RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 5? Fantasy Football outlooks for Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, Jaxson Dart, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Drake Maye, Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, Jaxson Dart, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Drake Maye, Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa. 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:
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 25 of 37 pass attempts for 270 yards, four touchdowns, and zero sacks during Sunday's Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
He also took one sack and rushed for five yards. This was one of Mahomes' best outings in a long time, as well as the first time he threw for four touchdowns since 2023. The star quarterback has now scored at least 24 fantasy points in three of four games this season, ranking as the overall QB3 so far.
Patrick Mahomes should be viewed as a top-five fantasy quarterback option heading into next week's matchup against a Jaguars defense that is playing surprisingly well.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold completed 18 of his 26 pass attempts for 242 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions during Thursday's Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
He also took three sacks and rushed for 24 yards. The veteran's clean, turnover-free football helped keep his team in the lead for most of the game and was enough to seal the victory over a divisional opponent on primetime television.
The 28-year-old has strung together three decent weeks, totaling five touchdowns and two turnovers during that span. He ranks as a mid-range QB2 heading into Week 5 against Tampa Bay.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee, biceps) was unable to take the practice field on Wednesday. Mayfield was limited all last week due to a right biceps injury. Now, it appears Mayfield has picked up a knee injury during last week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That being said, the Bucs have decided to hold Mayfield out on Wednesday. This is a bit concerning for fantasy managers, but it's probably just the Bucs being cautious with their banged up quarterback. These seem like minor issues that shouldn't cause Mayfield to miss Week 5.
However, fantasy managers should check back on Thursday for another update on his status. The absence of Mayfield would likely mean Teddy Bridgewater would start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw for 326 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown as well to help the Broncos roll past the Bengals on Monday night, 28-3.
Nix completed 29 of his 42 pass attempts and continued to show a strong connection with Courtland Sutton. He could have had an even bigger night if he hadn't thrown his interception inside the Bengals' five-yard line, and the Broncos' pass catchers hurt Nix with a few costly drops as well.
The 2-2 Broncos face a tough test next Sunday on the road against the Eagles, and Nix will remain a borderline QB1 with a high ceiling despite that tough matchup for as long as he keeps this offense humming. Denver has scored at least 20 points in each of their four games this season.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 14 of 17 pass attempts for 203 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 4 blowout win over the Carolina Panthers. He also rushed for 11 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
The 23-year-old has quietly produced one of the strongest starts to the season among all NFL quarterbacks, racking up nine touchdowns, 98 rushing yards, and just two interceptions. He ranks as the overall QB4 in fantasy points through four weeks, trailing only Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes II.
That's an elite class of quarterbacks, so Maye's presence among such a talented group is a testament to the strong four weeks he's had. He has entered must-start territory as a mid-range QB1 entering next week's game against the Buffalo Bills.
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 - Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, Jaxson Dart, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Drake Maye, Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa. 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 Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, Jaxson Dart, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Drake Maye, Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa:
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!
