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Scott Engel breaks down his Week 5 fantasy football lineup rankings, spotlighting key NFL players to start and tougher lineup start/sit decisions to make.
Welcome to Week 5, RotoBallers! Below you will find some of my spotlight plays and tough lineup decisions for the upcoming week of the fantasy football season.
These player selections are based off my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller's NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a 10% discount and get access to all of my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the entire 2019 season.
Note that all skill position picks here are based off of my PPR ranks.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Spotlight RB Starters for Week 5
Austin Ekeler, LAC: Melvin Gordon is expected to make his season debut this week, but you cannot expect him to get a major workload. If you are starting him over another Top 15 RB, you are making a mistake. Ekeler is still going to be a significant contributor for one more week in the Chargers offense.
David Montgomery, CHI: This could finally be the week when he delivers the production his owners have desperately wanted. It would be very wise of Matt Nagy to feature more of Montgomery this week, and the Chicago offense should give him more opportunities to score from near the goal line.
Jaylen Samuels, PIT: James Conner is expected to play through an ankle issue, but we could be looking at a split workload in the Pitttsburgh backfield so Conner does not get overworked. Samuels caught eight passes for 57 yards last week and works well with Mason Rudolph’s dink and dunk style. He is a quality flex play for Week 5.
Spotlight WR Starters for Week 5
Alshon Jeffery, PHI: No AFC team has allowed more Fantasy Points Per game to WRs than the Jets. When Carson Wentz is healthy and rolling in a good matchup, Jeffery is a go-to guy for him. Lock in Jeffery as a must-start in Week 5.
Calvin Ridley, ATL: This simply has to be the week when he bounces back. The Texans have allowed the second-most FFPG in the AFC to opposing WRs. This should be a shootout between the Falcons and Texans, and a good opportunity for Ridley to roll up some quality yardage totals.
Demarcus Robinson, KC: Sammy Watkins is looking iffy for the game against the Colts, and has been posting mediocre numbers since the opener. Robinson should be the guy to step forward against a very banged up Colts Defense. The Chiefs should roll up a lot of points again this week, and Robinson should be prominent in the mix.
Spotlight QB Starters for Week 5
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF: The 49ers are going to prove they are indeed back on the NFL map on national television on Monday night. Garoppolo has a variety of weaponry to exploit Cleveland with, and the Browns will likely be without two of their top CBs again.
Jacoby Brissett, IND: I have been trumpeting this one all week. Again, he has eight TD passes in his past three games and 575 yards in his past two, and faces the Chiefs. He has overcome receiving injuries and still posted good numbers. Heck, he still is a free agent in some leagues. He is available in 40 percent on the FleaFlicker platform. Pick Brissett up and start him.
Spotlight TE Starters for Week 5
Eric Ebron, IND: Jacoby Brissett has been posting quality passing totals recently and will have no choice but to try and keep up with Kansas City in the passing game. Ebron remains a prime TD threat for the Colts and should get in the end zone this week.
Jimmy Graham, GB: With Davante Adams out, Graham is going to have a bigger role in the Packers passing game. Geronimo Allison will not have much of ceiling, as Dallas has been very good against slot receivers this season. On the outside, Marquez Valdes-Scantling cannot be counted on to produce. Graham will definitely be the top target for Aaron Rodgers when the Packers get closer to the end zone.
Tough Lineup Decisions
LeSean McCoy over Wayne Gallman: Damien Williams is returning, but McCoy should still be the lead runner and TD option for this week. Gallman has a challenging matchup and his odds of getting in the end zone are reduced in Week 5. McCoy is the much better TD bet.
Jordan Howard over Melvin Gordon: I am seeing a lot of people pop Gordon back into their lineups when he has a very shaky outlook this week. It could be an error to use him over another guy who has a safer floor. Howard is going to get into the end zone at least once, and maybe twice against the Jets.
Marquise Brown over D.J. Chark: I was wrestling with this one in my own dynasty league. Chark has been terrific but the matchup against Carolina is more formidable than some may realize. Brown may be able to avoid Joe Haden at times, and even if he does line up against him, his speed should win out.
Phillip Dorsett over Will Fuller: The Houston WR is a popular recommendation among Fantasy analysts this week, and I see why. But Dorsett has the cake matchup against Washington, and you don’t have to worry about Tom Brady’s accuracy. Watson has misfired on some downfield throws that Fuller specializes in.
Noah Fant over Jared Cook: This could be a breakout week for the very talented rookie, as the Chargers safeties are very vulnerable in coverage. Cook has a seemingly good draw against the Buccaneers, but has returned to Fantasy irrelevance and is a highly risky play in any matchup.
