Fantasy Football Week 5: Start Matthew Stafford vs. Bills, Plus Other Bounce-Back Picks

Three players who were busts through the first three weeks of the season showed up in Week 4 with Drake Maye, Malik Nabers and Colston Loveland. It was fun to see them perform like the Fantasy options we hoped to see all season.

For Maye, he scored 32.2 Fantasy points at Buffalo, and you should feel somewhat confident starting him again in Week 5 against Las Vegas. Nabers finally connected with Jameis Winston in a great matchup against Arizona for 23.2 PPR points, and I'm excited to start him again in Week 5 at Washington. And Loveland scored 11.7 PPR points against the Jets, and I'm willing to trust him again in Week 5 at Green Bay.

There are still flaws for all of them -- Maye doesn't have A.J. Brown (back) yet, Nabers missed practice Wednesday with a knee injury (he should be fine) and Loveland has to prove he can succeed with Caleb Williams (hamstring) -- but no one should be complaining. You drafted those players to be stars, and they finally delivered after a slow start.

This week, we hope to see some other early disappointing Fantasy options perform well, including Jayden Daniels (elbow), Chase Brown and George Pickens, among others. All three are due for big games, and I hope we're talking about all three of them as winners when Week 5 is over.

This should be a fun scoring period, with lots of moving parts due to injuries. But it's always better when our stars show up, and I was thrilled to see that happen for Maye, Nabers and Loveland last week.

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Start of the Week Projections powered by Sportsline

Matthew Stafford

QB

LAR L.A. Rams

• #9

Age: 38 • Experience: 18 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs BUF LAR -3 O/U 54.5

OPP VS QB

28th

PROJ PTS

21.4

QB RNK

2nd

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1189

RUYDS

21

TD

6

INT

6

FPTS/G

18.4

It's been a rocky start to the season so far for Stafford, but he should have a dominant game in Week 5 against Buffalo. I like Stafford as a top-three Fantasy quarterback in all leagues. He has two games this year with at least 24.9 Fantasy points and two others with 9.7 Fantasy points or less. Puka Nacua missed two games with a groin injury, but he's healthy now. And Stafford is throwing the ball a lot with at least 51 pass attempts in his past two outings against Denver and Philadelphia. He's only played one game at home this season (Week 2 against the Giants), and Stafford scored 34.9 Fantasy points. This week, we could get a shootout against the Bills, who are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. C.J. Stroud, Jared Goff and Drake Maye each scored at least 20.5 Fantasy points against Buffalo, with Goff and Maye going over 32 Fantasy points. That's the expectation I have for Stafford, who should be in a potential shootout with Josh Allen since this game has a projected total score of 53.5 points. I'm excited to see how good Stafford can be in Week 5, and he should have one of his best games of the season against Buffalo at home.

QBs to Start Projections powered by Sportsline

Jared Goff

QB

DET Detroit

• #16

Age: 31 • Experience: 11 year

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ ARI DET -5.5 O/U 54.5

OPP VS QB

29th

PROJ PTS

24.5

QB RNK

3rd

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1214

RUYDS

15

TD

9

INT

0

FPTS/G

26

Goff is once again performing like a solid Fantasy quarterback with at least 20.4 points in all four games, and he should have a chance for another solid outing in Week 5 at Arizona. The Cardinals are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Drew Lock, Brock Purdy and Jameis Winston have all scored at least 24 Fantasy points against Arizona in the past three games. I like Goff as a top-three quarterback in Week 5.

Trevor Lawrence

QB

JAC Jacksonville

• #16

Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs PHI JAC -7 O/U 41.5

OPP VS QB

19th

PROJ PTS

19.7

QB RNK

7th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

843

RUYDS

34

TD

8

INT

2

FPTS/G

20.2

Lawrence had a quiet game in Week 4 at Cincinnati with just 15.1 Fantasy points, and he's combined for only 21.3 fantasy points in two road games this year. This is considered a home game for the Jaguars, but they are playing the Eagles in London in Week 5. Lawrence is only averaging 17.2 Fantasy points in seven career games in London, but I like his chances for a big game in this matchup. The Eagles have allowed Jayden Daniels, Cam Ward and Case Keenum to all score at least 20.1 Fantasy points this season, and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (knee), linebacker Jonathan Greenard (ankle) and linebacker Zack Baun (concussion) are all banged up heading into this game. I like Lawrence as a top-five quarterback in Week 5.

Jacoby Brissett

QB

ARI Arizona

• #7

Age: 33 • Experience: 11 year

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs DET DET -5.5 O/U 54.5

OPP VS QB

32nd

PROJ PTS

21

QB RNK

10th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

818

RUYDS

43

TD

7

INT

4

FPTS/G

17.7

Brissett only has one game this season with at least 20 Fantasy points, but I like his chances to double that total in Week 5 against Detroit. The Lions are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Tyler Shough, Josh Allen, Geno Smith and Bryce Young have all scored at least 25.5 Fantasy points against Detroit. This feels like the perfect setup for Brissett with the Cardinals likely chasing points against a mediocre defense. Brissett has top-10 upside in Week 5.

