Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 5

Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 5

The injuries are piling up, and now the Bye Weeks have started. This is the next phase of the fantasy football season, where depth from good drafting comes into play. Most casual Fantasy managers scramble when Bye weeks kick in, but if you’re ready for them, this is where you pull away from the pack. 

The following are my Start and Sit fantasy football recommendations for week 5. 

Start ‘Em

Jacoby Brissett

Matchup: Cardinals vs. Lions

Brissett’s last outing was ugly. He threw three interceptions against the Giants, including a walk-off pick-six, and finished with just 166 passing yards. Two of those picks were tipped, though, and he had committed only one turnover across the first three games combined. Arizona’s coaching staff shut down any talk of a quarterback change, so the job is his. The bigger story is the opponent. Detroit has given up more fantasy points to quarterbacks than any team in the league, and only one defense has allowed more total points than the 127 the Lions have surrendered through four games.

This game also carries the week’s highest over/under at 54.5, which tells you oddsmakers expect both offenses to move the ball. Brissett has a reliable target in Michael Wilson and should be throwing a lot if Detroit’s offense does what it usually does. For anyone streaming a quarterback this week, this is the bounce-back spot to target.

Trevor Lawrence

Matchup: Eagles vs. Jaguars (Lodon Game)

Lawrence won’t light up the box score every week, but he’s been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in football so far. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 22-17 win over Cincinnati, and Jacksonville has quietly been one of the league’s most efficient offenses on its way to a 3-1 start. Philadelphia’s defense isn’t the force it was a couple of years ago, and its offense has struggled badly enough that the Jaguars could control this game from start to finish. Lawrence fits best as a solid QB2 or a streamer with a reasonable floor rather than a ceiling play, but in a week where you need dependable production from the position, he’s a smart call.

Quinshon Judkins

Matchup: Browns at Jets

I put Judkins in the Sit column last week, and he made me eat my words. Judkins ran for 53 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against Pittsburgh and added six catches for 43 yards, his first truly start-worthy game of the season.

The receiving work is the focus. Judkins drew seven targets last week, his most of the year, and the Jets have been one of the league’s most generous defenses to running backs, especially on throws out of the backfield. New York has held up reasonably well against straight-ahead runs, so Judkins may not break off a long gain on the ground, but a back who handles nearly every carry in his own backfield and is now catching passes has two ways to produce. He’s still averaging under four yards per carry, but the role is growing, and the matchup supports it.

RJ Harvey

Matchup: Broncos at Chargers

Harvey’s box score last week was a PPR manager’s dream. He caught 10 passes for 68 yards in Denver’s loss to San Francisco and added 25 yards on seven carries. That receiving workload wasn’t a fluke, either. Harvey has drawn a growing share of Denver’s targets every week he’s played, and he’s become the back the Broncos lean on in passing situations while J.K. Dobbins handles more of the early-down carries.

The Chargers are 0-4 and have given up 106 points, and they’ve been an easier-than-average matchup for running backs this season. In PPR formats especially, a back with this kind of receiving role gives you a floor that most flex options can’t match. Treat him as a strong RB2 or flex this week.

Jameson Williams

Matchup: Lions at Cardinals

Williams finally broke out last week, catching six of eight targets for 102 yards and leading the Lions in receiving for the first time this season. He could have had more, too, after dropping a 34-yard pass early in the game. Detroit threw the ball 52 times in that loss, and Williams was on the field for nearly every snap. Now he gets one of the best receiver matchups on the board. Arizona has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and 117 points overall, and this game carries the highest total of the week. Williams has the speed to turn one or two targets into a big day, and in a game that should feature plenty of scoring on both sides, he has a real shot at a second straight big week.

Wan’Dale Robinson

Matchup: Texans at Titans

Robinson has quietly become Tennessee’s most dependable target. He has drawn more than a fifth of the Titans’ targets this season, including an 11-target game in Week 3, and he found the end zone again last week against Baltimore.

The matchup is the selling point. Houston has given up more fantasy points to wide receivers than any defense in the league, and the Texans are 0-4. The caution here is that this game has the lowest over/under of the week, so don’t expect a shootout. But Robinson’s role is built on short, high-percentage targets, which play especially well in PPR leagues, and a defense this soft against receivers makes him a solid flex play.

