Bye weeks are about to begin again across the NFL, so making your weekly start/sit decision for your fantasy football team is about to get a bit trickier moving forward.
Here are some of my start/sit options at the RB position for Week 5 of NFL action.
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Which RBs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
David Montgomery continues to prove that he is the preferred leading ball carrier in this Detroit backfield when healthy.
Despite missing a game, Montgomery currently has 30 more carries, 83 more rushing yards, and five more rushing touchdowns than his rookie counterpart — Jahmyr Gibbs — through the first four games of the season.
Montgomery is someone that needs to be in your lineup until we get a drastic change in the usage rate out of this backfield.
De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
For those of you who doubted or dismissed De’Von Achane’s Week 3 performance, he thoroughly out-touched and outproduced fellow back Raheem Mostert last week against the Buffalo Bills.
Achane generated 120 total yards and two scores on just 11 touches in Week 4. In comparison, Mostert registered just 45 yards on 10 touches while fumbling twice in the same game.
I’m not suggesting that Achane is the guy moving forward, but his usage, efficiency, and production all suggest he is going to have a big role in an explosive offense moving forward. He is firmly planted in the RB2 conversation until further notice.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
We had been waiting for the explosive game from Isiah Pacheco for a while now.
Well, that game finally took place against the New York Jets in Week 4. Pacheco was heavily involved — if not featured — in this Kansas City offense, generating 158 total yards and a score on 23 touches.
His yardage output was a career high, and his total touches tied his career high.
If Pacheco continues to see this type of volume against the Minnesota Vikings — which could turn into a shootout — he could easily be a top-10 play at the running back position this week.
Which RBs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts
It is going to be difficult to write a fantasy football article this week that doesn’t mention the name Jonathan Taylor.
The Indianapolis Colts’ star running back is eligible to come off of the PUP list this week, which means the fantasy value of Zack Moss is currently in limbo.
Even if Taylor doesn’t return to the Colts lineup in Week 5, you should probably fade Moss out of your lineup against the Tennessee Titans’ defense.
The Titans’ defense hasn’t allowed a running back to post a 70-yard rushing performance this season, and they have only allowed one rushing touchdown all season long.
The ceiling just isn’t there this week for Moss, whether Taylor gets back into the fold or not.
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
For those of you who steered clear of drafting Gibbs with the fear that the Lions could similarly deploy him to D’Andre Swift from last season, you are probably feeling pretty good right now.
For those of you who bet on Gibbs’ dynamic playmaking talent and NFL draft capital changing that narrative from last season with your second or third-round fantasy pick this draft season, you are probably starting to get very concerned about his usage through the first four weeks.
While Gibbs is a dynamic player and should have a great NFL career, the Lions simply aren’t using him in a feature role.
As long as Montgomery continues to dominate the touches out of this backfield, Gibbs feels like a risky Flex play with limited touchdown upside because of Montgomery’s role with the team.
Trending Searches for RB Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use, allowing you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, and we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity.
Should You Start Montgomery or Joe Mixon?
The Cincinnati Bengals offense looks completely out of sorts to start the 2023 season. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that running back Joe Mixon has looked bad this season, but the limited scoring opportunities have lowered his ceiling considerably through the first four weeks.
On the flip side, Montgomery has scored a rushing touchdown in every game he has taken the field this season.
While a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals for the Bengals in Week 5 could present a get-right opportunity for Mixon, Montgomery has simply been too productive when on the field to be sent to the bench. I’m rolling with Montgomery this week.
Should You Start Gibbs or Jonathan Taylor?
At the moment of this question, it feels like a lot could change heading into Week 5. For now, we have to hope Taylor is set to take the field for the Colts on Sunday.
If that is the case, Taylor represents a ceiling as high as any other running back in fantasy football. Unfortunately, his matchup against the Titans is one of the toughest in the league for opposing running backs.
However, Gibbs is averaging just nine fantasy points per game in PPR formats. If we are using that as our line that Taylor needs to get to, then I’m inclined to go with Taylor because he is fully capable of finding the end zone, even if the efficiency isn’t quite there in his first game back.
Should You Start Isiah or Alexander Mattison?
Alexander Mattison has shown signs of life over the past two weeks and saw 17 carries to Cam Akers’ five.
However, a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs doesn’t bode quite as well for the type of game script Mattison has seen the past two weeks.
Pacheco is arguably coming off of the best game of his NFL career. If the Chiefs continue to utilize Pacheco this way, his ceiling feels much higher than Mattison’s this week.