Starts and Sits: Week 5

By Bob Miller & Joe Goodwin

Bob Miller and Joe Goodwin are here to give you their starts and sits for Week 5. Bob handles the AFC games, and Goody takes care of the NFC. Good luck this weekend! Check this article throughout the weekend as we are updating it constantly with the latest injury news. Look for the "UPDATE"

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers (9:30am)

Start: Saquon Barkley, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon
Sit: Daniel Jones, every NYG receiver, Robert Tonyan

The Giants and Packers kick off the Sunday slate with the early start in London. I contemplated Robert Tonyan as a start here, but surprisingly, the Giants have been pretty solid against opposing tight ends. In the end, I believe Romeo Doubs and Allen Lazard will both have solid games as Aaron Rodgers continues to develop his rapport with his two emerging wide outs. For the Giants, only Saquon Barkley offers any upside in fantasy.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (1:00pm)

Start: Josh Allen, Devin Singletary, Stefon Diggs, Isaiah McKenzie, Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth
Sit: Zack Moss, James Cook, Gabriel Davis, Jamison Crowder, Dawson Knox, Kenny Pickett, Chase Claypool, George Pickens

Kenny Pickett makes his first NFL start against a strong Buffalo defense. The Bills are 32nd in blitz rate, however their pass rush has been superb, ranking 15th in pressure rate. Pickett could struggle given Buffalo’s great zone defense with pass rushers in his face. I see Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth being solid PPR options by running short, quick routes. I’m not chasing George Pickens’ points from last week. I’ll see what he does this weekend and evaluate. Buffalo’s top dogs should eat with Isaiah McKenzie being a sneaky start as well. Gabe Davis and Dawson Knox are sits for me due to low volume.

UPDATE: Isaiah McKenzie remains in concussion protocol as of Friday. Jamison Crowder and Dawson Knox have been ruled OUT.

Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland Browns (1:00pm)

Start: Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, Joshua Palmer, Gerald Everett, Jacoby Brissett, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Amari Cooper, Davis Njoku.
Sit: Donovan Peoples-Jones

I see both teams putting up points, which is good for us. Keenan Allen remains day-to-day and is questionable for Sunday. Keep checking his status. If Allen doesn’t play, I do recommend starting Joshua Palmer if you’re in a pinch. Jadeveon Clowney could miss this game as well, that’s more good news for Justin Herbert owners. Gerald Everett has become a weekly TE start, and the same for David Njoku. I’d start either of them over the likes of George Kittle and Kyle Pitts. Don’t be afraid to start Jacoby Brissett either. With Joey Bosa on IR, the pressure just isn’t there for Los Angeles right now.

UPDATE: Keenan Allen has been ruled OUT for Sunday's game. Joshua Palmer is questionable.

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00pm)

Start: Dameon Pierce, Brandin Cooks, Trevor Lawrence, James Robinson, Travis Etienne, Zay Jones, Christian Kirk
Sit: Davis Mills, Rex Burkhead, Nico Collins, All Houston TEs, Evan Engram

Zay Jones (ankle) is questionable, so keep checking for updates. If he can go, I’d put him in your lineup if you need the help. Both Dameon Pierce and James Robinson will be good starts, however Davis Mills and most of the Houston pass catchers have to sit. Trevor Lawrence should have good fantasy numbers as well, so don’t be scared. This should be a decent fantasy game for your Jacksonville Jaguars.

UPDATE: Zay Jones will play against the Texans.

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (1:00pm)

Start: Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook
Sit: Justin Fields, Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney, KJ Osborn

Both the Bears and the Vikings share similar resumes: pretty good against the pass, not so good against the run. We already know Dalvin Cook will get his touches, but who will get the majority for the Bears? David Montgomery is still not practicing. Khalil Herbert was a little flat last week as the primary running back, but the Bears are going to need him if they want to upset the Vikings. Go with Herbert to bounce back from last week’s lackluster performance as Montgomery prepares to assume his lead back role soon. Continue to sit: Justin Fields, Cole Kmet, and Darnell Mooney until some semblance of a throwing game appears.

