Fantasy Football Week 5 Running Back Start/Sit: Woody Marks, Michael Carter and More

Welcome to Week 5's fantasy football start/sit breakdown for the running back position! 

After some dreadful results in Week 3, I bounced back with a bang in Week 4. On the start side, the rookie duo of Quinshon Judkins (19.5 half-PPR points) and Cam Skattebo (12) both had good outings. My deeper pick of Rhamondre Stevenson didn't provide results (4.6 points), but I feel okay about the process — he was still the Patriots' clear RB1 for a good matchup with the Panthers.

I'm even happier with how things went on the sit side. I finally successfully bet against David Montgomery, as he was absolutely shut down by Cleveland's defense en route to a 1.2-point finish. Jacory Croskey-Merritt remained stuck in a committee with 6.7 points, and Chase Brown was only mediocre with 8.6 points.

Given that I usually try to make at least a couple bold picks, I would take results like these every single week. Hopefully, I can start a streak of solid weeks with good results in Week 5.

This is the first week of byes, so standards for being a startable player will be lower. Without further ado, here are my picks for running backs to start and sit this week. 

For more help with your toughest Week 5 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP's NFL Start/Sit tool!

Running Backs to Start Week 5

Woody Marks, Houston Texans

Marks exploded last week with 25.9 half-PPR points. And, although two touchdowns certainly helped, this wasn't just a fluke. He outpaced Nick Chubb in snap share (49% to 37%), carries (17 to 13), routes (44% to 22%), and targets (five to two). Given how well Marks performed in his first game as Houston's de facto RB1, I don't think this genie is going back in the bottle. 

Meanwhile, the Texans have an excellent matchup this week with the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. Baltimore's defense has struggled mightily to start the season.

In fact, they rank first in the league with over 30 points per game given up to opposing backs. Without Lamar, they are an even more attractive matchup. Put it all together, and the fourth-round rookie is a solid starting option this week. 

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Obviously, this is assuming that Bucky Irving misses this week with his foot and shoulder injuries. That seems to be the way the wind is blowing, as the sophomore RB has yet to practice this week and was even seen in a walking boot on Wednesday. If he is out, White immediately becomes a startable fantasy option.

After all, White was considered a borderline fantasy RB1 to begin last season, before Irving eventually took over the lead role in this backfield. He's never been an efficient runner, but White is capable of handling volume and is excellent in the receiving game.

Sean Tucker might also be involved, but White should see the majority of valuable touches. Even in a mediocre matchup with a decent Seahawks' defense, he profiles as a solid starting option if Irving is sidelined.

Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

Things are just going from bad to worse in the Cardinals' backfield. First, they lost James Conner for the year. Now, Trey Benson is on IR after undergoing a meniscus surgery of his own. The next man up would presumably be Emari Demercado, who split work with Benson last week in a primarily pass-catching role.

However, I am here to say that Carter, a former fourth-round pick by the Jets, will be the Cardinals' RB to start this Sunday. Demercado will maintain his pass-catching role, but Carter should be the primary ball-carrier. Against the hapless Titans, that is the more valuable of the two roles. 

Why do I think Carter will be the lead back? Well, for one, he himself said he would be starting this week. For another, Adam Schefter said Thursday that he expects Carter to be “thrust into prominence” while Demercado remains in his passing-down role. We may get more info as the week goes on, but all signs are pointing to Carter being a solid flex play with an excellent shot at a TD against Tennessee this week.  

Running Backs to Sit Week 5

Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals

I can keep this one quick, as the case against Demercado is essentially the reverse of the case I just laid out for Carter.

All signs point to Demercado remaining in a receiving role in Arizona's backfield. In a game where the Cardinals are 7.5-point favorites, that isn't likely to be a hugely profitable role. Demercado is definitely worth stashing in case I'm reading these tea leaves incorrectly, but I wouldn't start him this week. 

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

Everyone and their cousin was predicting that Henderson would emerge as the Patriots' RB1 in Week 4 after Stevenson and Antonio Gibson combined for three costly fumbles in Week 3. They were wrong. Stevenson was still the Patriots' clear RB1, and Gibson also played a non-negligible role.

That left just seven carries (32% RB rush share) and a 29% snap share available for the second-round rookie. Henderson still isn't even New England's primary receiving back: he led the backfield with two targets, but ran just five routes to Stevenson's 11.

So, at least based on last week's usage, Henderson is currently the second-largest head in a three-headed monster of a backfield. That kind of role is very rarely enough to make someone fantasy viable. It definitely isn't enough once we factor in that the Patriots are 8.5-point underdogs on the road in Buffalo this week. Henderson still has season-long upside, but he's not playable yet. 

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

There's still hope for Henderson, but there's really nothing to like about Pacheco at this point. I was shocked to see that he is still projected to be started in a solid portion of leagues. Yes, he scored a receiving TD last week. But that still brought his season scoring average up to a measly 6.1 half-PPR points per game. 

Right now, Pacehco is stuck in an even split with Kareem Hunt, while Brashard Smith slowly carves out his own share of the pie. Given that he seems incapable of breaking big plays, his only hope for a usable fantasy day is to score another TD.

Unfortunately, that outcome is even less likely than you might think. Hunt is the Chiefs' clear preferred goal-line back, with 13 snaps and three carries inside the 10 compared to ZERO carries on four snaps for Pacheco. 

Don't be tempted by his decent outing last week and the fact that Kansas City's offense is coming to life. Pacheco isn't even the most appealing option in this already miserable backfield, and he shouldn't be started outside of truly deep leagues.