterbacks and receivers in bad matchups (Seattle, Jacksonville) deserve real caution despite recent production.
The arguments
Lamar Jackson's likely multi-week absence tanks Baltimore's offensive projection, but Zay Flowers stays startable. Mike Clay noted Tyler Huntley has a weak passing track record (12 passing TDs in 17 games as a near-full-time starter), so Derek Henry becomes the clear beneficiary while Flowers drops a bit but remains in lineups given his talent and target share.
The Eagles' offensive line collapse (Lane Johnson's retirement, Landon Dickerson on IR, Cam Jurgens hurt) is a real red flag. Clay pointed to Philadelphia ranking 31st in combined offensive/defensive EPA, 27th in run block win rate specifically, and argued this isn't just noise — it's compounding injury and efficiency problems that should lower expectations for the whole offense, including Jalen Hurts and any Eagles running back.
Running back depth is historically thin, and the hosts disagreed on how bad it actually is. Clay admitted he nearly ranked RB10 as low as RB28 in his own tiers; Yates specifically called out Bhayshul Tuten as a player nobody has a real grip on (51% snap share, no passing-game role, but recent explosive-run trends), while Clay countered that volume alone (Aaron Jones, Emmanuel Wilson, DeAndre Swift) is propping up otherwise unconvincing players.
Aaron Jones is a sell-high candidate once Jordan Mason returns. Clay built the case on usage (37 carries, 14 targets over two weeks) and a plus Saints matchup, but both hosts agreed that value craters the moment Mason is back, making this a get-him-while-he's-hot situation for managers who can trade.
Brock Purdy's matchup with Seattle is genuinely scary despite his hot start. Clay cited the Seahawks allowing no quarterback over 9.8 fantasy points all season and Purdy's own history of disaster games against Seattle (5.2 and 5.3 points in two meetings, including a playoff game), while still keeping him at QB11 because he's delivered for four straight weeks.
Drake May has turned a corner and belongs in the QB1 conversation going forward. Yates pointed to his rushing profile (top-5 among QBs in both yards and attempts) and an easier upcoming slate (Raiders, then Jets/Browns-type matchups) as reasons to trust him even without A.J. Brown or Kayshon Boutte available.
George Pickens and Carnell Tate are buy-low/trust-the-process plays in bad fantasy matchups for the defense. Clay broke down Pickens' brutal underlying numbers (28th in receiving yards, only one end-zone target) as partly bad luck given Tampa Bay has already allowed two 20-point receiver games, while Tate's usage spike (30% target share, 145 yards against Baltimore) against a struggling Texans pass defense makes him a locked-in start.
What it means for your roster
- Sit Jalen Hurts this week and treat the entire Eagles offense (Hurts, any RB) with suspicion until the O-line situation stabilizes — three straight weeks under 16.5 fantasy points and no reliable receiving corps if Devonta Smith/Dallas Goedert sit.
- Start Zay Flowers even with Huntley at QB; bench or significantly downgrade any Ravens passing-game speculative adds.
- Explore trading Aaron Jones now while his volume (37 touches/2 weeks) is inflated — his value drops hard once Jordan Mason returns in the next 1-2 weeks.
- Start Jared Goff and Jacoby Brissett as streaming QB1 options this week given plus matchups (Arizona allowing most pass TDs in the league; Jacksonville favorable for Brissett).
- Be cautious with Brock Purdy — still startable as a low QB1/high QB2, but temper expectations hard against Seattle's historically dominant pass defense.
- Prioritize Carnell Tate as a near-must-start against Houston's leaky secondary, and consider Matthew Golden as a flex play given Green Bay's pass-heavy pivot with the running back situation struggling.
- Stream Dallas, Cincinnati, or Jacksonville at defense — all under 50% rostered with favorable matchups (Tampa Bay, Miami, and a banged-up Eagles offense, respectively).
“Does Jalen Hurts bring you joy to starts right now?” — Daniel Dopp
Players in this episode
→ Moved down slightly in rankings with Huntley likely starting, but expected to still get heavy volume and remain fine.
↓ Reported to be out Sunday night vs. Atlanta with a possible multi-week absence; Mike Clay has already zeroed him out in projections.
↑ Trending up after a strong rushing/passing performance; hosts like him as a top-10 QB vs. Las Vegas even missing weapons like A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins.
↑ Bottom-five-percentile start to the season (only one end-zone target) but hosts predict a breakout vs. a leaky Tampa Bay secondary.
↓ Outside the top 12 QBs for the third straight week with back-to-back bad outputs; hosts say bench him, comparing it to a Marie Kondo 'doesn't spark joy' situation.
→ 10th in NFL carries but lacking goal-line work and inconsistent target usage; viewed as a mid-range RB2 at best, not a major concern yet.
↑ Nine targets last week after a slow start; hosts are betting on his athletic talent translating into continued top-10 TE usage.
→ Still startable even without Lamar due to elite run-after-catch ability and volume, though his ceiling is lower without Jackson under center.
↑ Struggled the last two weeks against tough defenses (KC, Jax, LAR, SF) but gets a much friendlier Chargers matchup; won a fantasy face-off debate over Sam Darnold.
→ Box score looks bad but still leads in touches/scrimmage yards and goal-line carries (4th among RBs); considered the backfield's true RB1 and a bounce-back candidate vs. Green Bay.
→ Ranked QB8-10 but flagged as a scary matchup vs. Seattle, who have allowed no QB to top 9.8 fantasy points in four of five games; historically struggles vs. Seattle.
↑ Nine TDs and zero INTs this year, in a prime streaming spot against an Arizona defense allowing the most passing TDs in the league.
↑ Target share near 30% (9th in NFL) with a big game vs. Baltimore; concern remains lack of touchdowns, but good matchup vs. Houston this week.
↑ Topped 20 fantasy points twice in four games including a 146-yard, 2-TD outing; won a face-off debate over Eagles backup Will Shipley due to a more trustworthy offense.
↑ 30 targets over the last two weeks (most in NFL) vs. a Lions defense that's allowed six games of 19.9+ fantasy points to a WR/TE; lost a face-off debate to Zay Flowers.
↑ Averaging heavy volume (37 carries/14 targets over two weeks) with Jordan Mason out, facing a generous Saints run defense; hosts suggest selling high before Mason returns.
↑ Four straight games with 6+ targets and two top-20 WR weeks; viewed as a flex option as Green Bay's run game struggles push more passing volume his way.
↑ 26% target share (4th among TEs) with Kyler Murray, drawing a Saints defense that's been generous to tight ends; viewed as a high-floor TE1 with 20-point upside.
→ Remains a top-20 RB on volume after Seattle passed on signing Joe Mixon; viewed as a low-end RB2/flex option.
↑ Cracked the top 10 QB rankings for the first time, deemed a must-start against the Lions this week.
↓ Reports suggested Seattle might sign him, but a mysterious foot injury that cost him all of 2025 still appears to be a problem; his career could be over.
↓ Announced retirement; hosts praised his career and flagged this as a major blow to an already struggling Eagles offensive line.
→ Would start if Lamar is out; his career passing numbers are mediocre (12 passing TDs in 17 games, under 180 yards/game) though he adds rushing value.