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Fantasy football start em, sit em SNF lineups advice for Patriots vs. Bills on Sunday Night Football in Week 5 (2025). NFL matchups analysis and SNF starts/sits.
The Sunday NFL slate culminates with a primetime matchup between AFC East divisional rivals, as the New England Patriots head to Orchard Park to take on the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills have looked largely dominant en route to a 4-0 start to the season, while the 2-2 Patriots have looked improved under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel. These teams have, somewhat surprisingly, split their last four meetings.
We will bring you Sunday Night Football analysis all season, focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Let's dive into this SNF matchup for Week 5 of the season. Good luck in 2025 fantasy football, RotoBallers!
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
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Sunday October 5, 8:20 PM ET
Notable Fantasy Injuries: None
Matchups We Love
Dalton Kincaid has been a reliable TE1 to start the season. He has scored above 14 PPR fantasy points in two of four games and has caught at least four passes in three different games. Now, he gets a nice matchup in Week 5 against the Patriots. New England has allowed two TEs to finish top-12 at the position last week, making Kincaid a solid TE1 on Sunday night.
Where Dalton Kincaid ranks on the Bills through four games ⬇️
Receiving Yards: 3rd (179)
Targets: 2nd (18)
Receptions: 3rd (14)
Receiving Touchdowns: 1st (3)
Targeted Passer Rating: 2nd (147.7)#BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/3DNQdxTajA— Buffalo Sports Talk (@BUFSportsTalk) September 30, 2025
Matchups We Hate
WR Keon Coleman
After an outstanding performance in Week 1, Keon Coleman has been quiet in each of the past three weeks. Unfortunately, things don't get easier for him in Week 5 against the Patriots. Christian Gonzalez will likely shadow Coleman in this game, and Gonzalez was fantastic in his season debut last week. He only allowed two receptions last week. So, Coleman is a riskier flex play.
TE Hunter Henry
Henry has been a consistent fantasy option through the first four weeks. He is averaging 13.3 PPR fantasy points per game and has scored in double figures in PPR formats in three of four games. However, this is a tough matchup for the veteran TE. The Bills have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to TEs this year. So, Henry is a riskier TE1 play.
Hunter Henry is a guy you can’t help but root for.
Been a constant producer, despite shaky QB play a lot of the time he’s been here.
Happy he’s in a better situation now. pic.twitter.com/LD037cfumR— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) September 30, 2025
Other Notable Matchups
QB Drake Maye
Drake Maye has been a sneaky QB1 for fantasy managers to begin the season. He has scored above 20 fantasy points in three straight games and currently ranks as the QB4 in fantasy points per game. Although Buffalo has allowed the fewest pass yards through four weeks, Maye will still be a low-end QB1 this week. The Bills have allowed the most rushing yards to opposing QBs this year, meaning Maye will have a safer floor.
QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen will no doubt be a must-start QB1 this week. He ranks as the QB1 on the year and has scored above 23 fantasy points in three of four games this season. So, you're definitely starting him.
Patriots RBs
It's tough to start any Patriots RB at this point. Rhamondre Stevenson only saw nine carries last week, and TreVeyon Henderson played just 31% of the team's offensive snaps a week ago. Therefore, both Stevenson and Henderson will be RB3s on Sunday against the Bills. Buffalo has only allowed two RBs to score above 13 PPR fantasy points in a game this season.
Mike Vrabel on Rhamondre Stevenson 👀 pic.twitter.com/51GgkliLNW
— Foxborough Fellas Podcast (@FoxFellasPod) September 27, 2025
RB James Cook
Cook will remain an RB1 for fantasy managers this week. He has scored above 20 PPR fantasy points in every game this season and should be in all lineups this week. Cook could also have a nice day in the receiving game, as the Patriots are allowing 5.8 catches per game to opposing running backs.
Khalil Shakir has been a reliable WR2 this year. He has scored above 12 PPR fantasy points in three of four games and has scored a touchdown in consecutive contests. Given that New England ranks around league average in fantasy points allowed to slot WRs, Shakir will be a high-floor WR3 in this Sunday night clash.
WR Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs continues to see his snap share increase as he works his way back from a torn ACL. Last week, Diggs played a season-high 63% of the team's offensive snaps. That resulted in his best output of the season, catching six passes for 101 yards. In a revenge game against the Bills, Diggs is a solid flex play. Buffalo has allowed five different WRs to score in double figures in PPR formats against them.
Injuries:
- None
Buffalo Bills Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating |
Game Matchup |
| James Cook, RB | Start | 116.3 | vs. NE |
| Josh Allen | Start | 113.2 | vs. NE |
| Keon Coleman, WR | Risky Start | 109.7 | vs. NE |
| Matt Prater | Risky Start | 109.6 | vs. NE |
| Khalil Shakir, WR | Risky Start | 108.5 | vs. NE |
| Dalton Kincaid, TE | Risky Start | 107.4 | vs. NE |
| Joshua Palmer, WR | Sit | 106.4 | vs. NE |
| Dawson Knox, TE | Sit | 100.7 | vs. NE |
| Curtis Samuel, WR | Sit | 100.6 | vs. NE |
| Elijah Moore, WR | Sit | 100.1 | vs. NE |
| Jackson Hawes, TE | Sit | 99 | vs. NE |
| Ty Johnson, RB | Sit | 98.1 | vs. NE |
| Ray Davis, RB | Sit | 96.1 | vs. NE |
| Buffalo Bills | Sit | 95.2 | vs. NE |
| Mitchell Trubisky | Sit | 93.7 | vs. NE |
New England Patriots Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating |
Game Matchup |
| Parker Romo | Start | 115.2 | @ BUF |
| Drake Maye | Start | 110.5 | @ BUF |
| Hunter Henry, TE | Risky Start | 108.5 | @ BUF |
| Stefon Diggs, WR | Risky Start | 106.8 | @ BUF |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, RB | Risky Start | 106.3 | @ BUF |
| TreVeyon Henderson, RB | Risky Start | 105.5 | @ BUF |
| Kayshon Boutte, WR | Risky Start | 103.6 | @ BUF |
| DeMario Douglas, WR | Sit | 99.7 | @ BUF |
| Antonio Gibson, RB | Sit | 99.4 | @ BUF |
| Austin Hooper, TE | Sit | 98.9 | @ BUF |
| Mack Hollins, WR | Sit | 97.9 | @ BUF |
| Kyle Williams, WR | Sit | 94.4 | @ BUF |
| Andy Borregales | Sit | 94.1 | @ BUF |
| Jack Westover, RB | Sit | 92.3 | @ BUF |
| New England Patriots | Sit | 82.6 | @ BUF |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Drake Maye, Josh Allen, James Cook, Stefon Diggs, Rhamondre Stevenson, Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry, Khalil Shakir. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5.
Week 5 Player Decisions. 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.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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