Fantasy football rankings Week 5: Dave Richard's tough start/sit calls include benching Jalen Hurts — SkimNews
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- Jalen Hurts lands on Richard's Week 5 "SIT" list as the Eagles head into the week with Lane Johnson retired, Landon Dickerson on IR, and DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley both question marks, while Philadelphia's new offense has yet to take hold.
- The Jaguars' run defense has been dominant through four weeks — No. 1 in yards per carry allowed (2.9), defensive rush success (75.4%), five-yard rush rate allowed (19.7%), yards after contact per rush allowed (1.79) and missed tackles on RB runs (five) — which is why Richard says Hurts would mostly have to do damage on the ground.
- Justin Herbert is also flagged as difficult to trust in Week 5 because of his own offensive line concerns and challenging matchups, per Richard.
- Jordan Love is on the fence against a Bears defense that blitzes at the league's sixth-highest rate (40.5% of dropbacks) and posts a 9.2% sack rate, with Richard noting Chicago goes top-10 in pass rush pressure rate even without sending extra rushers.
- Drake Maye lands on the START list after a Week 4 performance in which he threw on time to Romeo Doubs repeatedly and extended plays with his legs against pressure.
- Kyler Murray has historically torched Brandon Staley-coordinated defenses (22-plus Fantasy points in 3 of 4 meetings), but a Vikings offensive line already missing LT Christian Darrisaw and LG Donovan Jackson complicates the matchup against the Saints.
- Sleepers Ollie Gordon, Woody Marks and T.J. Hockenson are making strong cases for Week 5 starting spots despite entering the season with limited fantasy appeal, with Hockenson specifically drawing comparisons to Trey McBride after a strong Week 4 showing.
Why it matters: With Eagles injuries cratering Philadelphia's offensive line and a Jaguars run defense ranked No. 1 in multiple advanced rushing metrics, fantasy managers face an unusually high-stakes bench call on a typically elite QB1 in Hurts. At the same time, surging options like Hockenson, Maye and borderline plays like Odunze and Watson mean the difference between a smart Week 5 lineup and a wasted one could easily swing a head-to-head matchup by 10-plus fantasy points.
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