This will be the first time we see bye weeks this season…well, a bye week that was planned before the season started. 

The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are both out this week. You may need to figure out a replacement for QBs Aaron Rodgers & Matthew Stafford or RBs Aaron Jones & Adrian Peterson.

We are seeing more scoring this season than we have since the NFL/AFL merger. This could be due to some horrible pass defense from Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta and Houston. Is it too late in the season for any of these teams to fix this issue?

Will the Cowboys pass defense fare well against Giants QB Daniel Jones?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.

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 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) – The Cardinals are set to face the ailing New York Jets on Sunday. Murray is coming off a solid performance last week against the Panthers. He threw for three touchdowns, but only gained 133 yards through the air. They focused a lot on the running game. Murray added another 78 yards on the ground on only six carries. He should have a lot of success against the Jets.
• RB Justin Jackson (Los Angeles Chargers) – One would assume that backup RB Joshua Kelley would benefit from Austin Ekeler’s injury. He will see more time, but the biggest jump in snap count will be Jackson. He’s a better pass-catcher than Kelley and should assume a lot of Ekeler’s responsibilities in the passing game. I expect both running backs will get a lot of work, but Jackson might be the only one currently on your waiver wire.
• WR Robby Anderson (Carolina Panthers) – Anderson has turned into a possession receiver in Carolina. He still has a lot of speed and could be a deep threat as well, but his new role has helped him in in fantasy. I listed Anderson in the ‘SIT’EM’ section most weeks last year. He was too ‘boom or bust’ for my liking. You don’t have that this year as it’s clear that Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater is looking for Anderson and has good chemistry with him. They face the horrible Falcons pass defense, so Anderson should get double-digit targets.
• TE Rob Gronkowski (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Starting tight end O.J. Howard suffered a season-ending injury last week. I know the Bucs offense isn’t super tight end-friendly, but Howard was getting some red zone targets. Gronk should get more targets now that Howard is out. In deep leagues, I would even take a flyer on TE Cameron Brate.
• Pittsburgh Steelers Defense & Special Teams – The Steelers should have a field day against the porous Eagles offensive line. They should pressured Eagles QB Carson Wentz all game and I don’t see Philly scoring many points on Sunday.
• RB Damien Harris (New England Patriots) – He made his debut last week and went over the century mark on the ground. I know the Patriots backfield can be a crapshoot since there are so many mouths to feed, but I think Harris would be a smart bet this week. Patriots QB Cam Newton will be out against this week due to COVID-19, and I expect another run-heavy game from the Patriots.
• WR Scotty Miller (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Miller has been Tampa Bay’s healthiest wide receiver this season. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have been dealing with various ailments off and on all year. Miller is clearly a crisp route-runner and Brady loves him some slant routes. Miller should get plenty of targets against the Bears on Thursday.
• TE Dalton Schultz (Dallas Cowboys) – Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has thrown to Schultz 24 times in the last three weeks. Dallas has needed to throw a lot in those games, but even if they get a lead against the Giants on Sunday, I believe Prescott will look for Schultz often. Also, you can’t assume the Cowboys will get the lead against the Giants. Their secondary is so bad against the pass, Giants QB Daniel Jones could look like Phil Simms out there. They may actually need to throw a lot again this week.
• WR Laviska Shenault Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Sheunault had the best game of his young career against the Bengals. He had five catches for 86 yards on Sunday. They have used him in the running game and has carried the ball nine times for 53 yards on the year. The Jaguars face a broken Texans pass defense. He should have plenty of opportunities this week.
• RB D’Ernest Johnson (Cleveland Browns) – Browns RB Nick Chubb injured his knee and is expected to be out until mid-November. RB Kareem Hunt will be elevated, but it’s clear that Johnson will also have a large role. He carried the ball 13 times and gained 95 yards against the Cowboys. The Browns face the Colts this week, a team that has been strong against the run. I still think the Browns will try to limit Mayfield’s pass count. The more he throws, the more picks he throws.
• New England Patriots Defense & Special Teams – The Patriots defense had a strong first-half against the Chiefs on Monday night. They stumbled a bit in the second-half, but their effort was impressive as a whole. They face a banged-up Broncos team on Sunday. They will have a much easier time and I don’t see the Broncos scoring much at all.
• QB Gardner Minshew (Jacksonville Jaguars) – There’s a chance that you could have Packers QB Aaron Rodgers or Lions QB Matthew Stafford and need a QB this week. Minshew should be the best available on your waiver wire. He may not have flashy stats this year, but he faces a bad Texans pass defense. He also passes quite a bit, so the potential for passing yards is there.

