Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 5: Lineup Advice, Stars to Exploit and Sleeper Options
Fantasy owners should have a good idea about a roster's standing going into Week 5.
By now, the draft whiffs (Doug Martin, Arian Foster) have made themselves known and the breakout stars (Marvin Jones, Stefon Diggs) have done the same.
With a quarter of the season in the books, owners now understand what areas to attack through the waiver wire and trades. While good, improvement in those areas won't mean much if an owner doesn't have a similar grasp on how to play to a roster's current strengths and weaknesses.
Below, let's compare some of the most notable matchups of the week before looking closer at must-know stars and sleepers.
Quarterback
| Matt Ryan (at DEN) vs. Derek Carr (vs. SD) | Derek Carr |
| Ben Roethlisberger (vs. NYJ) vs. Joe Flacco (vs. WAS) | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Philip Rivers (at OAK) vs. Andrew Luck (vs. CHI) | Andrew Luck |
| Jameis Winston (at CAR) vs. Marcus Mariota (at MIA) | Jameis Winston |
| Andy Dalton (at DAL) vs. Carson Palmer (at SF) | Andy Dalton |
Star to Exploit: Jameis Winston, TB (at CAR)
Yes, it is quite weird advising a fantasy owner to take a quarterback set to face the Carolina Panthers.
Ask owners of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan how it went last week, though.
Ryan posted a ridiculous 35 points against these Panthers over the weekend. It isn't a fluke, either—Carolina lost cornerback Josh Norman over the offseason and allowed four passing touchdowns to three iffy passing teams (Denver, San Francisco, Minnesota) before getting torched by Ryan.
Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are absolutely a pass-happy team. Winston has already hit the 25-point mark in two games this year while attempting a minimum of 32 passes in all four games.
In this case, Winston will erupt while proving the "opportunity equals production" rule can apply to quarterbacks.
Sleeper to Know: Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. CIN)
Again, another oddity here when it comes to suggesting a quarterback who has to line up against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Yet the details scream for it. The Bengals held Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins to seven points in Week 4, but before that had allowed nine touchdown passes over three games.
Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has seemingly grown more comfortable by the week, having totaled 17 or more points three times and throwing three touchdowns over the course of his last two outings.
Even in a game manager role, Prescott should have plenty of chances to exploit a struggling defense thanks to names such as tight end Jason Witten.
Running Back
| DeMarco Murray (at MIA) vs. Ezekiel Elliott (vs. CIN) | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Isaiah Crowell (vs. NE) vs. Le'Veon Bell (vs. NYJ) | Le'Veon Bell |
| Matt Jones (at BAL) vs. Melvin Gordon (at OAK) | Melvin Gordon |
| LeSean McCoy (at LA) vs. Frank Gore (vs. CHI) | Frank Gore |
| Carlos Hyde (vs. ARI) vs. Devonta Freeman (at DEN) | Devonta Freeman |
Star to Exploit: C.J. Anderson, DEN (vs. ATL)
The Denver Broncos will happily welcome the high-flying Falcons to town in Week 5 and feed the ball to C.J. Anderson to keep Ryan off the field.
A threat on the ground and through the air, it was easy to overlook Anderson this year. Those who did make a big mistake, as Anderson has outings of 25, 14 and 10 points as notables lately despite tough matchups.
Said tough matchups go out the window with the Falcons in town. Atlanta allowed 18, 24 and 28 points to opposing backfields over the first three weeks of the season.
Surely committed to the ground game, Denver will feed Anderson another 19 or more rushes, making it his fourth game in five outings with such usage. He's already scored four total touchdowns this year and a multi-touchdown outing against the Falcons isn't out of the question.
Sleeper to Know: Jordan Howard, CHI (at IND)
A popular waiver name with starter Jeremy Langford injured, Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard looked great over the weekend in a starting role.
