Now will come one of the harder parts of the fantasy football calendar: surviving an onslaught of bye weeks.
Four teams will be out of action in Week 5. The Pittsburgh Steelers will get a break after winning the NFL’s first-ever Dublin game while the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will all have a normally scheduled week off.
Fantasy managers will be forced to find replacements for some of the key players on those teams, a group that notably includes Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, DK Metcalf and D.J. Moore.
The process of finding quality replacements should be easier now that four weeks of data are available for all 32 of the NFL’s teams. That said, fantasy football aficionados will still have to avoid pitfalls when making key start ’em, sit ’em decisions, as a handful of normally strong starters are facing tough matchups in Week 5.
USA TODAY Sports outlines 16 players to start or sit in your fantasy matchups this week.
Fantasy football players to start in Week 5
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields, New York Jets (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
The Cowboys have allowed a league-high 1,237 passing yards and 12 total touchdowns to quarterbacks through four weeks. Fields hasn’t been consistent as a passer, but this matchup and his rushing floor against a Dallas defense that just allowed Jordan Love to log a 25-yard scramble are good enough to make him a top quarterback streamer in Week 4.
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (at New Orleans Saints)
Dart is in a similar boat as Fields in Week 4. The rookie has a great rushing floor and showed a willingness to run often against the Chargers, logging 10 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown. The Saints have allowed the fifth-most FPPG to quarterbacks this season, so feel free to trust Dart as a bye-week fill-in, even if making his second-ever NFL start on the road in the Superdome won’t be easy.
Running backs
Woody Marks, Houston Texans (at Baltimore Ravens)
Marks overtook Nick Chubb in Houston’s running back rotation against the Titans, out-touching the veteran 21-15 and racking up 119 total yards and two touchdowns. Now, Marks gets to face a Ravens defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to running backs this season and will be playing without Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Roquan Smith (hamstring) in Week 5.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Tennessee Titans)
The Titans have allowed a league-high six rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. Benson handled eight of the Cardinals running backs’ 11 carries against the Seahawks and should continue to dominate carries with James Conner (ankle) out for the season.
Wide receivers
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints (vs. New York Giants)
Olave logged his first touchdown in more than a calendar year against the Bills. He continues to see a high-volume of targets from Spencer Rattler – 10.8, tied for second-most in the NFL – so the fourth-year veteran figures to be a solid WR2 against a Giants team that has allowed a league-high 60 catches to wide receivers.
Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans (at Arizona Cardinals)
The Cardinals have surrendered just two touchdowns to wide receivers this year, but their 58 catches allowed are tied for the second-most in the NFL. That could position Ayomanor, who has emerged as Cam Ward’s favorite target, to post solid numbers.
Tight end
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills (vs. New England Patriots)
The Patriots have allowed an average of 63 receiving yards per game to tight ends thus far in 2025. That could position Kincaid, who has a touchdown in three of his four games, for a big day.
Defense/special teams:
Seattle Seahawks (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The Seahawks are averaging a league-high 12.3 FPPG defensively and get to take on a Buccaneers team dealing with several injuries along its offensive line. Baker Mayfield has generated nine turnover-worthy plays in 2025 – tied for the most in the NFL with Spencer Rattler – while being sacked eight times. That gives Seattle’s stop unit a high ceiling despite playing against a solid offense (24.3 points per game).
Fantasy football players to sit in Week 5
Quarterbacks
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (at Los Angeles Rams)
Purdy has made three career starts against the Rams. In two of those starts, he has failed to throw a touchdown pass and has just four career touchdowns against Los Angeles. The 25-year-old is also playing on a short week while being shortly removed from a two-game absence due to toe and shoulder injuries, so it’s probably best to fade him until after the mini-bye.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (at Baltimore Ravens)
Stroud may be on the radar for some as a potential bye-week filler given the defensive injuries with which the Ravens are dealing. That said, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has just four total touchdowns this season and two came last week against the lowly Titans. So, while Baltimore is allowing the third-most FPPG to quarterbacks this season, Stroud hasn’t performed well enough to warrant a start.
Running backs
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Mason will continue to log a majority of Minnesota’s rushing workload with Aaron Jones sidelined, but the Vikings’ offensive line is banged up. Starting center Ryan Kelly (concussion) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee) were both forced out of the team’s Week 4 loss to the Steelers with injuries while left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist) also missed the game.
The Browns have allowed just 2.9 yards per carry and the second-fewest rushing yards to running backs thus far in 2025, so this doesn’t seem like a good spot in which to back Mason.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders (at Los Angeles Chargers)
The Commanders appear to be using a true committee approach at running back, as Croskey-Merritt and Chris Rodriguez Jr. tied for the team lead with seven carries last week. Neither figures to have much success against a Chargers defense allowing the second-fewest FPPG to RBs.
Wide receivers
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
Jeudy has averaged a respectable 7.5 targets per game through four weeks, but he is averaging just 3.3 catches and 45.5 receiving yards entering Week 5 while failing to log a touchdown. It’s hard to imagine that changing against a Vikings defense that has allowed the fewest FPPG to wide receivers this season.
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Denver Broncos)
The Eagles are averaging a league-low 25.3 passing attempts per game. That will make it hard for Smith – who is averaging a career-low 9.3 yards per reception with a 9.7-yard average depth of target (ADOT) – to get the targets necessary to make a major impact against a strong Broncos defense.
Tight end
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (at Buffalo Bills)
Henry ranks second on the Patriots in targets (15) while leading them in receiving touchdowns (3), but he has a difficult matchup in Week 5. The Bills have allowed just nine catches, 67 yards and a touchdown to opposing tight ends all season, and just limited Juwan Johnson to a three-catch, 28-yard outing. As such, Stefon Diggs is more likely to serve as Drake Maye’s top target as the veteran wide-out faces his former team.
Defense/special teams:
Denver Broncos (at Philadelphia Eagles)
As mentioned earlier, the Eagles average the fewest passing attempts per game (25.3) league-wide and also are tied with the Bills and Chiefs for the fewest giveaways (1). That will limit Denver’s opportunity to create splash plays, likely making the Broncos a middle-of-the-pack defense in Week 5.
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