The Lineup Cheat Sheet combines Fantasy analysis and game-flow predictions with a confidence scale to give you a definitive answer on who to start in your leagues.
It's pretty simple: The scale runs from 1-10. The higher the number next to a player's name, the more confident you should be to start him. The numbers are not a projection, just a confidence score to help you pick who to start. Every relevant player for Week 5 is here, so if a player isn't listed, don't start him.
To find a specific player, use your search function -- CTRL-F on PCs and Command-F on Macs. If neither of those are options, or if you're on a mobile device, you can scroll by game.
If you're still unsure, just send a note on Twitter (@daverichard) and I'll give it a look, time permitting. Ready to get off on the right foot? Here's how to approach every play for Week 5 in PPR leagues — the non-PPR Cheat Sheet is right here.
More Week 5 Fantasy Prep: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | QB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | RB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | WR Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Waiver Wire | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Trade Values | Cut List
All lines from William Hill Sportsbook.
The line wants us to believe: Washington will compete. It's a team that's lost three straight games by 14 or more points. A change to Kyle Allen at quarterback is going to change things? The Rams offense isn't as bad as it looked last week, and Jared Goff should prove that pretty convincingly.
| Jared Goff | (7.8) | Kyle Allen | (4.8) |
| Malcolm Brown | (6.1) | Antonio Gibson | (7.3) |
| Cam Akers | (5.8) | J.D. McKissic | (6.3) |
| Darrell Henderson | (5.5) | Terry McLaurin | (8.3) |
| Robert Woods | (8.2) | Washington DST | (3.7) |
| Cooper Kupp | (7.9) | | |
| Tyler Higbee | (7.1) | | |
| Rams DST | (9.2) | | |
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:
The line wants us to believe: The Eagles have enough spunk to hang relatively close. I actually think it's a fair line but the public is all over Pittsburgh. They're rested while the Eagles are on the road for a second straight week. It might take a defensive touchdown for the Steelers to cover more than a touchdown.
| Carson Wentz | (6.2) | Ben Roethlisberger | (7.4) |
| Miles Sanders | (7.8) | James Conner | (9.7) |
| Greg Ward | (5.1) | JuJu Smith-Schuster | (8.4) |
| Zach Ertz | (6.8) | Diontae Johnson | (7.2) |
| Eagles DST | (6.0) | James Washington | (3.7) |
| | | Chase Claypool | (3.4) |
| | | Eric Ebron | (6.9) |
| | | Steelers DST | (9.0) |
The line wants us to believe: That the stink of the Jets overwhelms the stink of the Cardinals' last two games. Truth is, no one wants to willingly put actual currency on the Jets. But can the Cardinals beat them by eight-plus on the road after consecutive disappointments against the Lions and Panthers? This would be the right week for Arizona to get aggressive with their offense.
| Kyler Murray | (8.7) | Joe Flacco | (4.5) |
| Kenyan Drake | (7.0) | Le'Veon Bell | (7.1) |
| Chase Edmonds | (6.0) | Jamison Crowder | (6.8) |
| DeAndre Hopkins | (9.7) | Jets DST | (5.3) |
| Christian Kirk | (5.0) | | |
| Larry Fitzgerald | (3.8) | | |
| Andy Isabella | (3.3) | | |
| Cardinals DST | (7.5) | | |
The line wants us to believe: Another Chiefs blowout is upon us. Three of their four wins have come by at least two touchdowns, so it's pretty easy to believe. Las Vegas' injuries should help pave the way, though their offense has played better than expected. At the very least they should get close to their 21.75 implied point total.
| Derek Carr | (4.9) | Patrick Mahomes | (9.3) |
| Josh Jacobs | (7.7) | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | (8.9) |
| Hunter Renfrow | (6.05) | Tyreek Hill | (9.3) |
| Henry Ruggs | (4.45) | Sammy Watkins | (6.7) |
| Darren Waller | (8.5) | Mecole Hardman | (4.7) |
| Raiders DST | (2.9) | Travis Kelce | (9.6) |
| | | Chiefs DST | (7.3) |
The line wants us to believe: The Texans can beat anybody by a touchdown. The reality is that Bill O'Brien's firing figures to fire up the Texans on both sides of the ball. An injury-riddled Jaguars team isn't in position to compete. I do think both teams fall short of their implied point totals (24 for the Jags, 30 for the Texans). I also think Deshaun Watson runs the offense his way, which should be great.
