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Who should I start in Fantasy Football? NFL week 5 roster recommendations by position

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Week 5 of the NFL already! Things are starting to get serious in fantasy Football - the wins and losses are starting to matter more and more moves are starting to be made across the board. This week marks the first of eight bye weeks in this NFL season, there were a slew of new and significant injuries in Week 4, and while some players are still having breakout Games, others are causing us to lose hope completely.

So before we dive into our Week 5 roster recommendations, let’s first consider the bye week and some noteworthy injuries.

NFL teams on bye week in Week 5: Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans.

RELATED: List of every NFL team’s bye week

Notable Week 5 injuries:

  • Anthony Richardson, QB - Indianapolis Colts

    • Hip - listed as "day to day" and could still play in Week 5. Monitor the practice reports this week. If he does not play, Joe Flacco will take his spot as QB1.

  • Russell Wilson, QB - Pittsburgh Steelers 

    • Calf - Coach Mike Tomlin has said that Justin Fields will remain the QB1 for Week 5 as Wilson continues to nurse his injury and as Fields has led them to a 3-1 start.
  • Jonathan Taylor, RB - Indianapolis Colts

    • High-ankle sprain - considered mild and not currently being considered for Inured Reserve. Trey Sermon will replace him with Tyler Goodson as the backup.

  • Joe Mixon, RB - Houston Texans

    • Ankle sprain - listed as "day-to-day", but strong possibility he could play in Week 5. Keep an eye on the practice reports. 

  • Nick Chubb, RB - Cleveland Browns

    • Knee - Chubb is finally back to practice today after his season-ending knee injury last year. The Browns have 21 days to activate him. He's unlikely to play in Week 5 but could suit up for Week 6.

  • Jonathon Brooks, RB - Carolina Panthers

    • Knee - still recovering from offseason ACL surgery and won't practice this week.

  • Puka Nacua, WR - Los Angeles Rams

    • Knee - out for at least another month

  • Cooper Kupp, WR - Los Angeles Rams

    • Ankle - still recovering from ankle injury suffered in Week 2 and will miss Week 5. Coach Sean McVay hopes he'll return by Week 7.

  • Rashee Rice, WR - Kansas City Chiefs

    • Knee - ruled out for Week 5, but the extent of the injury will require more tests. It was initially reported that he'd torn his ACL and would miss the remainder of the season, but we will have another update next week. Chiefs plan to spread the ball amongst receivers, so picking up Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster or Mecole Hardman isn't the best bet. Tight end Travis Kelce will likely see an increase in production.

  • Christian Watson, WR - Green Bay Packers 

    • Ankle sprain - will miss Week 5. Coach Matt LeFleur hopeful he'll only miss one week, but more evaluations will be performed. Dontayvion Wicks will be his backup and a good one to pick up this week.

  • Khalil Shakir, WR - Buffalo Bills

    • Ankle - still not ruled out for Week 5, but monitor the practice reports as his availability will be limited this week. If he's out, rookie Keon Coleman will get the primary role.

  • Taysom Hill, TE - New Orleans Saints

    • Chest - no reports on whether or not an x-ray or MRI has been performed as of yet, but good news is that the injury is not an aggravation of a previous one.

Fantasy Football roster recommendations: NFL Week 5

Quarterbacks

  • Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
  • Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts
  • Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers

Brock Purdy threw to several different targets last week and although he hasn’t had many great fantasy Games just yet, in Week 5, he’s got a favorable matchup. The Cardinals have allowed 19.1 fantasy points per Game to QBs. Justin Fields is playing for the starting position with Russell Wilson injured and last week, he had his best Game of the season, scoring 32 fantasy points. This week, he’s up against a weak and beat-up Cowboys defense who can’t stop the run. If Joe Flacco is in, start him against the Jaguars, who have allowed three quarterbacks to gain 18+ points and two to gain 23+ points.

Running Backs

  • D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
  • Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
  • Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers.

D’Andre Swift split carries with Roschon Johnson last week in the first half, but looked a lot more like the starter and ended up getting nearly 30 fantasy points. I don’t see that happening every week, but this one, he’s up against the Panthers’ rough defense. Don’t give up on Rhamondre Stevensen just yet. He will have a chance for a big game against the Dolphins, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to RBs this season. Chuba Hubbard has been on a roll lately with more than 22 points in his last two games. He has a favorable matchup against the Bears, who allowed three different RBs to get 18+ fantasy points and two to get 20+ points.

Wide Receivers

  • Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
  • Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

Tee Higgins is still getting back to form after missing the first two games and should continue an upward trend this week as the Bengals face the Ravens, whom he has a good history of playing against. Khalil Shakir has a favorable matchup against the Texans and will get targeted in the slot. Michael Pittman finally had his breakout game last week with 17.3 fantasy points and has a super favorable matchup against Jacksonville, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to perimeter receivers this year.

Tight Ends

  • Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
  • Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Cole Kmet saw a drop in production with the return of Keenan Allen, but the Bears are playing the Panthers at home this week. The Panthers have allowed two touchdowns and 171 yards to tight ends this year. Cade Otton was off to a slow start but has since seen an increase in targets and seems to be finding his place with the Bucs offense. Pat Freiermuth has become one of Justin Fields’ favorite targets and goes against a Cowboys defense that can’t rush the passer.

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