Fantasy football Week 5 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em quarterbacks: Stafford is a must-start, Hurts hits the bench
Matthew Stafford headlines the Week 5 starts, while Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert are among notable quarterbacks to avoid
• 1 min read
It's been a rough start to the season for the quarterbacks we expected to perform well before the season. And many Fantasy managers have had to pivot to a new starter heading into Week 5.
Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Jayden Daniels (elbow) have missed multiple weeks due to injury, although Daniels is expected to return in Week 5 against the Giants. We also lost Jaxson Dart (knee) for the season, but he wasn't selected as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback based on CBS Sports Average Draft Position data. Those top 12 guys were Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Williams, Daniels, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy.
Allen (the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback through Week 4), Purdy (No. 2), Prescott (No. 8), Jackson (No. 9), Burrow (No. 10), Lawrence (No. 11) and Hurts (No. 12) have been fine. However, we must monitor Jackson (ankle), who is expected to miss Week 5 against Atlanta. And Hurts is headed to the bench in most one-quarterback leagues due to all the injuries in Philadelphia (see below).
Maye and Herbert have been busts to start the season, but Maye appears poised to turn things around based on his Week 4 performance against Buffalo. Herbert, however, can't be trusted, especially with more injuries for the Chargers heading into Week 5 against Denver.
Stafford will likely crack the top-12 soon, and I love his Week 5 matchup against Buffalo. He's my Start of the Week, and he should dominate the Bills.
As you can see, it's been a rocky season for quarterbacks, and Week 5 will likely present some interesting starting options. Two quarterbacks who have done well are Bryce Young and Patrick Mahomes, both of whom are on bye. And Fantasy managers still have to replace Williams and now Jackson, as well as moving on from Hurts and Herbert.
Some of the replacement quarterbacks I like are Jacoby Brissett, C.J. Stroud, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers and Jameis Winston. Brissett and Winston have great matchups in Week 5, Cousins and Rodgers are playing well this season and Stroud has been excellent when Nico Collins is healthy.
You can read more about these quarterbacks below. You might find that the quarterback you drafted this year isn't the one who will lead you to the playoffs this season.
QBs to Start
Projections powered by Sportsline
DET
Detroit
• #16
Goff is once again performing like a solid Fantasy quarterback with at least 20.4 points in all four games, and he should have a chance for another solid outing in Week 5 at Arizona. The Cardinals are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Drew Lock, Brock Purdy and Jameis Winston have all scored at least 24 Fantasy points against Arizona in the past three games. I like Goff as a top-three quarterback in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
JAC
Jacksonville
• #16
Lawrence had a quiet game in Week 4 at Cincinnati with just 15.1 Fantasy points, and he's combined for only 21.3 fantasy points in two road games this year. This is considered a home game for the Jaguars, but they are playing the Eagles in London in Week 5. Lawrence is only averaging 17.2 Fantasy points in seven career games in London, but I like his chances for a big game in this matchup. The Eagles have allowed Jayden Daniels, Cam Ward and Case Keenum to all score at least 20.1 Fantasy points this season, and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (knee), linebacker Jonathan Greenard (ankle) and linebacker Zack Baun (concussion) are all banged up heading into this game. I like Lawrence as a top-five quarterback in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
ARI
Arizona
• #7
Brissett only has one game this season with at least 20 Fantasy points, but I like his chances to double that total in Week 5 against Detroit. The Lions are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Tyler Shough, Josh Allen, Geno Smith and Bryce Young have all scored at least 25.5 Fantasy points against Detroit. This feels like the perfect setup for Brissett with the Cardinals likely chasing points against a mediocre defense. Brissett has top-10 upside in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
NE
New England
• #10
I don't know if Maye is back to being an elite Fantasy quarterback yet, but he produced like one in Week 4 at Buffalo. He passed for 269 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he added 54 yards on the ground. His 32.2 Fantasy points were more than he had in the first three games of the season combined (23.7). Maye only scored 17.8 Fantasy points against Las Vegas in Week 1 last season, but the Raiders have allowed Tyler Shough and Patrick Mahomes to each score at least 21 Fantasy points in the past two games. I like Maye as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues. | ||||||||||||||||||
HOU
Houston
• #7
Stroud has played two games with Nico Collins this season and is averaging 23.8 Fantasy points in those outings. Stroud faces the Titans in Week 5, and he scored at least 19.7 Fantasy points in his last two full games against Tennessee, going back to 2024. Two of the past three quarterbacks against the Titans have scored at least 20.2 Fantasy points, with Jalen Hurts in Week 2 and Lamar Jackson in Week 4. Tennessee limited Geno Smith in Week 1 and Jameis Winston in Week 3 to 9.3 Fantasy points or less in each outing, but I'm expecting Stroud to be a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by Sportsline
QBs to Sit
Projections powered by Sportsline
PHI
Philadelphia
• #1
Lane Johnson retired, Saquon Barkley (hamstring) is out, and DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dallas Goedert (knee) aren't expected to play in Week 5 against Jacksonville in London. It's hard to trust Hurts with what's missing for the Eagles, and he has scored 17.5 Fantasy points or less in each of the past two games against Chicago and the Rams. The Jaguars are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Hurts is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. | ||||||||||||||||||
LAC
L.A. Chargers
• #10
The Broncos' pass defense isn't as imposing this season since Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy all scored at least 23.6 Fantasy points against Denver already this year. And star cornerback Patrick Surtain II (ankle) isn't expected to play in Week 5. That said, you can't trust Herbert as a starter in one-quarterback leagues. He has scored 15.3 Fantasy points or less in all four outings this season, and he might be without Ladd McConkey (foot), Rashawn Slater (ankle) and Joe Alt (neck) this week. This should be another tough outing for Herbert in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
MIN
Minnesota
• #1
It's probably not fair to judge Murray without seeing him play a full game with Justin Jefferson (ankle), but Murray is averaging just 11.9 Fantasy points in his past two games against Tampa Bay and Miami. Jefferson could return in Week 5 at New Orleans, but Fantasy managers in one-quarterback leagues can't trust Murray right now. The Saints have also held Jared Goff (20.4 Fantasy points), Lamar Jackson (16.8) and Michael Penix Jr. (14.7) to modest production, and I would only start Murray in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
DEN
Denver
• #10
Nix has scored more than 20 Fantasy points just once this season, and his rushing production has disappeared with only 25 yards in four games. It's hard to trust him in one-quarterback leagues heading into Week 5 at the Chargers, who have held Jacoby Brissett, Josh Allen and Sam Darnold to 18.5 Fantasy points or less. Nix also scored a combined 25.9 Fantasy points in two games against the Chargers in 2025, and he's only worth using in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 5. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by Sportsline
NO
New Orleans
• #6
Age: 27
• Experience: 2 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown |
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MATCHUPvs MIN MIN -1.5 O/U 42 |
OPP VS QB1st |
PROJ PTS17.3 |
QB RNK11th |
YTD Stats |
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PAYDS1203 |
RUYDS72 |
TD10 |
INT3 |
FPTS/G25.8 |
Shough has been awesome this season with at least 24.4 Fantasy points in three of four games, and he leads the NFL in pass attempts with 180, which we love. But he struggled in Week 4 against Atlanta with 17.9 Fantasy points and was beaten up by the Falcons' defensive line. The Vikings, under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, will put plenty of pressure on Shough again this week, and Minnesota is No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. The Vikings have held Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield and Malik Willis to 13.3 Fantasy points or less. I don't expect Shough to be awful, and I still have him ranked as a low-end No. 1 quarterback. But you should lower expectations for his production in Week 5, given the matchup.
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