Fantasy football Week 5 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em quarterbacks: Stafford is a must-start, Hurts hits the bench

Matthew Stafford headlines the Week 5 starts, while Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert are among notable quarterbacks to avoid Oct 7, 2026 at 10:38 am ET • 1 min read It's been a rough start to the season for the quarterbacks we expected to perform well before the season. And many Fantasy managers have had to pivot to a new starter heading into Week 5.Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Jayden Daniels (elbow) have missed multiple weeks due to injury, although Daniels is expected to return in Week 5 against the Giants. We also lost Jaxson Dart (knee) for the season, but he wasn't selected as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback based on CBS Sports Average Draft Position data. Those top 12 guys were Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Williams, Daniels, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy.Allen (the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback through Week 4), Purdy (No. 2), Prescott (No. 8), Jackson (No. 9), Burrow (No. 10), Lawrence (No. 11) and Hurts (No. 12) have been fine. However, we must monitor Jackson (ankle), who is expected to miss Week 5 against Atlanta. And Hurts is headed to the bench in most one-quarterback leagues due to all the injuries in Philadelphia (see below).Maye and Herbert have been busts to start the season, but Maye appears poised to turn things around based on his Week 4 performance against Buffalo. Herbert, however, can't be trusted, especially with more injuries for the Chargers heading into Week 5 against Denver. Stafford will likely crack the top-12 soon, and I love his Week 5 matchup against Buffalo. He's my Start of the Week, and he should dominate the Bills.As you can see, it's been a rocky season for quarterbacks, and Week 5 will likely present some interesting starting options. Two quarterbacks who have done well are Bryce Young and Patrick Mahomes, both of whom are on bye. And Fantasy managers still have to replace Williams and now Jackson, as well as moving on from Hurts and Herbert.Some of the replacement quarterbacks I like are Jacoby Brissett, C.J. Stroud, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers and Jameis Winston. Brissett and Winston have great matchups in Week 5, Cousins and Rodgers are playing well this season and Stroud has been excellent when Nico Collins is healthy. You can read more about these quarterbacks below. You might find that the quarterback you drafted this year isn't the one who will lead you to the playoffs this season. Projections powered by Sportsline Projections powered by Sportsline Projections powered by Sportsline Projections powered by Sportsline