Detroit Lions at New England Patriots (1:00pm)

Start: Jared Goff, Jamal Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, TJ Hockenson, Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson
Sit: DJ Chark, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe, Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Hunter Henry

Jared Goff has been playing some of his best football lately, and I’m on board until that changes. Playing against a Bill Belichick defense has always seemed like an obstacle, but this season is different. I have no problem starting Goff and his pass-catchers in this game. Detroit is averaging 35 points per game. Playing in New England could slow things down slightly, but I’m not worried. This should be a good game for RBs Jamal Williams, Damien Harris, and Rhamondre Stevenson. Josh Reynolds has been a solid start as well, so fire him up if you need the help. Someone in that New England WR corp will hit, but we have no idea who. For that reason, I have to sit these guys. If I had to play one, Jakobi Meyers would be the safest (If he plays). Keep an eye on that situation.

UPDATE: Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) returned to practice Friday. He is a must-start if he plays. D'Andre Swift has been ruled OUT.

Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints (1:00pm)

Start: DK Metcalf, Will Dissly, Alvin Kamara (if he suits up), Michael Thomas (if he plays)
Sit: Tyler Lockett, Rashad Penny, Kenny Walker, Andy Dalton

Geno Smith has received some well-deserved praise after his performance last week against the Lions. However, unless you are in a superflex, I don’t see Smith being a must start in 1 QB leagues; plus, the Saints have been very good against opposing quarterbacks, only giving up 3 passing td’s. With the Saints bend but don’t break on defense, this could be a week that a kicker posts 20 plus fantasy points. I am going with Jason Myers (probably a streamer for many) to have multiple opportunities as Seattle struggles to score touchdowns, but gives Myers all the chances to kick them to victory. In addition, if Alvin Kamara starts, go right back to him as an RB2. Seattle has the 3rd worst defense against opposing fantasy running backs. With the instability of the running game in Seattle, I would sit Rashad Penny (injury concern) and Kenneth Walker unless you really are thin at running back as the Saints have only given up 1 rushing touchdown to a running back this season. Will Dissly could be useful if you need help at TE this week.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (1:00pm)

Start: Teddy Bridgewater, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, Zach Wilson, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Tyler Conklin
Sit: Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Mike Gesicki, Michael Carter, Corey Davis, Braxton Berrios

With both secondaries being totally burnable, I can see both Teddy Bridgewater and Zach Wilson posting decent fantasy numbers. They both have good options to throw to: Bridgewater has Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle, and Zach Wilson has Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Tyler Conklin. I fully expect Breece Hall to have a good game, however Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds are risky. If I had to start one it would be Mostert. I’m staying away from Mike Gesicki in this one. He could very well put up a zero point game.

UPDATE: McDaniel 'hopeful' Tyreek Hill (quad) can play vs. Jets. Tyreek and Waddle are both questionable.

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00pm)

Start: Mike Evans, Tom Brady, Chris Godwin
Sit: Marcus Mariota, Kyle Pitts, Tyler Allgeier, Russell Gage

Tampa Bay has a stout defense. When looking at their numbers against opposing team’s positions, they are weakest at tight end. Will that mean Kyle Pitts finally notches a fantasy relevant start? Personally, I don’t think so. If they haven’t found a way to get their best offensive weapon the ball yet this year, they may have to revamp the playbook for next year to do so. The Falcons are getting torched by opposing receivers so far this year giving up 6 td’s to receivers. I see a big day for Mike Evans (especially in the red zone) as Russell Gage and Chris Godwin look to team up with Evans to stabilize this Tampa offense.

UPDATE: Kyle Pitts (hamstring) has been ruled OUT for this game. Cameron Brate has been ruled OUT as well.

Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders (1:00pm)

Start: Derrick Henry, Robert Woods, Carson Wentz, Jahan Dotson
Sit: Treylon Burks (monitor injury status), Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson, Logan Thomas, Curtis Samuel (monitor injury status)

Both of these defenses are in the bottom third of the league in stopping opposing offenses. That should mean a game where the offenses dominate the game. However, these are two offenses that have not been very effective in the first four weeks. I like Tennessee with Ryan Tannehill and Robert Woods connecting on a few long passes to exploit that secondary of Washington. Due to injury concerns, I’m sitting Treylon Burks for this one. I also see a steady performance out of Derrick Henry as the Titans should win by two scores. In mop up time, I see Carson Wentz putting up solid numbers as Jahan Dotson being the primary beneficiary. I would have included Curtis Samuel in that group, but at the time of this writing, an illness has kept him off the field for practice. It will be great to see Brian Robison get his first NFL carry this week. I would wait another week before considering him as a flex option.

