The 2021 NFL season is in full swing as we head into Week 5. Benjamin (@FFRabbitDad) and Brendan (@obryanbren) are back with more players to take a look at when setting your fantasy football lineups. Check it all out here in our unique Start or Sit Faceoff, for Week 5 with Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 5.
Brendan: So we made it to Week 5 and I would like to forget about Week 4 and move on. I think we might be able to refer to Week 4 as the week of the injuries. It seemed like many of our picks were hurt either right before game time or went out shortly after the games started, so a lot of our matchups seem to be a wash. I promise I’m not just trying to put a silver lining on my picks from last week! I threw out the rankings of a few, or only gave us half points (in my personal scoring system) for players who were ruled out, or went out early during their games. So I gave you a slight edge of 2.5 wins for me and 3 for Ben. I’m not keeping tabs on the season, but do believe you also have a slight edge in the season-long tally. I’ve said it a few times, but this is the week I blow you out of the water!
Benjamin: There were a lot of injuries involved in our picks (Logan Thomas, Chase Claypool, and Teddy Bridgewater) and even a healthy scratch of Ty’Son Williams. I did, however, partially miss on Kareem Hunt, as he had a fine day but had only two catches for 17 yards. I also have to give due props to the start call on Jalen Hurts, that man had a nice day. The past is the past so we’ll tuck that one into the filing cabinet (are those still a thing?) and move on to Week 5. I hope you brought your ‘A’ game. I expect nothing less because I’ve got some hot names up my sleeve again this week.
Quarterbacks
Start: Sam Darnold – Kirk Cousins
Brendan: Here is a stat you wouldn’t expect this season…Sam Darnold leads the league in rushing touchdowns for quarterbacks with five. He did have two rushing touchdowns last week, and that isn’t sustainable, but still showing that he’s a threat every time the Panthers are down around the goal line. Especially while Christian McCaffrey is out. Darnold also has shown a really strong connection with stud wide receiver DJ Moore and showing a knack for the deep ball. This week he faces an Eagles defense that was torched by Patrick Mahomes last week who threw five touchdowns. I know what you’re thinking. Who hasn’t been torched by Mahomes? However, Darnold has shown me more than enough this year to trust him in this matchup and put up some good numbers, much better numbers than Kirk Cousins. Can you just imagine what this offense might do when McCaffrey gets back?
Benjamin: I will say that Darnold has been magical this season after escaping the clutches of Adam Gase. Cousins had a tough Week 4 against the Browns who have a great defense and a head coach who knows him well. That cannot be said for the upcoming matchup for Minnesota. Cousins is averaging 276 passing yards per game in seven career starts against the Lions. On top of that, he has thrown for 16 touchdowns and just one single, solitary interception. The Vikings are in ‘win now’ mode and should have their way with Detroit in Week 5. If Dalvin Cook is out or limited again, which he should, it only increases the potential numbers that Cousins will exert this week.
Sit: Baker Mayfield – Jalen Hurts
Brendan: Feels like every year there is a ton of talk about how Baker Mayfield is going to put up huge numbers. This year I actually started to buy in, you just had to look at all the weapons the Browns have put around him and understand the talk. However, it also seems like every year things come crashing down. It might be the injuries on offense, or maybe he’s just not as good as advertised? Mayfield has only thrown for 935 yards and two touchdowns this year. That’s just not starting material right now. In our very own FF Faceoff metric, Consistency Score, Mayfield is ranked 18th with a score of 6.38 (the higher the better). More importantly, he’s played 0% of his games this year as a top 12 quarterback. This week he’s taking on the Chargers defense that has been holding opposing quarterbacks to 14 fantasy points per game. Unless you play in a 2QB, Superflex league, or have more than 12 teams, Mayfield should be on your bench.
Benjamin: The only positive going for Hurts is the floor you can get from his running game as he is averaging 56.5 rushing yards per game this season. After that, all you get is inconsistent passing work with just four passing scores in the last three games. He’s going to need to do more than just run well for the Eagles to compete against a very good Carolina defense who have held opposing quarterbacks to 155.7 passing yards over their previous three games. The Panthers also are the 10th most difficult matchup for signal-callers this season, based on our Consistency Score, and held Dak Prescott to just 188 passing yards. I doubt that Hurts will have a completely awful day, but I see him finishing outside the top 15 fantasy quarterbacks this week. If you have another option (like either of the guys mentioned earlier), I’d go with them this week.
