By dissecting each matchup for Week 5, we can see how it will positively and negatively impact each quarterback. Keeping tabs on the fantasy football rankings is crucial to know where players are rising and falling throughout the week at any given position. Here are the start and sit quarterback options for NFL Week 5.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks
Must Start: Matt Ryan — Atlanta Falcons (vs. New York Jets)
Despite a poor start to the season, Ryan is looking more like his old self recently. In Week 4 up against the Washington Football Team, he went 25-for-42 for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Cordarrelle Patterson has been a big part of Ryan’s recent success as he had three touchdowns last week. The Jets played solidly against the Ryan Tannehill-led Titans, but they were without A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, causing the offense to be sluggish. If Ryan can continue to build on his recent success, he should be in for a huge spot against the Jets.
Must Start: Sam Darnold — Carolina Panthers (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
Darnold is currently leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns. Whether Christian McCaffrey returns from injury this week or not, Darnold has a rushing floor week in and week out. Right now he is a top-five quarterback in fantasy football. Last week against a strong Cowboys defense he went 26-for-39 for 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and ran for two more touchdowns. He has been a completely different quarterback this year, and players need to start him weekly. This matchup with the Eagles should be back and forth, so fire up Darnold again with confidence.
Must Start: Kirk Cousins — Minnesota Vikings (vs. Detroit Lions)
Coming off a slow game against the Browns, the Vikings should bounce back against the Lions. In Week 4 Cousins went 20-for-38 for 203 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That game ended up being very low scoring, as the Browns won 14-7. This week should be a smash matchup against the Lions, who made a putrid Bears offense look strong. Cousins has still looked solid all season and is QB12.
Must Sit: Mac Jones — New England Patriots (at Houston Texans)
Tons of people this week will clamber for a huge week for Mac Jones. Which on paper makes sense the Texans just lost forty to zero against the Bills. But what we need to understand is that in these easy games for the Patriots they do not let Jones air it out. He threw 40 times last week, but that was in a close game. If this game is going to be a blowout as expected, the Patriots will run a lot, forcing Jones into irrelevancy in fantasy this week.
Must Sit: Baker Mayfield — Cleveland Browns (at Los Angeles Chargers)
Mayfield was plagued by inaccuracy in Week 4, going 15-for-33 for 155 yards and zero touchdowns. The Browns offense hinges on the rushing attack with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, so it is hard to see many matchups in which he has a great fantasy day. Maybe having both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. healthy later in the season will make that happen, but until then let Mayfield ride the bench.
Must Sit: Ben Roethlisberger — Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Denver Broncos)
Roethlisberger appears to be over the hill, and going up against a stout Broncos defense will not help that. Last week against the Packers he went 26-for-40 for 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mike Tomlin also reported that Roethlisberger is dealing with a hip injury. While it is likely that he will suit up in this game, his numbers this season are unsalvageable. Until he turns it around, he is best left on the bench.
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