We’re officially into the thick of it as NFL Fantasy heads into Week 5. The early-season surprises are giving way to emerging trends, breakout stars are proving their staying power, and fantasy managers are beginning to feel the pressure of tough start/sit decisions, injury woes, and crucial waiver wire pickups. With bye weeks just around the corner and playoff implications slowly starting to take shape, every lineup move matters more than ever. Whether you’re sitting comfortably at 4-0 or scrambling to bounce back from a rough start, this is the week to buckle down and make the kind of savvy plays that separate contenders from pretenders.
Tyler Warren top 3 TE
Tyler Warren has quietly become one of the more intriguing tight ends in fantasy conversations through the early part of the 2025 season. Across his first three games, Warren has totaled 14 receptions for 193 receiving yards (an average of 13.8 yards per catch) and—while he has not yet found the end zone—he’s shown a nose for moving the chains, with 10 first downs in that span. While in Week 4, Warren saw an uptick in usage as he hauled in 5 catches for 70 yards, as well as a rushing TD on a goal-line play.
Looking ahead, it’s reasonable to expect Tyler Warren to settle in as a solid mid-tier fantasy tight end, with upside in favorable matchups. If he continues to average about 4–5 receptions and 45–60 receiving yards per game—and finally breaks into the end zone several times—he could land in the TE2 to borderline TE1 range in standard leagues.
If Warren can improve his touchdown conversion and lock down more consistent volume—especially in games where Indy leans on the pass—he has the potential to burst into the TE1 conversation. For now, though, he’s shaping up as a high-upside gamble in the tight end tier, best used in leagues where you can afford to take chances.
Gainwell a Must-Add?
Since signing a one‑year deal with Pittsburgh in the 2025 offseason, Kenneth Gainwell has entered the Steelers’ backfield as a complementary piece behind Jaylen Warren. Over his NFL career, he’s shown his value in both rushing and receiving—amassing 1,185 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs, 102 catches, and 721 receiving yards during his time in Philadelphia.
So far in 2025, his usage has been modest. Through three games, Gainwell has totaled 16 carries for ~55 rushing yards (3.4 yards per carry) and 7 receptions for ~30 receiving yards, while scoring 1 rushing touchdown. In Week 2, for example, he had 5 carries for 20 yards and 3 catches for 16 yards, as Warren dominated the workload. In short, Gainwell is being used as a change-of-pace option and depth back rather than a focal point. This would change in Week 4 as the Steelers traveled to Dublin, Ireland. Early in the morning, it was announced that Jayen Warren would miss the game, despite having traveled with the team. This led to the dismay of many sleeping fantasy members, but for others who added Gainwell as a replacement, they were rewarded heavily. Gainwell finished the 24-21 win with 19 rushing attempts for 99 yards, as well as catching 6 passes for 35 yards, making him a fantasy darling for those fantasy early birds on Sunday morning.
This big game for Gainwell may have done what it takes to secure more of a split backfield in Pittsburgh, making him a great stash option, as Mike Tomlin is a coach who will revisit this well, as I am sure he was pleased with Gainwell’s Week 4 production. I would not be surprised to see a snap increase even when Warren is healthy, especially with Gainwell’s ability to catch passes. The Steelers may have just found what they were looking for when they drafted Kaleb Johnson. Tomlin should be smitten with his o-line and backup RB after the performance they put on in Ireland.
For the Love of Godwin
Godwin enters 2025 coming off a serious ankle dislocation suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season, which ended his campaign prematurely. The Buccaneers activated him off the PUP list before the season, giving him a chance to ramp up through training camp and early practices.
Leading up to his return, reports have suggested that he’s trending toward being cleared for Week 4. The timing is opportune, especially with Mike Evans recently dealing with a hamstring injury. That absence opens more target possibilities for Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and other Bucs receivers in the short term.
From a role perspective, Godwin is expected to reclaim his slot/crossover alignment and serve as a reliable chain-moving possession piece. In 2024, before his injury, he led the NFL in catches (50 in seven games) and was top in first downs, showing his reliability in shorter routes and volume-based usage. With that in his toolkit, he’s unlikely to be purely touchdown-dependent — though his red-zone upside may take longer to fully reemerge.
In Godwin’s 2025 debut, he amassed 10 targets, but could only haul in 3 of them. Although for fantasy purposed Godwin did not deliver, it is only a matter of time as he is just coming back and still got 20% of the target share. This means it’s wheels up for Godwin after another devastating injury, and fantasy managers should be happy to see the targets begin to funnel towards Godwin, much like they did at the start of the 2024 season.
Dart-ing Ahead of Competition
Dart comes to New York with strong credentials as a dual‑threat quarterback. In college at Ole Miss, he showed efficiency, downfield accuracy, and the ability to run when needed. His mobility gives him a floor—he can scramble, pick up yards on broken plays, and threaten in the red zone outside of the pocket. That said, his passing game will be under heavy scrutiny, particularly in how he handles pressure, reads defenses, and progresses through progressions at the pro level.
His rookie outlook was originally one of sitting behind veterans — Russell Wilson was initially expected to start, and Dart was viewed as a developmental piece. But with the Giants naming him a starter, those original projections will need to adjust upward.
With Dart’s first start to come against a stingy Los Angeles defense, and expectations around the league were not high, many fans were picking the Chargers as a survivor pick for Week 4. Well, in his own home stadium, Dart did not disappoint; he finished the game 13-20 for 111 yards, 1 TD, and 0 TO. The real edge to his game came when the Giants began to utilize his legs after losing their top WR to a now confirmed torn ACL. On the ground, Dart compiled 54 yards and a TD. This performance landed him close to 20 fantasy points, which is exceptional for a rookie QB facing an undefeated team.
Puka on Record Pace
Puka Nacua has come out of the gate in 2025 like a man on a mission, reinforcing that his rookie breakout in 2023 was no fluke. What makes this start even more notable is how it mirrors the kind of historic production we saw from him as a rookie, when he shattered NFL rookie records for receptions and receiving yards. In the first 4 weeks of the season, Puka has caught 42 passes and recorded over 500 receiving yards and a TD, this ties the pace of his former teammate Cooper Kupp in 2022.
If Puka can keep this pace up, then he is in store for a massive season that almost guarantees he will be the WR 1 for the 2025 NFL season. This pace will not only be a WR 1 pace, but he is even on pace to break NFL records and cement his name in history. The best part about this is that his whole team realizes this pace, and they may do whatever they can to help him make NFL history.
Keep on Plugging
As Week 5 kicks off, fantasy managers are truly in the thick of it. The early-season chaos has settled into clearer trends, injuries are shaking up depth charts, and breakout performances are starting to feel more real than fluky. Now is the time to trust your process, stay sharp on the waiver wire, and make the kind of informed lineup decisions that can define your season. Whether you’re eyeing the top of your standings or clawing your way out of a rough start, Week 5 is where contenders start separating from the pack. Stay locked in—it only gets tougher from here.
