Mitglieder » Fantasy Football: Last-minute start/sit advice for Week 5

It’s already the time of year when bye weeks and injuries start to make weekly roster decisions increasingly difficult. Those two things have wiped out nearly an entire position group already (more on that later). Hopefully you have a deep enough roster to get through this initial wave of potential hardship.For those facing some difficult decisions this week Customized New York Giants Jerseys , here’s start/sit for Week 5:Running backStart: T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville JaguarsLeonard Fournette is out, so Yeldon should get the majority of the snaps and carries for the Jaguars — though Corey Grant should play more, though who knows if Jacksonville will actually pull that trigger. Yeldon’s yardage totals haven’t been overly impressive in games this season — he peaked at 58 rushing yards against the New England Patriots in Week 2 — but he should get the volume as the lead back. Kansas City’s defense is pretty much an open road and in two of Yeldon’s four games, he’s seen seven targets to go along with two receiving touchdowns.Start: Chris Thompson, Washington RedskinsChris Thompson’s usage hasn’t been consistent from game-to-game, but there is a pattern. When Washington is ahead, Thompson doesn’t get a lot of work. But when they’re trailing, such as the 21-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 (still weird), he’ll get more time. In that Colts game, Thompson had 13 receptions for 92 yards on 14 targets. This week Washington will play New Orleans and while the Washington defense should be good enough to not let the Saints completely run away, the game script should lend itself to more Thompson touches.Sit: Alfred Morris, San Francisco 49ersEven though the Arizona Cardnals have given up the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, this isn’t a great game for Alfred Morris. Matt Brieda significantly out-snapped Morris last week against the Los Angeles Chargers 38-14. The running backs weren’t very involved, either. Brieda and Morris combined for 13 rushing attempts and six targets. Arizona’s defense has been improving — they’re 11th in DVOA — and without knowing how the workload split is going to look, it’s best to stay away. Sit: Dion Lewis, Tennessee TitansDion Lewis should be a bigger part of the Tennessee Titans offense. Maybe he will be eventually as the unit seems to be putting more pieces together and figuring out what they want to do. But Lewis had just four rushes and nine targets against the Philadelphia Eagles. Those targets ended with nine receptions and 66 yards www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com , which made him a passable play for PPR, but left more to be desired. It’s also fair to wonder how much run Lewis will get — especially in the passing game — if the Titans take an early lead against the struggling Buffalo Bills. Wide ReceiverStart: Keenan Allen, Los Angeles ChargersI’ve brought this up before, but I firmly believe in the idea of starting your studs. Keenan Allen is a stud. Yes, he hasn’t had 100 yards receiver or a touchdown since Week 1 and he’s been battling some health issues, but Allen is still a stud. He’s still getting volume — 10 targets last week — and he could break out with a big game at any point. The Oakland Raiders have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, which could be the matchup Allen needs to get his numbers back to where they’re expected.Start: Calvin Ridley, Atlanta FalconsYou’re riding this out. At some point, the Calvin Ridley Experience is going to slow down — he has five touchdowns while safely being third among wide receivers in snaps played on the Falcons. Over the past three games, Ridley has played 55.6 percent, 61.8 percent, and 54.3 percent of Atlanta’s offensive snaps. But, he’s clearly been involved when he’s on the field. He has five targets, five receptions, and four touchdowns inside the 20 over those three games. While the Falcons have figured out their red zone offense, they’ve made Ridley a big part of it. He might be a good option to try to sell high before some touchdown regression hits, but if he’s on your roster New York Giants T-Shirt , you’re starting him.Sit: Devin Funchess, Carolina PanthersAfter an up and down start to the season, Janoris Jenkins has been pretty good containing opposing No. 1 wide receivers. Micahel Thomas, the league’s leading receiver, was held to just four receptions against Jenkins last week. Devin Funchess gets that matchup this weekend and while the Panthers offense has been quite good, throwing to wide receivers has not been a strength. In a game where the Panthers are likely to rely on the legs of Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey, Funchess is unlikely to see meaningful volume.Sit: Sammy Watkins, Kansas City ChiefsThe main event of this matchup is going to be Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey however often they’re matched up. That will leave Watkins with A.J. Bouye, who is still quite good, or even Ramsey if the Jaguars choose to stay with their cornerbacks on sides. While Watkins has been able to break through with some big plays, he hasn’t been the big play threat in Kansas City. He’s only seeing 12.5 percent of the Chiefs’ air yards, which is around the likes of Danny Amendola and Jermaine Kearse. There’s always upside here in a high-powered offense, but if you have a better option, it could be safe to stay away from this matchup.Tight EndStart: Anyone who is healthyBetween the injuries and bye weeks (Trey Burton), it’s nearly impossible for anyone to have a legitimate start-sit issue at tight end this week. If you do, good for you, but you probably have too many tight ends on your roster. If you have any tight end who has the possibility of seeing even some volume in the passing game this week New York Giants Hats , start him. NOTE: Use this as your open thread to discuss today’s games.The winning streak is over. 7-8 last week. It’s becoming official now that I will no longer change picks between when this posts