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Should I start Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, Jake Tonges for Week 5? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
The San Francisco 49ers are currently dealing with many injuries to key offensive players. For their Week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, on Thursday evening, they will be without starting QB Brock Purdy, top wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, and starting tight end George Kittle.
As a result, many players who served in depth roles are set to play a key role on Thursday evening and carry sneaky fantasy value.
So, should fantasy managers start Bourne, Robinson, and Tonges in Week 5? Let's dive in and find out.
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
Should I Start Kendrick Bourne for Fantasy Football?
With Pearsall and Jennings both sitting out, Bourne is poised to serve as the team's WR1 on Thursday evening. Through three games this season, Bourne has typically operated behind Jennings and Pearsall and has caught just eight of his 13 targets for 87 yards.
During this stretch, Bourne has seen more than five targets in one contest. However, with both wideouts sidelined, Bourne faces minimal target competition and should see the most on the team.
During the 2024 season, Bourne played a limited role in New England, catching just 28 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown.
While his production this season and throughout his career has not been overly inspiring, his placement on the depth chart on Thursday should provide him enough opportunities. Managers in deep three WR formats should consider Bourne a viable low-end WR3/FLEX option. His target volume should provide him a safe enough floor to put him in your lineup.
In addition, if the Rams get ahead in this game, expect Bourne to have a prominent role as the 49ers look to keep up.
Brock Purdy (toe), Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs) are out Thursday night vs. the Rams.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2025
Should I Start Demarcus Robinson for Fantasy Football?
The other wide receiver set to play a significant role is Demarcus Robinson. Robinson enjoyed a productive two-year stretch with the Rams before moving to San Francisco. In 2023, Robinson caught 26 passes for 371 yards and four scores. Then in 2024, Robinson would tally a season-high 505 yards with seven touchdowns on 31 receptions.
However, he would miss the first three games of the 205 season due to suspension. He made his 49er debut in Week 4 but had a limited role, as he played behind Pearsall, Jennings, and Bourne. In this contest, the 31-year-old caught just one of his two targets for a modest 20 yards.
However, given his production in Los Angeles last season, Robinson could be primed to take a significant step forward in his second game with the club on Thursday night. While Bourne figures to serve as the WR1 on paper, Robinson possesses much higher upside and could quickly emerge as Mac Jones' go-to option.
Given his projected role and upside he has shown in the past, Robinson is worth viewing as a solid WR3 in all formats on Thursday and is the more favorable option over Bourne.
Should I Start Jake Tonges for Fantasy Football?
The final player we will look at in this piece is tight end Jake Tonges. With Kittle on the IR, Tonges has emerged as the TE1 in San Francisco. Tonges immediately made an impact in Week 1, replacing Kittle, catching three passes for 15 yards and a score.
While he was relatively contained in Weeks 2 and 3, catching just six of his nine targets for a combined 52 yards, he returned to form in Week 4. During their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tonges was a bright spot on the offense, catching three of his five targets for 58 yards and his second touchdown of the campaign.
Given that Jennings and Pearsall will not suit up, there is a path for Tonges to be second on the team in targets, likely trailing running back Christian McCaffrey. Given his production and role through the opening month, Tonges could see more opportunities than both Bourne and Robinson.
While managers in shallower formats should not view Tonges as a viable TE1, managers in deep 14+ team leagues looking for a replacement for Tucker Kraft, who is off this week, should consider Tonges, given the numerous injuries to the 49ers' pass-catching room. He could see more than five targets in this contest, especially if the 49ers fall behind.
Jake Tonges takes the TE screen for the TD!
JAXvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/DUeI9qetjG
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
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 Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, and Jake Tonges. 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 - Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, and Jake Tonges. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 5.
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, 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, 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 for Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, and Jake Tonges compared to others:
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