Consistency Score Home
Consistency Score: Running Backs
Consistency Score: Wide Receivers
Consistency Score: Tight Ends
Consistency Score: DST
Running Backs
Start: Cordarrelle Patterson – Damien Harris
Brendan: Who would have thought Cordarrelle Patterson would be a fantasy starter player this early into the season, let alone a starting running back. However, here we are, Week 5, and Patterson is a top-five PPR running back, getting consistent touches in the running and passing game. Patterson has been averaging nearly seven carries per game for 30 yards, five receptions for 60 yards, and over one touchdown per game. These are some solid numbers to have in your lineup each week, especially if you are in a 1/2 PPR or PPR league, which most leagues are anymore. Since he has been consistently producing (6th-most consistent running back in the league), his usage might actually start to increase. The Falcons are taking on the Jets this week, who are giving up a whopping 33.4 points per game to running backs this year. Keep riding Patterson as long as possible. Meanwhile, I will continue to not trust Patriot running backs.
Benjamin: There is one Patriot running back worthy of trust because he’s the only one they have that can succeed between the tackles. Damien Harris, like all the others before him, tried running through a Tampa Bay brick wall and failed. The only runner to surpass 40 rushing yards against them was Sony Michel and it took him 20 carries to get to 67 yards, that’s 3.35 yards per attempt. The Texans, who face Harris and the Patriots in Week 5, are nowhere near the Buccaneers level as far as their running defense goes. Opposing running backs have managed 4.71 rushing YPC against the Texans over the last two weeks. In 11 career games against AFC teams, Harris averages 4.9 YPC. We’re going to see a bounce-back game from Harris this week. Don’t let him do that on your bench.
Sit: Myles Gaskin – James Conner
Brendan: Myles Gaskin was another running back that was getting a lot of love a few short weeks ago. I had him targeted in a few of my leagues as a mid-round option, but I’m glad that never panned out. Gaskin needs to be out of your lineup yesterday and has been a huge bust. Gaskin only saw 12 snaps last week against the Colts and gave up lead-back duties to Malcolm Brown. If that’s not enough to drop him today, he also has a horrible matchup with Tampa Bay. Tampa has been giving up less than 20 points per game to running backs so far this season. With only a small share of the touches, those 20 points could and probably would be closer to five. Get him out of your lineups today! Meanwhile, I will probably be starting James Conner in one of my leagues where I fell into an accidental Zero-RB draft. So, Benjamin, I hope you are wrong!
Benjamin: I tried to acquire Conner for most of my fantasy teams before his first two-touchdown game. Sadly, I was unable to cash in. After scoring another two times in Week 4 against the Rams, this is the best time to sell high on him. The Cardinals will host the 49ers this week, a team that held Seattle’s running backs to 3.29 yards per attempt on 24 carries. In his previous matchup with San Francisco, Conner only ran 13 times for 3.31 YPC in 2019 behind a good offensive line. It is hard to suggest a player to bench over Gaskin, but I think I found the right one. You might want to ride the hype train with Conner for another week but don’t.
Wide Receivers
Start: Emmanuel Sanders – Kenny Golladay
Brendan: Emmanuel Sanders has been the clear-cut number two wide receiver in this explosive Buffalo Bills offense. I don’t think anyone was surprised with the numbers he is putting up with Josh Allen. In each week so far this year, Sanders has been targeted six or more times. With these targets, Sanders has been providing WR2-WR3 numbers. This week the Bills take on the Chiefs who have been giving up nearly 40 points to wide receivers each week and were just torched by DeVonta Smith. In this high scoring matchup, which could have over 100 total points between the two teams, expect a good showing from Sanders
Benjamin: Coming off of a big day with 116 yards on six catches, Kenny Golladay is set to face off in another favorable matchup with Dallas. In 2021, the former Lion receiver is averaging 16.6 YPR. His quarterback, Daniel Jones, has been performing well, completing 66.7% of his passes and throwing for 296 yards per game topped off with 402 passing yards last week. The possible return of Sterling Shepard may cause you to flinch. With the emergence of Kadarius Toney, Shepard may be relegated to playing on the outside where he has not been very successful. The Giants have some considerable weapons in the passing game which should keep the opposing Cowboys from focusing solely on Golladay, who averages 21.6 YPR against them. Those who have Golladay on their fantasy teams have been patiently waiting for him to put up great numbers and that wait looks to be over.
