Week 5 Fantasy Football Start 'Ems

Our “Fantasy Football Start ‘Ems” for Week 5 will help you identify which players it’s worth taking that risk on during the dreaded bye weeks.

Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at San Francisco

Freeman went 25-of-39 for 287 yards and a touchdown along with 27 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4.

He now has at least 12 fantasy points in each game this season, despite not throwing more than one touchdown in a game, and Week 5 brings a favorable matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to top 400 passing yards in a game twice this season and allowed 491 total yards (416 passing) to Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Freeman is not quite the athlete Vick is, but he is mobile and poses a serious dual threat with the ability to extend the play.

He still seems to be a bit below the radar in fantasy football, but he is a solid starting option with some upside for this week.

Beanie Wells (Arizona Cardinals) at Minnesota

Wells returned to action in Week 4 against the New York Giants after being inactive in Week 3 due to a hamstring injury. He had 27 carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns in the game. In the three games he has played this season, he has 321 rushing yards and five touchdowns and should get another heavy workload this week against the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota has held opposing running backs in check over the past two weeks, but they allowed five total touchdowns to the position in the first two games of the season and have still allowed 18.5 fantasy points to the position this season.

The main issue with Wells is always health, but he looks good to go and makes for a solid starting option as a low-end RB1 for Week 5.

Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City Chiefs) at Indianapolis

Bowe had five catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings. He has scored in two straight games and has 14 receptions and two 100-yard games over the last three games.

The Chiefs appear to be getting things together a little bit offensively, which is good news for Bowe heading into this week against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts have allowed 53 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers over the past two games, and last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have been much worse if wide receiver Arrelious Benn had not stepped out of bounds prior to a touchdown reception.

Bowe has as much talent as any receiver Indianapolis has faced this season, and quarterback Matt Cassel should look his way often.

Fantasy owners that have stuck with Bowe should continue to be rewarded in Week 5, and he is a solid choice as a WR1.

Continue reading on to find out who else you should start or sit in Week 5:

Week 5 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

Week 5 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR |  TE  |  K  |  DEF   (click to read)