| Gardner Minshew | (6.7) | Deshaun Watson | (8.9) |
| James Robinson | (8.4) | David Johnson | (7.9) |
| D.J. Chark | (8.6) | Will Fuller | (8.7) |
| Laviska Shenault Jr. | (6.2) | Brandin Cooks | (4.6) |
| Keelan Cole | (4.0) | Randall Cobb | (3.1) |
| Jaguars DST | (3.0) | Texans DST | (7.6) |
The line wants us to believe: The Ravens blow out the previously winless Bengals. It's a public perception line for sure, though the public isn't buying it. More money is coming in on the Bengals. Given the Ravens' offensive mishaps, I'm not positive they can score their implied 32 points. Seems like a lot. It would be huge for Joe Burrow to manage to hang around until the fourth quarter.
| Joe Burrow | (6.1) | Lamar Jackson | (9.1) |
| Joe Mixon | (7.2) | Mark Ingram | (6.2) |
| Tyler Boyd | (7.5) | J.K. Dobbins | (4.8) |
| Tee Higgins | (6.4) | Gus Edwards | (4.1) |
| A.J. Green | (4.3) | Marquise Brown | (7.0) |
| Drew Sample | (5.3) | Mark Andrews | (9.0) |
| Bengals DST | (3.1) | Ravens DST | (8.9) |
The line wants us to believe: The Falcons are just barely good enough. The whole world watched them get paddled at Green Bay -- now they're favorites? I feel like the oddsmakers want me to take the Panthers. And I will. Their defense is playing better while the Falcons defense is in the infirmary. Mike Davis should have one more monster stat line.
| Teddy Bridgewater | (7.6) | Matt Ryan | (6.6) |
| Mike Davis | (9.5) | Todd Gurley | (7.5) |
| Robby Anderson | (8.1) | Calvin Ridley | (7.3) |
| D.J. Moore | (7.7) | Russell Gage | (6.0) |
| Curtis Samuel | (3.2) | Hayden Hurst | (7.4) |
| Ian Thomas | (5.4) | Falcons DST | (3.2) |
| Panthers DST | (5.7) | | |
The line wants us to believe: San Francisco steamrolls to a home win. I know it sounds silly, but I just don't think the Dolphins will struggle. It's kind of in Ryan Fitzpatrick's nature to play well when no one expects it and stink when everyone believes in him. Stunningly, the public is all over the Dolphins. Like more than any team. That makes me nervous to take them.
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | (6.5) | Jimmy Garoppolo | (5.3) |
| Myles Gaskin | (6.9) | Jerick McKinnon | (8.1) |
| DeVante Parker | (7.6) | Jeff Wilson | (2.0) |
| Preston Williams | (4.1) | Brandon Aiyuk | (4.9) |
| Mike Gesicki | (6.4) | Deebo Samuel | (4.4) |
| Dolphins DST | (5.5) | George Kittle | (9.5) |
| | | 49ers DST | (7.4) |
The line wants us to believe: The oddsmakers need to give a lot of points to get even action on a game involving the Giants. I don't think the Cowboys defense is good enough to keep anyone in the league from getting within 10 points. Jason Garrett has good information on his old team and is sure to help his new team stick around. Giants are desperate for a win, too. They'll give a fight.
