It’s week 5, and that’s right it’s time for the starts and sits article. This week we have some good matchups and big decisions to make. The Belly Up starts and sits are here to give insight and information on players that can have an impact on your fantasy rosters. I’m here to bring you information on the fringe players that we are all thinking back and forth on and tell you which one I’d start and sit going into week 5. I hope that this starts and sits article helps with your big roster decisions.

Quarterbacks

Starts

Trevor Lawrence vs Tennessee Titans

Snatched his soul!#JAXvsCIN | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/aTqT56bKKW

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 1, 2021

T-Law goes in week 5 with a lot lingering around the future of the Jaguars. This though shouldn’t affect the No.1 overall pick in this game, as he is playing the Tennessee Titans. Last week’s come-from-behind win by Zach Wilson against the Titans tells us all we need to know. The Jets are an abysmal offense and they put up almost 300 passing yards and came back to win the game. Lawrence will look to build off his efficient performance against the Bengals. One major key to this game is going to be getting Marvin Jones more involved in the offense after a weirdly unproductive week 4. My prediction is 300 passing yards and 2 TDs, a nice QB2 to plug into your Superflex position.

Jameis Winston vs Washington Football Team

The Football team has not been as advertised, they have allowed the fifth-most passing yards and have allowed the second-most TDs (10) to opposing QBs. This year Sean Payton has Jameis throwing the ball very methodically, not trying to force the issue. Last week was his best game for passing yards (226), I look for Sunday to surpass that number and for Winston to show the NFL he can still sling it with the best. My prediction is 250-300 yards and 4 TDs for the gunslinger.

Sits

Taylor Heinicke vs New Orleans Saints

Heinicke has been great filling in for Ryan Fitzpatrick, but his worst game came against the number one ranked defense (Bills). This week he’ll have another test in the form of a Saints defense that has something to prove. This defense was doing great last week, outside of giving up a couple of 50+ yard TDs, the Saints were playing the Giants as well as you could. Heinicke on the other hand is coming off an excellent 3 TD, and 290 yard game against the Falcons. My prediction is Heinicke goes for 200 yards with a TD, and a couple of interceptions.

Baker Mayfield vs LA Chargers

Baker is playing injured, if you didn’t know before this week then you are not alone. So Baker now has to go and play against one of the best secondaries in the league. One that picked off Pat Mahomes twice and last week they stopped one of the hottest QBs in the league (Derek Carr). This is the week to stay away from Mayfield, find someone else to stream. My prediction is 200 yards, and an interception or two.

Running Back

Starts

Michael Carter vs Atlanta Falcons

On a day where not much went right for the Jets, Michael Carter showed out.

He’s quickly taking over the backfield and you can see why 🔥 pic.twitter.com/60gAKD4olQ

— Sam Erman (@FFBallAllDay) September 21, 2021

Carter is starting to look like the RB1 in New York. Last week, Carter took 51 percent of the offensive snaps, and while he wasn’t particularly productive on the ground. The volume is coming week to week, and this week he draws a good matchup against the Falcons who have allowed 4.5 YPC. One promising stat for the Jets RB is his five red zone attempts, hopefully, they keep feeding the rookie and get him going in this game. My prediction is 50-70 yards for a TD, maybe two, this is a good week to consider him for a flex position.

D’Andre Swift vs Minnesota Vikings

Swift is coming off his worst performance of the season against the Bears, this week he draws a weaker Vikings defense. Swift’s versatility makes him the interesting choice out of the Lions’ backfield, averaging 7.25 targets a game. Swift was out there last week for 73 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and should get the opportunities to exploit the 21st ranked run defense. My prediction is 50 rushing yards and a TD, 5 receptions for 45 yards.

Sits

Josh Jacobs vs Chicago Bears

It’s always hard to sit your studs, but there are some matchups that you cross your fingers with and hope they can get something going. Jacobs draws a real tough challenge this week as the bears have only allowed one top-ten performance (Kareem Hunt) to an RB. That was a game that was going nowhere for the Bears and saw their defense get a lot of work. I think Jacobs will have a tough outing here, my prediction is 50 yards rushing and 3 receptions for 15 yards.

Miles Sanders vs Carolina Panthers

I like Sanders a lot, but I hate the way he is used in Philadelphia. The eagles should be taking advantage of Jalen Hurts mobility to set up RPO runs for Sanders. Yet the past two weeks Sanders has 9 carries total, his snaps have stayed around 60 percent and he’s averaged 3.5 targets a game. At the end of the day, Kenneth Gainwell has been taking on some of the workload, but more or less as the receiving back. This offense is meant to run the ball and the only valuable RB on this team is Hurts. My prediction for Sanders is 5-10 carries for 40 yards and 2 receptions for 15 yards.

