This is the last full slate of games before the start of bye weeks, are you prepared?

Rams QB Matthew Stafford has a big marquee game on Thursday Night Football in Seattle. Can the Seahawks secondary do enough to stop him?

Another big marquee game is on Sunday Night Football that will have huge fantasy implications when the Buffalo Bills travel to Kansas City. How will Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes fare against the Bills stout defense?

It looks like we will have another week with a fair share of rookie quarterbacks starting games. Will any rookie QB in this class rise to the top this week?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams.

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 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) – Stafford has found the Fountain of Youth in Los Angeles. He has a solid offensive line and a great defense, so has the support he needed for years. He faces the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Seattle’s secondary is the weakest it has been in almost a decade. I think Stafford puts up some big numbers on TNF.
• WR Laviska Shenault Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Jacksonville lost WR D.J. Chark for (most likley) the rest of the season with a broken ankle. The Jaguars are thin at WR with only Shenault and Marvin Jones worth a roster spot in even the deepest of leagues. Shenault should see an increase in targets going forward.
• TE Dalton Schultz (Dallas Cowboys) – I’m not sure why Schultz is only owned in roughly 30% of ESPN leagues. He has 20 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns through the first four games. It’s clear that Cowboys QB Dak Prescott looks for him in his check-downs. He has a great match-up this weekend against the Giants.
• RB Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta Falcons) – I mentioned Patterson in this section last week. I felt that people were sleeping on him. He’s a former wide receiver and has great hands. The Falcons have a shit running game, so Patterson is the de facto running game on passing plays…and he also lines up at traditional wide receiver a few times a game.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense & Special Teams – I will be streaming fantasy defenses against the Dolphins until they get QB Tua Tagovailoa back. I’ve been unimpressed with backup QB Jacoby Brissett. He holds the ball too long and is too indecisive with the ball.
• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions) – The Lions have an inexperienced group of wide receivers. I would give a slight edge to St. Brown over WR Quintez Cephus. I liked the crisp routes St. Brown ran against the Bears. I think he’s more of a possession receiver in Detroit’s offense. This is more of a deeper league recommendation, but he could creep into standard leagues with a couple strong games in a row.
• TE Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) – At the start of the season, I didn’t think Philly’s offense was strong enough to carry two solid fantasy tight ends. I believe I was wrong in that assumption. Ertz is working his way back into games and is now neck-and-neck with TE Dallas Goedert in production. Ertz creeping into my top-ten fantasy tight ends.
• WR Brandin Cooks (Houston Texans) – The Texas are God awful, but Cooks is the only wide receiver on the team worth double-digit targets. Bad teams can still produce good fantasy players. His fantasy stock would go up if QB Tyrod Taylor returns, but he has to deal with QB Davis Mills at the moment. I still think he’s worth a start in standard leagues.
• RB Damien Williams (Chicago Bears) – Bears RB David Montgomery is expected to miss 4-5 weeks after injuring his knee against the Lions. Williams it he next-man-up and should fit Montgomery’s role well. He has good hands and is able to handle a full workload. The Bears will need a big game from him against the Raiders.
• Denver Broncos Defense & Special Teams – The Broncos defense has been underrated and has another good match-up this week. They face the Steelers, who have been handicapped by an ailing (and aging) quarterback. I don’t expect the Steelers offense to look very good on Sunday.
• QB Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) – Allen has a tough match-up on paper when he travels to Kansas City for Sunday Night Football. I would suggest that it’s a good match-up for Allen’s skill-set. The Chiefs have allowed at least 29 points in each game this season. The Bills offense is better than most of those opponents as well. Allen should have a solid fantasy outing on SNF.

SIT’EM

• RB Le’Veon Bell (Baltimore Ravens) – It appears that veteran running backs Latavius Murray and Le’Veon Bell have usurped the running back job from RB Ty’Son Williams. I know a lot of people added Bell thinking he would have the larger share of carries, but Murray has spent more time in the offense and has better hands. Murray is the Baltimore running back you’d want right now.
• QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Big Ben has been dealing with a pectoral injury the last couple weeks that has limited him on the field. You can also add a hip injury to his current list of ailments. He is a banged-up mess and it appears that age might also be a factor in his subpar play this season.
• WR Josh Gordon (Kansas City Chiefs) – Gordon was activated from another lengthy drug suspension and was signed by the Chiefs. He’s currently on the practice squad, but many expect him to be added to the main roster before this weekend’s game. I have low expectations for him. He isn’t going to take targets away from WR Tyreek Hill or TE Travis Kelce. Gordon would be, at best, a WR3 on the team.
• RB James Conner (Arizona Cardinals) – Conner is averaging around 13 carries per game for the Cardinals. He has scored two touchdowns in back-to-back games as a red-zone threat, but I’m down on him this week against the Niners. San Francisco’s front-seven is just too good against the run for me to start Conner this week.
• QB Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints) – The Saints are handcuffing Winston in the offense. They are deathly afraid that he will throw interceptions. He travels to Washington this weekend, which is a horrible match-up for him. They have some speedy beasts coming off the edge and will pressure him all game.
• WR Will Fuller V (Miami Dolphins) – As I mentioned earlier, I’m down on QB Jacoby Brissett. I don’t think the passing game with him under center can carry three solid fantasy wide receivers. I still think wide receiver DaVante Parker and Jaylen Waddle are worth a roster spot, but Full doesn’t even appear to be in-sync in the offense right now. He has a broken finger at the moment and his status for this week’s game is up in the air as of Tuesday afternoon.
• TE Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Brate is a solid red zone target, but he’s not really capable of playing the same role TE Rob Gronkowski has in the offense. Bucs QB Tom Brady did try to throw to Brate on Sunday night, but Gronk is just faster and more athletic. Brady would consistently overthrow Brate and they just weren’t on the same page. It’s currently unknown if Gronk will be able to play against the Dolphins, but I’d stay away from Brate either way.
• Kansas City Chiefs Defense & Special Teams – I mentioned earlier that the Chiefs have allowed at least 29 points in every game this season. Their defense is just not as good as in previous seasons. They could have a problem against Buffalo.
• RB Mark Ingram (Houston Texans) – The Texans have a handful of capable running backs, but they are rarely in a position to run the ball. They’ve been behind in games for most of the year. Ingram doesn’t have good hands and the Texans use RB David Johnson on passing downs. I’d dump Ingram and add RB Cordarrelle Patterson or RB Damien Williams.
• TE Austin Hooper (Cleveland Browns) – Hooper is a talented tight end, but he just isn’t getting enough targets. He has only combined for three catches and 30 yards in the last two games. He was helped greatly by a touchdown in one of those games. I would rather add TE Dalton Schultz or TE Dawson Knox over Hooper.
• Seattle Seahawks Defense & Special Teams – The Seahawks have struggled against the better passing teams in the league. Seattle made Vikings QB Kirk Cousins look like Tom Brady just two weeks ago. The Seahawks could have issues with the Rams on Thursday Night Football.

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.