INGLEWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 19: Ladd McConkey #15 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs the ball during an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on December 19, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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Week 5 of the NFL season and start or sit decisions are back once again. Each game is important, but these games in the middle of the year tell you a lot about your team.
If you’re new, we’ll be going over some of the most important start or sit decisions that you may have for Week 5. To avoid the obvious names, we’ll only be looking at wide receivers outside of the top 36 in the Fantasy Pros Week 5 expert consensus rankings for the best start.
For running backs, that number will be 12, while quarterbacks and tight ends are 12. Any player who’s within the top 36/24/12 is eligible for the best start, and anyone outside of that is eligible for the top sit.
Start Wide Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs (WR39)
In a very quiet manner, Stefon Diggs had a great Week 4 performance. Coming off an ACL injury, you wanted to see it first before plugging Diggs into your starting lineup, and he had 16.1 points (PPR) last week.
This week, the New England Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills, which is actually great for this offense. Right now, the Patriots are 8.5-point underdogs, and the over/under is at 50.5 per FanDuel.
Not only does this indicate that the Patriots will be behind, meaning they’ll need to run the ball, but FanDuel believes this will be a high-scoring game. If that’s the case, Diggs could score his first touchdown of the year, resulting in a big game.
Sit Wide Wide Receiver Ladd McConkey (WR25)
If Ladd McConkey weren’t drafted so high in fantasy drafts, people wouldn’t be starting him right now. McConkey had 8.3 PPG on the year, and last week he had just 2.1 points.
While many are going to argue that McConkey is going to be better as the year goes on, his fantasy points have actually dropped every game this year. Keenan Allen has 16.3 PPG this year, and last week he had seven targets compared to McConkey at six.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a solid game script with an over/under at 48.5, even though they’re slight 2.5-point favorites against the Washington Commanders. Nevertheless, it’s not good enough to feel good about putting McConkey in your lineup.
Start Running Back Woody Marks (RB27)
Woody Marks broke out last week with a monster 27.9 PPG. With Joe Mixon still out, it seems like Marks has the RB1 job on lock.
Nick Chubb was involved, but Marks had more snaps than him per PFF (40 vs 30) and carries (17 vs 13). One other reason that Marks should keep getting opportunities was his pass blocking performance.
Although it doesn’t seem like much, the Houston Texans’ offensive line has struggled this year, and this is something they need. The matchup for Marks is fine as the Texans are 1.5 point favorites against the Baltimore Ravens, but the over/under sits at 40.5.
Sit Running Back Tony Pollard (RB24)
Tony Pollard is right on the edge at RB24, but he’s a player that you shouldn’t even consider starting this week. Pollard has gone above 11 points one time this year, and he just saw his carries hit a new low on the year at 14.
That’s not because Pollard has competition in the backfield, but instead, the Tennessee Titans are constantly in passing situations. This week, that shouldn’t change as the Titans play the Arizona Cardinals as 8.5-point underdogs, which will favor the passing game once again.
Not only that, but the over/under is down at 41.5. This is a start or sit decision that you can make easy by leaving Pollard on your bench until proven wrong.
Start Quarterback Dak Prescott (QB13)
Quarterback is tricky because the backend of the QB1 range is similar, but Dak Prescott is a player that you don’t like leaving on your bench. Prescott just exploded for 31 points, and that’s his second 20-plus point game of the year.
The floor for Prescott has been fairly low, but you know what you’re getting. This week, the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Jets as 2.5-point favorites.
However, the appealing part is that this game has an over/under of 47.5. If Prescott can stay hot and the game script gets fairly high scoring, he should benefit.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 31: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts to a touchdown pass during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Sit Quarterback Kyler Murray (QB11)
One of the main reasons Kyler Murray was appealing heading into the year was his rushing upside. Everyone remembered when Murray had 819 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns back in 2020.
The hope was that Murray would get close to that. So far, Murray has over 40 rushing yards in just one game this year.
That’s limited Murray to only 15.6 PPG, and he’s scored less than 14.5 points in two of four games. This week is a great matchup for the Cardinals, but not Murray, as they’re 8.5-point favorites versus the Titans.
The Cardinals should be able to run the ball quite a bit this game, and if Murray isn’t throwing the ball a ton to make up for his lack of running, expect another quiet game.
Start Tight End Brenton Strange (TE14)
For the borderline TE1s, it’s tough to give a definitive stance on a lot of these players as well. That said, Brenton Strange is ranked behind the tight end we’ll be talking about on our sit list, yet you should feel better about Strange.
Strange has now scored at least 10 points and drawn seven targets in back-to-back games. That’s nothing special, but it’s absolutely serviceable.
The enticing part about this matchup is that the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Kansas City Chiefs as three-point underdogs, and the over/under is at 46.5. This should be a solid matchup that slightly favors the offense, meaning there’s a good chance Strange will draw at least seven targets again.
Sit Tight End Dallas Goedert (TE11)
Dallas Goedert has 13.8 PPG, but he’s scored a touchdown in two of his three games (two in week 4). Unlike touchdowns, targets are a sticky stat, and Goedert only has one game with at least five targets.
Considering that A.J. Brown, who had 16 PPG in three straight seasons prior to 2025, only has 8.8 PPG on the year, you should be worried. Eventually, you would assume that the more talented player in Brown starts to take over this offense, which would eat into Goedert.
With the Philadelphia Eagles in particular, you want games where they’re underdogs and will be forced to throw the ball. In Week 5, they take on the Denver Broncos as 4.5-point favorites, and the over/under is at 43.5.
With that being the case, you should follow the targets with Strange and start him over Goedert this week. Overall, these are some tough decisions, but make sure you’re checking back on this series weekly to help with your start or sit dilemmas.