Fantasy Football Week 5 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Who Are the Smart Matchup Plays?

With Week 4 of the fantasy football season nearly in the books, it's time to turn our attention to Week 5 and the smart matchup plays for the upcoming week.

Which players are worth starting? Who should you definitely be sitting? Who are the smart matchup plays?

We'll answer these questions as we look at my fantasy football Week 5 start 'em sit 'em.

Start: Eli Manning vs. Seattle Seahawks

Eli Manning is coming off a very good game against the Arizona Cardinals, and you have to like the matchup that Manning has in Week 5.

The biggest reason that Manning is making a comeback as a reliable fantasy quarterback is because he has been able to limit his interceptions this year.

In fact, he has thrown just two in the first four games.

You also can't forget how good his wide receivers are. Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham have all proven to be great options for Manning to throw the ball to.

These are all good signs for fantasy owners of Manning, and he should be able to keep it going this week against the Seattle Seahawks.

Sit: Chris Johnson at Pittsburgh Steelers

Chris Johnson is coming off his first 100-yard performance of the season, but the matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers isn't in his favor.

Even though the Steelers just gave up 155 yards to Arian Foster, I can't see them doing it for back-to-back weeks.

They will play much better at home, and their defense will come out ready to play in a crucial game.

Sit: Stevie Johnson vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel haven't played as well as expected this year, but these are still two very talented cornerbacks.

While Ryan Fitzpatrick has looked excellent so far this year, we saw that he still has some growing to do after his game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Philadelphia Eagles will put pressure on Fitzpatrick, and he won't be able to get in a steady rhythm.

The fantasy player who will be affected most will be Stevie Johnson, who will have another mediocre game.

Start: Kevin Kolb at Minnesota Vikings

It has been a rough start to the season for Kevin Kolb, but if there is any team to bounce back against, it is the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota has given up big games to Josh Freeman, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers and Matt Cassel.

It certainly won't stop with Kevin Kolb this week.

Sit: LeGarrette Blount at San Francisco 49ers

Did anyone see the San Francisco 49ers absolutely shut down LeSean McCoy?

This 49ers defense is for real, as their streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher continues into Week 5.

Since LeGarrette Blount isn't a threat as a wide receiver, the only damage he can do is on the ground.

He just won't be able to make it happen against San Francisco.

Start: Ryan Mathews at Denver Broncos

Not only is Ryan Mathews the featured back for the San Diego Chargers, but he also has an ideal matchup this week.

The Denver Broncos are in the middle of the pack when it comes to stopping the run.

However, they had a difficult time stopping screen passes on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. This is where I see Mathews doing the majority of his damage.

He should easily get more than 100 total yards—and a touchdown or two isn't out of the question, either.

Sit: Tom Brady vs. New York Jets

All you have to do is look at what the New York Jets did to Joe Flacco last night to see that Tom Brady is going to have a rough fantasy week.

Flacco barely completed 30 percent of his passes and finished the game with zero touchdowns and two turnovers.

I know that Brady is much better than Flacco, but he isn't going to be a fantasy stud this week.

For the first time, Brady is a fantasy sit.

Sit: Wes Welker vs. New York Jets

The same logic for Tom Brady should be applied to Wes Welker.

The New York Jets have an extremely tough defense, especially against the pass, and that will hurt Welker's fantasy numbers.

The biggest reason that Welker is a must-sit this week is because he will likely be covered by Darrelle Revis, who is a fantasy killer of wide receivers.

I've learned too many times that you don't mess with Revis—so don't do it this week with Welker.

Start: Mark Sanchez at New England Patriots

Never before in the history of mankind has Mark Sanchez been a fantasy starter.

However, the New England Patriots have one of the worst defenses against the pass—even Sanchez will be able to light them up.

New England is giving up 368 passing yards per game right now, and that is against players like Chad Henne and Jason Campbell.

Sanchez isn't an elite quarterback, but he has better overall weapons than those two quarterbacks, and he should be able to capitalize against this weak defense.

As much as I think that Sanchez is simply mediocre and nothing more, he is an absolute fantasy starter this week.

Start: Matt Forte at Detroit Lions

Matt Forte had 228 total yards from scrimmage against the Carolina Panthers, with 205 of those yards coming on the ground.

For the past few seasons, Forte has been criticized for his inability to gain yards on the ground—but after this game, it appears that he has broken that trend.

Even if the Detroit Lions are able to slow him down on the ground, they will still need to contain him as a receiver, which is a difficult task.

It might be a stretch to expect another 200-yard rushing game from Forte, but he should still have a very solid fantasy week.

Sit: Matt Ryan vs. Green Bay Packers

I know that the Green Bay Packers have one of the worst pass defenses in the league right now, but if you have watched their games, it does seem to be improving.

I expect them to be in top form against an elite opponent when they take on the Atlanta Falcons.

However, a bigger reason why I'm sitting Matt Ryan is because he is clearly having a down season.

Ryan has been forced to throw the ball more times than ever in his career, and it has clearly hurt his statistics. He has seven total turnovers to only six touchdown passes, and his quarterback rating is only an 84.8.

There may be some matchups where Ryan is a viable fantasy starter, but this week isn't one of them.