How are you doing through the first quarter of the regular season?

The Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off this week. You could be in the market to replace guys like RB Jordan Howard, RB Tarik Cohen, WR Mike Evans or a defense.

There are some pretty significant injuries again this week. The Colts will be without WR T.Y. Hilton and TE Jack Doyle, and Jacksonville could be without RB Leonard Fournette again.

There are also some players that could return this week like the often-injured RB Devonta Freeman and the now un-suspended RB Mark Ingram.

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 5 of the 2018 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of Los Angeles Rams Jared Goff.

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

• QB Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) – Goff torched the Vikings last week and a he faces a gimpy opponent this week. The Seahawks are in tatters and the ‘Legion of Boom’ squad is no more. They lost safety Earl Thomas to a broken leg last week, the last true vestige of the squad. Goff should put up some solid fantasy numbers as the Seahawks secondary is ripe for the picking, as I sort of like their front-seven. RB Todd Gurley could get their most of his yards from receiving.
• WR Keelan Cole (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Jags QB Blake Bortles have been pretty solid this season…and he’s doing it with a less-talented receiving corps. Jacksonville faces Kansas City this week, a team who have been giving up passing yards almost as easy as QB Patrick Mahomes has been completing them for the Chiefs. I suspect WR Donte Moncrief and Cole will be good flex options this week. 
• RB Matt Breida (San Francisco 49ers) – I liked what I saw from Breida last season as a change of pace back behind Carlos Hyde last season. I thought he may have the talent to be a lead back soon. Well, thanks to injuries, he’s really the only back in San Fran that I’d want to own in fantasy. He faces the Cardinals this week, a team that has allowed eight total touchdowns to running backs so far this year. Breida is a solid RB2 this week.
• QB Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) – I can’t believe I am recommending Dalton for a second week-in-a-row. He threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Atlanta last week. He’s really only had one bad game so far. Miami’s secondary is average and don’t think they have the personnel to handle WR A.J. Green (also, don’t sleep on WR Tyler Boyd). Dalton would be a nice streaming sub in case you have a QB on Tampa Bay or Chicago.
• RB Sony Michel (New England Patriots) – I thought RB James White was the go-to back for the Patriots now that they have lost both Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead. He is getting a ton of work, but Michel was the workhorse last week with 25 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. White may still be the most valuable of the pair, but Michel is inching his way to RB2 territory.
• Tennessee Titans Defense & Special Teams – The Titans defense is blitz or bust right now. They have a very good blitz package, but they are just barely above average when they don’t blitz. They play the Bills this weekend and even if they don’t break out a blitz a lot, Bills rookie QB Josh Allen could be rattled. I think the Titans defense is a nice fantasy play this week.
• WR John Brown (Baltimore Ravens) – Brown is third in ‘air yards’ so far this season. He only has 15 receptions, but is one of the best deep threats in the league. He has three touchdowns on the year and faces a tough Browns secondary. Brown should still connect one a couple deep balls this weekend.
• TE Eric Ebron (Indianapolis Colts) – TE Jack Doyle and WR T.Y. Hilton have already been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Patriots. Ebron is dealing with his own knee issue, but all signs point that he will suit up. QB Andrew Luck is already very thin at receiving targets. Luck’s top three wide receivers are now Ryan Grant, Chester Rogers and Zach Pascal. He will mostly need to rely on Ebron and the running backs in the passing game. Ebron should have a lot of targets on Thursday.
• TE Rhett Ellison (New York Giants) – It appears that Giants TE Evan Engram will be out another week or two. Ellison is the backup and is mostly known for blocking, but QB Eli Manning did find him for a touchdown against the Texans. He is a big red zone target and may get a few targets near (or inside) the end zone against the Panthers. If you’re in a deep league without many options, Ellison could be a nice short-term add.
• New England Patriots Defense & Special Teams – As I said earlier, Colts QB Andrew Luck is without his two best receiving options. The Patriots can crowd the box and make it hard for him to find short, soft targets to move the ball. It may be hard for the Colts to get on the board on Thursday.
• RB Mike Davis (Seattle Seahawks) – The Seahawks are still trying to figure out their backfield situation. It appeared that RB Chris Carson was in control of the job, but he injured his hip. Davis took over the duties and ran for 101 yards on 21 carries. He scored to rushing touchdowns in the 20-17 win. Everyone thought rookie RB Rashaad Penny would get all the work, but it didn’t happen. Carson may be healthy enough to start this week, but you’re in a deeper 14+ team league, you need to add Davis this week.
• QB Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) – The Titans just unleashed Mariota on the Eagles last week. He accounted for over 65% of their offense. The Titans play the Bills this week and advise them to do the same again. Mariota found out playing with WR Corey Davis is a lot of fun. Mariota is a nice streaming option this week.
• WR Emmanuel Sanders (Denver Broncos) – Sanders faces the New York Jets this weekend. The Jets have struggled against slot receivers so far this season. They have allowed 38 receptions to slot receivers through four games. He hasn’t been a fantasy stud this year, but he should have a good game against the Jets.
• RB Austin Ekeler (Los Angeles Chargers) – Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is in no threat to lose the starting job, but Ekeler keeps getting a lot of work as his backup. This is the third week I’ve had Ekeler on this list. He’s averaging 88 yards and 10.25 touches per games. He might be the most valuable ‘change of pace’ back in fantasy right now. If you own Gordon, you should own Ekeler as a handcuff (and play him as your flex every week).
• TE Nick Vannett (Seattle Seahawks) [DEEP LEAGUES] – Now that TE Will Dissly is out for the year (knee), Vannett is the next man up for Seattle. He was in the game for many passing plays, but only saw two targets last week. He’s a name you need to be aware of in deeper leagues. 

