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

If you've made the right start/sit decisions through the first four weeks of the fantasy football season, then you're probably in a good spot in your league. But if you've made the wrong decisions, you might have some ground to make up and some work to do.

Not every player is a Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or Alvin Kamara who can be kept in a fantasy lineup all season no matter the matchup. Some players are borderline calls who might need to be benched when they're going up against a strong defense and then reinserted later when a better matchup arises.

Using the FantasyPros consensus rankings, here's some expert advice on Week 5 start/sit decisions for players you may be currently wavering on for this week.

Start'Em: Gardner Minshew II, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (QB9)

Aaron Doster/Associated Press

Minshew had a tough showing in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, but he bounced back to have a solid day against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, when he passed for a season-high 351 yards and two touchdowns. And it appears the experts are still confident in Minshew as a fantasy starter at this point, with him being ranked No. 9 in the FantasyPros consensus rankings.

It helped Minshew that top wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. was back in Jacksonville's lineup last week after he missed its Week 3 matchup at Miami. And undrafted rookie James Robinson continues to be a valuable asset for Minshew to utilize out of the backfield.

"I'll continue to trust Minshew as a low-end starter until he starts to struggle on a consistent basis, which shouldn't happen this week," Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports wrote this week.

Minshew should have a solid showing against the Houston Texans, who are 0-4 and have allowed 393.3 total yards per game.

Sit 'Em: Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (QB20)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The experts are not confident that Wentz is going to get it together this week, as he sits at No. 20 in the FantasyPros consensus rankings. And that's not a surprise, considering the Eagles are going to be going up against a strong Pittsburgh Steelers defense this week.

"I expect Wentz to struggle with a once-again depleted pass-catching corps against a rested Pittsburgh defense that leads the league in blitz rate and pressure rate," ESPN's Matthew Berry wrote this week.

Wentz has passed for 930 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, throwing multiple picks three times and accumulating only 193 yards through the air last week against the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, the Steelers are allowing only 290 total yards per game, which ranks second best in the NFL.

This is a matchup that the experts want no part of it, and you shouldn't either, so leave Wentz on the bench.

Start 'Em: Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals (RB19)

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Although Drake has had a quiet start to 2020, he's at No. 19 in the FantasyPros consensus rankings, which would make him a worthy start even in 10-team leagues, should he live up to that projection. At some point, you'd think the 26-year-old back will break though, and this week against the New York Jets could be the perfect time to do so.

Drake has scored only one touchdown (which came in Week 1 against the 49ers) and has yet to rush for more than 86 yards in a game. Last week, he had 13 carries for 35 yards against the Carolina Panthers. But some experts, such as NFL.com's Adam Rank, are remaining optimistic.

"I know we said last week was his best matchup. But this could work, too," Rank wrote. "He’s still received at least 18 touches in three of his four games. The Jets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs this season."

The Jets are 0-4 and are allowing 129 rushing yards per game. If Drake can't have a solid fantasy day on Sunday, then it may be time for managers to worry and consider benching him moving forward.

Sit 'Em: Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins (RB27)

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The 49ers rank third in the NFL with 294.8 total yards allowed per game, and the Dolphins don't exactly have the most powerful offense. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Gaskin is at No. 27 in this week's FantasyPros consensus rankings.

San Francisco is a tough matchup for any running back. But as Sports Illustrated's Michael Fabiano recently pointed out, Gaskin hasn't been too effective with his opportunities, either.

"He ranks 10th among backs in offensive snaps (178) and has averaged nearly 17 touches per game," Fabiano wrote. "Here’s the problem: Gaskin has averaged just 0.73 fantasy points per touch. That’s not great."

Gaskin has had some tough matchups already this season, but if he continues to get this type of volume, perhaps he'll be worthy of fantasy consideration when the Dolphins play some teams with weaker defenses. But this week, there are better options available than hoping Gaskin can break a few runs against the 49ers.

Start 'Em: Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants (WR25)

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

The New York Giants have faced some strong defenses in the first four weeks of the season, which has led to some poor starts for numerous of their top offensive players. Despite that, Slayton is projected at No. 25 in the FantasyPros consensus rankings, putting him in the clear-start category.

And for good reason. The Giants are going up against the Dallas Cowboys, who are allowing 430.5 total yards per game, which ranks third-worst in the NFL. So, if there was a week for Slayton and New York's offense to put up some better numbers, this would be the one.

As Berry pointed out, Dallas ranks last in "touchdown passes allowed to wide receivers and deep touchdown passes allowed." And when Slayton has a good game, he certainly has the potential to be a deep threat.

Slayton hasn't gotten into the end zone since scoring a pair of touchdowns in Week 1 against Pittsburgh, and he has only three receptions each of the past three weeks. But the 23-year-old should have much better production this week.

Sit 'Em: A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (WR47)

Rich Schultz/Associated Press

Things aren't looking good for Green, who is the No. 47 wide receiver in this week's FantasyPros consensus rankings. The 32-year-old hasn't gotten into the end zone in the first four weeks, hauling in 14 receptions for 119 yards, and he was held to just one 3-yard catch last week against Jacksonville.

As Eisenberg suggested this week, don't give Green another chance in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens.

"It's time to bench Green in all leagues, and some fantasy managers in 10-team leagues are dropping him," Eisenberg wrote. "Despite 33 targets on the season, Green has scored a combined 24 PPR points in four games."

Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow has been connecting more with receivers Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, and those two will likely continue to be solid fantasy options throughout the season. But Green appears to no longer be a factor in Cincinnati's offense, lowering his fantasy value and making him too risky of a play moving forward.