FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast

Week 5 Lineup Advice: Starts, Sleepers, Sits, Player Debates, and TD Calls (Ep. 1748) – October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

The FantasyPros team—host Ryan Warmley, with experts Jake Seeley (The Athletic) and Pat Fitzmaurice—breaks down pivotal Week 5 fantasy football decisions. They tackle waiver-wire pickups, lineup start/sit debates, player roles emerging from injury shakeups, and big-picture strategic player value. The episode is packed with actionable advice as managers navigate injuries, four teams on bye, and shifting player value. The crew also plants their flags on favorite plays and closes out with rapid-fire start/sit matchups and touchdown calls.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Waiver Wire Hot Topics: Start or Sit?

Timestamp: 00:35–13:12

Woody Marks, RB, HOU

• Status: Coming off breakout Week 4, enticing matchup vs. injury-decimated Ravens.
• Jake Seeley: Start him, but with moderate expectations. “He deserves to be an RB2, but he’s probably back-end of the conversation… He can do it some games, but I don’t think that’s what they’re going to do when you still have Nick Chubb.” (01:55)
• Pat Fitzmaurice: Echoes cautious optimism. “He could be the No. 1 back for Houston, although...there's a nonzero chance Woody Marks just leaves Nick Chubb in the dust. The problem: the Houston offensive line is terrible.” (04:02)
• Marked as a start, especially in bye-heavy weeks, but with caution about workload split and offensive line.

Darius Slayton, WR, NYG (First week without Malik Nabers)

• Fitz: “Really borderline... WR39. In leagues with 3 WRs, he’s probably playing. With 2, probably not.” (06:54)
• Jake: “Fringe WR3/4. If not for the four teams on a bye, I’d have him lower… I would lean Wandale Robinson first.” (08:00)

Malik Washington, WR, MIA (Filling in for Tyreek Hill injury)

• Jake: Likes Washington’s ceiling more than Slayton’s due to role fit and upside—Washington better mimics Hill’s style. “If I'm just going to chase ceiling, going to hope Washington steps into that role.” (09:39)
• Fitz: Has Washington ranked three spots ahead of Slayton, citing safer floor and increased volume, especially in PPR settings. Brings up his rushing usage as a bonus. (11:14)

Darren Waller, TE, MIA/NYG

• Jake: Treats him as a Mark Andrews type—boom or bust TE1. “Touchdown or bust. Don’t expect consistency.” (13:43)
• Fitz: Echoes, noting his return from injury but limited snaps so far; high ceiling due to red-zone usage. (14:34)

2. Plant Your Flag: Favorite Week 5 Start Calls

Timestamp: 15:17–18:21

• Fitz: Jacoby Myers (WR, LV)—despite being only WR37 in scoring, target share and YAC are top tier, and matchup vs. Colts is soft. (15:29)
• Jake: Rashid Shaheed (WR, NO)—upside fill-in for deeper leagues. “If you're looking for a fill in and need upside, Shaheed could have that week we’ve wanted for him.” (17:15)

3. Key Player Debates & Start/Sit Battles

Timestamp: 22:48–35:49

Javonte Williams (DAL) vs. Quinshon Judkins (CLE) [RB1 Debate]

• Fitz: Prefers Williams for stability despite Cowboys’ O-line injuries. Notes his dual usage and production. (23:08)
• Jake: Gives slight edge to Judkins as a true bellcow—insane touch % even in blowouts. “He is now a top-five bellcow.” (25:44)
• Both ranked closely as RB1s for this tough bye week.

Woody Marks vs. David Montgomery [RB2 Debate]

• Jake: Leans Marks for a steadier role—even if Montgomery’s TD upside is real, Lions’ game-to-game variability concerns him. (29:20)
• Fitz: Favors Montgomery due to matchup, workload expectation, and lack of questions about his offensive line versus Marks. (30:45)

Wide Receivers: Xavier Worthy vs. Jaylen Waddle

• Both: Ranked as high-end WR2s; Jake has Worthy slightly higher for aggressive upside; Fitz prefers Waddle for greater volume with Hill sidelined. “Both inside my top 15 this week.” (32:06, 33:21)

Quentin Johnston vs. Courtland Sutton

• Jake: Shockingly, Johnston cracks his top 10 (“He learned how to catch… he’s the de facto No. 1”), over Sutton, citing better QB (Herbert) and higher shootout potential. (36:18)
• Fitz: Sutton just above Johnston due to steadier production, but struggle to argue against Johnston's recent breakout. (37:56)

Notable Dynasty Trade Tangent

• Jake: “Puka Nacua is on the Jamar Chase tier for me...I’d need a haul to move him.” (re: offering Puka for Drake London + Quentin Johnston) (40:55)
• Fitz: “It’s fair, really close. I think I’d rather just have Puka too. He’s my WR1 in dynasty.” (42:28)

4. Rapid-Fire Start/Sit Decisions

Timestamp: 43:06–57:20

A brisk series of “This or That” position questions:

• RJ Harvey vs. Travion Henderson (RB):

  • Jake: Harvey, more stable opportunity. (43:06)
  • Fitz: Henderson, based on matchup and higher scoring game. (43:28)

• Tee Higgins vs. Jordan Addison (WR):

