Four weeks of football is in the books. To prepare you for week five, our staff members are here to help you with any tough start or sit decisions you may have. Let’s take a look at some players who should be plugged into your fantasy football lineup and a few who should be sitting on your bench this week.
Start
Emmanuel Sanders, WR – Buffalo Bills (Joe O’Leary)
Trustworthy veteran Emmanuel Sanders has been a great addition to the Buffalo Bills this season. Sanders has seen at least six targets in all four games to start the year. He’s currently the fantasy football WR25 on the season; being targeted down the field by Josh Allen, averaging 16.75 yards per catch. He’s 12th in air yards and 7th in average target distance.
This week’s matchup against the Chiefs should be a points extravaganza, featuring the highest over-under of the NFL slate. The Bills will have to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs this week. I like Emmanuel Sanders to be a solid flex option this week.
Laviska Shenault, WR – Jacksonville Jaguars (Keith James)
The NFL is still a brutal game. Maybe not as brutal as your dad or grandpa remember, but DJ Chark’s nasty ankle break last Thursday night is a reminder of the game’s brutality. The Jaguars will now rely on second-year player Laviska Shenault to pick up the slack. Shenault is a big-bodied nightmare for opposing defenses. Going against the 10th worst passing defense in the Tennessee Titans, Shenault will feast. The Jaguars are still a lousy defense, which forces Trevor Lawrence to pass early and often. Look for Shenault to have double-digit targets and haul in seven grabs for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Marvin Jones, WR – Jacksonville Jaguars (Jeremy Shulman)
I don’t care that Marvin Jones had a down week in a plus matchup when DJ Chark went out early in Week 4. Don’t care that Urban Meyer is officially a distraction. I don’t even care that Keith already picked Laviska Shenault and that rookie quarterbacks are notoriously poor at supporting more than one fantasy football asset. The only thing I care about is that the Tennessee Titans defense is abysmal against wide receivers, having just been torched by Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder last week. There’s room for both wideouts to eat in this one. I’m expecting Jones to find the end zone at least once in what Vegas assumes will be a high-scoring affair.
Kadarius Toney, WR – New York Giants (Thomas Christopher)
With Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton both yet to practice, it leaves rookie WR Kadarius Toney to pick up the slack. Last week (when Shepard and Slayton were out) Toney looked electric with the ball in his hands. He had seven total touches (nine targets) for 79 yards. In a divisional matchup, I expect Toney to be frequently targeted for his big play ability.
Hunter Henry, TE – New England Patriots (Matthew Morris)
The Patriots tight end situation has been murky in 2021. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith essentially take targets from one another. In the last two weeks, it seems that this situation has cleared up. In Weeks 3-4, Hunter Henry played 70% of snaps, while Jonnu played only 44%. Despite the snap disparity, the two tight ends have both seen 11 targets.
The major difference is that Hunter Henry has 9 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Jonnu only has 4 catches for 18 yards and a touchdown. Henry has emerged as a more trustworthy fantasy football option. This week he gets a Texans defense allowing 12 points per week to the tight end position, 2nd worst in the NFL. For the first time this season, we can be confident firing up a Patriots tight end.
Sit
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB – Kansas City Chiefs (Keith James)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is coming off of two weeks where he scored a receiving touchdown in each game. He had a stellar game against the Eagles, rushing for 102 yards on only 14 carries (7.29 YPC). This week he faces a stout Bills defense that is ranked 4th worst in rush yards. In the highest total of the week (56.5), there could be scoring opportunities for all playmakers on both the Chiefs and Bills. But in a game of matchups, the Chiefs are going to air it out to pull off the epic matchup between two AFC title contenders.
Brandin Cooks, WR – Houston Texans (Jeremy Shulman)
If you’re teetering on Brandin Cooks this week after a poor Week 4, you should be. Before his date with Buffalo last week, Cooks was the fantasy football WR6 and averaged 20 points per game. After crashing back to earth, I’m not sure how we can expect Cooks to bounce back. We know Bill Belichick excels at eliminating a team’s best weapon. His record against rookie starting quarterbacks is impeccable. Cooks could catch a long TD, but I’m assuming it’s another frustrating day for the Texan’s offense and their best playmaker.
Melvin Gordon, RB – Denver Broncos (Joe O’Leary)
Melvin Gordon has started the year well, despite a split timeshare with rookie Javonte Williams. Gordon is the fantasy football RB17 on the year. Against the Steelers in Week 5, you may want to look elsewhere if you have better options. The Steelers rank 11th in rushing yards per game allowed. With Drew Lock likely under center for the Broncos, the whole offense sees a downgrade. The Broncos may struggle to move the ball in this one. Vegas agrees. This game features the lowest over-under of the week. In a tough matchup on the road, and the emergence of Javonte Williams, keep Melvin Gordon on your bench this week.
Antonio Gibson, RB – Washington Football Team (Thomas Christopher)
This pick could end up biting me. I don’t have much faith in Gibson against the Saints’ 2nd best rushing defense in the NFL. Gibson is banged up, and I think Washington may fall behind early. I suspect this to be a McKissic game, with Gibson scoring less than 12 points. If you have players in better matchups, you may be better off sitting your stud this week.
Allen Robinson, WR – Chicago Bears (Matthew Morris)
Through four weeks, Robinson has only 13 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. Even more alarming, after garnering 11 targets in Week 1, Robinson only saw 13 targets combined in Weeks 2-4. Adding to the perfect storm, the Raiders defense is 5th in the NFL against the wide receiver position, allowing only 16.8 fantasy points per game. It’s never easy to sit a player you likely drafted in the first four rounds. It is difficult to trust Robinson right now until we see better results, or an ideal matchup. Unless there is no better option, Robinson should be on fantasy benches in Week 5.
