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Justin's fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 5 of 2025. He looks at surprising performances from Jaxson Dart, Woody Marks, Romeo Doubs, Marvin Mims Jr., Darren Waller.
Welcome back to our fantasy football series, Fact of Fiction. We're heading into Week 5 of the NFL season now after an exciting Week 4 that featured some surprising big-time performances, including Dolphins tight end Darren Waller making his return to the league and scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Surely, that Waller performance was a fluke, right? Well, maybe! But the Tyreek Hill injury could mean it's something more than that as well. We'll investigate the Waller breakout as well as other performances below from players like Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
Every week, I'll examine five NFL players whose numbers from the previous week were better than expected. I'll analyze their games and consider their showings in the larger scheme. Below, you'll find my analysis of the biggest fantasy football surprises of Week 4. Are those surprising results a fact, i.e., a sign of good things to come, or a fiction, i.e., an anomalous result?
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Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
Week 4 stats: 13-of-20 for 111 yards and one touchdown, 10 carries for 54 yards and one touchdown -- overall QB11
New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart had a solid NFL debut in Week 4, throwing for and rushing for a touchdown as the Giants earned their first win of the season. It wasn't the greatest game, but it showed why the Giants made the right call in benching Russell Wilson and handing the offense over to Dart.
Unfortunately, Dart's upside took a blow because the only good Giants wide receiver, Malik Nabers, tore his ACL during the game. With Nabers out, Dart was left throwing the ball to Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson. No offense to those guys, but...yeah, that's not going to cut it.
Luckily, Dart's fantasy value won't fall off completely, because he showed on Sunday that he likes to get out and move with the football, rushing 10 times for 54 yards and a score. He was sacked five times, but "lost sack yardage" is only a fantasy stat in some real sicko leagues.
Dart's rushing ability helps his floor, but he's not going to consistently produce big passing yardage numbers without Nabers. You can stream him based on matchups, but I wouldn't count on him as your fantasy starter.
Verdict: Fiction, largely because of the Nabers injury, but he has streaming appeal
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Week 4 stats: 17 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown, four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown -- overall RB6
It sure doesn't sound like Houston is getting starting running back Joe Mixon back anytime soon. Aaron Wilson, a reporter for Houston's NBC affiliate, says that Mixon is sidelined indefinitely, and the question at this point is less "when is Mixon returning" and more "will Mixon return?"
Rookie running back Woody Marks had more touches than Nick Chubb this week, potentially signaling that the team views Marks as a more impactful player at this point than Chubb. That's the right call. Chubb still has value, but the Texans need a more dynamic back on the field, especially with the team's offensive line struggles. Houston needs someone who can actually do something when C.J. Stroud is forced to throw a dump-off pass to him.
🔴 FIRST TEXANS ROOKIE AND FIFTH RB IN TEAM HISTORY WITH 100+ SCRIMMAGE YDS, A RUSH TD & A REC TD! https://t.co/v8Gu53r9Ai pic.twitter.com/FfRu8CAcwv
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 29, 2025
This isn't to say that Marks is going to be a star in the NFL. He profiles as a solid running back, but not someone who'll be a consistent fantasy RB1. He's in that, like, J.K. Dobbins and Travis Etienne Jr. tier for me, provided he continues to clear Chubb.
Still, there's a lot of value in that kind of player, especially when you could basically get him for free in fantasy in the preseason. By now, he should be rostered in your leagues, but if he's still on the wire, then you need to jump on him.
Verdict: Fact, as long as Mixon doesn't return
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers
Week 4 stats: six catches for 58 yards and three touchdowns -- overall WR3
Romeo Doubs found the end zone three times in Sunday's strange 40-40 tie game between the Packers and Cowboys. That means roughly 15.8 percent of the fourth-year pro's NFL scores came in that one game.
Right away, that stat suggests that fantasy managers can't expect this kind of production from Doubs on a routine basis. Another thing that suggests that? The fact that he's finished with under 30 receiving yards in half of his games this season.
