Man, I wish I led with Tetairoa McMillan as the feature last week. Michael Wilson hit the mark, and Juwan Johnson was middle of the pack. Where I whiffed on the sit side was Brian Thomas Jr.
Time to talk Week 5!
A reminder that I judge my “start” or “sit” against a full-PPR format.
Start ‘Em
Ollie Gordon II, RB – Miami Dolphins
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
It was anyone’s guess heading into Week 4 whether it would be the Ollie Gordon II or Jaylen Wright show for Miami. It ended up very much being Gordon, as Wright only rushed for seven yards on five carries. Gordon found the end zone on just nine carries, rushing for 100 yards and catching both of his targets for just two yards against a league-best-against Vikings defense. He owned a 56.4% snap share compared to Wright’s 30.8%, and I would suspect the same energy against a Bengals defense that just allowed Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. to combine for 108 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown.
Matthew Golden, WR – Green Bay Packers
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Chicago Bears
Matthew Golden has found the end zone twice in the last two games, tallying eight receptions on 19 targets for 121 yards in that span. Through the first four games of the season, he’s averaging 14.5 PPR points per game, and I’ll look for that positive output to continue against a Bears defense that is not shy to giving up points. For what it’s worth, Christian Watson remains healthy, and he’ll eat into Golden’s target share for as long as he is on the field; but in case you’re on the fence on Golden, you can roll with him in this spot.
For comparison’s sake, FantasyData projects Watson to finish as the WR12 this week, whereas they have Golden pegged to finish as the WR24.
Antonio Williams, WR – Washington Commanders
Week 5 Matchup: vs. New York Giants
At the time of writing, Terry McLaurin‘s status is still up in the air, having missed Week 4 with a hamstring injury. Let’s assume he misses another game – enter Antonio Williams. The rookie WR did see eight targets in the loss to the Colts in London, having three receptions for just 21 yards. Another plus for Williams this week, if McLaurin is out again, would potentially be the return of Jayden Daniels under center.
In any event, Williams could offer some FLEX appeal in a week where the likes of Tet McMillan, Jalen Coker, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy are all on BYE.
Sit ‘Em
Braelon Allen, RB – New York Jets
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Cleveland Browns
Braelon Allen, a waiver-priority last week, laid a dud in the loss to Chicago. The backfield was his, and he turned 14 carries into 59 scoreless yards, and also caught his two targets for eight yards. The Browns defense has been stout against the run this season, allowing the 28th most points to opposing backs this season. In WK 4, Cleveland kept Jaylen Warren out of the end zone, allowing him to rush for 93 yards on 17 carries. Until the Jets offense can prove they can hum again as we saw in Weeks 1 and 3, keep Allen benched this week.
Alvin Kamara, RB – New Orleans Saints
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Surely this is not your first rodeo in playing fantasy, but if it is, don’t let the two-touchdown game from Alvin Kamara in Week 4 fool ya. He carried the ball just seven times and rushed for 23 yards. If there was any part of his box score that stood out, it was the five receptions on seven targets for 35 yards. But all that said, the Saints are facing a Vikings defense that is the best in the league against running backs this fantasy season, allowing an average of 15.2 points per game through the first four weeks of the year.
Josh Downs, WR – Indianapolis Colts
Week 5 Matchup: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Just when we thought Josh Downs could be a thing, that sentiment quickly changed. In London’s win over the Commanders, Downs was targeted just four times, and he caught three of those looks for 16 scoreless yards. And not to mention, Keenan Allen was out with a groin injury. Downs has yet to find the end zone this season, and is going up against a Steelers defense allowing the 23rd most fantasy points to opposing WRs this year.
– Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)