With a second set of postponements in just two weeks, the inevitable impact of coronavirus is beginning to be felt around the NFL. Taking account of all of this is going to be important in fantasy football and many people will be making big changes to their roster if these postponements continue. Here are some of the top players you should look to start and sit in Week 5.
Quarterbacks
Start ‘Em
Justin Herbert – Herbert has been really impressive in his three games so far this season and last week against the Bucs looked like his real breakout game. He is averaging 19.9 points per game, despite facing three top five defenses. The Saints have been surprisingly poor on defense this season and have allowed an average of 22.2 points per game to opposing quarterbacks, ranked 26th. With Austin Ekeler out I think that the Chargers will look to their passing game even more on Monday.
Teddy Bridgewater – Any quarterback who is facing the Falcons always has a great chance to make this list. Bridgewater is no different and I would expect him and the Panthers offense to put up some points this weekend. The Falcons are a shambles defensively and are allowing the most points to opposing quarterbacks in the NFL. With Atlanta also coming off a short week this opportunity is too tempting to pass up on.
Sit ‘Em
Baker Mayfield – Mayfield hasn’t been great from a fantasy perspective so far this year and currently ranks as QB24 entering Week 5. The Browns look like they are shifting towards a more run-heavy offense and lessening the load on their quarterback who threw for just 165 yards last week. He is coming up against a really strong Colts defense this week and I think that he could struggle to put up points.
Ryan Fitzpatrick – As each week goes by the calls for the Dolphins to start Tua Tagovailoa seem to get louder and louder. Fitzpatrick hasn’t been great but has been serviceable from a fantasy perspective, ranking as QB10 and averaging 19.1 points per game. This might take a dive this weekend though against a tough 49ers defense. Despite San Francisco’s injury issues I really can’t see the Dolphins getting anything from this game.
Running backs
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James Robinson – Robinson has been one of the bigger surprises this season. After going undrafted in April he took on the leading role in Jacksonville after Leonard Fournette was released and he has looked excellent. Right now he ranks as RB6, averaging 19.1 fantasy points per game. He has had over 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his last three games and this week will face a Texans team that rank 29th against opposing running backs.
Antonio Gibson – Gibson was one of my favourite players coming out in the draft and it looks like he has finally become the lead back in Washington. His targets have increased each week and he looked good against the Ravens last week, with 13 carries and five targets for a total of 128 yards and a touchdown. With Kyle Allen under center for this week you can expect him and Ron Rivera to lean on Gibson and I think he may have his best week yet against the Rams.
Sit ‘Em
Darrell Henderson – After looking great in Weeks 2 and 3, Henderson was one of the biggest fantasy disappointments last week against the Giants. Prior to the game he was averaging 5.7 yards per attempt and had eight forced missed tackles on 35 attempts. He barely featured last week, playing 39 per cent of snaps with just eight carries and one target, scoring just 4.8 points. Much like Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers it is getting difficult to trust a Sean McVay back from a fantasy perspective thanks to his constant rotation.
Myles Gaskin – Gaskin has had a good season so far and surprised many by displacing Matt Breida and Jordan Howard as Miami’s lead back in 2020. He ranks fourth in the NFL in forced missed tackles and a huge 73 per cent of his yards have come after contact. Having said that, this production hasn’t translated in fantasy terms and he is yet to score more than 15 points in a game. This week he faces a 49ers defense that have allowed the fewest fantasy points to running backs and I think it could be a quiet week for him.
Wide receivers
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D.J. Moore – It feels like every week you can just pick a receiver that is facing the Falcons and they should put up great yardage. This week is no different and Moore looks like a really solid option in Week 5. After a fantastic 2019 season that saw him rack up 1,175 yards on 87 receptions you feel like there is more to come from him so far this year. He hasn’t done much outside of his Week 2 game against the Bucs and you have to feel like this is his chance to set things straight. The Falcons rank 23rd against receivers and have allowed an average of 39.6 points to the position per game.
Justin Jefferson – We are only five weeks into the season but right now Jefferson has been the best of all the rookie receivers. Since he shifted out wide in Week 3 he has exploded from a production standpoint. He has had 11 catches on 14 targets, going for 278 yards and a touchdown and right now he is on pace for almost 1,400 yards. Luckily for him he could be set for another excellent week against the Seahawks who rank 32nd in points allowed to receivers at a whopping 65.1 per game.
Sit ‘Em
Marquise Brown – 2020 looked like it could be a big year for Brown and many people were expecting a big leap in production. In reality he’s been pretty flat so far, currently ranking as WR48. He is yet to score a touchdown and hasn’t even had a single red zone target across four games. Add to all of this the fact that his participation in training this week was limited thanks to an apparent knee injury and it makes sense to sit him against Cincinnati.
Emmanuel Sanders – Sanders’ role in the Saints offense has increased each week and saw him rack up six catches on nine targets for 93 yards last week. This week could be a challenge though and I would steer clear from starting him against the Chargers. Despite a poor game against the Bucs last week they have been one of the better coverage units in the NFL and this isn’t going to be an easy game for Brees and the Saints. If Michael Thomas is back this will also negatively impact Sanders’ fantasy value.
Tight ends
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Eric Ebron – Ebron has had a pretty slow start to the season and currently ranks as TE26. Nevertheless, his workload has increased each week and it looks like he will play a big role in the Steelers’ offense moving forward. In their last game he had five catches from seven targets for 71 yards and a touchdown, scoring 16.2 points in the process. This weekend they are coming up against an Eagles team that rank 30th against tight ends, allowing 21.1 points per game.
Evan Engram – Engram hasn’t really lived up to preseason expectations so far. He has managed 131 from his 30 targets and is yet to score a touchdown. He’s currently ranked as TE22 and is averaging 7.5 fantasy points per game. Despite all of this he should have a great opportunity to put up points this week against a bad Dallas defense. They rank 26th against tight ends, allowing 18.4 points to the position per game. You would expect the Giants to be trailing for most of the game meaning he should get plenty of targets.
Sit ‘Em
Austin Hooper – I said at the start of the season that I thought Austin Hooper was being overhyped in fantasy football and that looks to have been the case so far. He hasn’t been helped by Kevin Stefanski’s scheme which has seen the Browns run multiple tight end sets on 45 per cent of snaps and thereby splitting his targets with David Njoku and Harrison Bryant. Entering Week 5 he is ranked as TE24 averaging just 6.9 points per game. The Colts will be tough opponents this week, having allowed an average of just 4.5 and not allowing a single touchdown to the position.
Mike Gesicki – Gesicki enters Week 5 as TE12 but I would expect him to drop after facing a tough 49ers defense this weekend. The 49ers have allowed the second fewest points to tight ends this season, averaging just 6.6 per game. Aside from a 27 point game against the Bills in Week 2, Gesicki hasn’t done much from a fantasy perspective, averaging 5.6 points across his other three games. There are definitely better options available this weekend.
Defenses
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New England Patriots – There has been some doubt surrounding this game after Stephon Gilmore’s positive test but it is still set to go ahead and you have to feel like the Patriots will put up points defensively. New England’s defense ranks fourth in fantasy points and second in total takeaways, with eight through four games. Coming up against a lacklustre offense that is allowing an average of 10 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses is sure to help too.
Sit ‘Em
Tennessee Titans – The mess that the Titans have been in over positive coronavirus cases is bound to have impacted their preparation moving forward. Even before this they had looked shaky on defense, despite their 3-0 start to the season. With a game against an in-form and high scoring Bills offense this weekend I think this could be a really difficult weekend for Tennessee.