Fantasy Football Start Sit Week 5: Should the Vikings Bench Your Saints?

After four games, we have a pretty good idea of which players we can rely on. However, major injuries continue to cause weekly lineup fluctuations. 

Additionally, Week 5 brings the first bye weeks into play. 

Your Team Intel page is an invaluable weapon, applying our award-winning weekly projections to your custom scoring to help you set your optimal lineup.

Quarterback to Start

Target the Lions whenever you can.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

Brissett is coming off a disappointing outing against the Giants in Week 4, finishing as the QB20 after completing 21 of 35 attempts for 166 yards and 2 TDs with 3 INTs.

But it was also the second straight week he generated at least 25 expected fantasy points, signaling that opportunity continues to be there. Brissett’s averaging 27.9 expected points over the past two weeks, which leads all QBs.

Brissett’s numbers are benefiting from negative game scripts thanks to a defense allowing the third-most points this season.

A Week 5 matchup with the Lions boosts his upside. No other defense has allowed more fantasy points to QBs, while the fifth-ranked Lions’ scoring offense figures to put the Cardinals QB in negative game script.

Brissett projects as a QB1 this week.

QB to Sit

Has this guy run out of magic?

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Despite 48 pass attempts in the Saints' 45-24 loss to the Falcons on Monday night, Shough finished with a season-low 15.9 fantasy points, ranking outside of QB1 range for the first time.

Shough has attempted at least 40 passes in three of the first four games, averaging 45.0 attempts per game. That leads all QBs and is 4.5 more than the closest passer.

But despite leading by a wide margin in passing volume, the Saints rank outside the top 5 in neutral pass rate at a seventh-ranked 63.1%.

All three of Shough’s 40-attempt games have come in losses, indicating that his high passing volume has been a product of game script rather than offensive plan.

A decrease in volume for a QB who ranks 19th in adjusted yards per attempt and 20th in passing TD rate leads to a far scarier floor than what the first four weeks have previewed.

The outlook gets worse against a Vikings defense that has allowed the fewest points to QBs this season.

Running Backs to Start

One guy surprised in Week 4 while the other let us down.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Harvey is coming off a season-high 19.3 PPR points in the Broncos' Week 4 loss to the 49ers, marking his first RB1 performance of the season.

It was made possible by hauling in all of his team-high 10 targets, which pushed his target share to 21.9% this season, leading all RBs.

Harvey finished last season accounting for double-digit rushing attempts in six of the final seven games in the regular season but has yet to 10 in a game this year. Most recently, J.K. Dobbins outcarried him 11-7.

But because his production isn’t tied to rushing volume, he still brings RB1 upside even in negative game scripts, with his 11.1 receiving PPR points per game ranking fourth among RBs.

Harvey is a Week 5 start ahead of a matchup with a Chargers defense allowing the 11th-most points and the 12th-most targets to RBs.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets

In the Jets' first game without Breece Hall (quad injury), Allen accounted for every rushing attempt. He joins Jahmyr Gibbs as the only RBs to handle a 100% rush share in a game this season.

Allen also maintained moderate efficiency on his large workload, rushing for 4.2 yards per carry. That ranked a decent 20th among 52 RBs with at least 5 rushing attempts in Week 4.

That came despite the Jets getting dominated by the Bears defense and producing just 157 total yards, which ranked dead last in Week 4. They also held the ball for only 17:15, the second-lowest mark for any team in a game since 2020.

Hall’s likely to miss Week 5 against a Browns defense that’s allowed at least 80 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per carry to RBs Jaylen Warren, Chuba Hubbard, and Bucky Irving each of the past three weeks.

RBs to Sit

Did Week 4 present us a mirage or the start of a trend?

Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

We knew Kamara was set for higher usage after Travis Etienne landed on IR (hamstring) ahead of Week 4. But late-stage Kamara still needs TDs to deliver worthwhile fantasy production.

The veteran scored 22.8 PPR points Monday night for his biggest week since 2024. But he did so on just 58 total yards. It's the lowest yardage tally this season for any RB who reached 20 PPR points in a game.

Kamara ended up with an equal 37.8% snap share as RB CJ Donaldson after he sat out on the final drive of the blowout loss, while out-snapping Kendre Miller’s 25.7%. It resulted in Kamara taking the team-high 36.7% carry share for just 7 rush attempts.

The league-wide average sits at 4.2 yards per carry, a mark Kamara has yet to reach in a game this season. He managed just 3.3 yards per rush against the Falcons, ranking 34th among all RBs with at least 5 rushing attempts in Week 4.

Now come the Vikings, who have allowed the second-fewest RB fantasy points this season and rank fourth in rush DVOA; second in overall DVOA.

Sit Kamara this week.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

Corum gets a friendly matchup in Week 5, facing a Bills defense that’s allowed the sixth-most points to RBs. But his usage doesn’t suggest he’ll take advantage of it.

Corum posted a 33% carry share last season, leading to optimism that his third season would continue the upward trend.

