Identifying Week 5 sleepers and avoiding potential duds can make all the difference for your team. Whether you’re looking for under-the-radar players poised for a breakout or trying to dodge early-season letdowns, our team of Featured Pros has you covered. In this article, we’ll dive into the key players you should start and those you might want to bench based on expert insights and analysis.
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Week 5 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
Sleepers
Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is a good sleeper start, and why do you think he has upside this week?
Jordan Whittington (WR – LAR)
“With Puka and Kupp both out, the Rams don’t have many other options at wide receiver. Jordan Whittington’s targets have continually increased over the past three weeks, so Stafford and McVay are starting to trust him in this offense. The Rams are playing the Packers this week, so they will need to score a lot of points to stay in the game. I would expect Whittington to remain involved in the passing game and be a sneaky flex start.”
– Joey Meinerding (Fantasy Dink)
DeMario Douglas (WR – NE)
“Do you want a sleeper to play in your flex for week 5? Pop (DeMario) Douglas is your guy. I know, I know, you probably think the Patriots’ offense sucks (which it does), and he hasn’t gotten the opportunity (which he hasn’t) but hear me out. He was open A LOT on film this week, and Miami has the worst defense in the league, according to DVOA. Get him in your lineups, and you won’t regret it.”
– Morgan Colby (The Fantasy Champions)
Tre Tucker (WR – LV)
“Tre Tucker is a must-start in a flex position moving forward. With Adams wanting out of Las Vegas, Tucker has slid right into a role that demands a lot of targets. Minshew has really started to spread out the offense and is getting the ball everywhere, as he did in Indianapolis in 2023. Tucker saw the most volume among pass catchers in Week 4 against the Browns. ”
– Justin Bauerle (Once Upon a Sunday)
“Tre Tucker is a viable WR3 or flex option this week, with Davante Adams unlikely to play for the Raiders. With Adams out in Week 4, Tucker had 5-41-0 receiving on six targets and added a 3-yard touchdown run. Tucker should have a decent target floor this week, particularly if teammate Jakobi Meyers has to run a lot of his routes against Broncos shutdown corner Patrick Surtain Jr. Tucker also offers enticing big-play speed.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Antonio Gibson (RB – NE)
“Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told the media that the team is considering starting Antonio Gibson this week, with Rhamondre Stevenson having four fumbles over the first month. Gibson has outproduced Stevenson, positing a higher yards-per-rushing attempt average (3.73 vs. 3.47), missed forced tackle rate per attempt (18% vs. 11%), and half-point PPR fantasy points per game average (7.3 vs. 4.3) over the past two weeks (per Fantasy Points Data). Meanwhile, he faces a Miami Dolphins defense that has surrendered the 10-most rushing yards (113) and the fourth-most fantasy points (26.8) per game to running backs this season, giving up two rushing touchdowns in three consecutive contests. With multiple superstar running backs on a bye, Gibson has low-end RB2 upside.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Opportunity is sometimes all players need to gain fantasy value. Antonio Gibson is about to get a great opportunity due to Rhamondre Stevenson’s fumble issues. Gibson will see added snaps this week versus a Dolphins defense that just lost their best player in Jaelan Phillips. Gibson is a great receiver out of the backfield and should have plenty of opportunities against the reeling Miami Dolphins.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Samaje Perine (RB – KC)
“The Chiefs answer at running back is not Carson Steele. And with Rashee Rice now out, there are targets available in the passing game. Give us Samaje Perine this week. Although Kareem Hunt will get his touches, we like Perine’s reception potential. Samaje is going to be a very solid flex play in Week 5.”
