The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 5
Bye weeks are here, and between significant fantasy contributors being on bye and the injuries that have ravaged the NFL season so far, many teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel for players to start. We have reached the part of the season where the wisdom of The Fantasy Footballers begins to make the most significant difference. The Ballers will do their best to help you navigate this difficult stretch in the heart of the season, so start locking into the podcast. If you haven’t already become a member of the #FootClan, you need to go to jointhefoot.com and gain access to all of the premium perks that the Ballers offer. The newest tool is the Ultimate Dashboard, the best tool outside the Podcast that Andy, Mike, and Jason can offer. It has customizable settings and will work with your league to help you figure out who to pick up and how much to spend on those pickups.
On Thursday, the Ballers laid out their Starts of the Week, and if you want to catch the entire episode on YouTube, follow the link below:
Now, let’s break down The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 5.
Andy’s Starts of the Week
QB – Jordan Love @ LAR
In his two starts, Love has been the QB11 and the QB2. It may not always be the prettiest path to fantasy relevance, but he continues to deliver. Love proved last week that he was healthy and ready to play. Now he walks into a juicy matchup against the Rams, who rank dead last in yards per attempt allowed, 8.6 yards. L.A. also ranks 27th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. It should be another good game from Love, so don’t let the injury scare you off.
RB – Joe Mixon vs. BUF
If Mixon is healthy and active, you must get him into your lineup. The Bills’ defense ranks dead last in yards per carry allowed, receptions to opposing RBs, and schedule-adjusted fantasy points to RBs. If Mixon is ready to play, then it could be a big first week back for Mixon.
If Mixon is out, Andy wanted to give you some confidence in Chuba Hubbard as an alternate Start of the Week. In the last two weeks with Dalton at QB, the Panthers have looked much more functional as an offense, which has led to Hubbard finishing as the RB5 both weeks, behind nine receptions in those two games. Jonathon Brooks is still not back from injury, so Hubbard should see another 20+ opportunities again.
WR – Dontayvion Wicks @ LAR
Going with the stack of Jordan Love with Dontayvion Wicks, who was the big waiver wire pickup of the week, you can slide him right into your starting lineup. He has seen targets on 31% of his routes, tied for fifth-best in the NFL. He also leads the team in red zone targets with nine. Now he faces a Rams secondary that is one of the worst in football, ranking 26th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs.
TE – Jake Ferguson @ PIT
Brandin Cooks is out for the week, so Ferguson should see seven-plus targets this week. Since returning from injury, he has seen 11 targets, with which he caught six passes for 95 yards, which made him TE3. Then, he had seven targets and caught them all for 49 yards. This week, Ferguson takes on the Steelers, who rank 27th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points to TEs. That means Ferguson is not only necessary, but he is also facing a great team for a big fantasy week.
Jason’s Starts of the Week
QB – CJ Stroud vs. BUF
Through the first month of the season, Stroud has given us two good games, one meh game, and one bust game. However, this week is not one to pivot away from Stroud to some kind of streaming QB. Buffalo just lost Von Miller to a four-game suspension, and the defense, while it looks good, could be more vulnerable without one of their key pass rushers. When Stroud has a clean pocket, he can cut a team apart, as he has thrown five of his six touchdowns from a clean pocket. Stroud also gets one of his weapons back in Tank Dell after being out due to injury last week. Stroud might be more of a streamer than people hoped when drafting him, but he should still deliver for you this week.
RB – Travis Etienne vs. IND
It’s been a slow-plodding start for all the Jaguars so far, and Etienne has been a bit of a disappointment to fantasy managers. Especially last week, when we saw his snaps go down, Jason wanted to encourage teams that this was not the time to bench Etienne. He is facing a Colts defense that is dreadful against the run. Teams are running 37.7 times per game against Indy, the most in the NFL, and that is allowing the second most rushing yards per game in the NFL. Through four games, the Colts have been run on more than any team in the last decade of the NFL. Last year, Etienne faced Indianapolis twice, and those produced RB6 and RB3 weeks. Keep Etienne in your lineup; it could be a game where he catches fire for you.
WR – Brian Thomas Jr. vs. IND
Jason is double-dipping on the Jags and believes this is a get-right game for the offense. Brian Thomas Jr. was Andy’s hungry for more player on Wednesday’s show, and Jason wanted to give even more confidence. Through the first month of the season, he is averaging 69 receiving yards per game and 16.2 yards per catch. Thomas Jr. has been a pivotal part of the offense when it has worked, as his 13 first-down catches are in the top 10 for a rookie in the last decade through four games. His most significant issue in college was playing next to an alpha WR in Malik Nabers, but now he is the clear alpha in Jacksonville. Only 19% of his routes run in college saw targets, which was a major red flag, but so far this season, that number has climbed to 23% of routes, a major step up. Now he faces the Colts, who have allowed the second-highest passing yards in the NFL so far. Keep Thomas Jr. in your lineup, and know that he will continue to improve as the season goes on, which should be very exciting.
TE – Tucker Kraft @ LAR
Last week, Kraft took a big step forward, overtaking the TE1 role for the Packers. He turned nine targets into six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. He has been on the field for 82% of the snaps this year, and Kraft is performing reasonably well in the dumpster fire economy of TEs this year. Jason has him ranked over Cole Kmet, David Njoku, Zach Ertz, and even Mark Andrews. Join Jason in his confidence and get Kraft into your lineup this week.
Mike’s Starts of the Week
QB – Brock Purdy vs. ARI
Since he became the starter, Purdy and the 49ers have averaged 33 points per game in their wins. In his three starts against Arizona, the 49ers scored 38, 35, and 45 points, and this week, San Fran has the highest team-implied total. Purdy is currently second in the NFL in passing yards, while Arizona allows the second-highest completion percentage in the NFL at 78.6%. The storm is perfect to get Purdy into your lineup this week, especially as his weapons begin to get healthy again.
RB – Trey Sermon @ JAX
If Jonathan Taylor can’t go this week, Sermon should be the leading ball carrier for the Colts. This play is a pure volume play because we have never seen him produce for the NFL, but he has never had a primary role like the one he has now. He should see 15+ opportunities in what is likely to be a semi-high-scoring game. The Jags have allowed the fourth most running back receptions through four weeks, and last year they allowed the most on the season; it looks like that is just a trend for this defense. Jacksonville also ranks 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season. Feel confident to put Sermon in, especially if you struggle with bye weeks.
WR – Jordan Whittington vs. GB
Last week was a turn in the Whittington story as he jumped up to 97% of snaps and saw eight targets against a good Chicago secondary. He turned those targets into six catches for 62 yards, and if he had caught a touchdown, he would have been the hottest name on waivers. McVay talked him up all offseason, and he has proven more reliable for the offense than the other options. He has seen a target on 25% of his routes run this year, and when playing, has been the main motion man/crosser in this Rams offense, meaning he is getting designed plays like Puka and Kupp get. Now the Rams face a GB defense that ranks 27th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. I hope you picked Whittington up this week while he was cheap since he won’t be much longer.
TE – Juwan Johnson @ KC
Last week, Johnson was in on 68% of the Saints snaps and ran 27 routes, the third most on the team. Now, he faces a KC defense that ranks last in TE receptions allowed, TE receiving yards, and schedule-adjusted points to the TE position. KC is a good defense, but they have been a TE funnel, and Johnson should be a player you can trust to deliver in that kind of situation.