NFL Week 5 Start/Sit

 

Start 'Em

Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy has taken a massive step as a passer this season and now draws a fantastic match-up at home against the Arizona Cardinals. He leads the NFL in Yards Gained per Pass Attempt (9.1), while the Cardinals are allowing the second-highest YPA (8.5) to opposing passers through four weeks. San Francisco sports the highest team total on the board per the sportsbooks (28), and with a fully healthy arsenal of weapons, we could see a spike week from Purdy in Week 5.

Najee Harris

Harris was one of my favorite value picks in drafts this season, and while that hasn’t panned out quite yet, there is no better time to reap the rewards than in Week 5. Pittsburgh has ruled out both Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson for their Sunday night showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. This means we should get close to a full Najee experience in primetime in what should be a competitive game-script. He wasn’t efficient even with Warren out last week, but he did catch a long pass once Patterson went down, and I’m going to start him with confidence in Week 5. Dallas is banged up defensively this week, and Harris seems due for positive touchdown regression. He’s logged 12 touches in the red zone with 0 touchdowns, hopefully that corrects in our favor on Sunday evening.

Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks and the entire Packers receiving corps get a boost on Sunday with Christian Watson doubtful to play. He was a big-time producer for them on their late season run in 2023, closing the season with three touchdowns in his last two games. He’s followed that up with a two-touchdown spike week in Week 4 after Watson exited the game early. Wicks has been targeted on just over 30% of his routes run this season – while that number remains a solid 25% since the start of last season in games Watson has missed. It’s a strong match-up as well against a soft Rams secondary that’s allowed the highest Net Yards gained per pass attempt in the NFL this season (8.1).

Brian Thomas Jr

Speaking of strong match-ups, it doesn’t get any cleaner of a spot than a home date with the Indianapolis Colts. Targeting Indy has been fantasy gold this season, given how they are pushing the pace on offense. Not only are they playing at a top-three pace this season, they will be without Jonathan Taylor in this game which could skew their game plan even more pass-heavy…especially if Joe Flacco starts for the banged-up Anthony Richardson. This could present an added opportunity for the Jaguars to see a season-high in play volume working out in favor of both Trevor Lawrence and their pass catchers. It’s no secret how good Thomas has looked, but I was pleased to see he ranks top-20 in adjusted Yards per Route Run per SumerSports. This is a ceiling spot for the entire Jaguars offense.

Sit 'Em

Dak Prescott

Prescott finds himself in a difficult match-up in Week 5 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Prescott has always been a better fantasy producer at home in the offensive-friendly confines of JerryWorld. He averaged over 80 YPG more at home last season, with his YPA spiking to 8.58 there as well compared to 6.7 on the road. He’s barely eclipsed 200 yards passing per game through two road games this season, and will be down one of his key playmakers in Brandin Cooks in this contest. Overall, there are more viable streaming options sitting on the waiver wire in better offensive environments.

Any Chiefs RB

KC is reeling right now, losing multiple key offensive players in the last few games. Not only are they down starting RB Isiah Paceco – but will now be without star wideout Rashee Rice who has been one of the best fantasy producers across all teams through four games. Given how banged up they are, we could see them lean more heavily into their veteran players and with the addition of Kareem Hunt now in the mix – it could create a nightmare fantasy scenario. I think Hunt is the odds-on favorite for GL work as of now, but that is also Carson Steele’s strength so it’s a complete unknown. That’s not to mention they still have Semaje Perine who they trust – he scored a red-zone touchdown last week. KC’s offense has been less prolific this season despite their 4-0 start, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting any of the three RBs vs the Saints.

Jakobi Meyers

The bull case for Meyers is pretty clear. Not only is there systemic risk that the offense continues to struggle sans Davante Adams – but it’s also a road game vs a divisional opponent with a low 36 Vegas total. With Adams sidelined, Meyers will likely draw shadow coverage from Pat Surtain, who has been one of the best shadow-corners in the NFL the last few seasons. I don’t typically weigh WR/CB individual match-ups heavily, but given that we know Surtain will shadow, this is one of those instances. I’d be looking elsewhere, even to someone like his teammate Tre Tucker, who has a higher-floor role in this spot.