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Week 5 in the National Football League is rapidly approaching, and that means getting those fantasy lineups locked n' loaded. It's that time of the week to make the decisions that could either win or lose your matchups.
Christian Kirk, Najee Harris, and Breece Hall all have interesting cases this week, and we're here to help you make the right decision when evaluating these three players.
Should you start Kirk, Harris, or Hall in Week 5? Let's take a look.
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Should I Start Christian Kirk for Fantasy Football?
While the Jaguars offense has looked anemic for large portions of 2023, wide receiver Christian Kirk has been the steady hand in this offense and a trusted target of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Kirk was brought over last offseason on a hefty four-year, $72M contract, and produced the best season of his career (84-1108-8).
The Jaguars then traded for superstar receiver Calvin Ridley, and after Week 1 it was looking like he was the newly anointed king of these Jags pass-catchers. Weeks 2-4 have proven that this conclusion was far from the truth, as Kirk ranks No. 7 league-wide in targets in that time span, with Ridley sitting outside the top 50. Even against the Falcons last week where Ridley caught a 30-yard touchdown in the first quarter, Kirk still outscored him on the day.
The former Texas A&M star has finished as a top 26 WR in three consecutive weeks, but now faces a tough test against the Bills top-five pass defense. However, Buffalo's secondary is banged up, with star corner Tre'Davious White now out for the season with an Achilles tear. He was the leader of that unit, and now the Bills have to move forward without their former First-Team All-Pro. White did primarily cover outside receivers, but his absence will hurt the Bills all over the field, opening things up more for Kirk.
Kirk is WR21 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.
Should I Start Najee Harris for Fantasy Football?
There's no way around it, Najee has been a vast disappointment for fantasy managers in 2023. Drafted as the No. 26 overall player in drafts this offseason, Harris currently checks in as the RB37 in PPR formats.
Pittsburgh's offense as a whole has been a sore to watch, and Harris has not been an exception to this. The former Alabama standout finally hit the double-digit points threshold last week, finishing as the RB19. Despite playing less than half of the snaps in all four games, his backup Jaylen Warren has outscored him every week to start the year. Not exactly what you want out of a guy who was drafted to be an RB1 for a handful of teams.
Najee put up a respectable performance last week, with 15 total opportunities that he turned into 103 total scrimmage yards and a 5.1 YPC mark. That was against Houston, who has had a bottom-five rush defense for as long as I can remember. The matchup was great on paper, and Najee was still just a borderline starting option.
This week Harris gets a much tougher test in facing the Baltimore Ravens, who rank 13th against fantasy running backs this year, and just held the Browns to 3.7 YPC. While the Ravens were able to stack the box against the rookie backup QB under center, the Browns still boast a top-tier offensive line. Life does not get easier for Harris this week.
He is the RB33 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.
Should I Start Breece Hall for Fantasy Football?
Like Harris, Breece Hall has also been a massive fantasy disappointment this year. After looking like prime Adrian Peterson in the limited opportunities he received against the Bills in Week 1 (127 yards on 10 attempts), he has just 83 rushing yards in his last three games combined and has not finished as a top-23 back since.
The Jets showed signs of life on offense against the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday night, leading fantasy managers to believe things can open up for Hall. Also, head coach Robert Saleh recently stated "There is no pitch count with him anymore" referring to the limited workload Hall has been receiving.
Add in the fact that New York is facing the historically bad Broncos defense this Sunday that conceded 97 (Yes, 97!) fantasy points to a pair of Dolphins running backs two weeks ago, and you have Hall in the perfect situation to finally break out.
An athletic freak that is no longer under restriction playing against the worst defense in the league? The stars are almost too aligned here. Either way, he's a smash this week. Bench Hall at your own peril.
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