The first month of the 2025 NFL season is over. It was a month of madness. Mayhem. Chaos. Confusion.
And that was during the slow week.
Two of the first three quarterbacks drafted on average this year have either missed time or are likely out in Week 5. While the running backs have mostly stayed at least somewhat close to the script, injuries are starting to pile up. The wide receivers have more than made up for the lack of pandemonium at running back—the position is completely gonzo. For every tight end who has met or exceeded expectations, there's a disappointment.
Oh, and the bye weeks are here, so we're short four teams' worth of players.
Other than that, though, everything is great.
Between banged-up, bummed-out, and bye-week, there is no shortage of fantasy managers who face some difficult decisions this week. And if those managers are also staring at a 1-3 or 0-4 record, those tough choices carry massive stakes.
Get one of those Close Calls wrong, and it could be game over in 2025 before we even get to Halloween.
Good thing I'm here to save the day.
Yeah. Let's go with I'm here to save the day.
Every week here at Footballguys, Close Calls will make a case for a pair of closely-ranked fantasy options—and then make the call on which player will be more productive.
For the sake of this exercise, we'll only consider quarterbacks and tight ends outside the top 10, running backs outside the top 20, and wide receivers outside the top 30 in the Footballguys Weekly Rankings.
Week 5 Close Calls
Jaxson Dart, NY Giants (QB13) vs. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay (QB15)
The Case for Dart: Are you kidding? Who needs to make a case for the Golden God that is Jaxson Dart? The rest of the NFL trembles in fear at the very mention of his name. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Jaxson Dart. It's his league—he just lets 31 other quarterbacks play in it.
Joking aside, Dart looked good in his NFL debut last week against a stout Chargers defense. He was a top-10 quarterback in terms of fantasy points despite throwing for just 111 yards, and if he keeps running the ball with the frequency he did in Week 4, that rushing upside is going to be mighty appealing.
The Case for Mayfield: Frankly, it's understandable that fantasy managers might be a little uneasy about Mayfield in Week 5. Wide receiver Mike Evans is out, and while Chris Godwin is back, he's clearly not 100 percent. And the Buccaneers face a Seattle defense on the road that has given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
But while Mayfield is currently QB9 on the season after a third-place finish at the position in 2024, he has been consistent this season despite the injuries at wide receiver. In a tough matchup on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, Mayfield threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
The Verdict: Mayfield. Dart had a solid first NFL start. He rushed for over 50 yards and scored touchdowns both through the air and on the ground. And the Saints have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. But Dart also lost top receiver Malik Nabers to an ACL tear in last week's win, and it's his second NFL game. Go with the proven option.
Close Call: Emari Demercado, Arizona (RB27) vs. TreVeyon Henderson, New England (RB28)
The Case for Demercado: The Arizona Cardinals' backfield has been blasted by injuries—the team lost James Conner to a season-ending foot injury, and then Trey Benson landed on injured reserve with a knee injury of his own. The next man up for the Cardinals would appear to be third-year pro Emari Demercado, who has 515 yards on the ground in 86 career carries.
Demercado likely won't be a featured back—he'll split touches with Michael Carter. But Sunday's opponent bodes well for the Redbirds' runners—among the myriad things the Titans aren't doing well, stopping the run is one. Tennessee is 28th in the league in run defense, giving up 141.5 yards per game on the ground.
The Case for Henderson: It's getting harder to make a case for Henderson. Last week appeared to be a perfect spot for Henderson to have his coming out party, and he carried the ball all of seven times. The rookie second-round pick has yet to gain 100 yards on the ground, and he's averaging less than four yards per carry.
One of those carries did go for a touchdown though, and while the Bills are undefeated this season they also sport the worst run defense in the AFC, surrendering a whopping 164.3 yards per game. If the Patriots have any chance of winning this game, they need to run the ball well Sunday night.
The Verdict: Henderson. This may just be stubbornness on this analyst's part. But we have no idea what the workload split is going to look like in Arizona this week, and Henderson is a far more talented and explosive player. At some point, he's going to peel off a long touchdown—likely while on my bench.
