Fantasy Football Week 5 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Bucky Irving vs. Kyle Monangai

Week 5 of fantasy football brings forth many RBs with questionable fantasy outlooks based on their upcoming matchups and how they performed last week. Two of those RBs are Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving and Chicago Bears RB Kyle Monangai. With that, here is a breakdown of who to have in starting fantasy lineups this week between Irving and Monangai.

Kyle Monangai

For the first time in four games, Monangai had more carries than the Bears' listed RB1, D’Andre Swift, in Week 4. He had 30 carries compared to Swift’s 15. That resulted in Monangai having one of the best fantasy performances of any RB last week, as he logged 146 rushing yards and two TDs. In PPR formats, he was RB8. He has the possibility of having another good outing in Week 5, with his opponent being the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers so far are allowing the fifth-most rushing yards per game in the NFL, 139.3 yards. They have done a decent job, outside of Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, of limiting a ton of production to RBs on the ground. The three other opposing RB1s they faced averaged 43.3 rushing yards per game, with only one of the three finding the end zone.

Fantasy managers should also keep a close eye on Monangai’s injury status. He and Swift were non-participants in practice on Wednesday, Oct.7. Monangai is said to be dealing with a thumb and toe injury, and Swift is said to be dealing with a hip and knee injury. For their practice on Thursday, Oct. 8, Swift was a limited participant, while Monangai did not participate once again.

Bucky Irving

After starting the season strong, ranking as RB12 in PPR fantasy formats in Week 1, Irving’s production has seen a formidable falloff. Over Weeks 2-4, he is RB30 in PPR.

One of the main eye-popping concerns with his production is that he has a combined six receptions over his last three games after securing seven in Week 1. The Bucs RB2, Kenny Gainwell, over that span has seven receptions and has continued to see a notable snap share. In Week 4, he logged his third game with over a 40% snap share, playing in 42%.

Irving will have an ideal matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, which will hopefully spark a bounce back from his worst fantasy game of 2026 in Week 4–he logged 16 rushes for 61 yards against Green Bay and had zero receptions.

Dallas is allowing the second-most rushing yards per game in the NFL, 150.3. In two out of their four games, opposing RB1s have had over 80 rushing yards and have scored at least one TD. In their other two games, opposing RB1s have had under 50 rushing yards and did not score.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who should start and who should sit in fantasy football in Week 5 between Irving and Monangai, Irving should sit, and Monangai should start.

Both RBs have good matchups for their fantasy outlook, but with Irving coming off a down week against one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, it is hard to trust him despite his opponent. On the other hand, Monangai saw a season high in his carry total in Week 4, making him a safer play. If he is available, he should see notable usage again, with Chicago still not having their starting QB, Caleb Williams. In their last two games without him, Chicago had a total of 89 rushing attempts.

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