Fantasy Football: Start or sit for NFL Week 5

Fantasy football starts and sits for Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season.

Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season is here and with nearly a third of the fantasy football regular season in the books, underperforming teams may be forced to cut ties with players that they invested a lot of draft capital into. With Nick Chubb and Austin Ekeler joining the already long list of injured players this year, even the best teams may be forced to turn to their bench or the waiver wire to field a strong team.

In addition, there are multiple teams with their Week 5 games in jeopardy due to players testing positive for COVID-19. The Titans continue to have positive tests, which could lead to a postponement of the Titans vs Bills game. The Patriots game against the Broncos is also up in the air after cornerback Stephon Gilmore tested positive.

Combine this all with the fact that the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are on bye, and you may have to roll with your second option this week. Here are some players that likely started the year on the waiver wire that you should feel confident rolling with and others who should take a back seat in Week 5.

Note: All fantasy stats info via Fantasy Pros.

Fantasy Football Starts for Week 5

QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta (vs. Carolina)

Ryan put up a dud in Week 4, completing 28 of 39 passes for 285 yards and no touchdowns, which was only enough to finish as the QB23 on the week. He also only threw for 238 yards and a touchdown in the week prior against Chicago.

However, he is still the QB10 on the year and has shown that he can still put up top-five weeks, even without Julio Jones healthy. Carolina has been a formidable pass defense, but Ryan has the talent to put up a strong week with a favorable game script.

Projection: 298 yards, 3 touchdowns, 23.9 fantasy points. 

QB Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville (vs. Houston)

Four weeks into the season and Gardner Minshew has put up three extremely solid fantasy weeks, with his only real dud being against Miami in Week 3. He has also shown that he is essentially matchup-proof, throwing for three touchdowns against Indianapolis, the league’s best pass defense, in Week 1. Now he draws a game against a winless Houston team that is likely to be a high scoring affair.

Projection: 312 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, 15 rushing yards, 24.9 fantasy points.

RB Jerick McKinnon, San Fransisco (vs. Miami)

McKinnon has performed admirable for fantasy in Mostert’s absence, though he does not necessarily look built for the bell cow role in San Fransisco. He has scored in every week thus far, and that streak looks likely to continue against a weak Miami defense.

Even if Mostert does return this week, McKinnon will still provide a strong floor through his work in the pass-catching game.

Projection: 74 total yards, 1 touchdown, 6 receptions, 16.4 fantasy points. 

WR Robby Anderson, Carolina (vs. Atlanta)

Four weeks in and it is obvious: Robby Anderson is the WR1 for the Carolina Panthers. Even though he only has two more targets than D.J. Moore, Anderson has 10 more receptions and 89 more yards. Now he gets a mouth-watering matchup against an atrocious Atlanta secondary and with his touchdown and big-play upside, he has a good chance to be a WR1 on the week.

Projection: 8 receptions, 131 yards, touchdown, 23.1 fantasy points. 

WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota (vs. Seattle)

Jefferson has put up back-to-back 100-yard performances and has been a big part of the Vikings offense getting back on track. Now he gets a matchup against Seattle, whose weak defense and stellar offense should lead to the perfect game script for Jefferson.

Considering Jefferson put up 175 yards and a touchdown against a solid Tennessee defense in Week 3, the sky is the limit for Jefferson here in Week 5.

Projection: 6 receptions, 115 yards, 1 touchdown, 20.5 fantasy points. 

TE Dalton Schultz, Dallas (vs. New York)

Dalton Schultz has been a pleasant surprise so far and is currently the TE8 on the year. This is the role many thought Blake Jarwin would fill before he suffered a season-ending injury and Schultz has shown he has the talent to turn targets into fantasy points.

Even though the Cowboys won’t have the same passing volume they have been considering they should be playing with the lead for once against the New York Giants, Schultz should still be an every-week starter until he proves otherwise.

Projection: 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 touchdown, 14.7 fantasy points. 

Fantasy Football Sits for Week 5

QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay (vs. Chicago)

Brady showed the world he still has it, throwing for five touchdowns without his top receiver against a solid Chargers defense. However, he draws a tough matchup with Chicago in Week 5, which projects to be a low scoring matchup.

He is also unlikely to get Chris Godwin back due to the quick turnaround for the Thursday Night game. You could certainly do worse than Brady but there are likely options on the waiver wire that I would much rather pivot to.

Projection: 237 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 16.5 fantasy points. 

RB Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles (vs. New Orleans)

With Ekeler going down in Week 4, Kelley projects to be the starting running back for the Los Angeles Chargers. However, Kelley only received 12 touches in his absence and turned nine rushing attempts into seven yards. He will also likely lose passing-down work to teammate Justin Jackson, which limits his upside.

I would not advise starting Kelley this week until it becomes more clear what the backfield situation is like. If the backfield is Kelley’s, then you can feel good about firing him up against the Jets, Dolphins, Jaguars and Raiders in the next four weeks.

Projection: 68 total yards, 2 receptions, 7.8 fantasy points.

WR Julian Edelman, New England (vs. Denver)

In his first week without Cam Newton under center, Edelman only caught three catches for 35 yards on six targets. He also committed an uncharacteristic drop that led to a game-sealing pick-six. Even though he draws a great matchup against Denver, Newton still projects to be out for Week 5, meaning Edelman should be on benches for Week 5.

Projection: 4 receptions, 49 yards, 6.9 fantasy points.  

TE Austin Hooper, Cleveland (vs. Indianapolis)

Hooper put up his first serviceable fantasy game in Week 4, notching five catches on seven targets for 34 yards and a touchdown.

However, this was in a game where the Cleveland Browns put up 49 points, which will certainly not happen against the Indianapolis Colts, who are currently allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Expect a performance more akin to Hooper’s first three weeks than his fourth.

Projection: 3 receptions, 27 yards, 4.2 fantasy points