Fantasy Football 2018: Start or sit for Week 5

Start

Vance McDonald vs. Atlanta – The Steelers tight end job was in a flux for a few weeks thanks to the health of Vance McDonald. Jesse James had himself a career day, and we were all considering James to perhaps overtake McDonald’s job and land himself a full-time gig at tight end. A question mark clouded the position, before we finally got our answer last week: As long as McDonald is healthy, he will see majority of the targets.

This is a welcome sign for those of you starving at the tight end position, one that appears to be shallower than normal this season. If you don’t have top-end talent, any player could essentially do given the match-up. The Falcons/Steelers game is in store for another fantasy firework show, leaving upside for McDonald to capitalize off five-catch, 62-yard performance last Sunday. Roethlisberger likes to target McDonald, especially downfield where the tight end can use his athleticism.

George Kittle vs. Arizona – George Kittle was nabbed by all fantasy experts as the potential breakout player for the tight end position, and so far, they’ve all been correct. Kittle has just one game with single-digit production thus far, as the Iowa product has begun to catch fire the last few weeks despite the departure of Jimmy Garoppolo due to injury.

Kittle actually had his best outing of the season with college teammate C.J. Beathard tossing the rock, catching six balls for 125 yards and a touchdown last week. The Cardinals visit Levi’s Stadium with a sub-par group of linebackers to cover Kittle, leaving the door open for another huge fantasy day.

Sit

Austin Seferian-Jenkins at Kansas City – Despite Kansas City having serious issues on defense, Seferian-Jenkins remains unlikable in all fantasy formats simply due to the crowded room he stands in when vying for targets. ASJ is extremely reliant on touchdowns to boost his value, going just twice dating back to the start of last season where he amounted double-digit points without needing a touchdown.

2018 looks to be a similar story for Seferian-Jenkins, as the mouths to feed in Jacksonville continue to grow between the likes of DeDe Westbrook, T.J. Yeldon, Keelan Cole and more. Even with tight-end depth being as hard as it is, you should look to other options before electing to enter him in your lineups.

Benjamin Watson vs. Washington – Watson’s story almost mirrors that of ASJ’s: A tight end simply lost in a world dominated by Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. With the re-introduction of Mark Ingram, it’s likely the Saints will look to utilize him in goal-line scenarios, taking away more opportunity from Watson.

Watson finds himself as a streaky tight end capable of providing solid performances, but mostly duds every week. A visit from the Redskins changes nothing, as Watson will take a backseat to a loaded offense that just grabbed another weapon to add to its arsenal. Averaging under seven fantasy points a game, Watson shouldn’t be in your lineup unless absolutely needed to.