Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 5: Rounding Up Latest Expert Advice on the Web

The 2018 NFL fantasy football season hasn't been easy on anyone, experts included. 

But sometimes this is just how the early goings of a season unfold. Tom Brady has an 8.52-point performance to his name. Mitchell Trubisky and Jared Goff are some of the hottest names in the fantasy landscape. 

These things tend to sort themselves out after the season's quarter mark through a combination of fantasy owners and experts adapting and the NFL itself settling back into its usual ways after teams spend some time adapting as well. 

To help prep for the Week 5 slate and some tough start-sit decisions, let's look at some of the top takeaways from the consensus rankings at FantasyPros, which rounds up the opinions of more than 100 experts. 

Players to Start/Sit Based on FantasyPros Expert Rankings

Start
Sit
Player	Pos. Rank
Deshaun Watson (vs. DAL)	QB6
Jared Goff (at SEA)	QB9
Blake Bortles (at KC)	QB12
Melvin Gordon (vs. OAK)	RB2
James Conner (vs. ATL)	RB 7
Marshawn Lynch (at LAC)	RB11
Adam Thielen (at PHI)	WR9
Davante Adams (at DET)	WR10
Cooper Kupp (at SEA)	WR15
Jared Cook (at LAC)	TE4
George Kittle (vs. ARI)	TE7
Player	Pos. Rank
Marcus Mariota (at BUF)	QB21
Dak Prescott (at HOU)	QB24
Derrick Henry (at BUF)	RB 29
LeSean McCoy (vs. TEN)	RB30
Frank Gore (at CIN)	RB43
Larry Fitzgerald (at SF)	WR42
Mohamed Sanu (at PIT)	WR50
Sammy Watkins (vs. JAX)	WR67
Charles Clay (vs. TEN)	TE23
Ryan Griffin (vs. DAL)	TE29

Blake Bortles (at KC)

FantasyPros Rank: QB12

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles is a good illustration of how odd the 2018 season has been for fantasy owners so far. 

No longer a punchline and must-avoid play, Bortles has a pair of outings north of the 25-point mark this year. He has one at less than 10 as well, reinforcing the idea he is a matchup-based play—but the upside is clearly there. 

In a refreshing change of events, Bortles is taking more shots, too: 

Pair it with intriguing mobility that extends plays and the Jaguars are looking smart for sticking with Bortles for so long. 

From a fantasy standpoint, Bortles just outside of the top 10 at his position this week makes sense as he hits the road for a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

While those Chiefs are a dominant offensive team, they are terrible defensively and permit the fifth-most points to opposing quarterbacks on average so far, with two of the four quarterbacks fortunate enough to face them thus far hitting 29 points or higher. 

That's an obtainable number for Bortles, who figures to partake in a shootout.

James Conner (vs. ATL)

FantasyPros Rank: RB7

Week 5 could see James Conner flirt with positional-best status again. 

Conner did so in Week 1, fully erasing the idea the Pittsburgh Steelers desperately need Le'Veon Bell on the field. He erupted for 31.7 points on 31 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns, though since he hasn't scored more than 17 points. 

The matchups haven't been that tough, either, so part of the blame rests on the shoulders of the coaching staff—which offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner seemed to admit recently. 

"I probably just need to do a better job heating him up," Fichtner said, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's just like quarterbacks, too. You get into a rhythm. And all good running backs, they need that rhythm."

Now would be a good time to get back on track, both for the Steelers and fantasy owners thanks to a visit from the Atlanta Falcons, owners of a defense coughing up the fifth-most points to running backs. 

The four starting backs to face Atlanta so far this year have each surpassed the 20-point mark, and backups behind them haven't done too badly, either. If Conner gets the bulk of the workload, he'll become the fifth, if not perhaps the first to go past the 30-point mark. 

Adam Thielen (at PHI)

FantasyPros Rank: WR9

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen doesn't make as many wow-worthy plays as, say, Julio Jones—but he's just as potent from a fantasy perspective. 

Thielen has a double-digit outing to his name in every game this year and has hit a minimum of 17.5 points while racking up a ridiculous 44 targets over his last three.

Even on an offense boasting Stefon Diggs, Thielen is feasting: 

The Antonio Brown-esque target's pace pairs nicely with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, owners of a defense surrendering the fifth-most points to wideouts, with seven opposing receivers hitting the double-digit mark and another checking in at 9.7. 

Thielen won't have any problems hitting 10 or more points over the weekend and four opposing No. 1 wideouts have hit double-digit targets on the unit already as well, which speaks to how unafraid quarterbacks are to test the Philadelphia secondary. 

Given his work rate so far and the matchup at hand, Thielen sits in a situation where he could end up as the top scorer of the week at his position. 

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.