This week is when fantasy football starts to get tricky. Bye weeks start and there will be some heavy hitters on the bench this week.

Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans and Washington are taking the week off. I’ve had a couple fantasy teams decimated from byes since I have TE Jordan Reed, RB Chris Thompson, WR Julio Jones and RB Devonta Freeman on multiple teams. 

There were some unexpected performances last week and some injuries to fantasy studs will make for some deep waiver wire adds in Week 5

What should we expect from Cleveland RB Duke Johnson Jr.? Is he a fantasy stud going forward or will he fall to the curse of being a Browns player?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 5 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our sarcastic amazing MS Paint masterpiece of Duke Johnson.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

• RB Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers) – The Packers have had the worst luck with running backs over the years. They were in such trouble last year that they converted WR Ty Montgomery into a running back. It worked out well, but now Montgomery has injured ribs. It appears that Aaron Jones is the guy who will benefit the most. He could be a nice RB2 this week or until Montgomery is able to retun.
• WR Will Fuller V (Houston Texans) – Fuller was a solid fantasy WR in stretches last season. In his first game of the year, QB Deshaun Watson found him in their win over the Patriots. Fuller’s success will also free up WR DeAndre Hopkins too. Fuller could be a nice flex option since I fear he could once again become a streaky fantasy player.
• RB Latavius Murray (Minnesota Vikings) – Rookie RB Dalvin Cook went down with a torn ACL, so the Vikings will need to rely on the next man up. It appears that Murray is that man. He could get some carries taken away with RB Jerick McKinnon on his heels. He could be a nice streaming option if your RB is on bye week.
• QB Eli Manning (New York Giants) – Manning’s fantasy numbers have bounced back to normal after a dismal first two games. It’s due to his receivers getting healthy, but WR Odell Beckham Jr. is dealing with another ankle issue, so he’s a question mark. If you’re in a 12+ team league and your QB is on bye, Manning is a solid option against the L.A. Chargers.
• RB Duke Johnson Jr. (Cleveland Browns) – The Browns were supposed to use Johnson as a slot receiver this year, but that plan has seemed to fallen to the waste side. He is lining up out of the backfield on most of his plays, but he is getting plenty of targets. He’s only owned in 3/4 of leagues, so it’s time to add him. He’s a great PPR flex option this week against the Jets.
• Detroit Lions Defense & Special Teams – The Lions face the Panthers this week. Carolina surprised nearly everyone when they beat New England last week. The Pats defense is horrible, so I don’t expect the Panthers to have that level of success this week. The Lions defense is underrated. They did slip up and give up 30 points to Atlanta, but they have been great in their three other games.
• WR Tyrell Williams (Los Angeles Chargers) – It took a couple games, but Williams had a very good fantasy week. He had the second-most targets on the team and had five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. A lot of his yards came from his 75-yard touchdown reception, but he will earn QB Philip Rivers trust more and more with performances like that one. They face the Giants this week, who has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to receivers this season. I still think he’s a good flex option or WR2 if your receiver is on bye.
• RB Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans) – QB Marcus Mariota will be out for awhile and the Titans will start QB Matt Cassel in his place. I expect the Titans to run and run and run in hopes of staying in games. This is a risky addition since he’s behind DeMarco Murray on the depth chart and the way the Titans secondary has been, they could be playing from behind. The Dolphins are the perfect opponent for them since they are coming back from London and have been mediocre so far.
• TE Tyler Kroft (Cincinnati Bengals) – In a perfect world, TE Tyler Eifert would be healthy, but he is never healthy. Kroft hauled in two touchdowns last week in his place. We all know QB Andy Dalton’s deftness to use tight ends. He’s best when he has a tight end with good hands. Eifert is questionable to play this week, and I like Kroft chances to get end zone targets.
• WR Devin Funchess (Carolina Panthers) – This is the third week in a row that Funchess makes my list. QB Cam Newton has become use to throwing to TE Greg Olsen, a big target that is often covered by someone much smaller than him. Well, Funchess is big target just like him. WR Kelvin Benjamin also had a good week against the Patriots, but Funchess has had more receptions and yards on the season. He is slowly turning into Newton’s favorite target, especially in the red zone.
• RB J.D. McKissic (Seattle Seahawks) DEEP LEAGUE ALERT – RB Chris Carson suffered a nasty injury against the Colts last week and will be gone for awhile. Thomas Rawls was a healthy scratch and Eddie Lacy isn’t an ideal every-down back at this point. C.J. Prosise will factor in the mix as well, but McKissic could get snaps on passing downs. He’s a former wide receiver and has good hands, which were on display on his lone catch against the Colts. McKissic is a risky play and only suggest him in deep leagues. Seattle’s backfield is a mess and changes from week-to-week.