There, Howard rumbled for 111 rushing yards, caught three passes for 21 yards and totaled 13 points. Not bad for a rookie having to play with backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Believe it or not, Howard's dual-threat ways could produce even bigger numbers in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts. Those Colts allowed four rushing touchdowns to opposing backfields over the first three games of the season and even coughed up a 45-point outing to Detroit backs in Week 1.
Given Indianapolis' weakness to backs who can catch passes, Howard looks to be in line for a major day when two bad defenses get together.
Wide Receiver
| Julio Jones (at DEN) vs. Michael Crabtree (vs. SD) | Michael Crabtree |
| A.J. Green (at DAL) vs. Antonio Brown (vs. NYJ) | A.J. Green |
| Will Fuller V (at MIN) vs, Steve Smith Sr. (vs. WAS) | Steve Smith Sr. |
| Demaryius Thomas (vs. ATL) vs. Brandon Marshall (at PIT) | Brandon Marshall |
| Emmanuel Sanders (vs. ATL) vs. John Brown (at SF) | John Brown |
Star to Exploit: Julian Edelman, NE (at CLE)
Here it is.
This is one of fantasy's most anticipated matchups of the year, the one where Tom Brady returns from suspension for the New England Patriots and gets to torch the Cleveland Browns as a warm-up.
Throw everything out the window. Yes, Edelman has yet to break double digits this season. Expected. Yes, the Patriots have relied on running back LeGarrette Blount to carry the offense. Also expected.
Now Edelman will have Brady back under center just in time for a date with a Browns defense that coughed up six receiving touchdowns to wideouts over the first three games of the season.
Brady's looking to make a statement and will take Edelman along for the ride.
Sleeper to Know: Brian Quick, LA (vs. BUF)
Sometimes understanding when to keep riding a train is the difference between the good and great owners.
Owners shouldn't hop off the Brick Quick train just yet. The Los Angeles Rams wideout has three touchdowns over his past two games, though he's caught just four passes in that span.
But the coaching staff and Los Angeles quarterbacks see what they have in Quick now, so rest assured a higher usage clip is on the way. Good timing, too—the Buffalo Bills allowed a minimum of 22 points to opposing wideouts in each of the unit's first three outings.
Given the fact Quick is one of the only options for Los Angeles through the air, he's bound to see plenty of scoring opportunities in a good matchup, especially if Todd Gurley keeps the Buffalo defense honest.
Tight End
| Jordan Reed (at BAL) vs. Greg Olsen (vs. TB) | Greg Olsen |
| Hunter Henry (at OAK) vs. Jason Witten (vs. CIN) | Hunter Henry |
| Martellus Bennett (at CLE) vs. Zach Miller (at IND) | Zach Miller |
| Charles Clay (at LA) vs. Delanie Walker (at MIA) | Delanie Walker |
| Dwayne Allen (vs. CHI) vs. Dennis Pitta (vs. WAS) | Dwayne Allen |
Star to Exploit: Zach Ertz, PHI (at DET)
Owned in just 61 percent of leagues, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz looks ready to top the leaderboard at his position in Week 5.
Ertz has missed time this year due to a rib injury, but he next gets to feast on a Detroit Lions defense that has already found a way to cough up six touchdowns to tight ends over just four games.
Detroit simply cannot match up with the position, and Ertz will undoubtedly be the focal point of Philadelphia's game plan, orchestrated by impressive rookie quarterback Carson Wentz.
He's not Brady, but Ertz will also announce his return in a big way.
Sleeper to Know: Hunter Henry, SD, (at OAK)
While some look to announce returns next week, San Diego Chargers tight end Hunter Henry will look to keep his arrival announcement going.
The rookie exploded last week with Antonio Gates out of the lineup, catching four passes for 61 yards and a score, good for 12 points. It was an immediate confirmation that quarterback Philip Rivers will look at the spot even with Gates out of the lineup.
This is major news for those who managed to grab Henry, as he next gets an Oakland Raiders defense that got blasted for 23 points by Atlanta tight ends in Week 2, the only opponent it has faced that regularly turns to the position.
Hunter should have a massive game, provided Gates needs more time to heal.
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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