Week 5 of the 2020 NFL regular season is here, and with it comes more fantasy football questions.
The good news is we are now a fourth of the way through the season. Teams have played four games now, which means we can start feeling good about those evaluations. It is much easier to tell who is going to give you what each week.
With that being said, let's not pretend like everything is a shoe-in. There are only a few elite quarterbacks.
At this point no one needs to tell you that Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott should be starting. If you have them on your team and they are not in your starting lineup for any reason other than injury or bye week—you should probably stop playing fantasy football.
Outside of that, though, you might have a toss-up. With that in mind, let's take a look at the quarterbacks in Week 5 and decide who should be starting, and who should be sitting.
QBs to Start in Week 5
Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers
Teddy Bridgewater had a really strong Week 4 performance. After three mediocre-at-best weeks for the Panthers something clicked.
Through three weeks, Bridgewater was doing solid in the yards department and the competition percentage department. That was about it.
He had just two touchdowns in those three weeks, and he paired them with two interceptions. Meanwhile, he really had not done much with his legs.
Then in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals Bridgewater threw for 276 yards (his second highest of the year. Most importantly, he had two touchdown passes compared to one interception. At the same time, the quarterback had 32 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
He had new highs in touchdown passes, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. That's a good sign.
Then there is his opponent for Week 5, the Atlanta Falcons. To put it nicely, the Falcons have been a dumpster fire.
That dumpster fire has led to a lot of pretty massive games from opposing quarterbacks. So, why not ride the hot hand of Bridgewater while going against the ice cold one of the Atlanta defense?
It is certainly worth the risk in Week 5, you might get a massive performance.
Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff has flaws. The Rams quarterback simply has not looked the same since his magical season a few years ago. 2019 was a disaster, but 2020 has looked much better.
It still has been far from perfect, but he's been solid. It also helps that he has incredible weapons such as Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee.
Goff has a solid six passing touchdowns compared to just two interceptions this year. Three of those touchdowns came in one game, though. That means the other three are dispersed over three weeks.
So, Goff is a little bit of a hit-or-miss option. He could give you a star game for your fantasy football team or drop just a few points for your time.
Week 5 is a good time to take a chance on him, though. The Rams are going up against the Washington Football Team. A team that had high defensive expectations to start the year, but have run into some problems.
Matthew Ioannidis and Chase Young are both out. That severely weakens the pass rush. Meanwhile that secondary simply is not good.
Now Washington's switching to Kyle Allen at quarterback too. While he might be more exciting that Dwayne Haskins when it comes to throw the ball down the field, he's very turnover prone. Could that lead to Los Angeles getting some short fields?
Goff has those six touchdown passes and one touchdown run. He also has just over 1,000 yards so far on the season. Could we see at least two touchdowns and well over 300 yards in Week 5?
Washington's given up at least 30 points in three straight games, so it is definitely a possibility. You might want to look at Goff this week.
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans is not having the best year so far. His numbers are not terrible (six touchdowns compared to three interceptions), but they are not great either.
Even worse, he is not winning—his team is 0-4. Winning doesn't matter in fantasy, though—stats do. It doesn't matter if the quarterback wins but what he produces.
The good new is Watson has a chance to put up big fantasy football numbers (and get a win for Houston) in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Watson has a lot going for him this week. The Jaguars are very spotty in their play. So, the quarterback could make some big moves.
At the same time, he has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game so far. With that in mind, he's a pretty safe bet.
Oh, and although he hasn't shown it much this year (58 rushing yards and one touchdown) the dude can run. So don't be surprised if he finally breaks off a few big ones. If that happens, Watson will be right back in the “obvious starter” category.
QBs to Sit in Week 5
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Kirk Cousins has been bad this year. Really bad if we're being honest. He had a strong Week 4 and did throw three touchdown passes (although he had two interceptions) in Week 3.
With that in mind, fantasy football owners might be starting to gain some trust in him again. That's fine. It should not surprise anyone that he's picking it up a little bit.
Those six touchdowns and six interceptions are not great but it's evening out. Admittedly the 883 passing yards are discouraging but again it could be worse.
So, why not start him in Week 5? The Seattle Seahawks.
Cousins is not a bad quarterback and he's starting to play better. Please don't fall into the hubris trap. He'll end up with strong numbers in 2020 but it's not wise to play a struggling quarterback against Seattle.
Sit this week out and reevaluate him next week when the Vikings face off with the Falcons (he might even be in the start column for that one).
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles is in the same boat as Cousins. He's been really bad this year. At least he has the excuse of his weapons around him being injured.
At the same time, Wentz has just been bad. He's missing his targets and has under 1,000 passing yards and just four touchdown passes compared to seven interceptions.
However last week saw the quarterback throw for a touchdown and run for a touchdown. It was the second straight week he did that.
Here are some other stats. Barely 400 passing yards in those two games combined (includes an overtime game). He also had three interceptions and two fumbles. So, if turnovers lose you points, he's not helping much.
Now the Eagles are going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A much tougher opponent and especially defense than Philadelphia's last two opponents (the Cincinnati Bengals and a devastatingly injured San Francisco 49ers team).
Like with Cousins, don't fall for this trap. Wentz has thrown and ran for a touchdown in each of the last two games. Context around them matters, though. The other stats were not encouraging and now Philadelphia is facing Pittsburgh.
Sit this one out.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans' quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been great this year. He has 809 passing yards in three games and six touchdown passes compared to just one interception.
He only has 35 rushing yards but he's also very dangerous with his feet and liable to run a few into the end zone at any moment.
Tannehill is facing a massive uphill battle in Week 5, though. The Titans did not play in Week 4 due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Now they have to face the incredibly tough Buffalo Bills—a tough Buffalo team with one of the most devastating defenses in the entire NFL.
Oh, and leading receiver Corey Davis was placed on COVID-19/reserve list. So, Tannehill won't even have his best passing weapon to help him against this defense.
This could end up being a game that sees Tennessee rely heavily on running back Derrick Henry. They will try to dominate the clock and hold onto the game that way.
While it's not impossible it just feels tough to imagine Tannehill posting anything resembling big numbers this week for your fantasy football team.
He's been a very good fantasy quarterback this year, and will likely give you some more good games in the future. Week 5 against the Bills just isn't the week for him.
Follow Us
Subscribe