C.J. Stroud threw for 347 yards and Jameson Williams finally hit the century mark in a 2026 game. Last week was arguably our most accurate fantasy football matchups column yet, and I expect the overall hit rate to improve each week as we gain more data and insights on team and player tendencies.
Every week, I'll continue to identify and write up players that are not obviously starts or sits. Regardless of matchup, you're starting someone like James Cook every week, so I try to go a few layers deeper than your early-round fantasy studs.
Note: Projections refer to player props in the betting and prediction markets, which are a valuable reference tool for anyone playing fantasy football.
Best Week 5 fantasy football matchups
Jacoby Brissett vs. the Lions
Quarterbacks are averaging 327 passing yards, three passing touchdowns,
and 29 fantasy points per game against Detroit this season. Even when adjusting for opponents faced (Tyler Shough, Josh Allen, Geno Smith and Bryce Young), the Lions have still allowed more than six fantasy points per game to the position above expectation.
The game total in Cardinals-Lions is a hearty 54.5 points, the highest of Week 5. Brissett himself has attempted at least 35 passes in three of four games, and he's averaging the eighth-most pass attempts per game (38) overall. Almost the entire Lions secondary is injured, as cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is set to miss Week 5, making him the fourth Lions starter to go down in their secondary.
Think of Brissett as a top-10 fantasy option this week, much like Stroud last week against the Cowboys.
D'Andre Swift at the Packers
Let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, D'Andre Swift was benched last week after a bad fumble. Kyle Monangai looked like superman in relief, carrying 30 times for 146 yards and two scores. Monangai himself is now a little banged up, and I expect Week 5 to be the D'Andre Swift show once again.
Swift signed a lucrative three-year extension with the Bears before the season began, and Head Coach Ben Johnson appears to have already moved on from the fumble. In a presser post-game, Johnson stated:
"I think the [fumble] last week was egregious... and [Swift] knows that. He takes a lot of pride in [not fumbling], hence why it's never been an issue over the course of his career... he'll be just fine moving forward."
The Bears head coach is ready to move on, and so are we. Green Bay has allowed 114 rushing yards and nearly two touchdowns per game to running backs on the ground this season. When adjusting for opponents faced, the Packers are sneakily the #1 matchup to target for our fantasy backs.
Vegas isn't worried about Swift either, as sportsbooks have his total yards projected for 78.5, with roughly 50-50 odds to score.
Malik Nabers at the Commanders
The Commanders have been a unique case study in how pass defenses funnel production. Through four weeks, the Commanders have given up nearly eight times as many yards to receivers on the outside compared to the slot. This is by far the biggest ratio among any NFL defense this year.
Nabers himself has run 80% of his routes on the outside, and he's coming off a big six-catch, 112-yard game with a touchdown.
The Commanders have also held two of their four opponents to under 40 rushing yards, and with Cam Skattebo (shoulder) limited in practice this week, there's a decent chance the Giants are forced to work through the air to attack Washington's defense.
Nabers continues to be a polarizing fantasy asset, but I'm giving you the green light to start him again in an excellent matchup.
Kenyon Sadiq vs. the Browns
The rookie broke out in Week 3 with seven catches, 105 yards and a touchdown. And then Week 4 was radio silence (kind of).
For those hurt by Sadiq's Week 4 donut, it's time to get back on the horse once again. While Sadiq failed to bring in any of his four targets, Geno Smith only attempted 15 passes last week. So, Sadiq's four targets actually tied with Garrett Wilson for a team-leading 27% target share.
Diving deeper, Sadiq only ran 12 routes, so he was being targeted on an unreal 1 in 3 routes. Many are saying (okay, maybe just me) that this was the quietest force-feeding of targets for any player through four weeks.
Turning to the matchup, the Browns have allowed a 27% target share to tight ends this year, a top-10 mark. It becomes even more favorable when you look at the mixed bag of opponents the Browns have faced (Brenton Strange, Cade Otton, Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington).
Take the plunge with me and trust Sadiq as an upside play in Week 5 given the matchup.
Worst Week 5 fantasy football matchups
Tyler Shough vs. the Vikings
The Falcons pressured Shough on nearly half his dropbacks last week, and it ended up being his worst fantasy output by far of the young 2026 campaign. This week, Shough faces the Vikings, who are undefeated almost entirely due to their defense.
No team has pressured quarterbacks at a higher rate than the Vikings, and they've held opposing quarterbacks to just 12.5 fantasy points per game. It's also a short week for the Saints after their Monday night trouncing at the hands of Atlanta.
Shough should be treated like a fringe top-12 option in fantasy, where the aforementioned Brissett is a better Week 5 option.
Tony Pollard vs. the Texans
Tony Pollard has put together a nice string of fantasy performances, with 13 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks. Unfortunately, that likely ends this week against Houston.
The Texans are holding running backs to just 3.55 yards per carry, despite facing Jonathan Taylor and James Cook already. Both those star backs were held to under 70 rushing yards. Overall, the Texans are the third-worst matchup for fantasy backs when adjusting each defense for opponents faced.
There is also a massive discrepancy between the Texans defensive line (Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter) and a downright bad Titans offensive line. Betting and prediction markets peg Pollard's touchdown odds at less than 29%, an impressively low number for a starting NFL running back.
Park Pollard on your fantasy bench this week.
Every Eagles Player at the Jaguars (London game)
It's been about as bad of a four-game runout as anyone could possibly imagine for the Eagles.
- Superstar guard Landon Dickerson is on injured reserve
- Star tackle Lane Johnson just retired
- Center and guard Cam Jurgens was just traded to the Ravens
- Saquon Barkley should miss this game due to a hamstring injury
- DeVonta Smith should miss this game due to a hamstring injury
- Tank Bigsby is now on Injured Reserve for core muscle surgery
- Dallas Goedert is hoping to return from a sprained MCL in Week 2
When the bullet points emerge, you know it's bad news, but the hits keep coming. This week, the Eagles face a Jaguars team that has allowed the fewest rushing yards per game to running backs (48). Jacksonville has also allowed just three passing touchdowns on the season, the lowest mark through four games.
Jalen Hurts' pass yards prop is under 190, it's just a complete mess. The Eagles are more than touchdown underdogs in a low 41.5 point game total.
It's also a London game, which is really just another home game for the Jaguars, who have played more than twice as many games there as any other NFL franchise. Like Tampa Bay last week, this is not a week to fire up any Eagles in fantasy football.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 7 best and worst fantasy football matchups for Week 5
