Fantasy Football: Which WRs To Start and Sit in Week 5

Week 5 of the fantasy football season is upon us and that means making some more really tough decisions on who to start and who to sit on your fantasy football team. Can you really trust Steve Smith? Is DeAndre Hopkins worth starting in Minnesota? Find out this and more in this week’s edition of start/sit wide receiver edition.

Sep 22, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) runs against the Houston Texans during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Football START THESE WRs…

Julian Edelman, NE (@ CLE)

Edelman was pretty good in PPR leagues when Jimmy Garoppolo was throwing him the ball, but he has been absolutely terrible with Jacoby Brissett playing quarterback, highlighted by his 1 catch for 16 yards last week against the Bills. Now you Edelman owners can rejoice as Tom Brady is back! To make things even more sweeter, the Patriots are playing against the Browns and there’s no doubt that Bill Belichick is going to go all out in this one. Don’t be surprised if Edelman scores over 20 fantasy points this week.

Steve Smith, BAL (vs. WAS)

Smith has played well the past two games, which was highlighted by his eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown game last week against Oakland. He’s had at least 11 targets, eight catches and 87 yards in his past two outings against the Jaguars and Raiders, and he should have the chance for another big day this week. The No. 1 receivers against the Redskins this year (Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant, Beckham and Terrelle Pryor) have all scored a touchdown or had at least 100 receiving yards, and six receivers have scored double digits in fantasy points against Washington.

Jordan Matthews, PHI (@ DET)

Matthews has slowed down since a big game in Week 1 against Cleveland when he had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets. Since then, he’s had eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets in two games combined against Chicago and Pittsburgh. But things should get back on track this week against the Lions, who have allowed six touchdowns to opposing receivers and three to score double digits in fantasy points in a standard league. Expect Matthews to avoid facing Lions cornerback Darius Slay because he plays inside, and Matthews had three catches for 60 yards and a touchdown against Detroit last year. He’s a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver this week.

DeSean Jackson, WAS (@ BAL)

The epitome of boom-or-bust, Jackson has finished as the WR27, WR66, WR11, and WR106 in the first four weeks of the season, but a matchup at Baltimore may be exactly what he needs to hit that upside. Since shutting down Sammy Watkins and the Bills wide receivers in Week 1, the Ravens secondary has been roasted by Corey Coleman (five catches, 104 yards, two touchdowns), Allen Robinson (seven catches, 57 yards, two touchdowns) and Michael Crabtree (seven catches, 88 yards, three touchdowns) in the last three weeks. If Jackson sees a lot of Shareece Wright, who has given up 16 receptions, 205 yards and five touchdowns over that span, that’s great, but he should be able to get free for a big day no matter who’s covering him.

Sep 18, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) makes a reception during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Football SIT THESE WRs…

Travis Benjamin, SD (@ OAK)

The Raiders have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, so that would seemingly make the Chargers No. 1 WR a must-start. But is he really their No. 1 wide receiver? Benjamin has been out-snapped by both Tyrell Williams and Dontrelle Inman each of the last two weeks, and he was out-targeted by both of them in Week 4. He’s still getting seven targets per game over that span, and he has the speed to score from anywhere on the field, but with the way Rivers is spreading the ball to his three wide receivers and tight end Hunter Henry, it’s hard to predict who will produce on any given week. Even with the intriguing matchup, I wouldn’t treat Benjamin as a WR2.

Golden Tate, DET (vs. PHI)

If Tate hits his projected stat line here then he would set a season-high in fantasy points for the season since his best performance was four points, which he did twice. The Lions benched Tate in Week 4 at Chicago after he ran a bad route, which resulted in an interception for Stafford, and he’s yet to score a touchdown this year. There’s hope that things turn around for Tate, but you can’t play him in the majority of leagues this week. Marvin Jones is about the only safe play for the Lions against the Eagles, who have yet to allow a touchdown to a receiver this year.

Randall Cobb, GB (vs. NYG)

Everyone thought that Cobb and the whole Packers offense would instantly return to their 2014 form once Jordy Nelson came back. Well, that isn’t the case. Aaron Rodgers is still throwing only 200 yards per game and Cobb has once again been a major disappointment. All you need to know is that Since 2015, he has failed to score 10 or more fantasy points 16 times (19 games), and this weekend’s matchup against the Giants defense isn’t a favorable one on paper.

DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (@ MIN)

Realistically, Hopkins probably isn’t someone you can bench unless you have immense depth. But you may want to temper your expectations if you do start him. The fourth-year star tallied just one catch for four yards on six targets last week, and now he goes up against a Vikings defense that has absolutely smothered No. 1 receivers over the past two weeks, laying a goose egg on Kelvin Benjamin and holding Odell Beckham to a career-worst 23 yards.

Best of luck in your Fantasy Football Week 5!