RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 5 Thursday Night Football (TNF)? Fantasy Football outlooks for Matthew Stafford, Mac Jones, Demarcus Robinson, Kyren Williams, Tutu Atwell, Kendrick Bourne, Jake Tonges, Blake Corum, Davante Adams, Tyler Higbee.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions for Thursday Night Football (TNF) involve players like Matthew Stafford, Mac Jones, Demarcus Robinson, Kyren Williams, Tutu Atwell, Kendrick Bourne, Jake Tonges, Blake Corum, Davante Adams, Tyler Higbee. However, don't worry, we are here to help you 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 5 for Thursday Night Football:
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has plenty of momentum heading into a Week 5 clash against the San Francisco 49ers. He ranks as the overall QB12 in fantasy football this season and is coming off a spectacular outing that saw him rack up 375 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
He fared quite well in Week 4, but he did so against the Indianapolis Colts, whose defense is nothing more than average this season.
Stafford will face a tougher test Thursday night in the form of the 49ers, who have allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards and fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. Stafford's top-12 upside is undeniable, but he'll rank as a mid-to-high QB2 this week.
Mac Jones, QB, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones will draw another start when the team kicks off Week 5 on Thursday against the Rams. Starter Brock Purdy is still dealing with soreness related to the turf toe that kept him out of Weeks 2 and 3.
In those two games, Jones completed 66.3% of his passes for 563 yards and four touchdowns. Jones was serviceable in those spot starts, but this time around will be without the services of both Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle/ribs), who have been ruled out due to injuries of their own.
Missing his top wide receivers and facing a stifling Rams defense, it would be unwise to turn to Jones in the first game of Week 5.
Demarcus Robinson, WR, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson is expected to slide into a starting role with Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle/ribs) out for Week 5. Robinson made his season debut in Week 4 after serving a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy in the offseason.
San Francisco eased Robinson into action with a 25% snap share, and he saw just two targets, catching one pass for 20 yards. Robinson should see more action this week, though his lack of conditioning might see him lose snaps to Skyy Moore or Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
It is worth noting that quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) will also be sidelined, with Mac Jones getting the start. As a projected WR5, it would be inadvisable to plug him into starting fantasy lineups, especially with the 49ers playing on Thursday, in the first game of the week.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams has started to see his usage decline recently, and a Week 5 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers won't do him any favors as he tries to get back on track.
There's no question that Williams was still a productive fantasy option last Sunday as he totaled 94 scrimmage yards. However, he did so against a subpar Colts defense while handling a season-low 16 touches and 68 percent snap share.
Last week, Williams' low usage was balanced out by his high efficiency. He might not have the same fortune on Thursday night against a 49ers defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2025. Williams' fantasy value is slipping; he's now a fringe top-24 fantasy running back for Week 5.
Kendrick Bourne, WR, San Francisco 49ers
In Week 5, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will once again ascend to the top of the depth chart thanks to injuries to both Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle/ribs). Bourne started alongside Pearsall in Jennings' absence in Week 3, and came away with four catches and 38 yards on six targets.
Hardly the boom some were hoping for, but with Pearsall also sidelined this time around, Bourne could see more work. As in Week 3, Bourne's former Patriots teammate, quarterback Mac Jones, will take the place of Brock Purdy (toe). It should be noted that their shared history didn't garner the receiver any special attention then, however.
Bourne projects as a WR4 in Week 5, and with the 49ers playing on Thursday night, it is a risky bet to start the week with him occupying a starting WR slot in fantasy lineups.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 5 Thursday Night Football Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Matthew Stafford, Mac Jones, Demarcus Robinson, Kyren Williams, Tutu Atwell, Kendrick Bourne, Jake Tonges, Blake Corum, Davante Adams, Tyler Higbee. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 5 for Thursday Night Football.
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 - TNF Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 5 Thursday Night Football for Matthew Stafford, Mac Jones, Demarcus Robinson, Kyren Williams, Tutu Atwell, Kendrick Bourne, Jake Tonges, Blake Corum, Davante Adams, Tyler Higbee:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