| Daniel Jones | (5.6) | Dak Prescott | (9.0) |
| Devonta Freeman | (6.1) | Ezekiel Elliott | (10.0) |
| Darius Slayton | (6.1) | Tony Pollard | (5.0) |
| Golden Tate | (5.5) | Amari Cooper | (9.15) |
| Evan Engram | (7.3) | CeeDee Lamb | (7.1) |
| Giants DST | (3.4) | Michael Gallup | (5.7) |
| | | Dalton Schultz | (8.0) |
| | | Cowboys DST | (5.9) |
The line wants us to believe: The Browns were a fraud in Week 4. I don't think they're a fraud, period. They're well coached and whoever on defense is healthy will make things difficult on the Colts. Do the oddsmakers want everybody to take the Browns? This one I don't think I can resist.
| Philip Rivers | (5.0) | Baker Mayfield | (6.3) |
| Jonathan Taylor | (8.6) | Kareem Hunt | (9.3) |
| Nyheim Hines | (6.8) | D'Ernest Johnson | (6.55) |
| T.Y. Hilton | (6.3) | Odell Beckham | (8.9) |
| Zach Pascal | (3.9) | Jarvis Landry | (5.6) |
| Mo Alie-Cox | (6.7) | Austin Hooper | (4.6) |
| Trey Burton | (6.3) | Browns DST | (6.4) |
| Colts DST | (6.5) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Vikings we saw last week aren't the real Vikings. Give credit to them, though, they've found some players to help them compete. Playing on the road for a consecutive week stinks but the Vikings should be able to stay within a score versus a Seattle defense that only looked good in Week 4 because of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
| Kirk Cousins | (6.8) | Russell Wilson | (9.5) |
| Dalvin Cook | (9.8) | Chris Carson | (9.2) |
| Alexander Mattison | (4.0) | Tyler Lockett | (9.2) |
| Adam Thielen | (9.6) | DK Metcalf | (8.0) |
| Justin Jefferson | (7.8) | David Moore | (4.2) |
| Kyle Rudolph | (5.7) | Greg Olsen | (6.6) |
| Vikings DST | (3.9) | Seahawks DST | (4.3) |
The line wants us to believe: The Saints are good enough to pull away. They did last week against an inept Lions squad, they could certainly do the same versus the Bolts. Admittedly, the Chargers are fun. But they're just not ready to be in the same class as New Orleans. Drew Brees might still have an axe to grind with his old team.
| Justin Herbert | (7.3) | Drew Brees | (7.5) |
| Joshua Kelley | (6.4) | Alvin Kamara | (9.9) |
| Justin Jackson | (5.9) | Latavius Murray | (5.7) |
| Keenan Allen | (8.8) | Tre'Quan Smith | (5.8) |
| Hunter Henry | (8.6) | Emmanuel Sanders | (5.9) |
| Chargers DST | (5.1) | Saints DST | (6.6) |
The Titans might find themselves in the toughest spot a team could be in — they haven't had an organized practice in nearly two weeks. They're being asked to contain Josh Allen and his wily passing attack. Seems like if they play this game, the Bills should have their way.
| Josh Allen | (9.4) | Ryan Tannehill | (6.4) |
| Devin Singletary | (8.3) | Derrick Henry | (9.0) |
| Stefon Diggs | (9.1) | A.J. Brown | (6.9) |
| John Brown | (5.55) | Jonnu Smith | (8.1) |
| Cole Beasley | (5.3) | Titans DST | (2.7) |
| Bills DST | (8.1) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Bears will keep it close. Will they? Can they?! I can't see David Montgomery having a monster game, so it would have to be with Nick Foles and the defense containing Tom Brady's depleted offense. The line feels engineered to take the Buccaneers. If Chicago were better coached, it would be much easier to roll with 'em. But sometimes you have to do things that aren't easy.
| Tom Brady | (6.9) | Nick Foles | (5.4) |
| Ronald Jones | (7.4) | David Montgomery | (6.6) |
| Ke'Shawn Vaughn | (4.2) | Allen Robinson | (9.5) |
| Mike Evans | (8.5) | Darnell Mooney | (3.6) |
| Scott Miller | (6.5) | Anthony Miller | (3.0) |
| Rob Gronkowski | (5.5) | Jimmy Graham | (5.9) |
| Cameron Brate | (5.0) | Bears DST | (6.7) |
| Buccaneers DST | (7.9) | | |
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.