  • Both: Addison, given Bengals’ passing game woes and Addison’s surprise snap share. (44:00–45:04)

• Flex: Jordan Mason (MIN - RB) vs. Jamar Chase (CIN - WR):

  • Jake: Mason safer for volume, but Chase still has ceiling. (46:22)
  • Fitz: “He’s still Jamar freaking Chase. Man, I gotta go Chase here.” (47:01)

• Flex: AJ Brown (PHI - WR) vs. Chase Brown (CIN - RB):

  • Fitz: Favors Chase Brown—higher floor due to touch count.
  • Jake: A.J. Brown—matchup against man coverage should favor him more. (48:01–49:35)

• Stefon Diggs (BUF) vs. Tony Pollard (TEN):

  • Jake: Diggs, unless Tyjae Spears is out, in which case Pollard for volume. (49:44)
  • Fitz: Pollard leans, citing volume, but likes Diggs’ uptick in usage and “Crash Davis to Drake May” narrative. (50:25)

• Amari Demercado vs. Jerry Jeudy (Flex):

  • Both: Slight edge to Demercado for potential lead back usage with less faith in Browns’ passing with rookie QB. (53:11–53:48)

• QBs: Bo Nix (NYG) vs. C.J. Stroud (HOU):

  • Both: Nix—because of rushing and better O-line as overriding fantasy factors. (54:51–55:44)

• TEs: Dallas Goedert (PHI) vs. Juwan Johnson (NO):

  • Fitz: Goedert for TD upside on a better offense.
  • Jake: Leans Johnson for floor, especially against the Giants. (56:26–56:57)

5. Touchdown Calls: Favorite Scoring Bets

Timestamp: 57:20–59:42

• Ryan: Cam Scadaboo (RB, NYG) — “Good player, favorable matchup.”
• Jake: Garrett Wilson (WR, NYJ) — “Just take your wide receivers against the Cowboys right now.”
  • Bonus: Ted McGillon to finally score for Dolphins.
• Fitz: Darren Waller (TE, MIA) — “Playing more, will be heavily involved with Hill out… just throw it up to the 6’6” guy.”
  (59:16)

All three emphasize the wildness of this week’s fantasy landscape—few players are “too obvious,” and even traditionally elite guys like Jamar Chase are now genuinely start/sit questions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Woody Marks: “Anyone expecting him to come in and be LaDainian Tomlinson is going to be in for a big disappointment.” — Pat Fitzmaurice (05:25)
• On Darius Slayton: “Jackson Dart was actually one of the most... highest design run quarterbacks in week 4. Runs more like Justin Fields, only not as good.” — Jake Seeley (08:00)
• On dynasty trading Puka Nacua:
  “You have the WR1 right now... that’s hard to get rid of.” — Ryan Warmley (42:09)
• On the state of WR in Week 5: “It’s gross. Some of these mid-30s ranked wideouts, you’re just hoping for 5 PPR points.” — Pat Fitzmaurice (18:52)
• On Quentin Johnston: “I can't believe this. Johnston’s inside my top ten at this point… he learned how to catch!” — Jake Seeley (36:18)
• On Jamar Chase: “He’s still Jamar freaking Chase, man. I gotta go Chase here.” – Pat Fitzmaurice (47:01)
• On Stefon Diggs’ narrative: “He’s the Crash Davis to Drake May’s Nuke LaLoosh… Bull Durham is the best baseball movie of all time and I will brook no argument on that.” — Pat Fitzmaurice (52:03)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:35 — Waiver wire start/sit: Woody Marks, Slayton, Washington
• 06:54 — Giants receiver start/sit: Darius Slayton impact without Nabers
• 13:12 — Darren Waller’s rest-of-season outlook
• 15:29 — Plant Your Flag: Jacoby Myers, Rashid Shaheed
• 22:48 — RB1 debate: Javonte Williams vs. Quinshon Judkins
• 29:20 — RB2 debate: Woody Marks vs. David Montgomery
• 32:06 — WR questions: Worthy, Waddle, Pittman, Flowers
• 36:18 — Quentin Johnston vs. Courtland Sutton; Dynasty trade tangent
• 43:06 — Rapid-fire start/sit: Harvey/Henderson, Higgins/Addison, others
• 57:20 — Touchdown Calls: Scadaboo, Wilson, Waller

Episode Tone & Style

The show balances sharp, actionable fantasy football insights with expert banter, playful jabs, and rich context for managers navigating a chaotic week. The tone is honest, candid, and at times irreverent as the experts debate tough lineup decisions and poke fun at surprising fantasy developments.

Bottom Line For Week 5

• Embrace the chaos: Even big-name stars (e.g., Jamar Chase, AJ Brown) are real start/sit dilemmas.
• Running backs: Opportunity is king, but offensive context and O-line matter—especially with inexperienced QBs.
• Wide receivers: The mid-tier is thin; emerging options like Worthy and Johnston are real WR1/2 plays.
• Tight ends: “Touchdown or bust” is the norm after the elite tier.
• Bye week + Injuries: Deep-dive for upside plays, chase opportunity and scoring environments, and don’t be afraid to sit “names.”

This expertly structured episode summary lets managers catch up on all the most important Week 5 context, decisions, and expert calls—complete with timestamps, direct quotes, and strategic commentary.