Sit: Allen Robinson – JuJu Smith-Schuster
Brendan: I seriously considered your choice this week Benjamin, but Robinson has not been good so far. The Bears offense can probably be mostly to blame with the changing of the quarterbacks and questionable decisions from Matt Nagy. However last week he was only targeted three times! Yes, you read that correctly, three times. Robinson has not gone over 100 yards yet this season and has only scored one touchdown. Darnell Mooney has been better and targeted more. Justin Fields hardly looks like a polished product at this point and doesn’t look like he will start to light the world on fire. They also face a Raiders defense that has been giving up only 30 points per game to wide receivers. Expect that to be lower than that this week. It’s a hard call to make, but it’s time to seriously start to consider benching or trading Robinson.
Benjamin: Firstly, I agree that Robinson should be benched in basically all fantasy leagues until he gives a performance that reassures us otherwise. The same should be said of Smith-Schuster as his noodle-armed quarterback picked a year too late to call it a career. Diontae Johnson is the only Steelers receiver that is getting consistently targeted and has been putting up really good numbers in each game he has played. The yardage numbers have gone down for Smith-Schuster each week of the season and his best was only 52 yards in Week 1. With the season slowly falling apart for Pittsburgh, there have been rumblings of a trade to send Smith-Schuster elsewhere, just another reason to shut him down on your fantasy team until he earns a spot in your starting lineup.
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Tight Ends
Start: Hunter Henry – Dawson Knox
Brendan: You should seriously consider starting any tight end that is playing against the Texans. Last week Dawson Knox had a two-touchdown game, and opposing tight ends have been scoring nearly 20 points per game against the Texans. Henry has been the obvious preferred target choice of Mac Jones in regards to the tight end position. He also just came off a solid performance against Tampa Bay and probably should continue with those numbers against the Texans as well. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Knox, but this week I have to start Henry.
Benjamin: Knox has scored at least one touchdown in three consecutive weeks. His fantasy points have gone up each week of 2021 as well. He is consistently getting better before our eyes. After all, good tight ends tend to break out into their potential in their third season, and this is Knox’s third season. Add to that the Week 5 Kansas City matchup. The Chiefs have surrendered 348 receiving yards to tight ends this season for 12.9 YPR. If you don’t have Travis Kelce or Darren Waller, get in on the Knox party while you can. We may be witnessing the emergence of the next great fantasy tight end!
Sit: Noah Fant – Robert Tonyan
Benjamin: Why you gotta do my guy so wrong, Brendan? The only time this season when Fant didn’t deliver, was in a shutout of the Jets in Week 3. Other than that, he’s scored in two games and had six receptions in two games. That’s solid fantasy play for a tight end. Tonyan, on the other hand, has had one week with more than eight receiving yards. The production from him has been so bad that I would straight up drop him from my team, at this point. If you have Fant on your team, start him. If you have Tonyan, boot him and pick up anyone else.
Brendan: I completely get Benjamin’s argument on Fant. He’s been a solid producer and scored another touchdown last week, however, this matchup kind of scares me. Nothing this season about the Steelers has been scary (except maybe Big Ben), however, they have been very solid against tight ends allowing only 9.7 points per game to tight ends. You also have Teddy Bridgewater’s status up in the air, so could have a new quarterback this week in Drew Lock. Unless you have a Waller, Kelce, or maybe TJ Hockenson, tight end tends to be a highly matchup-based performing position. I do not like this matchup for Fant and I would bench him if you have the choice.
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