There are simply too many mouths to feed in Green Bay for Doubs to be more than a risky flex play. Matthew Golden is the No. 1 guy. Tucker Kraft is one of the NFL's most underrated tight ends. Jayden Reed is currently sidelined, but should be back in November, just in time to kill Doubs' fantasy value right when you most need him.
Barring a trade to a team with a need at wide receiver, Doubs is probably at his high point right now. If he's on your roster, maybe you try to sell high on him?
Verdict: Fiction
Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos
Week 4 stats: six catches for 69 yards, one carry for 16 yards and a touchdown -- overall WR10
This situation seemed so obvious. Troy Franklin emerged over the first two weeks of the season as the No. 2 receiver in Denver, and Marvin Mims Jr. looked like he was once again going to be nothing more than a very good kick returner who sometimes made offensive plays.
After Week 4, that actually still seems like the situation, even with Mims having a good showing this week. He was targeted six times, catching all six passes for 69 yards, and also added a 16-yard touchdown run.
He's fast. 💨@marvindmims | 📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/QbDZqX0nWS
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 30, 2025
The thing is, that's a cool play! I love it when receivers score on an end-around! At the same time, it's not something I put much stock in as far as fantasy goes. It's definitely one of those plays that feels extremely fluky if we're discussing what it "means" for a player.
It feels especially fluky here because it's not even something we see out of Mims. It was the 23rd carry of his NFL career, but his first touchdown. The single play accounts for 18.2 percent of his career rushing yardage. It was also his first carry of 2025.
There were times last year when the Broncos worked to get designed run plays for Mims, but it seemed to rarely work. Over the final seven games of the 2024 season, he had nine carries, resulting in just eight total rushing yards.
As for the targets, it feels slightly notable that he has 10 targets over the past two games, but do we really trust him to do much with those targets? Against the Chargers, his four targets turned into one catch for four yards. Over the first three weeks of the season, Mims averaged 13.3 receiving yards per game.
I've been a big fan of Mims since he was still in high school, but I'm not holding out hope about his Week 4 performance. It's one of the occasional good games from the former OU star, and you don't need to rush out and put him in your fantasy lineups.
Verdict: Fiction
Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins
Week 4 stats: three catches for 27 yards and two touchdowns -- overall TE2
Welcome back, Darren Waller!
After sitting out 2024 because he'd retired, Darren Waller made a surprise return to the NFL this offseason, signing with the Dolphins. He missed the first three games, but made his debut on Monday night against the Jets.
And what a return it was! Waller found the end zone twice for Miami, helping the team build an early 17-3 lead that it managed to hold on to even as the Jets mounted a late comeback attempt.
Darren Waller has arrived
This is what was envisioned when they signed him
This 4th down touchdown alone has made this a worthy signing
Miami hasn’t had a guy who can do anything like this in the McDaniel era #Phinsup pic.twitter.com/7QLjsw3GEO
— Big Will (@BigWillLevenson) September 29, 2025
With Tyreek Hill's season now over due to a dislocated knee, the Dolphins are short on receivers. There's Jaylen Waddle and then...I guess there's Waller! Does that mean fantasy managers should immediately trust the veteran tight end?
Probably not. Waller got important red zone looks, but still played just 16 snaps. That number will go up, but he's probably going to see almost all of his work in the red zone. Without Hill, Miami is going to struggle to consistently get into the red zone, limiting his opportunities.
Waller is probably just a boom or bust TE2 option, but there's no harm in grabbing him off the waiver wire in case the Dolphins' desperation leads to a larger role than anticipated. Just don't expect multiple touchdowns each week.
Verdict: Probably fiction, but my interest is slightly piqued
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jaxson Dart, Woody Marks, Romeo Doubs, Marvin Mims Jr., Darren Waller. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jaxson Dart, Woody Marks, Romeo Doubs, Marvin Mims Jr., Darren Waller.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 5 for Jaxson Dart, Woody Marks, Romeo Doubs, Marvin Mims Jr., Darren Waller:
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