Wide Receivers

Starts

Laviska Shenault vs Tennessee Titans

Must Start of the Week… Laviska Shenault Jr. vs the Titans. #fantasyfootballadvice #insidethehashes pic.twitter.com/AKVJWyMg3W

— Joe Bev (@JoeBev10) October 9, 2021

The loss of DJ Chark for the season should open up the game for Shenault. Previously Shenault played the role of a gadget receiver who got target volume but not much more than that. The Jags are playing the Titans who have allowed the 10th most yards (1123) and TDs (8) to opposing receivers. Coming off a 6 reception 99-yard game, Shenault will look to continue to be a solid WR2 in fantasy this week, my prediction is 6-8 receptions for 100 yards and a TD.

Tee Higgins vs Greenbay Packers

Higgins looks on track to come back this week against the Packers. This matchup gets better with the news that Jaire Alexander will not be playing this week. Higgins has only played two games this year but has shown that when he’s on the field he’s the guy for Joe Burrow. Through two weeks he had logged 15 targets, the most for a Bengals wide receiver. Look for him to step back into that WR2 spot for your fantasy football team. My prediction for Higgins is 4 receptions for 50 yards and a TD, a typical Tee Higgins day.

Sits

Odell Beckham Jr. vs LA Chargers

OBJ is back and he hasn’t been nearly as effective as we want him to be. This week is going to be a difficult matchup for the aging superstar. The Chargers are fourth-best against receivers, only allowing 828 yards and 6 TDs to opposing WRs. Michael Davis looks like the primary corner Beckham will be playing this week. Davis has been particularly good against an elite talent (Terry McLaurin, Travis Kelce, Amari Cooper), allowing only 10 catches for 119 yards. Look for the combo of the Chargers secondary and Baker Mayfield being injured to hinder OBJ’s numbers on Sunday. Modest prediction for OBJ, 4 receptions for 40 yards.

Chase Claypool vs Denver Broncos

Looks ready to go for Sunday after making Thursday practice. The Broncos’ secondary has been strong only allowing 861 yards and 3 TDs to opposing receivers. Claypool’s problems are threefold: Diontae Johnson is back, the offensive line can’t keep Big Ben upright long enough to get him the ball, and Ben’s yards per attempt currently stands at 6.1. This type of offense lends itself more to JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s slot game and Najee Harris‘s high target volume. My prediction for the returning Claypool is 3 receptions for 45 yards.

Tight End

Start

Mike Gesicki vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Gesicki is falling…with style 😎 pic.twitter.com/1EmAs4wRBy

— Onward State (@OnwardState) October 3, 2021

Gesicki has been the reliable target for Jacoby Brissett getting targeted 18 times over the past 2 weeks. He turned those targets into 15 receptions for 143 yards and a TD. The Bucs have been plagued with injuries in the secondary while giving up 1366 yards and 11 TDs to opposing receivers. Look for this to be another great volume game from Gesicki. My prediction is 6 receptions for 80 yards and a TD.

Sit

Noah Fant vs Pittsburgh Steelers

This one is going to be based on the status of Teddy Bridgewater, as of today, he is questionable. If Bridgewater starts then Fant is a middle-of-the-road TE with upside. If Drew Lock plays then we should consider Fant a player to sit. The Steelers are a very opportunistic defense that has forced 6 fumbles and has on average given up 4 receptions and 42 yards to opposing tight ends. Lock being the turnover machine that he is, going against the Steelers would hinder the entire Broncos offense. My prediction is 3 receptions for 35 yards.

Wildcard Play of the Week

Brandon Aiyuk vs Arizona Cardinals

This is an addition to the starts and sits article, its my wildcard play of the week. This week George Kittle is doubtful to play and that should increase the volume that Aiyuk sees in this matchup with the Cardinals. Kittle has seen an astounding 19 targets in the past 2 games and this week with Trey Lance at the helm we will likely see those targets getting spread out amongst the receivers. Aiyuk has been a disappointment up to this point but if there’s a matchup to exploit for the former first-rounder it’s against the Cardinals. My prediction for Aiyuk is 4 receptions for 60-70 yards and a TD.

Conclusion

The starts and sits is my favorite part of the week because it means that Sunday is soon. I enjoy doing these write-ups for you guys and want nothing more than to optimize your chances to win week to week. These starts and sits articles are sometimes a tricky game, because players can get injured, and players can have off games. That’s what makes this article so interesting to write week to week. I hope this starts and sits article was helpful this week.

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