How many sure-fire, must-start Fantasy quarterbacks are there in Week 5? Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray are all sure things, but what about Deshaun Watson? He's got a great matchup on the way against the Jaguars, but he's also been pretty mediocre this season, with a career-low touchdown rate and limited success in the passing game. But still, we'll call him a must-start, so there's seven.
Beyond that, you might be playing matchups. Teddy Bridgewater, Gardner Minshew, Justin Herbert, and Jared Goff are all guys you weren't drafting as starters who look like they belong in that discussion now, at least for Week 5. On the other end of the spectrum, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Daniel Jones, are all looking pretty fringe-y. Which means you've got some tough decisions to make unless you have one of those must-start guys.
Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls can help you make those tough decisions. Here's who he's starting, and who he'd prefer to leave on the bench this week.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
Start 'Em
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Roethlisberger has been a quality Fantasy quarterback through three games this season, and he should continue to play well coming off his surprise bye in Week 4. He's scored at least 22 Fantasy points in his first three starts, and he has averaged 22.6 Fantasy points in his past five games coming off a bye. The Eagles struggled in two games against Jared Goff in Week 2 and Joe Burrow in Week 3 with both scoring at least 24 Fantasy points, and Roethlisberger should be in that range this week.
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Let's see if Bridgewater can take advantage of this matchup against the Falcons, because it's dreamy. The Falcons have allowed four touchdowns to quarterbacks in every game between Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers and the combination of Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky. I wouldn't expect four touchdowns from Bridgewater this week, but he just had three against the Cardinals in Week 4 and he's got top-10 upside as the top streaming quarterback in Week 5.
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We'll wait to see if Herbert is starting this week against the Saints because Tyrod Taylor (chest) could return to action. However, Anthony Lynn should stick with Herbert because he looks the part. In three starts in place of Taylor, Herbert has scored at least 23 Fantasy points in two of them, and he's averaging 310.3 passing yards per game. The Saints are beat up defensively with Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) and Marcus Davenport (elbow) injured, and Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford each had three touchdowns against New Orleans in three weeks in a row. There's a lot to like about Herbert, even in New Orleans in prime time.
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Aside from the bad game against Miami in Week 3, Minshew has been a good Fantasy quarterback in three other outings, scoring at least 24 Fantasy points in those games. He should be in that range again in Week 5 at Houston, and the Texans have allowed multiple touchdowns against Patrick Mahomes in Week 1 and Roethlisberger in Week 3. I'll continue to trust Minshew as a low-end starter until he starts to struggle on a consistent basis, which shouldn't happen this week.
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We're going through every matchup on the schedule for Week 5 on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
Sleepers
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Even in a bad game last week for Fitzpatrick against Seattle he still scored 20 Fantasy points, and he's averaging 25.3 Fantasy points in his past three outings. The 49ers have allowed Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz to score at least 22 Fantasy points in two home games this year, and Fitzpatrick can still be a streaming option this week.
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The matchup is great for Cousins since the Seahawks are allowing an average of 408.5 passing yards per game, and three of four quarterbacks have scored multiple touchdowns against Seattle with Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Dak Prescott. Cousins has yet to attempt more than 27 passes in a game, but that should happen this week and lead to quality production.
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Jones is another quarterback with a great matchup against Dallas, who has allowed at least three passing touchdowns in each of the past three weeks against Ryan, Wilson and the combination of Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry. Jones hasn't thrown a touchdown since Week 1, so he's due, and he could be a sneaky starting option in a potential shootout with Prescott in Week 5.
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Sit 'Em
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Ryan is more of a bust alert than a must-sit option, but I don't like him without Julio Jones (hamstring) this week if the star wideout can't play. We've seen what Ryan looked like the past two games with Jones out or limited against Chicago and Green Bay, as Ryan combined for 25 Fantasy points in those outings. The Panthers also have been good against opposing quarterbacks this year in holding Derek Carr, Tom Brady and Herbert to a combined three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kyler Murray went for three touchdowns against the Panthers, but he had just 133 passing yards. Keep an eye on Jones' health, and if he's out then consider sitting Ryan this week.
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Wentz is averaging 22.5 Fantasy points in his past two games against Cincinnati and San Francisco, which is better than the 13.5 points he averaged in two games to start the season against Washington and the Rams. Hopefully, he's headed in the right direction, but I'm not trusting him this week at Pittsburgh. While the Steelers have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in each game this year against Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Deshaun Watson, this defense should be rested coming off a bye against a battered offensive line. Wentz is only worth starting in deeper leagues.
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Burrow has been great to start the season, and he's scored at least 24 Fantasy points in two of his past three games prior to Week 5 against Philadelphia and Jacksonville. He's attempting at least 36 passes each week, and that volume has helped his Fantasy production. But I don't like this matchup for him at Baltimore, and the Ravens have only allowed Mahomes to get multiple touchdowns against them in Week 3. Burrow is only worth starting in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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Carr has actually been a quality Fantasy quarterback of late, averaging 23.3 Fantasy points per game in his past three outings against New Orleans, New England and Buffalo. He also has yet to throw an interception this year. But I don't like this matchup for him on the road against the Chiefs, who have yet to allow multiple passing touchdowns against Watson, Herbert and Lamar Jackson, as well as the Patriots duo of Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham. And Arrowhead Stadium has been a nightmare for Carr in his career. In six career games at Kansas City, Carr has scored a combined 51 Fantasy points, with a high of 12. History suggests you sit Carr in all leagues this week.
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Mayfield has two touchdown passes in each of his past three games, but he's failed to top 170 passing yards since Week 2. And he hasn't scored more than 18 Fantasy points in any game this year. The Colts have only allowed five passing touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season, and this defense should make Mayfield uncomfortable this week. He's only worth using in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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Bust Alert
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I had Brady in this spot last week, and he made me look bad with 369 passing yards and five touchdowns for 42 Fantasy points against the Chargers. He did that without Chris Godwin (hamstring), and Godwin is out again this week at Chicago. I don't like this setup for Brady since he has to travel on a short week. The Bears have yet to allow multiple touchdowns to an opposing quarterback, including matchups with Stafford and Ryan. And along with Godwin being out, the Buccaneers are also down O.J. Howard (Achilles) for the season and Justin Watson has been ruled out as well. I still view Brady as a low-end starter in all leagues, but I'm not confident in him playing well against the Bears on the road.
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So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 5 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
