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Matt's wide receiver (WR) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 5 of 2025. His WR lineups advice for Week 5 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
Remember when the best receivers in the game were the most productive in fantasy? That hasn't been the case this season regarding Rome Odunze, Quentin Johnston, George Pickens, Keenan Allen, Emeka Egbuka, and Tre Tucker. Nobody had any of those six receivers as top 12 options before the season began.
Luckily, each week is a new opportunity to analyze and break down the data, helping to develop the most informed decision possible when submitting fantasy lineups. We've done the hard work already; all you need to do now is check out this latest piece and our RotoBaller weekly rankings.
You have wide receiver questions for Week 5. We have the answers with our RotoBaller. Week 5 starts and sits at the wide receiver position.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Week 5 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Garrett Wilson - WR, New York Jets vs. Dallas Cowboys
Even before the Jets took the field against the Miami to finish Week 4, I had already inserted Wilson into this week's start 'em column with a date with the Dallas Cowboys on the horizon. Heading into that Week 4 contest, Wilson had been averaging 18.6 fantasy points per game and posted 22 or more fantasy points in two of his first three contests.
Last week, Dallas allowed Matthew Golden to haul in five passes and 58 receiving yards. Romeo Doubs was the fantasy superstar dropping 29.8 fantasy points with three touchdowns on this Cowboys secondary. The previous week was Odunze and Luther Burden III, who combined for six catches for 162 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Before that, more damage, this time courtesy of Malik Nabers' 167 receiving yards on nine receptions and Wan'Dale Robinson's 148 yards on eight catches. The Giants duo also added three receiving touchdowns in that contest.
On the season, Dallas has allowed 827 receiving yards and nine touchdowns to opposing receivers on 56 receptions, averaging 48.98 fantasy points per game, which is more than seven points higher than the next closest team. In the last two weeks, that number has jumped to 64.20 fantasy points, more than 12 more than the Chicago Bears, who have allowed the second-most over the previous two contests.
Chris Olave- WR, New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants
Heading into Week 5, only Puka Nacua has been targeted more often than the New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave, whom Spencer Rattler has targeted on 43 occasions. Times have been challenging down in the Bayou; however, last week, Olave finally returned to the endzone for the first time since Week 3 of the 2024 season.
Spencer Rattler finds Chris Olave for a Saints TD
NOvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/N28zj2rJid
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Lave is on the Jarvis Landry trajectory with 26 receptions this season, but only 185 yards to his name as he enters this week's showdown with the NewYork Giants. Olave is a much better start in PPR formats, where he currently resides as the WR23, as opposed to standard, where he is the WR42. Luckily for Olave managers, the Ginats are allowing 71.73 fantasy points per game, this season, to opposing wideouts.
Lost in all that fantasy gold, the Giants have surrendered a league-high 60 receptions to the position, resulting in 733 receiving yards and four touchdowns, which projects to be an Olave kind of game. In the last two weeks alone, New York has yielded 47 of those 60 receptions and 411 yards.
Michael Pittman Jr. - WR, Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Michael Pittman Jr. has been better than advertised as we enter the fifth week of the fantasy football season. Before the start of the season, many expected Josh Downs to be Daniel Jones's favourite receiver, considering his fascination for peppering his slot receivers, as was the case with Robinson in New York.
As the Colts prepare to host the Raiders this week, Pittman enters the game having hauled in 21 of 29 targets for 234 yards. While the yardage is a welcome sight, the three touchdown receptions have Pittman perched inside the top 12 fantasy options among the wide receiver position.
After averaging 10.4 fantasy points per game last season and topping 10 fantasy points on just six occasions, the Colts receiver already sports three fantasy performances with more than 15 fantasy points and is averaging 15.6 fantasy points per game.
Over the last two weeks, the Raiders have allowed 378 receiving yards, three touchdown receptions, and nearly 45 fantasy points per game, the sixth-most. On the other hand, the 41.13 fantasy points against are the third-most, while Vegas ranks in the bottom six in touchdowns allowed (5), receiving yards (695), and receptions (57) allowed to opposing receivers.
Week 5 Sits - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Chris Godwin - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks
So much for easing someone back from injury. In Chris Godwin's first action since Week 7 of the 2024 season, Mayfield targeted Godwin 10 times. However, the connection wasn't quite there yet, as Godwin came away with just three receptions. On a positive note, the 146 air yards Godwin saw were the second-highest of his career.
Quinyon Mitchell was a significant reason Godwin and Egbuka were held to what they were. Mitchell allowed just a pair of receptions and six yards in coverage to the Buccaneers duo. When Buccaneers pass catchers succeeded, it was by going away from Mitchell, something they may struggle to do against the Seahawks.
Seattle has one of the best secondaries in the league, with Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon leading the way, along with Josh Jobe, Julian Love, and Coby Bryant in the secondary. That secondary is responsible for the third-fewest fantasy points against this season. Without Mike Evans (hamstring) to draw some attention, Seattle can focus much of their attention on Godwin and Egbuka this week.
Jerry Jeudy - WR, Cleveland Browns vs. Minnesota Vikings
It really looked like Jerry Jeudy was going to get back on track last week. He had a productive start against the Lions, then nothing. Jeudy was targeted nine times last week, and like Godwin, he came away with just three receptions, pushing his season total to 13.
Jeudy can't be trusted to start, you can't drop him, so the WR12 from a season ago has officially entered fantasy purgatory and will remain there until further notice. In a good matchup, you have to bench Jeudy, let alone a matchup against a Vikings defense that has seven takeaways, 11 sacks, and averages 11 fantasy points per game this season.
That's more than double the fantasy production fantasy managers have received from Jeudy thus far.
How good are the Vikings? This season, Minnesota has allowed 417 receiving yards to the position and just a pair of touchdowns, holding receivers to a league-worst 20.35 fantasy points per game.
Jaylen Waddle - WR, Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers
Last week, Stefon Diggs succeeded against this Panthers secondary as he ran 58.5% of his routes out wide and 41.3% from the slot. For Miami, heading into the conclusion of Week 4, Tyreek Hill ran 60% of his route out wide, while Jaylen Waddle saw 77.1% out wide and 20.5% from the slot.
Diggs was most productive working from the slot, but hit explosive plays at both the X and Y. If we look at the usage of Diggs last week and Hill and Waddle this season, Hill would have been better positioned to repeat Diggs's Week 4 performance had he not suffered a gruesome knee injury against the Jets on Monday night, ending Hill's season. Without Hill riding shotgun, Waddle will draw the ire of the Panthers' defenders.
Besides the Vikings, only the Carolina Panthers have allowed fewer fantasy points this season to the wide receiver position. Carolina has allowed 396 yards and a pair of touchdowns in four contests. Opposing receivers have been targeted on 64 occasions, yet have come away with just 34 receptions. Carolina's ability to break up passes has played a significant role in the 23.23 fantasy points per game they have limited the opposition to.
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