Week 5 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Flex picks ft. Rachaad White, Darius Slayton, Emari Demercado, and more

In life, just like fantasy football, crazy things happen. Injuries you didn’t know occurred in-game, all of a sudden, take players out for multiple weeks. Just when you think your roster has plenty of depth, it’s tested with bye weeks and a rash of player injuries that have us all running to the waiver wire. Or maybe the water line to your ice maker on your refrigerator decides to leak and flood your basement before you have to write a fantasy article - oh wait, that’s just me.

My basement is fine. So are my lineups. Hopefully, you can say the same. We’re dealing with four teams on BYE this week (Falcons, Bears, Packers, Steelers). And Wednesday brought news of several running backs potentially missing a number of weeks. Throw in season-ending injuries to Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill this past week and you’ve got… well, you’ve got a fantasy football season.

In this Week 5 start/sit article, I’m going to look at some of the players earning new opportunities and give my thoughts on whether they are worth the add and start this weekend.

Fantasy Football Week 5 Start 'Em Sit 'Em picks

New York Giants v Washington Commanders - Source: Getty

Must Start Picks

1] - Rachaad White (RB), Tampa Bay Buccaneers

News leaked out that Bucky Iriving was dealing with an ankle/foot issue, and on Wednesday, it surfaced that the Bucs' leading rusher was in a walking boot and could miss time. That opens the door for White and Sean Tucker. Now I’m going to lean White here. If he’s available or you’ve added him, I’d start him vs Seattle. It’s not a great matchup on the ground, but Seattle has allowed backs to crush them as receivers. That’s where White excels. In Week 1, Christian McCaffrey caught nine balls for 73 yards. The following game saw Jaylen Warren collect four balls for 86 yards. Last week, Emari Demercado caught a touchdown. If White is going to smash, it’s as a receiver. Remember, White has three straight seasons of 50+ catches.

2] - Darius Slayton (WR), New York Giants

Another brutal injury to an elite receiver opens the door for someone new. Malik Nabers and his target hog role are done for the season. Enter Slayton, who’s performed well when asked over the years. Thus far in 2025, he’s yet to find the endzone or crack 70 yards. That should change this week. Jaxon Dart is going to need a go-to receiver. I think between Slayton and fellow great pickup, WanDale Robinson, the Giants' rookie QB will find his new favorite targets. Slayton’s issue this year has been targets. He’s seeing only 10% of the team targets while running 89% of routes. That’s going to shift drastically. I love Slayton going forward.

3] - Isaiah Bond (WR), Cleveland Browns

The Browns stink. However, they are embracing a youth movement on offense. We’re going to see the debut of rookie QB Dillon Gabriel on Sunday. Cleveland has also put fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins in the backfield as their lead ball carrier. Now, enter Bond, who went undrafted due to off-the-field issues, but who was given a massive signing bonus to join the Browns. Over the past two weeks, Bond has run the second-most routes of all Browns receivers. With Cedrick Tillman landing on injured reserve, it’s wheels up for Bond to see starter snaps and an increased workload. The Vikings are a beat-up bunch who will enter Cleveland on Sunday. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bond gets loose for a score.

4] - Michael Carter (RB), Arizona Cardinals

News hit that Trey Benson was heading to injured reserve, which everyone assumed meant big things for Emari Demercado, who’s played as the passing down back of late. But Carter himself admitted Wednesday to the press that he’s going from the practice squad to starting. I’m starting Carter because his matchup against the hapless Titans is too good to miss. Tennessee allows the fourth most points to opposing running backs. They’ve given up a rushing touchdown in every game this season. Carter will assume the early down rushing role in this Cardinals attack, exactly what you want against a bad defense. I expect Carter to get plenty of work grinding out the second half of a Cardinals win.

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Sit For Better Options

NFL: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - Source: Imagn

1] - Sean Tucker (RB), Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’d wait on starting Tucker. He’s worth an add in deep leagues, but this week he’s a sit for me. The Syracuse product only has one carry on the season, so the team is in no hurry to get him carries. Last season, in a game he saw extended work, Week 6, Tucker ran for 136 yards and a TD while also catching a touchdown. He never produced 50 yards rushing for the rest of the season.

2] - Emari Demercado (RB), Arizona Cardinals

If Carter is the between-the-tackles back, that leaves Demercado in his third-down, pass-catcher role. How much of that will the Cards really need against a horrendous Titans team? Demercado only has two rushing attempts on the season. Demercado ran 33% of the routes last week, and now, without Benson, that number should skyrocket. I’m not saying Demercado isn’t a great add for the next month or so, I just don’t think he’s a great play this week.

3] - Malik Washington (WR), Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill was lost for the season after a gruesome knee injury on Monday Night. Enter Washington, who looks like a mini-Hill and will be the one-for-one replacement in the Dolphins' offense. Washington finished Week 4 with 61% route participation. Expect that to be near 80% going forward. His Week 5 opponent, Carolina, is such a run-funnel defense that they don’t get exposed in the passing game often. The Panthers actually allow the second fewest points to wideouts. I’m all for adding Washington. He’ll have a season-long role in this offense that is trailing more often than not. I’m just not feeling him this week. Washington has yet to crack more than five targets. That number should go up. If it doesn’t this week, we’ll rethink owning him.