Rome Odunze

Matchup: Bears at Packers

Odunze was in my sit column last week, and he responded with a season-high 94 yards on six catches against the Jets. That wasn’t a random spike. His share of Chicago’s targets has climbed every single week this season, from around 11 percent in Week 1 to more than 20 percent last week, and he’s now playing nearly every snap. Tyson Bagent will start again at quarterback while Caleb Williams recovers from a hamstring strain, so there’s no new quarterback to disrupt the connection that’s been building. Green Bay hasn’t been a pushover against receivers, so this one is more about Odunze’s rising role than a soft matchup, but a receiver whose usage is trending up this sharply deserves a spot in the lineup until something changes.

Cade Otton

Matchup: Bucs at Cowboys

Otton isn’t a flashy tight end, but he’s one of the most dependable at a position where dependable is hard to find. He has played roughly 90 percent or more of Tampa Bay’s snaps and drawn five or six targets in every game this season, and he led the Buccaneers in receiving last week with four catches for 37 yards. That steady role should grow with Daniels under center.

Nearly 80 percent of Daniels’ passing yards last week came after the catch, a sign he’s working short and taking what the defense gives him, and that’s exactly where a tight end lives. Dallas allows more yards per play than any defense in the league. If you’re streaming a tight end this week, Otton gives you volume and a real chance at a touchdown.

Sit ‘Em

Tyler Shough

Matchup: Vikings at Saints

Shough threw for 286 yards and a touchdown on 48 attempts in a 45-24 loss to Atlanta. This week is a completely different story because of who is lining up across from him. Minnesota is 4-0 and has allowed just 51 points all season, the fewest in the league, and no defense has given up fewer fantasy points to quarterbacks. Brian Flores’ defense is built on disguised pressure, which is a tough puzzle for any young quarterback to solve. Shough has a bright future, and he’ll be back in lineups soon, but this is the week to find another option at quarterback if you have one.

Jordan Love

Matchup: Packers at Bears

Love has been solid this season, with 1,041 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions through four games. But he threw for just 197 yards in last week’s 17-14 win over Tampa Bay, and this week’s matchup is tough. Chicago’s defense has allowed only 65 points through four games, the fourth-fewest in the league, and its pass defense has been among the stingiest in football on a per-play basis. This is also a divisional game, where familiarity tends to keep things tight and low-scoring. Love still has the weapons to produce, but if you have a quarterback with a better matchup, this is a week to make the switch.

TreVeyon Henderson

Matchup: Raiders at Patriots

I liked Henderson last week, and the role simply wasn’t there. He carried 14 times for just 42 yards against Buffalo while working as the backup to Rhamondre Stevenson, and he has played only about a third of New England’s snaps in each of the last two games. That’s not enough work for a flex spot. Las Vegas is 3-1 and has been better than average against the run, which makes it even harder for a back in a limited role to produce. Henderson has the talent to break a long run any week, but until New England gives him a bigger share of the work, he belongs on your bench.

Mike Evans

Matchup: 49ers at Seahawks

Evans played through a rib injury last week and still caught five of eight targets for 76 yards in San Francisco’s win over Denver. He’s tough, and he’s still a big part of the passing game. But Seattle is about as hard a matchup as a receiver can draw right now. The Seahawks have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers and give up just 3.9 yards per play, the lowest mark in the league, with Devon Witherspoon leading one of the best secondaries in football. Add the rib injury to an opponent this good, and Evans is a risky play. If you have a receiver with a cleaner matchup, use him.

George Pickens Bold Pick

Matchup: Bucs at Cowboys

Pickens made the most of his chances last week, turning two catches into 75 yards, including a 53-yard gain. The problem is how few chances he’s getting. He saw just three targets in that win over Houston while CeeDee Lamb dominated the looks, and he has 18 catches for 225 yards and no touchdowns through four games. Tampa Bay has given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season. A receiver who needs a long play to pay off, facing a defense that doesn’t give those up often, is too volatile for most lineups this week.

Dalton Kincaid

Matchup: Bills at Rams

Kincaid opened the season looking like a breakout tight end, but his role has fallen off sharply. He caught just one of two targets for seven yards against New England last week while playing only 35 of 59 snaps, and he drew a target on only 2 of his 20 routes after earning one on 30 percent or more of his routes in each of the first two weeks. Some of that was game script, with Buffalo falling behind and using more three-receiver sets. Even so, the matchup doesn’t help. The Rams have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season. Kincaid can bounce back later in the year, but this isn’t the week to count on it.