Week 5 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Flex, PPR Advice for Fringe Fantasy Football Stars

Week 5 brings the first bye weeks of the 2026 NFL season, and both the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs will be out of action. This means that several fantasy stars will be unavailable, in addition to those on the increasingly long list of injured players.

Many managers will be forced to rely on fringe starters this week, especially when it comes to filling out their flex positions. Fortunately, favorable matchups should allow several of them to come through.

Here, you'll find start/sit recommendations for some of this week's flex options based on past results, projected roles, individual matchups, and point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Start: Emanuel Wilson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

After placing rookie Jadarian Price on injured reserve, the Seattle Seahawks are running short on backfield options. Seattle did consider adding Joe Mixon to its practice squad and is probably in the market for RB help, but Emanuel Wilson is the new RB1 until further notice.

Wilson shined in the Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He caught three passes, tallied 120 scrimmage yards, and found the end zone twice. His floor is much lower this week against the San Francisco 49ers, though, as San Francisco has surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs.

Still, Wilson's workload and PPR value should make him a solid flex option, even in a tough matchup. He should be good for double-digit fantasy points, at a minimum.

The list of other fringe RBs to consider for flex play includes:

Sit: Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints veteran Alvin Kamara became a must-add off the waiver wire when the Saints placed Travis Etienne Jr. on injured reserve. He came through for managers this past week, too, as he found the end zone twice against the Atlanta Falcons.

However, Kamara and the rest of the Saints' rushing attack have underwhelmed this season. Kamara has averaged 3.0 yards per carry on the year, and while he has a solid PPR floor (5 catches in Week 4), he's a very touchdown-dependent flex option.

There's a strong chance that Kamara won't find the end zone against the Minnesota Vikings this week. Minnesota has only given up a single rushing touchdown through four weeks and has surrendered the fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs this season.

Other RBs to avoid in the flex this week:

Start: Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee Titans

Rookie receiver and fourth overall pick Carnell Tate largely underwhelmed through the first two weeks of the season. Of course, the winless Tennessee Titans struggled early to get their offense out of neutral.

Tate has started to play up to his draft status over the past couple of weeks, though, and is finally looking like a reliable flex option. He had six catches for 58 yards in Week 3 and just put up nine catches on 12 targets for 145 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.

Presumably, the Titans will continue funneling the ball to Tate, who has a favorable matchup against the rival Houston Texans this week. While Houston's defense was a force a year ago, it has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing receivers than any other team.

Other WRs to consider in the flex in Week 5:

Sit: Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers

Second-year receiver Matthew Golden has started to shine for the Green Bay Packers, and he's managed to reach double-digit fantasy points in three of his four outings this season. However, he still isn't the sort of high-volume receiver that makes him a must-start in any given matchup.

While Golden did find the end zone in Week 4, he caught just three passes and finished with 11.7 fantasy points. He projects as a touchdown-dependent option against the rival Chicago Bears this week, which is far less than ideal.

The Bears have actually been pretty stingy against opposing receivers and have surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the position. The Packers' offense has looked out of sync for most of the season, which leaves Golden with a very questionable PPR floor.

Other WRs to avoid in the flex this week:

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros