Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 5: Predictions and Ranking Top Fantasy Locks and Flops

In many cases it's best to wait on a player to prove himself in Fantasy Football before jumping on him too early and declaring him to be the next game-changing superstar.

However, sometimes a player has to act quickly or other league members will win the battle and make the decisive move. 

Todd Gurley is one of the those players who should be snatched up as soon as possible. It's a gamble because last week's second-half performance against the Arizona Cardinals was his true coming-out party in the NFL. However, now that Gurley is nearly fully recovered from the ACL injury that ended his college career at Georgia abruptly, he is a must-play running back.

Those who saw Gurley run with the Bulldogs know that he was a special player before his injury. Those who saw Gurley run in Week Four against the Cardinals know that he is still special (19 carries for 146 yards).

He combines speed, power, tremendous football instincts and a desire to get as much yardage as he can on every play. That's the kind of attitude and hunger that coaches want to see from their young running backs, that appears to be just what head coach Jeff Fisher of the St. Louis Rams will get from Gurley.

We believe that Gurley will be a must-start player this week at Green Bay against the 21st-ranked run defense in the league. While Gurley is sure to get some attention from the Green Bay defense, it's not as if they will treat him like he is Adrian Peterson.

He's not at that point, and we're not saying that he will be. But we are saying that he is going to be a running back that fantasy players can count on for the rest of the season. 

Start him this week.

Position	Player	Team	Opponent	Lock/Flop
QB	Carson Palmer	Arizona	Detroit	Lock
QB	Russell Wilson	Seattle	Cincinnati	Flop
QB	Alex Smith	Kansas City	Chicago	Lock
RB	Todd Gurley	St. Louis	Green Bay	Lock
RB	Mark Ingram	New Orleans	Philadelphia	Flop
RB	Dion Lewis	New England	Dallas	Lock
WR	Keenan Allen	San Diego	Pittsburgh	Lock
WR	Kenny Britt	St. Louis	Green Bay	Flop
WR	James Jones	Green Bay	St. Louis	Lock
TE	Travis Kelce	Kansas City	Chicago	Lock
TE	Jimmy Graham	Seattle	Cincinnati	Flop

Top Locks

Carson Palmer, Quarterback, Arizona Cardinals

Carson Palmer has an opportunity this week to shred the vulnerable Detroit Lions pass defense. Palmer is off to a sharp start, as he has thrown for 1,176 yards and has compiled an 11-3 TD-interception ratio. Palmer has been getting good protection from his offensive line, and he has been able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball accurately to Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown.

Fitzgerald already has five TD catches, and he has dominated defenses on occasion. Brown is explosively fast, and he could be the target that causes problems for the Lions, since they have the 23rd-ranked pass defense in the league.

Palmer should be good for 285 yards and three TD passes.

Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers

It's no secret that Keenan Allen has been a big part of the San Diego offense through the first four weeks of the season. He has already caught 33-387-3. 

He is clearly quarterback Philip Rivers' favorite receiver, as he has been targeted 46 times already, and no other San Diego receiver has been been targeted more than 25 times.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have looked at film and read the stat sheet, and they will know full well that Rivers is going after Allen. However, the Pittsburgh defense is not firing on all cylinders yet. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler's unit has made strides since the start of the season, but they will still be up against it on the road against the second-ranked passing offense in the league.

The Steelers leave too many openings in the secondary and Allen will catch 10-123-2 in this Monday night game. Make sure you put him in your lineup.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Kelce, Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs

There will be no holding back in Kansas City in Week 5 when the Chicago Bears come to Arrowhead. The Chiefs have lost three games in a row, and Andy Reid's team has to turn it around here if they are going to retain any hope of saving their season.

The Kansas City passing game has picked up in the last two games against Green Bay and Cincinnati. Much of that is due to Jeremy Maclin, who has had two solid games in a row. That's good news for tight end Travis Kelce who doesn't have to do it all by himself.

Kelce is a powerful runner once he gets the ball in his hands, and he has caught 21 of the 27 passes that Alex Smith has thrown his way. The Bears defense has picked it up in the early going after two awful seasons and they rank seventh overall. Still, when it comes to stopping Kelce, they may have a very difficult time.

Kelce will approach 100 receiving yards and he will catch at least one TD pass. He needs to be in your lineup.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Flops

Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers

The road has not been kind to the San Francisco 49ers this year, and they are forced to travel cross-country to play the New York Giants in Week 5. They have already been blown out at Pittsburgh and Arizona.

While Eli Manning of the Giants has been finding his big-name receiving targets with regularity, Colin Kaepernick has not looked comfortable in any game since the season-opening win against Minnesota. Kaepernick is averaging just 6.27 yards per attempt, and that's not enough to threaten any defense. He also has a 2-5 TD-interception ratio.

If the Giants can get off to an early lead in this game, that will likely force Kaepernick into taking some risks with the ball. The Niners don't have the firepower to stay with the Giants, so Kaepernick needs to stay on your bench.

Bishop Sankey, Running Back, Tennessee Titans

There are those who have been touting Bishop Sankey as a solid fantasy running back prospect since the start of the 2014 season.

He has speed and he looks the part because he can get out of his stance quickly and attack the holes. So far this year he has 29-126-1, and while he is the leading rusher for the Tennessee Titans, we don't see how he could be successful in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills have followed a W-L-W-L pattern through their first four games, and if that continues they should win this game. The Bills have the third-ranked run defense in the league, and they are not going to allow the Titans to get anything going on the ground.

Keep Sankey on the bench and cross him off your list of potential fantasy running backs.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Kenny Britt, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams

We expect the Rams' Week 5 game at Green Bay to be a solid performance for the team's ground game, but it will be difficult for Nick Foles to get his passing game going against the Packers' sixth-ranked pass defense.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt is the Rams' top pass receiving weapon, but 11 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown is not an overly impressive first quarter of the season.

The Packers will put an effective pass rush on Foles, meaning he will not be able to hook up with Britt more than three times in this game and he will be held below 50 yards.

Keep Britt on the bench in Week 5.