That hasn’t happened. Corum is again sitting at a 33% carry share behind Williams, and it looks even worse over the past two weeks. The Rams’ No. 2 RB has averaged just a 23.4% carry share over that span, 48th in the league.

And he’s not adding much value in the passing game. Corum’s 4.5% target share ranks 56th among RBs. Even that marks a rise from his 71st-ranked target share last season.

Unless you’re desperate, sit Corum.

Wide Receivers to Start

Betting on Bears and Bills has tended to pay off.

Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears

Burden has been the Bears' top target earner this season with a 24.0% target share, 23rd among all WRs.

But he’s already had to overcome a weather-impacted game against a Vikings defense and catching passes from a third-string QB making his first start since 2023.

Yet Burden’s 11.7 PPR points per game rank 26th among WRs so far.

He now gets a second straight week with QB Tyson Bagent, who threw for 268 yards in his first start since 2023. Bagent even did so facing a Jets defense that’s allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards this season.

Burden gets the luxury this week of facing a Packers defense that’s allowed the most points to WRs, making him a starter with WR1 upside.

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

Shakir commanded a season-high 26.7% target share last week in a game that saw D.J. Moore aggravate the shoulder he injured in Week 2.

That season-high volume led to 13.2 PPR points, Shakir’s most since Week 12 of last season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Moore’s shoulder injury is not considered to be a “long-term issue.” But hurting the same joint twice in three weeks makes him seem likely to miss a little time.

If Moore sits, expect Shakir to keep seeing an uptick in volume in a QB Josh Allen-led offense that’s scoring the league’s most points.

Shakir is a Week 5 start in a Monday Night Football matchup with the Rams where the Bills hold a 25.75 implied total.

WRs to Sit

One of these guys has gotten lucky, while the other’s just not getting much.

Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints

Vele has benefited from the Saints throwing the ball more than any other team, with QB Tyler Shough averaging 45.0 pass attempts per game.

That passing volume is why Vele ranks 16th among WRs at 7.8 targets per game, despite an 18.1% target share that ranks 44th.

All three of Shough’s games with at least 40 pass attempts came in losses, indicating the league-high passing volume has been forced by game script. The team ranks seventh in neutral pass rate.

Week 5 adds the challenge of a Vikings defense that’s allowing the league’s fewest points plus the seventh-fewest passing yards and fewest TD passes, despite ranking in the middle of the league in pass attempts faced.

Vele looks risky at best.

Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders

It’s hard to envision the upside for Tucker this week, even if the Patriots miss superstar CB Christian Gonzalez again.

QB Kirk Cousins has already shown an unwillingness to feed his top WR. Tucker leads Raiders WRs with a 16.9% target share, but that’s only the fourth-highest mark on the team and ranks 50th among all WRs.

Outside of Tucker’s 22.9 PPR points in Week 2 -- when he accounted for two 40-yard catches including a TD -- he hasn’t reached double-digit PPR points in any other week.

The high-volatility WR presents too much downside in Week 5, facing a Patriots defense allowing the fifth-fewest passing yards.

Tight End to Start

Elevated usage is coming with a favorable game script.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Goedert returns from an MCL sprain that’s held him out the past two weeks to a depleted Eagles offense that’s missing both its top WR and RB, Devonta Smith and Saquon Barkley, to hamstring injuries. RT Lane Johnson also retired and C Cam Jurgens was traded away.

Fortunately, that’s a favorable combination for the Eagles TE. Over the past two seasons with Smith sidelined, Goedert has averaged 5.8 targets and 4.5 receptions, compared to 5.1 targets and just 3.9 receptions in games he’s played.

While QB Jalen Hurts’ passing yardage has decreased each of the past two weeks, he’s facing a Jaguars defense that’s allowing the second-most passing yards entering Week 4.

With the Eagles defense facing a QB in Trevor Lawrence that’s thrown for the third-highest passing TD rate this season, their offense is expected to be in a passer-friendly game script throughout the matchup in London. The Jaguars are favored by 7.5 points.

For the Eagles, that’s a nightmare scenario. For Goedert, it boosts him into a fringe TE1 projection and a Week 5 start.

TE to Sit

The Ravens offense will look different in Week 5.

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews is one of just three TEs to command at least a 20% target share in each game, joining Trey McBride and Isaiah Likely. Yet he ranks as the TE20 with 9.7 PPR points per game.

His lack of production can be partly attributed to the Ravens' lack of passing volume. QB Lamar Jackson ranks 31st among QBs with just 24.0 pass attempts per game. That has turned Andrews’ fifth-ranked 23.5% target share into just 6.0 targets per game, tied for 10th among TEs.

He didn’t catch his first TD until the second quarter of Week 4, leaving him at 0.3 TDs per game, which ranks 28th among TEs.

Backup QB Tyler Huntley stepping in for an injured Jackson in Week 5 figures to decrease the efficiency for this low-volume passing offense. Huntley has averaged 26.4 pass attempts per game across 16 career starts and one fewer TD pass per game than Jackson’s career average, and 5.9 yards per attempt vs. Jackson’s 7.9.

Sit Andrews for the primetime matchup with the Falcons.