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Don’t drink and drive. Writing for Brobible gives me a platform and sometimes I take the opportunity to use it. It’s been a rough week for the Mr. T circle as one of our friend’s father came to an untimely passing. Unfortunately the father’s truck got run into by a drunk driver’s car on the highway and it ended up pushing his truck off the side of the road. From there he didn’t have much of a chance. So be smart out there. That’s why man invented Uber. We have ways of getting home that don’t involve getting behind the wheel. Use em.
We sit here in Week 5 with the whole NFL injured. They talk about how it’s not a contact sport, but a collision sport and boy are we seeing it this year. Between the beginning of the bye weeks and all the injuries, I’ve got some teams that have a full bench of unusable players this week. I even have one team that literally can’t field a full team because of all of it. Thankfully I’m 3-1, so I’ve decided to just pass on this week. Some may think it’s silly, but I can just kick ass going forward with the byes over for most of my team. You might really have to search the bargain barrel this week, so we added some extra names on the start list of people you might normally think of. I’m sure I’m not the only one with this problem.
Below is a list of guys I’m focused on for one reason or another this week. They’re especially important in daily fantasy sports (DFS) leagues like DraftKings. If you’re curious about guys you don’t see listed here, you can always find me on Twitter (@MrT_BroBible) to ask questions, but remember to mention league specifics like PPR. You can always ask about trades as well.
You Know Who You Should Start?
Eli Manning (QB – New York Giants)
Fantasy owners have been very upset with Eli this year. He’s thrown less touchdowns in the last three games than he did in the first one. His yardage total have generally been good, but he isn’t converting that into scores for various reasons despite having the best receiving core he’s had in his career. Thankfully things get better for him this week as he takes on a Green Bay secondary that’s been a complete sieve since Sam Shields got a concussion. They’re fourth in the league in points allowed to quarterbacks giving up 19.7 points a game, so look for Eli to rebound. The Packers are also favored by a touchdown and there’s no better fantasy QB than one chasing points when trailing.
Jordan Howard (RB – Chicago)
Howard has looked pretty impressive since taking over for the injured Jeremy Langford. Howard topped 100 yards rushing last week in his first start, which is something Langford hadn’t done in his Bears career. He should keep it going when facing a Colts defense that has given up the fourth most points to fantasy running backs.
LeGarrette Blount (RB – New England)
Tom Brady is finally back in the fold for the Patriots, but that shouldn’t stop Blount from having success. While he may not dominate the offensive production like he has in the last few, Cleveland is among the worst in the league at defending running backs in fantasy points having given up 19.3 points per game to the position so far. Brady should keep the offense moving, which should lead to plenty of scoring opportunities for Blount. The Patriots are expected to get up big and then Blount can help kill the clock too.
Sammie Coates (WR – Pittsburgh)
There’s been a battle for the #2 receiver spot in Pittsburgh since training camp and it seems as if Sammie Coates has emerged on top. He’s put up reasonably consistent production over the first four weeks of the season with at least 50 yards in each game and two games of 79 yards or more. More importantly, Coates has caught a pass of at least 41 yards in each game. The Jets have seen plenty of big plays against their secondary this year and things will be worse if old man Darrelle Revis misses the game.
Robert Woods (WR – Buffalo)
The injury to Sammy Watkins has opened the door for targets in Buffalo. Robert Woods is walking through that door as a former second round pick that has had chemistry with Tyrod Taylor. He’s put up 140 yards in the two weeks that Watkins missed. Buffalo is the slight underdog in this game, so any time they’re trailing late can’t hurt.
Cameron Brate (TE – Tampa Bay)
I’ve found myself in need of a tight end in a few leagues this week. Whether it be Tyler Eifert suffering another injury or giving up on the likes of Dwayne Allen, Brate seems to be filling the void on my roster. He’s not flashy, but he’s managed five catches in each of the last two games. He clearly has the confidence of Jameis Winston, which is helpful as Carolina allows the fourth most points to tight ends including four touchdowns on the season. Tampa Bay should be behind in this game and they always throw the ball a lot, so Brate should absorb plenty of targets and thus collect you a decent amount of points.
