Sit/Start Week 5: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Fantasy Football Sit or Start recommendations for every player in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season

Game Info

 

Kickoff: Sunday, October 9th, at 1:00 PM EST

Location: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY

Betting Odds: PIT +14, 47 total via Oddsshark

Network: CBS

Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Quarterback

Kenny Pickett (Sit)

 

The Kenny Pickett era is officially underway in Pittsburgh. Pickett relieved Mitch Trubisky at the start of the 2nd half against the Jets last week, and the crowd was elated at the switch. Pickett had an up-and-down debut, to say the least. He completed 10 of 13 attempts for 120 yards, with two rushing touchdowns, but three interceptions. Despite the turnovers – one of which was a Hail Mary with the clock expiring – Pickett looked the part, making some impressive throws, and using his athleticism fairly frequently. He finished with a QBR of 65.06 according to FantasyData, and while his presence should elevate the Steelers offense some, Pickett is not on the streaming radar yet.

 

Running Backs

Najee Harris (Start, RB2), Jaylen Warren (Sit)

 

It’s been a very middling season thus far for Najee Harris, and Week 4 against New York remained the same, if not, a bit worse. Harris finished with 74 yards on 18 carries but had zero targets in the pass game. Time will tell what Pickett being under center will do for Harris, but it may not be great for Harris’ target share. He’s also yet to surpass 100 yards on the ground this year, and it might not get any easier with a trip to Buffalo upcoming this week. Yes, the Bills did just let J.K. Dobbins score twice (once on the ground and through the air), but entering the game, the Buffalo defense allowed fourth fewest fantasy points to RBs on the season, and they only allowed Dobbins to rush for 41 yards on 13 carries. Jaylen Warren only had 18 yards on three carries against the Jets and remains to be on the handcuff radar only.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight End

Diontae Johnson (Start, WR3), George Pickens (Start, FLEX), Chase Claypool (Sit), Pat Freiermuth (Start, TE1)

 

Typically, we’ve seen a change at QB ignite some new energy to an offense, though it’s hard to gauge the level of improvement we’ll see out the gate for the Steelers going from Trubisky to Pickett. One beneficiary we could see early is fellow rookie George Pickens. Per PFF, Pickens had his target share increase mightily against the Jets with the switch to Pickett and could find himself on the FLEX radar if you’re into chasing potential production out of an aggressive rookie QB.

Diontae Johnson, who came this close to a spectacular touchdown in the end back of the end zone (note: thrown by Trubisky), was just targeted four total times against NY. He finished the day with two catches for 11 yards. By far his worst game of the season, it will be interesting to see how he fares with the change at QB. Chase Claypool laid a goose egg in Week 4, and at this stage deserves to be dropped. He’s just not producing in any capacity worthy of a bench spot. Look for Pat Freiermuth to remain an important option in this passing offense, especially with a rookie under center. Pickett looked for ‘The Muth” often underneath, and it worked out well, with a target share of over 30% in the second half.

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterback

Josh Allen (Start, QB1)

 

It was a down day – to Josh Allen’s standards – against the Ravens in Week 4. He completed 19 of 36 attempts for 213 yards, one passing touchdown, an interception, and a rushing TD with 70 ground yards. Despite his lowest total of yards through the air and passing TD total on the season in this game, Allen and the Bills roared back from as big as a 20-3 deficit in the second quarter to win 23-20. The beauty of Allen’s athleticism is his rushing ability when things aren’t going right through the air. Even coming off the come-from-behind-win, look for Allen to use a matchup with the Steelers as a “get right” moment back to his fantasy dominance ways.

 

Running Backs

Devin Singletary (Start, FLEX), Zack Moss (Sit), James Cook (Sit)

 

Until further notice, the Buffalo backfield remains to be Devin Singletary’s to lose. He led the charge with 11 carries for 49 yards and had four catches for 47 yards. He was down five receptions from his nine from Week 3, but it was still a decent FLEX output that you’ve grown to expect from him. He continues to be the trusted goal-line back and actually was the lone option to have a carry inside the 20 against the Ravens. Both Zack Moss and rookie James Cook are not eating into Singletary’s production by any means. Moss would be the backup to own, but he’s only 10% rostered across Yahoo leagues, which speaks to his involvement in the offense at the moment.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight End

Stefon Diggs (Start, WR1), Isaiah McKenzie (Start if you must, FLEX), Gabe Davis (Sit), Dawson Knox (Sit)

 

The target share of six was tied for the team-high on the day against Baltimore, but Stefon Diggs wasn’t much of a factor in the game. He had four receptions for 62 yards, which was by far his weakest fantasy output on the season so far. Chalk this one up to the rainy element, and the fact that Allen used his legs 11 times. Look for Diggs to bounce back as the WR1 that he is, as he’s set to face a Steelers defense that just allowed the Jets receiving core to turn 19 targets into 11 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown. Since returning from an ankle injury, Gabe Davis has not been the same receiver we saw in Week 1. It’s clear the issue is still lingering, as he was only targeted three times, which resulted in one reception for 13 yards. All that being said, until he proves he is healthy and forces himself into a higher target share, Davis is a sit. Isaiah McKenzie had his fantasy day saved with a touchdown before exiting with a concussion in the third quarter. News came out on Monday that Jamison Crowder broke his ankle and is now out indefinitely. Should McKenzie be ready to go against Pittsburgh, he would have some FLEX appeal. I would be remiss not to mention rookie Khalil Shakir as a potential stash, although it may be a bit too premature to take action there unless you have the bench space to spare.

Tight end Dawson Knox has not been a fantasy threat this season, as he has yet to command many targets on a per-game basis – averaging five per in the last three – and has not found the end zone once. Scan the wire and see if any other options are available before starting Knox.

One response to “Sit/Start Week 5: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game”

  1. Great insights as always! I appreciate the detailed breakdown of each player’s performance. It really helps in making tough start/sit decisions for my fantasy lineup this week. Keep up the fantastic work!

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