Week 5 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers: Start/Sit

We’ve made it through 4 weeks of a crazy NFL Season. The first quarter of games have happened and we’ve had a good look at which players have broken out and which we’re waiting to see more from. Check out our quarterly awards article to see who we have winning what so far based on their current performance. In this article, we’ll break down other players who are on the rise and should be starting in your lineup or sit if they are fading. We intentionally exclude players such as Tyreek Hill and Deandre Hopkins who should be in your starting lineup every week. 

Wide Receivers to Start:

DJ Moore – We love the Carolina Panthers matchup this week and are expecting a huge game from many players on this team looking to go above .500 this season. Despite Robby Anderson being a favorite target for Bridgewater. Moore has had a high snap count and has seen a large volume of targets this season from Bridgewater. Also, Moore has the slight edge over Anderson in terms of pure talent and we expect Moore to have a big performance against the Atlanta Falcons this week.

Zach Pascal – With injuries to wideouts, Michael Pittman JR. and Parris Campbell, the Colts passing attack is not in the best shape. T.Y. Hilton also has not had a game with over 87 receiving yards in well over a year. With Rivers being a consistent high-yardage passer, Rivers has had to look for other options and Zach Pascal might step into a big role this week against the Browns. Hilton is on the decline and struggling which will set up Pascal for a trendy start in deeper leagues and at your flex if you can scoop him up off the waiver wire.

Diontae Johnson – Johnson has been the top target for Ben Roethlisberger this season and is emerging as a serious threat in the Steelers Offense. With Juju Smith-Shuster still dealing with a knee injury and Johnson returning from his concussion, Johnson should be the top target in the Steelers offense this week. The undefeated Steelers who are looking to go 4-0,  have a favorable matchup against the Eagles who are 1-2-1 which should see more targets for Johnson and Smith-Shuster this week. Johnson gets the edge in this one but both receivers should be reliable starters for your fantasy lineup this week.

Wide Receivers to Sit:

Terry McLaurin – McLaurin has been the top receiver and one of the lone bright spots in the Washington Football Team’s offense along with rookie running back Antonio Gibson. With Kyle Allen taking the nod at quarterback, we don’t know how this will impact the volume we’ve typically seen from McLaurin. McLaurin will also be facing one of the top corners in the league going against Jalen Ramsay of the Los Angeles Rams. Ramsay is one of the best at the position and receivers who face off against Ramsay typically do not see the production they are used to seeing. We’d recommend looking into other options if possible to replace McLaurin with.

Deebo Samuel – The Dolphins pass defense has surprisingly been better than expected this season and have the potential to limit the 49ers passing attack completely this game. Jimmy G is expected to start this week for the 49ers in his first game back from injury which will limit the production of any receivers. The 49ers have relied heavily on their rushing threat of Mostert, McKinnon and company to lead them to a 2-2 record through 4 weeks. The 49ers running game is in for another big week against the Dolphins, but we don’t expect that to translate over to their passing game. With Samuel being the top receiver currently on the 49ers, we’d recommend leaving him on the bench until we can see how well Jimmy Garopollo adjusts into the 49ers lineup.

DJ Chark – The Texans have allowed the 3rd fewest pass attempts in the NFL. The Jaguars are a team that has a split dynamic between their run attack and through the air so with that being said, we don’t necessarily expect to see the Jaguars passing the ball super often. We do expect to see a big game out of Robinson for the Jaguars against the Texans run-funnel defense. Chark has flex potential in this matchup, but there are safer options available on the market that we’d rather lean towards having in our lineup.