on Thursday and when games kick off on Sunday regardless of injury news that comes out. I’ve only done that twice this year and I changed the pick from a win to a loss both times. No more.Remember these picks are strictly for fun and entertainment purposes and please for your sake do not take these picks as gambling advice. Lines used here come from the Westgate Las Vegas via OddsShark. Home team in CAPS.ARIZONA (+1.5) over DenverJosh Rosen has been better than the numbers would indicate due to his poor receiving corps and offensive line. In Rosen’s three starts, the Cardinals have lost but have been significantly more competitive than they were with Sam Bradford. The talent of the Arizona defense has also started to creep through — they’re 10th in defensive DVOA. Denver is a team that has seen its defense start to fall off despite its superstars and the offense under Case Keenum has not inspired much confidence.[NOTE: Broncos 45, Cardinals 10 — Well, looks like the week didn’t start very well.]CHARGERS (-6.5) over TennesseeJust don’t bet on the Titans. They make no sense. When you think they’re good, they’re bad. When you think they’re bad, they’re good. Meanwhile, the Chargers are actually good. They have one of the best offenses in the league — third in standard down success rate and fourth in big play rate — with a defense that’s finally starting to catch on.New England (-3) over CHICAGOIt was just a few weeks ago when many were asking if the Patriots were in trouble. That was fun. The Patriots are still the Patriots and that means they should be able to find ways to score on the league’s best defense, even on the road. Even the New England defense is just below average — 19th in DVOA — instead of among the league’s worst like it was last season.Cleveland (+3) over TAMPA BAYFiring Mike Smith as defensive coordinator was the last line of defense for Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter. The Bucs have the worst defense in the league by just about any metric imaginable and the Browns offense has started to click with Baker Mayfield. I feel more comfortable with the Cleveland offense scoring on the Tampa Bay defense than the Tampa offense scoring on the Cleveland defense (sixth in defensive DVOA). 2018 is weird, man.PHILADELPHIA (-4.5) over CarolinaThe Panthers are either the league’s worst good team or the league’s best bad team. Either way, they’re an enigma where the whole doesn’t always equal the sum of its parts. Philadelphia has been getting better on both side of the ball as the season has progressed. They’ll look more like the team we expected by the end of the year than they have to date. A home win over Carolina would be a good continuation after a win against the Vikings and a blowout of the Giants.Minnesota (-3) over JETSMinnesota is still weird. They’re only 21st in DVOA, but the offense is starting to catch on — at least through the air. An alarming number of Jets haven’t practiced this week, which isn’t a good outlook for Sunday even if some of them do get on the field. Detroit (-2.5) over MIAMIThe Dolphins should have lost to the Bears, Don’t let that game fool you, they didn’t play particularly well. Detroit also hasn’t been very good this season, but they’re not starting Brock Osweiler and the bigger the sample we get of Brock Osweiler at quarterback, the more likely it is that he actually looks like Brock Osweiler at quarterback.INDIANAPOLIS (-7.5) over BuffaloThe Bills are so scared to start Nathan Peterson — who won their quarterback competition in the preseason — they’re starting Derek Anderson, who has been on the team for a week. Buffalo isn’t even hilariously bad anymore New York Giants Hoodie , it’s just kind of sad. Maybe still a little funny.JACKSONVILLE (-5) over HoustonJacksonville’s defensive line hasn’t been as dominant as it was last season — they only ninth in defensive pressure rate — but if there’s a team to face to turn that around, it’s the Houston Texans.The Jags got carved up by the Cowboys last week, but it’s hard to imagine that defense allowing big plays two weeks in a row.New Orleans (+2.5) over BALTIMOREBaltimore has one of the best defenses in the league, while the Saints have one of the best offenses. In these matchups, even outdoors, the offense usually has the advantage. Though the other side of the ball might decide the matchup. New Orleans’s defense has been bad and the Baltimore offense has been ok at times. This game should probably be closer to a pick’em, so let’s take the points.Dallas (+2) over WASHINGTONThese two teams have shown at any point they could look quite good or quite bad. It doesn’t even make sense when. Washington was playing pretty well until they ran into the Saints. Dallas was underwhelming until they tore up the Jacksonville defense. Again, these teams are pretty even 20th (Dallas) and 22nd (Washington) in DVOA, so we’ll take the slightly better team on the road with the points.Rams (-9.5) over SAN FRANCISCOA C.J. Beathard-led 49ers team made a Monday night shootout against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers really fun. But the Rams aren’t the Packers. This is an offense that’s first in yards per drive by a significant margin (nearly seven yards above No. 2 Kansas City) and it’s going to be much harder for the 49ers to get themselves into a shootout against the LA defense, even as that defense is still shaping up to what it’s supposed to be.KANSAS CITY (-6) over CincinnatiThere’s no more doubting the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid duo. If there’s a way a team could come out looking better after a loss, the Chiefs did that last Sunday night in New England. After a rough first half, the Chiefs made adjustments and got back in the game late. This pick isn’t a dig at Cincinnati — they’re pretty good (12th in DVOA) —but Kansas City is bordering on great (first in DVOA).ATLANTA (-5.5) over GiantsAs usual, there will be a ton of coverage for this game on the site, so to keep it brief — what about the Giants season so far would cause you to pick them here?Last week: 7-8Season: 41-48-4