The 2024 NFL season is now in Week 5, but fantasy football managers are still grappling with difficult starting and sit-em decisions for quarterbacks.
Many unexpected contributors, like Sam Darnold, emerged as fantasy stars to open the season. As such, the position is deeper than ever, and there have been only a handful of notable injuries, particularly at the position.
Because of that depth, many fantasy football owners either have two top quarterbacks on their roster or have access to a wealth of options on the waiver wire. As is often the case, the plethora of choices creates a difficult existential question for fantasy football players.
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Can they really sit Patrick Mahomes and risk breaking out of his early season slump? Is Darnold a quarterback who can’t beat opponents? Can you really trust the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback in a favorable situation? As always, the answer depends on the composition of your roster and your preference for risk.
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Here’s a breakdown of who should start and who should sit at quarterback in Week 5 of the fantasy football season.
Fantasy Football Starters: QB for Week 5
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love was supposed to have a tough matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. He was coming back from an MCL sprain and was facing an NFL top defense that was bent but not broken often during the first three weeks of the season.
Love came out slowly but flared up in the second half. He racked up 389 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Packers attempt an improbable comeback, showing why he is considered by many to be a potential MVP candidate in his second full season as a starter. It reminded me.
The Packers may not need to throw as much to beat the Los Angeles Rams, but Sean McVay’s team is one of five teams this year to allow at least eight passing touchdowns to quarterbacks. This should allow Love to have an efficient outing, especially since Green Bay needs a win to keep pace with the Vikings and Detroit Lions in the NFC North.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Smith was one of the most consistent fantasy quarterbacks to begin the 2024 NFL season, and for good reason. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has introduced a pass-heavy approach to Seattle’s offense, which leads the league in pass attempts (159) and passing yards (1,182).
The Seahawks will face the New York Giants in Week 5. This might not be the most appealing matchup, as the Giants rank 17th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season, but Smith still thinks he’s at a high level given the amount. There is. This makes him one of the safest bye week replacements available this week.
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Fields didn’t do much as a passer in his first season with the Steelers, but his rushing ability was on frequent display throughout his first four games as a starter. The fourth-year quarterback is averaging 36.3 rushing yards per game and has scored three touchdowns in the past two games. This would give them a very high floor, especially in a favorable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas has allowed the sixth-most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season (127) and is one of five teams to have allowed multiple rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. Granted, much of that production (87 yards and a touchdown) can be attributed to Lamar Jackson, but Fields’ scrambling ability is similar to players in the AFC North. After all, they are two of only three quarterbacks to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
The Cowboys will also likely be without top edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons, so they will have a tougher fight than usual to contain Fields on the edge.
Joe Flacco or Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
It’s still unclear whether Flacco or Richardson will start for the Colts after Richardson was ejected for a hip pointer in a Week 4 game, but either passer could be trusted in a favorable matchup.
The Colts will face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season. They rank second in the league in passing yards per game, so both Flacco and Richardson are potential downfield playmakers against a hapless 0-4 defense. will be noticed as such.
If Richardson plays, his rushing ability likely won’t be as high as normal considering his injury. Still, he could be a top-10 fantasy quarterback just as a passer, so don’t be afraid to trust him as a top-tier streamer.
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Fantasy Football Sit ’em: Week 5 QB
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Benching Mahomes may seem silly at first glance, but this is simply not a good place to trust him. The Chiefs will be without two of their most proven wide receivers, with Laci Rice injuring his knee in Week 4 and Hollywood Brown missing most of the regular season with a sternum injury.
Thanks to Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy, Mahomes will be able to move the ball effectively against a New Orleans Saints defense that has allowed just two total touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. , the veteran quarterback’s ceiling is low.
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Darnold’s first season with the Vikings has been great so far. He’s a perfect fit in Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system, throwing for at least 181 yards and two touchdowns in four starts. As such, Darnold may seem like a solid starter who should be in the lineup every week.
However, Darnold faces a tough matchup against the New York Jets in Week 5. Sure, this is a “revenge game” for Darnold against the team that drafted him, but the Jets are allowing the second fewest passing yards per game in the league (128). It also looks like this will be a run-heavy matchup for the Vikings, who have allowed just two touchdowns to their quarterbacks through four weeks and can rely on Aaron Jones against New York’s below-average run defense. It will be done.
On top of that, the Jets and Vikings play across the pond in London, and there’s too much uncertainty to consider Darnold a sure-fire starter.
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Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott has scored multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games, but it won’t be easy for him to repeat that feat against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are allowing just 13.3 points per game to their opponents and are allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
The only good thing for Prescott is that he ranks second in the league in passes attempted (149) through four weeks, as Dallas doesn’t have much of a running game. But like Mahomes, Prescott also has a much lower ceiling than average in this tough matchup, so trusting a streamer with a better matchup might not be the worst idea.