Week 5 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Bears vs Vikings

A heated NFC North rivalry is back for another round in Week 5 as the Chicago Bears travel to take on the Minnesota Vikings. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds list the Vikings as 7-point home favorites in a game that features a couple of big names in the fantasy football landscape.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's our start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 5 NFC showdown.

Khalil Herbert Fantasy

Start Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears: Khalil Herbert filled in for an injured David Montgomery in Week 4, racking up 77 rushing yards on 19 carries and logging 24 receiving yards on 1 catch. If Montgomery isn't able to give it a go again in Week 5, Herbert slides right back into RB2 range in a great matchup. The Vikings are allowing the sixth-most PPR fantasy points to opposing RBs and have given up 4 rushing touchdowns to the position. Herbert is averaging a reliable 6.1 yards per carry on the year and is playing on an offense that focuses on its ground game more than its passing. That gives him a ton of upside on Sunday.

Kirk Cousins Fantasy

Start Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings: Familiarity can be a major advantage to have in the NFL and quarterback Kirk Cousins is familiar with facing this Chicago defense. Cousins may have only threw for 337 yards across two games against the Bears in 2021, but 5 of his 26 completions went for touchdowns and he only tossed 1 interception. The 11th-year pro is heating up at the right time, too. Cousins has thrown for 533 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception over his last two games. It's worth noting the Bears are giving up 11.0 yards per completion this season (T-No. 21 in NFL). A couple of big plays is all Cousins needs to crush his projections this week.

Darnell Mooney Fantasy

Sit Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears: Fantasy managers had to be jumping for joy when Darnell Mooney hauled in a 56-yard pass from quarterback Justin Fields in Week 4. It was part of a 4-catch, 94-yard performance from the 25-year-old wide receiver. It's important to pump the brakes a little bit here, though. Week 4 was the first time this season that Mooney posted more than 5 PPR fantasy points and he still only saw 5 targets. Keep in mind he averaged 8.2 targets per game in 2021. Minnesota has only allowed 2 touchdowns to opposing WRs this season, leaving Mooney with a capped ceiling on Sunday. He needs to show consistency before being upgraded to a starting spot.

Irv Smith Jr. Fantasy

Sit Irv Smith Jr, TE, Minnesota Vikings: Irv Smith Jr. showed a glimpse into what his upside looks like when he tallied 36 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions in Week 2. However, he wasn't able to replicate that success in Weeks 3 or 4. Smith scored less than 5.4 PPR fantasy points in both games and now has to face a Chicago defense that is allowing the ninth-fewest PPR fantasy points to opposing TEs. Cousins has shown a tendency to lean on his wide receivers in the passing attack, which leaves Smith as his fourth or fifth-best option and a low-end TE2 in fantasy football.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.