Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 5: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

In fantasy football, you never quite know when a Larry Donnell will go off for three touchdowns or the Philadelphia Eagles will score three touchdowns and none of them will come from their offense. The NFL is unpredictable like that.

But we can all take our best stabs, and every week I try to identify certain players you should be starting and certain players that deserve a spot on your bench. Let's take a look at some players primed to blow up this week and those players who have a giant "Stay Away" sign plastered to their helmets.

Start 'Em: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Here's a hard-and-fast rule for fantasy owners this season—if you have a player who generally has fantasy relevance playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense, you absolutely, positively start that player. 

Ben Roethlisberger is no exception. 

The Jaguars are currently giving up 23.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, worst in the league. They're giving up 320.8 passing yards per week, worst in the league. Philip Rivers put up 27 fantasy points against them a week ago. Andrew Luck went for 31 in Week 3. Kirk Cousins notched 18 in relief duty in Week 2. Nick Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to 34 unanswered points against them in Week 1. 

But this isn't just about Jacksonville's poor defense. Big Ben has now notched 15 or more fantasy points in three of four weeks and just put up 21 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has a legitimate star to throw to in Antonio Brown and secondary weapons he trusts in Heath Miller and Markus Wheaton.

Sure, the Steelers could turn to the running game and rely on Le'Veon Bell, but it's hard to see Big Ben and company not taking advantage of Jacksonville's horrid secondary. Consider Roethlisberger a safe QB1 with big upside this week.

Sit 'Em: Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington

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On Thursday night, Kirk Cousins reminded us who he truly was. Sure, he's the guy who skewered the Jaguars and Eagles in the passing game, but he's also the guy capable of throwing four interceptions in a half. He may be the better fit for Jay Gruden's offense than Robert Griffin III, but Thursday night was a reminder that he certainly isn't the more talented player. 

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today broke down Cousins' fatal flaw and how it was exposed on Thursday night:

"

Though they sacked him just twice, the Giants rattled Cousins with their pressure. Backed up in his own end zone, Cousins airmailed a third-quarter interception to Giants safety Quintin Demps, just one series after poor ball placement gave Prince Amukamara an easy pick. Later, with Mathias Kiwanuka barreling down on him, he threw a pass straight to cornerback Trumaine McBride. And he subsequently responded to a Robert Ayers bull rush by gifting Antrel Rolle a turnover on a heave deep downfield.

Noticing a pattern here?

Cousins is quick to react to pressure, sometimes to a fault. He’ll put throws in play when he should simply be throwing them away. The issue is correctable, and it might be resolved with more experience and a better feel for the offense.

"

That's a problem against a Seattle defense that likes to ramp up the pressure and has the best secondary in the game. Sure, the Seahawks are surprisingly giving up 17.7 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per week, 25th in the NFL, but they've also faced three of the better players at the position in Aaron Rodgers (who they held to eight fantasy points), Philip Rivers (who went for 24 fantasy points in San Diego) and Peyton Manning (who puts up big numbers against everyone).

Suffice to say, Cousins isn't on the level of any of those players. And with Seattle coming off of a bye and their defense probably smarting from giving up a total of 572 passing yards in their past two games, you can bet they'll be pinning their ears back in this one.

In other words, I wouldn't allow Cousins anywhere near a starting lineup this week. 

Start 'Em: Ben Tate, RB, Cleveland Browns

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Yes, this is a risky "start 'em" pick, I know that. For starters, Ben Tate owners should be monitoring his status very, very carefully as the running back attempts to return from injury. As of Tuesday, however, it was looking pretty good for his return, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com:

So there's that. 

In a way, that at least partially addresses the next concern that Tate owners might have, i.e., that the Browns also have Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell who filled in admirably for Tate. At the very least, as the starter you should expect Tate to be getting around 70 percent of the snaps and touches in the backfield, which against a suspect Tennessee Titans defense should be enough to put together a solid afternoon.

The Titans are giving up 20 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, 23rd in the NFL, and 127 rushing yards per contest, 22nd in the league, so Tate should find plenty of running room behind his talented offensive line. 

In other words, if he's indeed healthy and the starter, he's a low-end RB2 or promising flex option for owners and should be reinserted into starting lineups.

Sit 'Em: Donald Brown, RB, San Diego Chargers

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Everyone scores fantasy points against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and I mean everybody. So why couldn't Donald Brown?

Perhaps the answer is simple—he's just not that good. He's a nice player, sure, a well-rounded guy who can stay on the field all three downs, but between the tackles he's simply not going to elude a ton of guys or pick up yards on his own. 

With a juicy matchup against the Jaguars in Week 4, Brown turned 14 touches into just 54 yards from scrimmage. Suffice to say it was a hugely disappointing performance, and one he addressed after the game per The Associated Press (via USA Today):

"

It's a collective effort. It starts with me. I need to make more guys miss. It doesn't matter who's blocked or unblocked, and just make more plays. It's going to come. We just have to be patient. You can't do anything out of the ordinary. We're not going to re-invent the wheel. We're just going to keep continuing with what we do, work on our craft and it's going to come.

"

If Brown can't make the Jaguars miss, it's hard to imagine how he'll be any better against the New York Jets. The Jets have the league's top run defense, allowing just 63.3 yards per game, and to compound matters they're allowing opposing running backs to score a paltry six fantasy points per week, easily tops in the NFL.

What the Jets don't do quite so well is stop the pass, so Philip Rivers and company will likely lean on the passing game in this contest. If Brown can't produce for you against the Jags, well, you better not even entertain the slightest notion of starting him against the Jets.

Start 'Em: Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants

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Okay, we're all done worrying about Cruz's fantasy stock now, right?

After tallying a total of eight fantasy points in the first two weeks, Cruz has nabbed 11 receptions for 215 yards and a score, good for 26 fantasy points. Eli Manning and the Giants offense have awoken, and Cruz has been one of the beneficiaries. 

Even better for Cruz owners is the fact that the Atlanta Falcons just gave up eight receptions for 132 yards to Jarius Wright, the Minnesota Vikings' No. 3 receiver who works out of the slot. Cruz does his best work in the the slot and could really torch this Atlanta defense. 

The dark days are over, Cruz owners. Salsa for everybody!

Sit 'Em: DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington

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Well, this one shouldn't come as a huge surprise.

With Washington facing Seattle's elite secondary and Cousins imploding last week, it's safe to say that both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are incredibly risky this week. But here's the thing—even despite the matchup, both of these players have been quite inconsistent this year for fantasy owners.

D-Jax has one week of double-digit point production. Ditto for Garcon. Both players have just one touchdown on the year. Heck, Jackson has only been targeted 26 times. 

Garcon's struggles are a bit harder to understand than Jackson's. He was a receptions machine last season and has been targeted a healthy 38 times this season. Jackson is a home run hitter and his production has always been a bit streaky, but Garcon was supposed to be the steadier option in this receiving pair. 

That hasn't materialized, and it's hard to trust either of these players this week. Avoid the Washington passing game, folks.

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than a Jay Cutler Fumblerooski.