– Fantasy Football Goonz (Fantasy Football Goonz)
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB – NYG)
“Tyrone Tracy Jr. could be a sneaky start in Week 5. New York Giants starting running back Devin Singletary has missed practice all week with a groin injury and could miss this week’s game or, at the very least, be limited. Tracy Jr showed out in training camp and the preseason and worked his way up the Giants RB depth chart before a leg injury stopped his upward march. If Singletary is unable to play this week or is limited, this could lead to a significant role for Tracy Jr, who has the talent to be a stud in this matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. In the event Tracy Jr gets the start in Week 5, he is a mid-range RB2 immediately.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Football Universe)
“With Devin Singletary questionable due to a groin injury, Tyrone Tracy is a must-add and could even be a solid flex play for fantasy managers this week. The Seahawks were gashed by the combo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs on Monday Night Football, and Tracy has a fantastic opportunity to impress. Eric Gray is also available, but Tracy will be the one to benefit if Singletary is limited or ruled out entirely against Seattle.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Zach Ertz (TE – WAS)
“Zach Ertz is an intriguing sleeper outside the top 100. In two out of four weeks, he has finished as a top 10 tight end. Plus, he is averaging four targets per game while having three receptions per game. The downside is that his best receiving game happened when he had 62 yards receiving (season high). However, the Browns have an aggressive defensive front, which should put pressure on QB Jayden Daniels. This could mean he has to get the ball out quickly and not have time to throw downfield. Ertz could be his safety blanket this game which could lead to another top 10 finish this week.”
– Miguel ‘SC’ Romero (Fantasy Football Universe)
Justin Watson (WR – KC)
“I like taking a chance on Justin Watson this week. Someone has to catch passes in this offense with all the injuries at receiver. Watson has the most familiarity with Patrick Mahomes and is a good big-play threat. Plus, he played 69 percent of the snaps last week, showing he is a big part of the offense with Rashee Rice out.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
Evan Engram (TE – JAC) | Brenton Strange (TE – JAC)
“Tight end has been a dumpster fire in the early going. Thankfully, there are a ton of sleeper TEs available on the waiver wire, even during bye weeks. In Week 5, I’m playing whoever suits up as the TE1 in Jacksonville. I’m hoping that’s Evan Engram, but I’ll roll out Brenton Strange if Engram sits again. Indy is the 3rd worst defense when it comes to giving up fantasy points to opposing tight ends, having hemorrhaged points to Cole Kmet and Pat Freiermuth in back-to-back weeks. The Colts’ secondary is thin at the corner, and they’ll need to employ their good safeties to help against a solid group of Jags receivers that includes the outstanding Brian Thomas Jr. If Engram plays, he’s no doubt in my lineup. If it’s Brenton, there are far stranger options to plug in at TE this week.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
Duds
Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?
Devin Singletary (RB – NYG)
“Devin Singletary had a rough outing this past week with only 24 yards on 14 carries. He may have an even tougher time this week, getting as many opportunities against a high-powered Seattle offense as possible, which could lead to the Giants’ game script abandoning the run game. I don’t have a lot of confidence in Singletary moving forward, with Nabers and Robinson being the focal points of this offense.”
– Joey Meinerding (Fantasy Dink)
De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
“You might want to avoid De’Von Achane this week. Listen, if you have to play him, then play him, but since Tua went down, Miami has had maybe the worst offense in football. Last week, Achane had 5.9 fantasy points vs TEN, who has given up 18 fantasy ppg vs the RB position. As long as the Dolphins are inefficient offensively, Achane will disappoint. Could be a surprising bust for Week 5.”
– Morgan Colby (The Fantasy Champions)
“De’Von Achane, at 24, might underperform this week. Yes, he has the talent to be the top fantasy scorer of any week; however, the lack of quarterback play hurts his upside. The Patriots’ defense has an experienced bunch that understands Miami’s running game is their best weapon right now. They will do their part to shut down Achane. Plus, over the past two weeks, Achane has scored fewer than 10 fantasy points consecutively. If you have him, you are probably starting him, but be prepared to be disappointed again.”
– Miguel ‘SC’ Romero (Fantasy Football Universe)
Zack Moss (RB – CIN)
“Zack Moss is a player sitting just inside the top 40 that is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week. With Chase Brown getting more of the workload in a high-run power offense in Week 4, I’d expect Moss to see less work again in Week 5. The Baltimore Ravens have not allowed opposing RBs to score a lot this year, and the Bengals could be passing the ball more with both Chase and Higgins back in the lineup.”