Drake Maye

QB

NE New England

• #10

Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs LV NE -3.5 O/U 45.5

OPP VS QB

18th

PROJ PTS

21.3

QB RNK

9th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

854

RUYDS

136

TD

4

INT

7

FPTS/G

13.9

I don't know if Maye is back to being an elite Fantasy quarterback yet, but he produced like one in Week 4 at Buffalo. He passed for 269 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he added 54 yards on the ground. His 32.2 Fantasy points were more than he had in the first three games of the season combined (23.7). Maye only scored 17.8 Fantasy points against Las Vegas in Week 1 last season, but the Raiders have allowed Tyler Shough and Patrick Mahomes to each score at least 21 Fantasy points in the past two games. I like Maye as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.

C.J. Stroud

QB

HOU Houston

• #7

Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ TEN HOU -7.5 O/U 37.5

OPP VS QB

5th

PROJ PTS

21.6

QB RNK

13th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1141

RUYDS

66

TD

5

INT

0

FPTS/G

19.5

Stroud has played two games with Nico Collins this season and is averaging 23.8 Fantasy points in those outings. Stroud faces the Titans in Week 5, and he scored at least 19.7 Fantasy points in his last two full games against Tennessee, going back to 2024. Two of the past three quarterbacks against the Titans have scored at least 20.2 Fantasy points, with Jalen Hurts in Week 2 and Lamar Jackson in Week 4. Tennessee limited Geno Smith in Week 1 and Jameis Winston in Week 3 to 9.3 Fantasy points or less in each outing, but I'm expecting Stroud to be a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in Week 5. Sleepers (Start/Sit) Projections powered by Sportsline

Kirk Cousins

QB

LV Las Vegas

• #8

Age: 38 • Experience: 15 yrs.

We'll see if the Patriots can slow down Cousins, who's on fire heading into Week 5. He has scored at least 19.8 Fantasy points in all four games, including three in a row with at least 26.2 points. Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen have each scored at least 20.5 Fantasy points against New England in the past two games, and Cousins is worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues.

Aaron Rodgers

QB

PIT Pittsburgh

• #8

Age: 42 • Experience: 22 yrs.

Rodgers has scored at least 27.9 Fantasy points in each of his past two games against Cincinnati and Cleveland. According to Fantasy Football Today podcast host Adam Aizer, that's the first time Rodgers has had back-to-back games with more than 25 Fantasy points since he won the NFL MVP in 2021 in Green Bay, a span of 57 games. Rodgers should have another standout game in Week 5 against the Colts, who are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes each scored at least 26.9 Fantasy points against Indianapolis this year, and Rodgers is worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues.

Jameis Winston

QB

NYG N.Y. Giants

• #19

Age: 32 • Experience: 12 yrs.

The Commanders held Daniel Jones in check in Week 4 in London to just 7.9 Fantasy points, but Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott and Sam Darnold all scored at least 30.7 Fantasy points against Washington this season. Winston just scored 24 Fantasy points against Arizona in Week 4 with 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Given the matchup, I'm willing to trust Winston again as a low-end starter in deeper leagues. QBs to Sit Projections powered by Sportsline

Jalen Hurts

QB

PHI Philadelphia

• #1

Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.

YTD Stats

PAYDS

713

RUYDS

105

TD

8

INT

3

FPTS/G

20.2

Lane Johnson retired, Saquon Barkley (hamstring) is out, and DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dallas Goedert (knee) aren't expected to play in Week 5 against Jacksonville in London. It's hard to trust Hurts with what's missing for the Eagles, and he has scored 17.5 Fantasy points or less in each of the past two games against Chicago and the Rams. The Jaguars are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Hurts is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.

Justin Herbert

QB

LAC L.A. Chargers

• #10

Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs DEN DEN -3.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

20th

PROJ PTS

15.4

QB RNK

20th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

816

RUYDS

88

TD

4

INT

6

FPTS/G

12.8

The Broncos' pass defense isn't as imposing this season since Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy all scored at least 23.6 Fantasy points against Denver already this year. And star cornerback Patrick Surtain II (ankle) isn't expected to play in Week 5. That said, you can't trust Herbert as a starter in one-quarterback leagues. He has scored 15.3 Fantasy points or less in all four outings this season, and he might be without Ladd McConkey (foot), Rashawn Slater (ankle) and Joe Alt (neck) this week. This should be another tough outing for Herbert in Week 5.

Kyler Murray

QB

MIN Minnesota

• #1

Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ NO MIN -1.5 O/U 42

OPP VS QB

21st

PROJ PTS

18.2

QB RNK

22nd

It's probably not fair to judge Murray without seeing him play a full game with Justin Jefferson (ankle), but Murray is averaging just 11.9 Fantasy points in his past two games against Tampa Bay and Miami. Jefferson could return in Week 5 at New Orleans, but Fantasy managers in one-quarterback leagues can't trust Murray right now. The Saints have also held Jared Goff (20.4 Fantasy points), Lamar Jackson (16.8) and Michael Penix Jr. (14.7) to modest production, and I would only start Murray in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 5.

Bo Nix

QB

DEN Denver

• #10

Age: 26 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ LAC DEN -3.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

17th

PROJ PTS

17.4

QB RNK

19th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

819

RUYDS

25

TD

6

INT

3

FPTS/G

16.8

Nix has

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/fantasy-football-week-5-start-em-sit-em-jamey-eisenberg/)._