Keoni's 2022 Week 5 Best Start and Sits
We are officially in spooky season with this being the first start/sit article in October of this year. That means there's tasty Halloween treats as well as plenty of scary frights around every corner. all this mostly applies to Witches Brew cookies and haunted houses, these also apply to our fantasy football teams in the form of starts and sits. it's week 5 of the fantasy season and so it's more important than ever that you're starting the right players and sitting those that should be on your bench. Let’s make sure we make it out of week 5 alive and not have our season be a Game Over (insert Saw music here).
Starts of the week
QB
Carson Wentz- WSH Commanders vs TEN Titans
As wild as this is to say I'm going with Carson Wentz. In the last two weeks, he's not been very good at all, but he was going against some very tough defenses in Philadelphia which is ranked third against the QB and then Dallas which is ranked sixth versus the position. However, the first two weeks against Jacksonville which is ranked 12th and Detroit which is ranked 32nd, he did very well. In weeks 1 and 2 he finished as the Qb 3 and the Qb 6 respectively. He does well against bad defenses and Tennessee is a bad defense, ranking 25th against the position.
Wentz has the weapons to go to in Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel. He's a garbage-time warrior, so even if this game gets out of hand, he can score a good amount of late points on the Titans. They've allowed at least two touchdowns per game to the position and even if he doesn’t do much for three quarters, he’s going to make up for it in the fourth. Scott Hanson calls it the witching hour, but it might be time to start calling it the Wentzing hour.
RB
Rhamondre Stevenson- NE Patriots vs DET Lions
Stevenson has averaged 17 touches the last two games; he's getting work, so even if you're worried about Damien Harris cutting into his snap counts, both running backs are being used in New England. Regardless of whether the QB is Mac Joens or Bailey Zappe, they are probably going to run the ball.
Detroit gives up a ton of yards and points having allowed more than 120 yards in three out of four games and multiple touchdowns on the ground in three out of four games.The Lions are 31st against the run, allowing over 9 more fantasy points to the position than the league average, so expect Stevenson to get a healthy amount of yards and most likely a trip to the endzone.
WR
Romeo Doubs-GB Packers vs NYG Giants
This might seem like a daunting pick but that’s why I’m here; I want to help you make the tough decisions and on paper, this looks like a bad option for a start of the week candidate, but the Giants being 1st against the wide receiver position is a bit misleading. They have faced the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys (without Dak Prescott), and the Chicago Bears. All of these teams are not great on offense seeing as they all average less than 20 points per game.
While Green Bay hasn’t done much better, we knew it would take time with the young guys in this offense. Doubs has stepped up and become a guy Aaron Rodgers can trust. That’s why he has been targeted 8 times in each of the last two games and why he has a touchdown in each of them as well. I expect a similar outing in London and Doubs to get you some fantasy dubbs.
TE
T.J. Hockenson- DET Lions vs NE Patriots
Coming of the best game of his career, I am looking forward to see if the former Mr. Consistent can get back to his winning ways. While he has been limited in practice this week, things might be shaping up for another great outing for Hockenson. Amon-Ra St. Brown will likely not play again this week and both DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds could potentially be out as well. Even if only one of them is out, that still leaves more opportunities for Hockenson to get the ball.
This offense is first in points per week and they are facing the Patriots which are the 24th ranked defense vs tight ends. They allow nearly 4 more fantasy points per game to the position vs the rest of the league and they have given up a touchdown to the tight end in all but one game so far. The combination of high powered offense and bad defense lead me to believe Hockenson will have another roaring good game if he plays.
Sits of the Week
QB
Matthew Stafford-LAR Rams vs DAL Cowboys
The reigning Super Bowl champ is not doing so hot this year; he has four touchdowns to six interceptions and a fumble. He's not the dynamic QB that he was being last year, and this is reflecting in his fantasy performances. He is the QB 28 on the season, and he faces a tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys who are sixth against the quarterback position.
They have allowed no more than one passing touchdown in a game and have only allowed one 200 + yard game. They're holding quarterbacks to four fewer fantasy points per game than the rest of the league. Satfford isn't playing super well, and the Cowboys get after the quarterback. There will be some sacks in this game and not a lot of production from him which is why he's my QB sit of the week.
RB
Tyler Algeier- ATL Falcons vs TB Buccaneers
As Admiral Ackbar famously said, “It's a trap.” This is a trap game if I ever saw one. Cordarrelle Patterson had surgery and is now on the IR, leaving the door open for backup running backs Tylor Algeier and Caleb Huntley. Algeier was the more productive running back last week, but now they're going against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Algeier is a good pick up on the waiver wire, he is somebody who will pay off down the line.
This is an incredibly tough matchup seeing as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are second against the run, allowing only one touchdown on the season and one game over 100 yards. Both came against the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs who showed why they're one of the best teams in the league this past week. The Bucs are also allowing 5.5 fewer points than the league average in terms of fantasy to the running back position. Hold off on playing Algeier until his matchups are better.
WR
Brandon Aiyuk- SF 49ers vs CAR Panthers
This 49ers team has shown sparks of being really good, and their defense is fantastic. However, it seems to be the Deebo Samuel show this year again because Brandon Aiyuk hasn't gotten very much. He only has one touchdown and one game over 60 yards. The rest have been 40 yds or less. He's had two games where he's seen 8 targets, but the most catches he's had in a game this season is 5. Jimmy G also isn't playing to the level yet where he can support a few guys in that offense, so it's probably going to be Deebo Samuel for a little while longer, much like it was last year. In all honesty, it’s like the 49ers traveled back to last year because things are looking a lot like they did in 2021 for them.
The Panthers have given up a decent amount of points to the wide receiver position, but again, Deebo is going to get a lot of that especially since Aiyuk is the wide receiver 48 on the season. Keep him out until he can show he is worth playing.
TE
Dalton Schultz- DAL Cowboys vs LAR Rams
As much as it pains me to say this, you have to consider sitting Dalton Schultz this week. He was great in week 1; he caught seven of his nine targets for over 60 yards. Then, Dak Prescott got injured and in came Cooper Rush. Combining that with a PCL tear, his production has stalled for Dalton Schultz. Since Rush came in, he has a total of seven targets and just 2 catches. It’s all the more frustrating because he's played in 90% of the snaps or more in each of the games that he's been in. He only saw three targets in this last game and no catches. It's not looking good for my guy Dalton Schultz who is currently TE 33 which is no man's land for the position.
Likewise, they go against a tough Rams defense that is second against the tight end position, allowing no touchdowns, less than 50 yards per game and having tight ends score less than half the league average in fantasy points. As much as it hurts, seriously consider benching Schultz for this week and maybe until Prescott comes back.
There's a lot going on this month, and while you might be spending more time thinking about what costume you're going to wear, hopefully now you don't have to worry as much about who to start and who to sit for this week. Stay safe, and stay dreamin’!
