Injuries are piling up a bit now, giving us a lot to think about each week. Starting your studs may be getting a little harder and harder, especially with studs we thought would be great but are seriously busting our teams so far.
Start and Sit decisions can often ruin your week, and there is nothing more demoralizing than watching a guy you sat last minute, blow up on your bench and would have won you the week.
So that’s why I’m here. I know I’m not perfect, but hopefully, I can help you with some of these harder decisions each week. That said, let’s dive into some players I love and some I think may need benching in Week Five.
Starts
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Joe Burrow, QB (Cincinnati Bengals)
Joe Burrow must have said or done something to his offensive line because they have played much better over the last few weeks. That was probably the biggest issue for the Bengals’ offense, so if they can hold it together this week, Burrow should have a big game against the Ravens.
The Ravens have been destroyed by the passing game up until last week against the Bills, but that was probably due to the crappy weather.
Obviously, Lamar Jackson and company can score, so Burrow will have to throw the ball plenty, especially with Joe Mixon averaging 2 yards per carry. This one has a good shot at being high scoring.
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James Robinson, RB (Jacksonville Jaguars)
James Robinson was another victim of the remnants of hurricane Ian, making conditions extremely difficult for everyone on the field. The Eagles’ defense figured out the Jaguar offense after a few scores and absolutely shut down the run game. After that, the game script made Travis Etienne the main back.
This week the Jaguars take on the Texans, a team that Robinson should be able to easily run all over. This game script may be completely opposite, allowing Robinson to get a majority of the carries.
The Texans have allowed two touchdowns to opposing Running Backs in the last two games (Khalil Herbert rushed for over 150 yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago), so Robinson is in line for a nice bounce-back game.
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Michael Gallup, WR (Dallas Cowboys)
Michael Gallup’s usage wasn’t necessarily massive in his first game back from his knee injury, but he did score a touchdown.
Another week removed from the injury and Gallup has a decent chance at a big game against a struggling Los Angeles Rams team. The Rams have given up over 100 yards to opposing receivers in the last few games, making both CeeDee Lamb and Gallup interesting plays.
The Rams should be able to move the ball against the Cowboys, making it even more possible that Gallup puts up a great stat line.
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Kyle Pitts, TE (Atlanta Falcons)
I really want to believe that Kyle Pitts will turn it around. And if it’s going to happen, it has to happen this week. Now the Falcons are facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Bucs are a bit in shambles and are showing some cracks in their defense.
Dalton Schultz and Travis Kelce both had great games against the Buccaneers, so if Pitts is utilized, he has every chance to have a huge game. The Falcons will be without arguably their best offensive weapon in Corderrelle Patterson, so maybe, just maybe, they will look to their star Tight End to provide a spark.
Tampa still has a solid run defense (maybe not last week against the Chiefs), so hopefully, Atlanta will have to throw the ball to get down the field. Plus Atlanta’s defense is bad, so Tom Brady should have a field day.
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Jake Elliott, K – (Philadelphia Eagles)
Jake Elliott has been pretty good so far this year, and the Eagles are the only undefeated team left in the NFL. They now face the Cardinals, who have been awful to start the season.
Long story short, the Eagles should be able to move down the field with ease, which should lead to plenty of field goals and extra-point opportunities. A kicker on one of the best offensive teams is always worth rostering.
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Jacksonville Jaguars, DST
Jacksonville has been a very sneaky defense to start the year. They shut out Indianapolis and then followed that up with a 38-10 beatdown of Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
I thought they were going to do it again to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, but Trevor Lawrence’s five turnovers did them in. Now the elements (hurricane Ian) played a large role in that, so hopefully, they can turn that around this week against the Texans.
If Jacksonville is the real deal, they will absolutely crush the Texans this week and have a decent chance at scoring.
Sits
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Kyler Murray, QB (Arizona Cardinals)
It’s hard to say that you need to sit Kyler Murray, but until he has DeAndre Hopkins back, Murray is borderline bench-able.
Murray hasn’t rushed for more than 29 yards this season, and even though he is throwing the ball an absurd amount of times, he has only thrown for over 300 yards once. He sits on five touchdowns on the season.
And now he gets arguably one of the best defenses (so far) in the league: the Eagles. The Eagles have a solid front that should make Murray have to run early and often, and with the lack of a run game and star Receivers, Murray may be sacked and turn the ball over a few times.
It’s hard to sit a “stud” Quarterback, but if you have a second option, you might want to pivot since Murray is not providing his usual rushing floor.
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Antonio Gibson, RB (Washington Commanders)
I don’t know why the Commanders hate Antonio Gibson so much, but it seems like years of solid Running Back play are not enough to save him from the upcoming mess when Brian Robinson returns.
Gibson’s snap count has decreased over the last few weeks, and even though Robinson may not be ready for Week Five, Gibson is someone you should be considering sitting.
The Commanders take on the Titans this week, a team that has held opposing Running Backs in check (besides Week One when Saquon Barkley went off). Since that first week though, the Titans have stiffened up their line and held Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor to pretty abysmal days.
If Washington goes down early, they will turn to J.D. McKissic like always. Gibson’s time as the main runner is coming to an end, and unfortunately, I just don’t think he will do well this week.
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Diontae Johnson, WR (Pittsburgh Steelers)
It’s Kenny Pickett time in Pittsburgh, and that means whole different chemistry with the Wide Receivers. Diontae Johnson had two catches for 11 yards last week, and now he gets to face a tough Bills defense.
It seemed as though George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth were the top targets for the rookie Quarterback, and although he had flashes of brilliance, Pickett looked like a rookie. He ended up throwing for three interceptions and really only kept the game close thanks to his two rushing touchdowns.
A rookie Quarterback going against a tough defense with a lack of chemistry makes Johnson a sit for me this week.
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Dalton Schultz, TE (Dallas Cowboys)
Dalton Schultz returned from his knee injury with a nice fat 0 on the stat sheet, so it’s safe to say he won’t be a huge part of the offense in Week Five either.
Now we don’t know if it’s Cooper Rush just not targeting him as Dak would, or if it’s the emergence of Noah Brown and the return of Michael Gallup that caused him to bust in Week Four, but it is not promising.
Now he gets to face one of the best defenses against the Tight End position so far in 2022: the LA Rams. The Rams are beatable on the ground and through the Wide Receivers but haven’t allowed much to the Tight End position. They shut down Kyle Pitts and George Kittle even though they gave up plenty of yardage and points, so don’t expect this week to be a bounce-back for Schultz.
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Ka’imi Fairbairn, K (Houston Texans)
Houston takes on my start-of-the-week defense in Week Five, so I will probably stream elsewhere.
Ka’imi Fairbairn is a good kicker but plays for a team that might struggle to move the ball this week. Not much else to say here. If Jacksonville is the real deal, Fairbairn is in for a bad statistical day.
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New England Patriots, DST
The Patriots’ defense, meet the number one scoring offense in the NFL: the Detroit Lions.
It may seem like a weird joke, but sure enough, the Lions are putting up massive numbers in the score columns. The Patriots should be able to move the ball on Detroit, making it almost certain that Jared Goff will be throwing the ball with reckless abandonment.
It may seem like a trap game, which is why I picked them as my sit. The Lions may not be winning games, but they are scoring a ton of points that will ruin any defense’s day.
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