– Justin Bauerle (Once Upon a Sunday)
Stefon Diggs (WR – HOU)
“Stefon Diggs has a revenge game matchup this week against the Buffalo Bills. While everyone expects the veteran to have a massive performance, don’t be surprised if the Bills do everything to shut him down. He hasn’t had a receiving touchdown since Week 1 despite averaging nine targets per game. More importantly, Diggs needed a rushing touchdown off a broken trick play to score double-digit half-point PPR fantasy points last week against a poor Jacksonville Jaguars defense despite the Texans missing Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. Buffalo has held wide receivers to only one receiving touchdown (in Week 1) and the second-fewest fantasy points per game this season (15.5). Dell will play this week, making Diggs severely overrated as the WR17 in the rankings.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
Drake London (WR – ATL)
“The good news on Drake London is that he’s had six receptions in each of his last three games. The bad news is that he hasn’t reached 70 receiving yards in any of his first four games, and he has yet to record a catch of 20 or more yards. The Falcons’ new-look offense has yet to fully take flight. Of course, you have to start London in fantasy leagues this week, but perhaps he doesn’t have the glittery upside that some of the other top-20 receivers have.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
“You know what? Bijan Robinson kind of sucks. Hyperbole aside, the Falcons continue to involve Tyler Allgeier, which severely hampers Bijan’s RB1 potential. You don’t need to sit him, but we have seen enough to abandon any expectations of greatness. He is an RB2 until proven otherwise.”
– Fantasy Football Goonz (Fantasy Football Goonz)
Chris Olave (WR – NO)
“Chris Olave is my sit this week for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have taken a nosedive after two insanely efficient games to start the season, but that hasn’t always meant Olave would be the beneficiary. This week, New Orleans matches up against a Kansas City secondary that has reached Bill Belichick levels of effectiveness for shutting down an opponent’s number-one receiver. The Saints can surely score enough points to hang around in this game, but look for Olave to be left out of the production party.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Football Universe)
Aaron Jones (RB – MIN)
“Aaron Jones is going up against a tough New York Jets defense. Jones has been off to a surprisingly great start for owners this year, with only one dud game thus far. Unfortunately, that dud was against another great defense in the 49ers, who held him to 32 yards on nine carries and five receptions for 36 yards. The Vikings are showing that they are a team to be reckoned with, but there might be a lot less running room and points this week against a stout Jet defense, making Jones’s No. 12 ranking a possible disappointment for owners in Week 5!”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
“Aaron Jones played a great game last week and has 17-plus fantasy points in three of four games. Jones has been very good in his first season as the starter in Minnesota. I worry about him a little this week, though, getting a great Jets run defense. New York has allowed fewer than 18 points, three straight, and allows the eighth fewest fantasy points to running backs. Jones could have a ho-hum showing in this one.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
Jerome Ford (RB – CLE)
“Jerome Ford is currently the ECR RB18 in half-PPR leagues and the 31st overall player. He’s even coming off of a game where he saw seven targets and 17 total touches. Against a hobbled Vegas defense, that was still only good enough for the RB23 on the week. In fact, Ford hasn’t finished any better since a Week 1 date with the Cowboys, where he scored his only touchdown on the season. Ford’s usage is pretty good. He’s got a somewhat favorable matchup against the Commanders front. And I still think he busts. The Browns’ offensive line has been decimated by injury, and they’ll be at least hobbled this week. Deshaun Watson has looked terrible, and the offense has struggled to move the ball. Ford is probably a must-play for you now that we’ve hit bye weeks, but I’m tempering my expectations once again for him.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“Many were excited about Jerome Ford’s potential without Nick Chubb for the Browns, but it just has not worked out as planned. Ford has not registered 13 or more points in half-PPR through the first four games of the season, and even with a solid matchup against Washington, he is still incredibly hard to trust as a flex play, let alone a top-40 start. The Browns are a mess, and it would be best for fantasy managers to look elsewhere instead of at Ford.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
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