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Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, CJ Stroud, Bo Nix, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Bryce Young.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, CJ Stroud, Bo Nix, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Bryce Young. 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:
Daniel Jones, QB, Colts
In Week 4, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones had a small setback in what has been an exciting bounce-back season. Jones completed 24 of his 33 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
That being said, it should have been a better outing for Jones, who had a touchdown wiped away when Adonai Mitchell lost control of a would-be touchdown pass right before the goal line.
Jones will look to get back on track in Week 5's home matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have been decent against quarterbacks in fantasy this season, allowing the 15th-most fantasy points per game to the position thus far. Treat Jones as a high-end QB2 in Week 5.
Geno Smith, QB, Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has endured a rough start to the 2025 campaign, throwing a league-high seven interceptions in just four games. Despite flashes from the Raiders' rushing attack, including Ashton Jeanty's breakout performance last week, Smith continues to force throws into tight coverage, resulting in costly turnovers.
Head Coach Pete Carroll has maintained confidence in his veteran signal-caller, but with Kenny Pickett waiting on the bench, the leash may not be endless if the mistakes persist. A tough Week 5 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts looms, and fantasy managers should approach Smith with extreme caution.
At this point, he should only be considered in superflex or very deep 16-plus team formats, as his turnover issues make him a risky play in standard leagues.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold checks in as a streamer in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Darnold has found consistency as the Seahawks' quarterback with three straight performances hovering around 16.5 fantasy points.
While those types of numbers will not win you your week, it is a great boost to your roster if you are having quarterback issues due to injuries or bye weeks. Darnold has been very efficient this season. He has only turned the ball over three times, and he is completing 70% of his passes.
The Buccaneers have been generous to opposing quarterbacks in fantasy. They are allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Darnold should have a fine day this weekend. If the Bucs make this a very competitive game, then it is likely that the Seahawks' passing volume will increase as well. That would make Darnold even more valuable in Week 5. Fire him up with confidence.
Justin Fields, QB, Jets
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold checks in as a streamer in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Darnold has found consistency as the Seahawks' quarterback with three straight performances hovering around 16.5 fantasy points.
While those types of numbers will not win you your week, it is a great boost to your roster if you are having quarterback issues due to injuries or bye weeks. Darnold has been very efficient this season. He has only turned the ball over three times, and he is completing 70% of his passes. The Buccaneers have been generous to opposing quarterbacks in fantasy.
They are allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Darnold should have a fine day this weekend. If the Bucs make this a very competitive game, then it is likely that the Seahawks' passing volume will increase as well. That would make Darnold even more valuable in Week 5. Fire him up with confidence.
Jared Goff, QB, Lions
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff struggled in Week 4 in a difficult matchup against the Cleveland Browns, completing just 59.3% of his pass attempts for 168 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The 30-year-old has now thrown for 929 yards, nine touchdowns, and two picks through his first four games of 2025.
Goff gets an easier matchup on paper in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati has allowed the third-most passing yards in the NFL (1,089) through the first four weeks of the season. The Lions currently rank ninth in the league in yards per pass attempt (7.6), so they should be able to find success moving the ball through the air.
Goff profiles as a low-end fantasy starter in single-QB formats and a must-start quarterback in two-QB leagues in Week 5.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, CJ Stroud, Bo Nix, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Bryce Young. 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 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 Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, CJ Stroud, Bo Nix, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Bryce Young:
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