There are four teams on a bye in Week 5, which means Fantasy managers are without some top-tier quarterbacks, including Jalen Hurts and Jared Goff. It could make for some interesting lineup decisions, and hopefully we can help.
Along with Hurts and Goff being out, I'm not expecting some other star quarterbacks to perform at a high level this week, including Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray, which you can read more about below. Mahomes just lost Rashee Rice (knee) and hasn't been a good Fantasy quarterback this season, Prescott has a difficult matchup at Pittsburgh and Murray should struggle at San Francisco.
Speaking of the 49ers, Brock Purdy is my Start of the Week, and I love his matchup against the Cardinals. Purdy has scored at least 23.3 Fantasy points in three career games against Arizona, and the Cardinals are No.. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this year.
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The biggest storyline to monitor at quarterback this week is the health of Anthony Richardson (hip), who left Week 4 against Pittsburgh. If Richardson can play at Jacksonville then he should be considered a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, and the Jaguars are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to the position.
Now, if Richardson is out, then Joe Flacco is a borderline starter in all leagues. Flacco scored 19 Fantasy points in relief of Richardson against the Steelers, and he should have the chance for a quality encore in this favorable matchup.
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Keep an eye on the injury report all week. And if Richardson is out then Flacco will be someone who I will highlight in my sleepers column on Friday.
QBs to Start
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Love got off to a slow start in Week 4 against Minnesota in his first game back from a two-game absence with a knee injury, but he finished strong with 389 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions for 36.2 Fantasy points. He should stay hot this week at the Rams, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Kyler Murray and Brock Purdy each had more than 31 Fantasy points against the Rams, and Love has the chance to be in that range also in Week 5.
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Mayfield has scored more than 20 Fantasy points in three of four games this season, including two outings with more than 32 points. He scored 24.1 Fantasy points at Atlanta in Week 14 last year and averaged 21.2 points against the Falcons in 2023. Two quarterbacks have already topped 20 Fantasy points against Atlanta this season, and Mayfield should make it three on Thursday night.
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DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) is out in Week 5, and Micah Parsons (ankle) could also miss this game for the Cowboys. That's great news for Fields, who is coming off his best outing of the season in Week 4 at Indianapolis with 33.9 Fantasy points, and he also scored 20.4 points against the Chargers in Week 3. He topped 30 pass attempts in both of those outings, and I hope the Steelers continue to allow him to make plays. And he has three rushing touchdowns in his past two games. I'll buy into Fields as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 5, especially if Parsons is out for Dallas. And Derek Carr and Lamar Jackson have already scored at least 25 Fantasy points against the Cowboys, with each of those quarterbacks rushing for a touchdown against Dallas.
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Smith has yet to throw multiple touchdowns in a game this season, but he's scored at least 19.8 Fantasy points in three of four outings. And he just had his best game of the season in Week 4 at Detroit with 23.6 Fantasy points. Now, he threw 56 passes in that game, and it would be a surprise if he had that many attempts against the Giants. But Smith has attempted at least 34 passes in three games in a row. The past two quarterbacks against the Giants, Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott, have scored at least 20.5 Fantasy points, and Smith should also be in that range this week.
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Darnold comes into Week 5 having scored at least 23.9 Fantasy points in three games in a row against the 49ers, Texans and Packers, and now he faces another tough test against the Jets in London. It's another revenge game for Darnold in a difficult matchup since the Jets are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. But the Jets have faced Brock Purdy, Will Levis, Jacoby Brissett and Bo Nix to open the season, and I'm not benching Darnold while he's this hot. I still consider Darnold a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues in Week 5.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Lawrence hasn't been a good Fantasy quarterback this season, but this week he has a great matchup against Indianapolis. Lawrence just had his best game of the season in Week 4 at Houston with 18.7 Fantasy points, but he scored 13.3 Fantasy points or less in each of his first three games. This week, he's facing a Colts defense that is No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Malik Willis is the lone quarterback who failed to score at least 21.3 Fantasy points against Indianapolis in four games. And Lawrence has scored at least 21.7 Fantasy points in four of his past five meetings with the Colts.
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The Commanders are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and hopefully Watson can take advantage of this matchup. He's scored 15.4 Fantasy points or less in three of four games this season, including just 14.2 points at Las Vegas in Week 4. But he has the chance for a quality performance in Week 5 at Washington, and the Commanders are allowing 25.8 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year. If the Browns can protect Watson this week -- which is hard to do since he's been sacked 19 times -- then he could be a useful starter in all one-quarterback leagues.
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It's tough for Fantasy managers to trust Williams since he's scored 13.5 points or less in three of four games, but this is a favorable matchup against the Panthers. Carolina is No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and three teams have scored at least 20.3 points against this defense. I would only start Williams in deep, one-quarterback leagues in Week 5, but given the matchup, he could surprise us with a top-10 performance at home.
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QBs to Sit
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Mahomes has scored more than 20 Fantasy points just once in his past nine regular-season games. And you have to go back to Week 7 of last season for the last time when he topped 25 Fantasy points. He's now down Rashee Rice (knee), who has been his best receiver all year, and it's hard to recommend starting Mahomes in one-quarterback leagues. We know he's capable of magical moments, but he's clearly more concerned about wins than padding his stats. And the Saints haven't allowed a quarterback to score more than 15.2 Fantasy points this season, including matchups with Dak Prescott in Week 2 and Jalen Hurts in Week 3.
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Prescott has looked more like himself the past two games against the Ravens and Giants, and he's averaging 27.3 Fantasy points over that span. Prior to that in matchups against Cleveland and New Orleans, Prescott averaged 14.2 Fantasy points in those outings. This week, I expect Prescott to be closer to that level of production. No quarterback has scored more than 19 Fantasy points against the Steelers this season. And Prescott is averaging 19.2 Fantasy points per game in his past five outings on the road.
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Dalton is off to a great start in his first two outings with the Panthers. He scored 19.7 Fantasy points in Week 4 against Cincinnati after he had 30.6 points in his season debut against the Raiders in Week 3, and that's probably a good idea of what he can do for his ceiling and his floor. But he has a tough matchup in Week 5 at Chicago, and I would only start Dalton in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. The Bears are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only one quarterback has topped 10 Fantasy points against Chicago, including matchups with C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.
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Carr topped 25 Fantasy points in each of his first two games against Carolina and Dallas, but he's been under 10 points in each of his past two outings against Philadelphia and Atlanta. This week, Carr will likely struggle again at Kansas City, and the Chiefs are allowing an average of just 18.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins and Justin Herbert each scoring fewer than 14 points in the past two games. Carr is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 5.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Murray scored 34.5 Fantasy points against the Rams in Week 2, but he's been under 17 points in his three other games against Buffalo, Detroit and Washington, with the latter two great matchups. Murray also has a mediocre history against the 49ers. In his past four games against San Francisco, Murray has scored fewer than 16 Fantasy points in three of those outings. The 49ers haven't faced a lot of top-tier talent at quarterback with matchups against the Jets, Vikings, Rams and Patriots, but Sam Darnold is the only one with more than 19 Fantasy points and 221 passing yards. If you can, sit Murray in one-quarterback leagues in Week 5.
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