Other guys you should start: Derek Carr (QB – Oakland), Andy Dalton (QB – Cincinnati), Carson Wentz (QB – Philadelphia), Brian Hoyer (QB – Chicago), Ryan Tannehill (QB – Miami), Jordan Howard (RB – Chicago), Jerrick McKinnon (QB – Minnesota), DeAndre Washington (RB – Oakland), James White (RB – New England), Bobby Rainey (RB – N.Y. Giants), Jordan Matthews (WR – Philadelphia), Amari Cooper (WR – Oakland), Michael Crabtree (WR – Oakland), Sterling Shepard (WR – N.Y. Giants), Quincy Enunwa (WR – N.Y. Jets), Brice Butler (WR – Dallas), Chris Hogan (WR – New England), Cameron Meredith (WR – Chicago), Zach Ertz (TE – Philadelphia), Martellus Bennett (TE – New England), Will Tye (TE – N.Y. Giants), Jesse James (TE – Pittsburgh), C.J. Uzomah (TE – Cincinnati)
You Know Who You Should Sit?
Matt Ryan (QB – Atlanta)
Ryan is being talked about as the NFL MVP through four weeks, but that’s a story we’ve seen before with Atlanta’s hot starts in previous years. The best thing to stop passing offenses is a matchup against the Broncos. Denver has allowed only two passing touchdowns and a high of 206 passing yards to QBs so far this year. Since Ryan wasn’t drafted to be a starter before the season, hopefully you can find a Week 5 replacement from your bench or the waiver wire.
Matt Jones (RB – Washington)
No one was hyping Matt Jones before the season because of his mediocre talent, his two-down role, and his team’s pass heavy offense. Here he sits 20th in RB points on the season because of maintaining his health and producing a couple good games. The games, however, came against bottom barrel run defenses and now he has to take on the Ravens. Baltimore has limited backs to the fourth fewest fantasy points this year, so sticking Jones in there this week isn’t advisable.
Ryan Mathews (RB – Philadelphia)
We all knew Ryan Mathews couldn’t make it through the season healthy. Here we are in Week 5 and the dude is banged up. He left Week 3’s game and while he had the bye week to recover, he apparently is still not running at 100%. With the emergence of Wendell Smallwood and coach Doug Peterson’s propensity to rotate running backs, Mathews looks in line for a poor week before we even analyze the matchup. Detroit’s got one of the worst pass defenses in the league, so look for Philadelphia to attack that and Mathews to underwhelm.
DeAndre Hopkins & Will Fuller (WRs – Houston)
Chances are you don’t have the depth to bench DeAndre Hopkins, but maybe you do. Chances are you’re full of yourself after drafting Will Fuller and want to start him. Think again. Both guys are worthy of your bench this week if the alternatives are there. The Vikings defense is as good as any in football right now and they’re all over opposing passing games. Their pass rush is so fierce that getting the ball down the field to guys like Fuller doesn’t happen. Xavier Rhodes is playing so well that he’s locking down the league’s best wide receivers and DeAndre Hopkins is next. 12.5 points per game is all Minnesota is giving up to the position this year. Imagine splitting that between these two guys. That’s not exactly mouth-watering.
Phillip Dorsett (WR – Indianapolis)
So much for Dorsett taking off in Donte Moncrief’s absence. Dorsett hasn’t done shit in the two games as a starter and life for him won’t be much better against the Bears. The Bears are surprisingly decent against other teams’ passing games. They’ve allowed no more than 14 catches total to wide receiving cores in any game. We know T.Y. Hilton is going to be force fed the ball and Luck will spread it around a little bit. What’s left for Dorsett?
Kyle Rudolph (TE – Minnesota)
Everyone loves the Notre Dame alumni this week because it looks like Stefon Diggs is out. Here’s the problem: Houston hasn’t allowed 100 yards or a touchdown to tight ends…TOTAL…in the whole season. They’ve faced quality weapons too in Zach Miller, Travis Kelce, and Martellus Bennett. All of Houston’s defensive focus will be on Rudolph this week and he’s certainly not talented enough to overcome both the matchup and the situation.
Other guys you should sit: Matt Ryan (QB – Atlanta), Sam Bradford (QB – Minnesota), Tyrod Taylor (QB – Buffalo), Jeremy Hill (RB – Cincinnati), Theo Riddick (RB – Detroit), Tevin Coleman (RB – Atlanta), Orleans Darkwa (RB – N.Y. Giants), Alshon Jeffery (WR – Chicago), Steve Smith (WR – Baltimore), Randall Cobb (WR – Green Bay), Golden Tate (WR – Detroit), Dennis Pitta (TE – Baltimore), Dwayne Allen (TE – Indianapolis), Jacob Tamme (TE – Atlanta)