Ravens, Raiders, And Bengals Defenses to Sit for Week 5 Fantasy Football
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Four weeks have come and gone in the National Football League. Now, this week the Monday night game is quite intriguing. Even those there are two fewer games, it feels like there are more options to sit on defense. It is probably prudent to sit the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets defenses. The Jets are the same old Jets but with a worse defense. Both seem not to communicate well.
This week features Minnesota and Cleveland headed to London. It also highlights several teams that are hurting defensively in a bad way.
Now, let us dive into some defenses not named the Cowboys and Jets. It makes choosing just three more of a challenge. Okay, it is time to get to work.
Baltimore Ravens (vs Houston Texans)
What is this? The numbers do not lie. For as good as the Ravens are offensively, they are a horror show on defense. A third ranked offense that is 32nd in points allowed and 31st in yards yielded. When a defense is -15 or greater three times in expected points this early in the season, that is scary. Baltimore is undermanned and outmatched.
Detroit ran a few basic plays in repetition and Kansas City rested Patrick Mahomes and most starters in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Add in the Lamar Jackson injury (now out Week 5) and the situation only gets worse. The Ravens defense only has generated two turnovers (both in Week 2) on the season. Four sacks in 2025 is not exactly helpful either.
"We had an idea of how we wanted to approach their defense, and we didn't stick to it. I'm not happy about it." pic.twitter.com/DS0s8xSL9b
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 29, 2025
The good news is that the AFC North is a mess. The bad news is the defense is still not good. Baltimore ranks 10th in projected defense versus the Texans. However, if Lamar Jackson is limited or is out, that ranking likely takes a nosedive.
It is a risk to sit the Ravens defense but until they show something different, your fantasy football bench might be the best destination.
Las Vegas Raiders (@ Indianapolis Colts)
Okay, this could be a very entertaining game if Ashton Jeanty runs the ball like he did last week. Anyhow, the Raiders traveling to Indianapolis to play an angry team spells trouble. For one thing, the Raiders are 32nd in average drive start differential (-11 yards). That's like giving an opponent an entire first down.
The defense was better last week against Chicago but got gouged by a balanced Washington Commanders attack (nearly 200+ yards each passing and rushing). Projections suggest the Las Vegas defense could be headed down that road again. This could be more a bounce back effort for the Colts' offense than their defense.
If the Raiders have issues with turnovers (eight in four games), that could make things even more difficult for the defense.
Cincinnati Bengals (vs Detroit Lions)
The Bengals' defense gets progressively worse every week. It is bad enough Joe Burrow will be out till December. Now, Cincinnati is just getting run though by offenses. Jacksonville, Minnesota, and Denver scored 27 points or greater and the Broncos racked up 512 yards in Week 4.
Bengals drives the last 2 games:
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 30, 2025
9 three and outs
5 other punts
5 turnovers (including 2 for defensive TDs)
2 FGs
1 end of half
1 TD
The fact that the offense almost sets the defense up for failure makes matters worse. Detroit should be able to have its way on Monday night in Cincinnati.