UPDATE: Jahan Dotson has been ruled OUT for this game.

San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers (4:05pm)

Start: Christian McCaffery, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Jeff Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers DEF/ST
Sit: Laviska Shenault, DJ Moore, Baker Mayfield, Brandon Aiyuk

This game seems to be a lopsided affair. The 49ers defense is really good and the Carolina offense is really bad. That is why I like both the air and ground attack for the 49ers this week. The passing game will build the lead with George Kittle and Deebo Samuel getting a lot of work early, and then leaning on Jeff Wilson to finish the game. I don’t see a lot to like for Carolina in this one. Christian McCaffery is a start because he is CMC and will get volume. I would sit all other options on Carolina including DJ Moore. The 49ers are also one of my favorite DEF/ST to start this week.

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals (4:25pm)

Start: Jalen Hurts, Dallas Goedert, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Kyler Murray, Greg Dortch
Sit: Miles Sanders, Eagles K, Marquise Brown, James Connor, Zach Ertz

I see Jalen Hurts using his legs a lot in this game and finding AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith doing damage all over the field. As the Cardinals' defense breaks down. Dallas Goedert finds wide open spaces down the seam for Hurts. I don’t see Miles Sanders getting the workload like last week and I would sit him based on the Eagles liking to vary their running attack. For Arizona, Kyler Murray will have to use those legs to avoid the pass rush of the Eagles. And with that defensive line clogging up the holes, James Connor will not have a lot of room to run. Historically, opposing tight ends do very well against the Eagles, but this year’s linebackers are more athletic and quicker at diagnosing plays than years past. Zach Ertz is a sit for me. With Avonte Maddox still injured, I see Greg Dortch being able to find some space and hit a big play or two to keep Arizona within striking distance. Every week, it seems this Eagles defense loves to take away the opposing team's best receiver which is bad news for Marquise Brown.

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams (4:25pm)

Start: CeeDee Lamb, Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee
Sit: Cooper Rush, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, Noah Brown, Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, Matthew Stafford, Allen Robinson

This is a very tough matchup for both quarterbacks. Cooper Rush and Matthew Stafford are facing high pressure defenses. I see Cam Akers having a bounce back game as Dallas is giving up 4.8 rushing yards per carry to opposing RBs. Darrell Henderson could be a decent PPR play. He could see a lot of dump-off passes as Stafford will likely see a lot of pressure from the Dallas pass rush. I’m avoiding all Dallas pass catchers with the exception of CeeDee Lamb. Dalton Schultz is completely unstartable with Cooper Rush under center. Tyler Higbee will continue to be a TE1 until further notice.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (8:20pm)

Start: Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Lamar Jackson, JK Dobbins, Devin Duvernay, Mark Andrews
Sit: Hayden Hurst, Rashod Bateman (OUT)

There’s not much to say about this one.. I expect a shootout in Baltimore Sunday night. Everyone is in play here. Every player above I would start. Heck.. I’d even consider Hayden Hurst if you need help at tight end. Keep in mind that Hurst is playing his old team, so Joe Burrow could target him a little more than usual. With that being said, I still see Hurst as a touchdown or bust play. Everyone else should be started in your lineup with no hesitation.

UPDATE: Rashod Bateman (foot) has been ruled OUT for Week 5.

Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (10/10/22 8:15pm)

Start: Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs, Devante Adams, Hunter Renfro, Patrick Mahomes, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Travis Kelce
Sit: Mack Hollins, Darren Waller, Isaiah Pacheco, Jerrick McKinnen, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

How can I say start Patrick Mahomes, but none of his wide receivers? That’s because none of us can guess which one gets the touchdowns each week. It’s a complete guess. If I had to choose one, it’s JuJu Smith Schuster. Both Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Josh Jacobs should have good games. Devante Adams and Travis Kelce are target monsters, and if medically cleared, Hunter Renfro (concussion) could be a sneaky PPR play. Darren Waller, on the other hand, has been a complete let-down over the last 3 weeks. I’m benching him and starting the likes of Tyler Higbee, Will Dissley, and David Njoku. I know that sounds crazy, but Waller hasn’t been very fantasy relevant since the beginning of last year.