Week 5 is now upon us (man, the season is moving fast), and we have hit the first round of teams on bye weeks. The teams not playing this week include the Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, and Buccaneers. In fantasy, that leaves players like Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Kenneth Walker, and Mike Evans out of your lineups. Today, we’ll look at potential replacements for your stars as you look to find a win this week.
As always, we’ll start with the Dolphins’ matchup:
Start
Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Dolphins D/ST
Saquon Barkley (if active)
Sit
Daniel Jones, Darren Waller, Giants WRs
Injuries, Starts, and Sits
For the weekend’s matchups, we have to look at some injuries around the league that may lead to some lineup changes:
Amon-Ra St. Brown has been downgraded to “Doubtful,” which means other Lions’ receivers will have to step up. Keep in mind that Jameson Williams is making his return this week but might need some time to ramp up. Josh Reynolds is also listed as “Questionable” but looks on track to play. With injuries to the receiver room, could Jahmyr Gibbs finally make some waves? Maybe they use a dual back set and line Gibbs up in the slot. Starts: Reynolds, Gibbs
Cooper Kupp is set to make his season debut this week. I know that Puka Nacua owners might be a little nervous, but you now have a player who has been putting up WR1 numbers lining up as the number 2. You would be crazy to think that defenses won’t key in on Kupp and leave Nacua to continue to make plays. Starts: Kupp, Nacua, Atwell
Javonte Williams practiced fully on Friday and is questionable for the game. I know that Jaleel McLaughlin might’ve been a pickup of the week, but with the Broncos facing a stout Jets defense, I’m fading both RBs this week. Sits: Williams, McLaughlin
Tee Higgins is listed as “Doubtful,” but I would’ve benched him this week either way. The Bengals’ offense had been abysmal for fantasy purposes, but it’s hard to bench Ja’Marr Chase against the Cardinals this week. Start: Chase
The Falcons are against a Houston defense that held the Steelers to 3 points. Is that a reflection of the Texans’ defense or the Steelers offense? Drake London scored a touchdown last week, but it’s tough to bank on his production when Desmond Ridder looks like he’s having a hard time throwing the ball. On the other side, the Texans offense is rolling. Starts: CJ Stroud, Nico Collins, Drake London
Other starts this week include:
Zay Flowers vs Steelers
Deandre Hopkins vs Colts
Jakobi Meyers vs Packers (MNF)
There are some solid matchups on the schedule this week, so look forward to the players I mentioned to feast this week, and hopefully, we can celebrate victory in the Week 5 recap article. May the fantasy gods favor you and lead you to victory.