SIT’EM

• WR Robby Anderson (New York Jets) – I’m not sure why you’re still holding onto Anderson, but he may now only be the third-best fantasy wide receiver on the Jets. He was a really good fantasy wide receiver last year, but the pending suspension for his off-the-field issues is hanging over his head. It’s almost as if the Jets don’t include him in the gameplan since they are expecting a suspension to be handed down any day now.
• RB Duke Johnson (Cleveland Browns) – Now that the Browns have Nick Chubb and Carlos Hyde performing well in their backfield, Johnson doesn’t really have a spot back there. Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he was going to play Johnson more, but it has yet to be seen. Johnson is a talented player, but he isn’t getting enough snaps to be fantasy-relevant.
• QB Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) – Prescott it’s a quarterback I wouldn’t rely on in fantasy. He doesn’t have many reliable targets and the offense is on the back of RB Ezekiel Elliott. He faces the Texans, whose defense hasn’t been dominant this season, but they are good enough to limit Prescott. He only seems to put up big fantasy numbers when he has all his members of his offensive line healthy…which isn’t the case. There are better options on the waiver wire than Prescott this week (and most other weeks).
• RB Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings) – Cook was a late-week scratch due to a hamstring issue last week. He plays the Eagles this week and word is that he may not be 100% at game-time. It stinks sitting a talented guy like Cook for another week, but if you have a better option on your bench, you may think about starting him over Cook. 
• WR Marquise Goodwin (San Francisco 49ers) – Goodwin is dealing with hamstring and quad injuries. He hasn’t practiced so far this week and he could be ruled out any day now. The match-up isn’t great for Goodwin either. The Cardinals defense isn’t what it was just two years ago, but they still have some talented players in the secondary.
• RB Jamaal Williams (Green Bay Packers) – Williams has been splitting time with RB Aaron Jones. He is now losing the battle with Jones getting more carries and is averaging significantly more yards per carry. The Packers may finally just give Jones the starting job and use Williams to spell him. I won’t see Williams having much fantasy value unless there’s an injury to Jones.
• TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Jacksonville Jaguars) – I thought ASJ would be a pretty solid fantasy tight end, but Jags QB Blake Bortles is targeting a gaggle of wide receivers more than Seferian-Jenkins. He could be a fantasy option late in the season, but Bortles just isn’t look for him right now.
• New York Giants Defense & Special Teams – The Giants defense haven’t been bad this year, but I fear they don’t have the speed to contain QB Cam Newton and RB Christian McCaffrey. Newton has been hitting the diminutive running back on short passes and the Panthers have had a lot of success. There are just better defense options out there than the Giants.
• QB Alex Smith (Washington Redskins) – Smith is playing like himself, circa 2016. He is back in the ‘game manager’ role. The Redskins are relying on RB Adrian Peterson and on short passes. Also, the Redskins lack wide receiver talent. Smith has a long history of leaning on tight ends and he is doing just that so far. Smith should only be owned if you’re in a two-quarterback league.
• RB Kenyan Drake (Miami Dolphins) – It may be a tad early to call Drake a bust, but he is sure playing like one so far. He has only rushed for a total of six yards on eight carries over the last two games. RB Frank Gore is the productive back on the team…and they were ready to give him a rocking chair at the end of last season. He’s about one more game away from Dumpsville.

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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.