SIT’EM

• RB Miles Sanders (Philadelphia Eagles) – Sanders has a bad match-up this week. His offensive line isn’t any good and he faces a strong Pittsburgh front-seven. Sanders didn’t have much success against the Niners (13 carries for 46 yards), and I would expect a similar stat-line this Sunday.
• QB Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans) – The Titans were forced into an unexpected bye week after a handful of their team tested positive for COVID-19. They have a tough match-up against Buffalo on Sunday. Tannehill has been better than expected this year, but the Bills defense has a lot of speed up front. I’d rather start Jaguars QB Gardnew Minshew or Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater
• WR Anthony Miller (Chicago Bears) – Miller’s stock has went down since QB Nick Foles was promoted to starting quarterback. Foles has helped WR Allen Robinson and TE Jimmy Graham’s fantasy stocks. Hell, even WR Darnell Mooney is seeing more targets than Miller. I’d dump Miller for Jaguars Laviska Shenault or Giants WR Darius Slayton.
• RB Devonta Freeman (New York Giants) – Freeman is still owned in more than 70% of leagues. I expect him to have another rough outing this week against the Cowboys. He isn’t seeing enough touches to be worth a roster spot in fantasy, and he isn’t doing much with the touches he has received. I know you could be in a tough spot if you have a running back on bye week, but I’d rather take a flyer on Browns RB D’Ernest Johnson or Chargers RB Justin Jackson.
• QB Philip Rivers (Indianapolis Colts) – It’s clear that the Colts want to run the ball…and that’s a smart move. They have won three-straight games and Rivers hasn’t thrown more than 29 times in any of those games. He faces a stiff Browns defense this week and I expect another run-heavy game.
• WR James Washington (Pittsburgh Steelers) – The Steelers are coming off an unexpected bye week due to all Tennessee’s positive COVID-19 tests. They face the Eagles on Sunday and I don’t expect this game to be close. The Eagles have too many holes on both sides of the ball and the Steelers could get out to an early lead. The Steelers may not need to throw the ball much in the second-half. I don’t see Pittsburgh throwing enough to make Washington fall into the top-50 in fantasy this week.
• TE Jordan Akins (Houston Texans) – Akins is currently in concussion protocol and his ability to play is up in the air. I would worry that he could sit this week. I would rather start Miami Dolphins Mike Gesicki or Dallas Cowboys Dalton Schultz.
• Minnesota Vikings Defense & Special Teams – This week, the Vikings face possibly the best quarterback in the NFL, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. They haven’t been great against the pass so far this season and it will be a huge issue in this game. I’d rather start DEF/ST of either the Kansas City Chiefs or Jacksonville Jaguars.
• WR A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals) – Green appears to be falling down the depth chart in Cincinnati. Wide receivers Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins have seized a larger role in the offense. Green only caught one of his five targets last week against the Jaguars. He has another tough match-up this week against the Ravens. Green is off to the worst start of his career.
• RB Macolm Brown (Los Angeles Rams) – Brown and RB Darrell Henderson are stuck in a time-share. The Rams offense just isn’t strong enough to carry two fantasy-relevant running backs. I’d put Brown on your bench right now and maybe pick up Browns RB D’Ernest Johnson. 
• QB Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) – I really liked what I saw from the Chargers pass defense last week. I know Tampa Bay eventually came back and won the game, but they made some plays in the first-half that really impressed me. It’s also currently unknown if Brees will get star WR Michael Thomas back. If Brees doesn’t have Thomas back, the Chargers could shock a lot of people and limit Brees on Monday night.

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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.