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

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, October 10 at 1:00 PM ET

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Betting Odds: MIN -7, 44 Total on Oddshark

Network: FOX

Writer: Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware on Twitter)

Chicago Bears

Quarterback

Justin Fields (Sit)

Dual-threat quarterbacks are supposed to be worth a premium in fantasy football. In theory, Justin Fields, who likes to throw deep and was clocked at 4.44 in the 40-yard dash, should therefore be a blue chip signal caller.

There’s only one problem: he plays for the Chicago Bears.

Declaring the Bears’ offense as “painful to watch” is a bit like saying you “felt a little pinch” after slamming the car door on your fingers. We’re just not sure which is more painful. After all, the Bears rank 31st in offensive plays run per game, 26th in yards per play, and dead last in pass plays run by a wide margin. Their mark of 16.8 pass attempts per game is over 30 percent lower than the next pass-averse team in the league, the Atlanta Falcons (24.5).

Fields is simply not allowed to make plays with his arm, hindering his development as a passer while capping his fantasy football value. One silver lining for the fantasy community: Fields’ rushing yardage totals have steadily increased of late. Fields has run for a total of 99 yards in his last two games, and the only quarterbacks to compile more rushing yards over the past three weeks are Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Daniel Jones. However, until the Bears decide to let Fields work in the pocket, we can’t recommend him as anything more than a QB2 in 12+ team Superflex leagues.

Running Backs

David Montgomery (QUESTIONABLE, Sit, Flex), Khalil Herbert (Start, RB2), Trestan Ebner (Sit), Khari Blasingame (Sit)

We don’t yet know David Montgomery‘s status for Week 5; the Bears’ leading rusher missed last week’s contest with ankle and knee injuries. Montgomery, who needs just 19 more yards to pass Willie Gallimore for 10th on the Bears’ all-time rushing yards list, missed Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury, a sign that he’ll likely be limited if he does manage to suit up on Sunday. Until we see him practicing fully, we can only recommend Montgomery as a flex option.

Fantasy enthusiasts have been banging the proverbial table for Khalil Herbert to get his chance to shine. While he has been more productive than Montgomery to date, Herbert has been a liability in pass protection. Fortunately for his fantasy managers, the Bears don’t really do that whole “drop back and pass” thing.

As things stand, Herbert will inherit a sizeable workload for the second consecutive week, and only four teams have allowed more fantasy points to the running back position than the Minnesota Vikings. The expendable 32-year-old running back Latavius Murray averaged over five yards-per-carry for the Saints last week against Minnesota, and Detriot Lions backup Jamaal Williams racked up over 100 total yards and two touchdowns the week before in Minneapolis. Start Herbert as an RB2 without hesitation this week.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Darnell Mooney (Sit), Equanimeous St. Brown (Sit), Dante Pettis (Sit), Velus Jones, Jr. (Sit), Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Sit), Cole Kmet (Sit)

Take a look at that list of names. No, really…just spend a few seconds and take it in. Even your kid nephew’s preschool artwork is more pleasing to the eye than this collection of pass catchers. No wonder the Bears don’t dial up more pass plays. We know you’re busy, so let’s get to the point: you’d be wise to sit any Chicago Bear not named Khalil Herbert in Week 5. There simply isn’t enough volume to support a case for starting any of these guys, including Darnell Mooney.

Minnesota Vikings

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins (Start, QB1)

The Bears play a ball-control style of offense, and the Vikings have been as stout as wet toilet paper against the run. Kirk Cousins probably won’t see the kind of pass volume we want for an all-out boom week, but we still trust him to get the job done by efficiently capitalizing on mismatch opportunities in the passing game. Cousins ranks just outside my Top 12 (QB13) this week, yet he’ll put up numbers that won’t disappoint fantasy managers rolling him out in traditional single-quarterback leagues. Start him with confidence.

Running Backs

Dalvin Cook (Start, RB1), Alexander Mattison (Sit), Kene Nwangwu  (Sit), Ty Chandler (Sit)

No one doubts Dalvin Cook‘s toughness; after all, he’s playing through his sixth shoulder injury since joining the league. However, some are doubting his ability to produce as an RB1 this week. Cook has played 60 percent or more of his team’s snaps each week so far, so opportunities are there. Aside from a Week 2 game in Philadelphia in which the entire Vikings offense was stymied, he has averaged 97 total yards per game. However, he has only scored one touchdown to date. We like Cook’s chances of breaking the 100-yard mark and finding paydirt in a plus matchup against the Bears at home.

Alexander Mattison has yet to see more than eight touches in any game so far, and we don’t see an uptick in volume coming his way unless Cook is forced off the field. With that in mind, we can’t recommend starting him, but we like him as a bench stash in leagues with sizeable benches. We see no reason to roster either Kene Nwangwu or Ty Chandler at this time.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Justin Jefferson (Start, WR1), Adam Thielen (Start, Flex), K.J. Osborn (Sit), Jalen Reagor (Sit), Irv Smith (Sit)

Last week, panic and sheer pandemonium were creeping into the mindsets of several fantasy football enthusiasts holding Justin Jefferson shares. After a true-to-form Week 1 performance in which the former LSU National Champion lit up the Green Bay Packers with a 9-184-2 line, the off-switch was flipped: Jefferson managed only nine catches for 62 yards and no touchdowns over his next two contests. Anyone who bought low on Jefferson danced the Griddy when checking last week’s box score: 10 catches for 150 total yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings’ top two pass catchers may not see the same volume of targets as they’d like, but we like their matchups enough to stay bullish. Jefferson in particular is still a Top Five wide receiver this week, and we’re flexing Adam Thielen if the opportunity presents itself. We don’t see enough passes going in the direction of K. J. Osborn and Irv Smith, Jr. to warrant starts, nor will Jalen Reagor see sufficient target volume as an afterthought in the offense.