SIT’EM

• RB Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) – I’ve placed Gordon in this section for a second week-in-a-row. He’s dealing with a knee injury that is making him unable to make cuts. There really isn’t anyone else I’d recommend on the Chargers as RB Branden Oliver hasn’t had much success and RB Austin Ekeler has only had one carry on the season. The Chargers run blocking just isn’t making holes.
• TE Eric Ebron (Detroit Lions) – It appears that Ebron has fallen behind TE Darren Fells on the depth chart. He’s getting more snaps and Fells is a better blocker. The Lions have a load of receiving options for QB Matthew Stafford, so an pass-catching tight end isn’t needed as much as in the past.
• RB Terrance West (Baltimore Ravens) – West had a horrible game after we suggested you sit him. It appears that RB Alex Collins could take his place in the backfield, if he can hold onto the ball. Collins has broken some big plays in back-to-back weeks. RB Javorius Allen hasn’t had a good fantasy game since facing the Browns in Week 2. Collins could creep up into the starting role with another good week. West is on the outs and will only earn more carries if Allen struggles.
• Cincinnati Bengals Defense & Special Teams – The Bengals have had a solid fantasy DEF/ST over the last few seasons. They just aren’t putting up the points this year. They’ve only had one double-digit fantasy point week. There are better options with the streaming strategy.
• WR Jeremy Maclin (Baltimore Ravens) – Maclin is struggling with being the #1 receiver in Baltimore. He was nearly shutout against CB Joe Haden last week. He is facing the opposing team’s best cornerback. Maclin doesn’t have the size or speed to be a team’s top target. He has spectacular hands and would be an ideal WR2 or slot receiver. If WR Mike Wallace gets going, Maclin could begin to get favorable match-ups. 
• WR Rishard Matthews (Tennessee Titans) – All of Matthews catches came before QB Marcus Mariota left the game. I don’t see QB Matt Cassel having the same freedom to pass 30+ times a game. All of the Titans receivers will be hurt by Mariota’s absence.
• QB Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) – I know I love WR Devin Funchess this week, but I don’t share the same sentiment for Newton. He faced a bad New England defense and put up great numbers. He will not get near those numbers against Detroit. You might be stuck starting Newton due to bye weeks, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable.
• WR J.J. Nelson (Arizona Cardinals) – Nelson’s fantasy stock was bound to take a hit when WR John Brown returned from injury, but I didn’t expect a complete nosedive. Nelson appears to be WR4 behind WRs Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Jaron Brown. I don’t see him being fantasy relevant unless one of those three WRs suffers an injury.
• RB Adrian Peterson (New Orleans Saints) – I KNOW PETERSON IS ON A BYE WEEK…but I feel the need to keep Peterson on this list until his ownership drops below 50%. He is still owned in over 60% of all leagues! The good news is that he his ownership has dropped roughly 15% in the last week, so maybe I won’t have to include him next week. He is not a good fit in the Saints offense. He has now fallen behind rookie RB Alvin Kamara. His agent should be calling the Saints front office asking for his release or a trade at this point.

Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!

About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.