Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 5: Lineup Advice, Stars to Exploit and Sleeper Options

Deep breaths, everyone; we've reached the quarter mark of the 2019 NFL season.

For all the fantasy football front-runners out there, this is hardly the time to relax. Remember, you're one midseason swoon away from tumbling down the standings.

For all the cellar-dwellers, this also isn't the time to panic. Sure, you'll be playing most (if not all) of the remainder of the year without a safety net, but a multi-week hot streak gets you right back in the thick of things.

No matter where you stand, Week 5 should be a big one. Whether you're looking to maintain momentum or generate it for the first time, your decision-making must be sharp.

Luckily, this will point you in the right direction with our favorite start, sit and sleeper at the quarterback, running back and wide receiver positions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans

Put a proven quarterback across from this Texans defense, and he'll probably deliver a big day. While Houston has contained the likes of Gardner Minshew II and Kyle Allen, both Drew Brees (370 yards, two touchdowns) and Philip Rivers (318 yards, two scores) feasted against this defense.

Matt Ryan owners should already be salivating at the possibilities for next Sunday.

Admittedly, he hasn't been the most comfortable option week-to-week. He never found the end zone this Sunday and entered it with a pair of multi-interception performances already under his belt.

But volume is big in this business, and Ryan has delivered a metric ton of it. He has only aired it out fewer than 43 times once (34 pass attempts in Week 3) and has finished every game with more than 300 passing yards. Considering he entered this weekend with eight touchdowns in three games, do not let this score-less Sunday worry you. He might win your Week 4 matchup by himself.

Sit 'Em: Daniel Jones, New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Giants could not have scripted a better starting debut for rookie Daniel Jones than when he obliterated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 364 scrimmage yards and four scores.

But they surely could've written a more favorable follow-up. Save for posting a 74.2 completion percentage, Danny Dimes struggled to impress against an exploitable Washington Redskins defense in Week 4. He had the same number of completions as Week 3 (23), but he threw for 111 fewer yards (225). He also managed just a single score against two interceptions.

While Jones should benefit from the return of wide receiver Golden Tate, it won't be nearly enough to compensate for the massive increase in defensive quality. The Vikings are about as stingy as they come, allowing averages of only 218.5 passing yards and 15.8 points per game. With New York next enduring a short turnaround ahead of a date with New England, Jones' owners might shy away for a couple of weeks.

Sleeper: Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It feels like forever ago that Tampa held Jimmy Garoppolo to 166 passing yards in the opener. Over the past three weeks, the Bucs have surrendered more than 300 passing yards to each of their opponents, including the video game-like 517 that Jared Goff threw for in Week 4.

Tampa has avoided total disaster by limiting touchdowns (five passing scores in four games) and creating turnovers (four interceptions, five fumble recoveries). Both areas might prove a bit flukey.

Teddy Bridgewater, a 67.8 percent passer so far, has the touch to take advantage of his opportunities and the decision-making to avoid the mistakes committed by Tampa's previous opponents. He has only thrown one interception this season and only lost a single fumble in his career.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

No ability beats availability, and Marlon Mack's might be up in the air for Sunday night. An ankle injury ended his Week 4 outing early, but he seemed to view his premature exit as merely a precautionary measure.

"The coaches felt like it wasn't good for me to go out there when we've got other guys in my position that could go out there and play well," Mack told reporters. "... If it was up to me, I definitely would have (been on the field)."

Assuming Mack can give it a go in Week 5, his outlook is blindingly bright. He's off to a strong start this season (72 carries for 338 yards and two touchdowns), and the Chiefs defense has been a gold mine for opposing rushers. A running back has tallied more than 90 scrimmage yards against this group every week, and Mark Ingram found the end zone three times against it in Week 3.

Sit 'Em: Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos

Austin Ekeler has done everything in his power to argue for a start 'em recommendation. Four weeks into the season, Melvin Gordon's understudy has 490 scrimmage yards and six scores. Oh, and as Leonard Fournette owners can attest after Week 4, a date with Denver's defense is much more favorable than one might assume.

But Gordon's return changes everything in the worst kind of way for Ekeler. As Chargers coach Anthony Lynn made clear, this running game belongs to Gordon. He could go from holdout to bell cow real quick.

"While some might expect a time-share split moving forward, that seems unlikely," ESPN's Eric Karabell wrote. "Ekeler totaled 145 touches last season. Gordon, in one fewer game, rushed 175 times and caught 50 passes. Plus, since he might be elsewhere next year, the Chargers can really pile on the touches."

Ekeler still belongs on fantasy rosters, and he might even maintain flex-relevance once Gordon takes the top spot. But assuming the change happens this week, it might be best to bench Ekeler until we can get a grasp on his new role moving forward.

Sleeper: Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Ronald Jones has delivered an important message to the fantasy football world this season: Sleepers don't always awaken on our schedule.

He was a trendy sleeper pick last season before barely moving the needle statistically (23 carries for 44 yards across nine contests). He seemed in danger of being the forgotten man when Peyton Barber out-touched him 24-4 in Week 2, but after evening the ledger at 15 apiece in Week 3, Jones saw 20 touches to Barber's nine on Sunday. Jones has also been the more efficient, productive player when he's had the ball.

Assuming Wayne Gallman is already claimed in your league—he's owned in 78 percent of Yahoo leagues, per Fantasy Pros—Jones should be your focus when bidding on free-agent rushers. He could be climbing toward featured-back status and doing so for an offense that's scored 86 points over the past two weeks.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants

Look, we get it. In 2019, it seems up is down and left is right when it comes to Minnesota's passing attack. Kirk Cousins is still waiting on his first outing of 250 yards or multiple passing touchdowns.

Naturally, this has reflected poorly on the Vikings receivers, Stefon Diggs chief among them. One year removed from a 102-reception season, he entered Week 4 with six catches in three games.

Then, the light bulb somehow switched—for Diggs, at least—during a date with daunting Bears defense. He caught all seven of his targets for 108 yards, or seven more than he had the first three weeks combined.

Does one game guarantee elite status for Diggs moving forward? Not at all. But it does inspire confidence that he'll be able to take advantage of a juicy matchup with the Giants, who have allowed three receivers to clear 100 yards and four to catch at least one touchdown pass.

Sit 'Em: Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins vs. New England Patriots

Despite early optimism, Terry McLaurin wasn't able to work around a hamstring injury, so he missed Week 4. Not coincidentally, Washington's offense fell apart. The Redskins scored a season-low three points and produced a miserable 176 yards against a generous Giants defense.

Even if McLaurin puts the ailment behind him, Week 5 could be brutal.

For starters, it's unclear if he'll be catching passes from Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins or Colt McCoy. Let's be honest, do any of those options excite you? Exactly.

And if those quarterbacks look uninspiring in a given matchup, they're downright haunting against New England. The Patriots have allowed an NFL-best 6.8 points per game and only 181.8 passing yards per tilt. As close as a healthy McLaurin seemed to must-start status, this matchup is one of the few exceptions.

Sleeper: Golden Tate, New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings

While matchups drive many of our sleeper recommendations, sometimes a player is too talented to pass up on the waiver wire.

Golden Tate is that player, as he's inexplicably available in 51 percent of Yahoo leagues, per Fantasy Pros.

Granted, he lost the first four games to suspension, so it's not entirely surprising to see impatient fantasy owners cut bait. Then again, this is someone who has 446 receptions for 5,019 yards and 23 touchdowns to show for the past five seasons, the most recent of which featured a midseason trade and a slow transition to an unfamiliar offense.

He could become a quick favorite of Daniel Jones, and if he does, Tate probably becomes the weekly starter we have long known him to be.