RADIO
If you have a receiver on your fantasy football roster with two feet and a heartbeat, you can ill afford to sit them even if they have just one foot.
Thanks to the early-season injuries, we were born into the bye weeks, molded by them.
It feels like we’ve been preparing for them for weeks. Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Davante Adams, and Tank Dell before Week 4. Now, to make matters worse, add Rashee Rice to that list. Okay, it gets worse, as four teams, the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tenessee Titans, have byes this week. We have adjusted for Brown and Smith, but now we need to replace Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, DeAndre Hopkins, and Calvin Ridley as well.
Now, the good news. You are in the right place as we look at which wide receivers you can trust in week 5. With this week's starts and sits, here we go.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
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Week 5 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Michael Pittman Jr. - WR, Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s time to give credit where credit is due. After being on the “Sit List” for the last three weeks, Michael Pittman Jr. is back in the fantasy penthouse thanks to exceeding expectations with a six-reception and 113-yard performance against the Steelers last week in which he caught passes from both Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco.
It’s unknown if Flacco will be back under center after Richardson left last week's contest early or if Richardson will return, but we do know Flacco is a WR1’s best friend. Regardless of who’s under center this week, the matchup is excellent for Pittman.
Jacksonville ranks as the fifth most favorable fantasy matchup for opposing receiving, allowing nearly 35 fantasy points per game this far through four weeks. On average, the Jaguars have been allowing 15.2 receptions, 193.5 receiving yards, and a touchdown per contest.
With two of PFF’s worst-graded safeties, Antonio Johnson and Andre Cisco, occupying the Jaguars' secondary, expect the Colts to have plenty of success taking deep shots in this one. Alec Pierce and Josh Downs are excellent flex options in today's wide receiver economy.
Joe Flacco enters the game and finds Downs for the touchdown!
📺: #PITvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/JqDsc8DN8t— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
Amari Cooper - WR, Cleveland Browns at Washington Commanders
Few things can be counted on more, in fantasy, than Amari Cooper beating up on poor fantasy defenses, which is the case here entering week 5.
Washington is the most generous fantasy opponent for wide receivers, giving nearly 40 fantasy points per game and allowing an average of 2.5 receiving touchdowns per game through four weeks of competition.
Deshaun Watson has been fantasy football kryptonite, but he looked good at times against the Raiders, and Cooper let him down. Look for an excellent bounce-back this week after a disappointing Week 4. However, we would be talking a little differently about Cooper this week had it not been for a holding call that negated an 80 touchdown pass and catch.
AMARI COOPER 80+ YARD TOUCHDOWN CALLED BACK BECAUSE OF HOLDING ON THE BROWNS OFFENSE pic.twitter.com/p8yL9ItoX9
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) September 29, 2024
Cooper may have some added incentive this week. He could showcase his talent for potential suitors, as the trade deadline is just a month away, and a Super Bowl contender could be looking to add after losing their top receiver this past week.
Jayden Reed - WR, Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams
I’m not sure Jayden Reed is a must-start weekly option at wide receiver yet, but as we hit the bye weeks, he is a player who should be on your flex until further notice. Even when Jordan Love was out of the lineup, Reed was the one player of the Packers with touches manufactured for him.
Jayden Reed’s statistics in his two games with Jordan Love behind center:
Week 1: 4-138-1 receiving, 1-33-1 rushing
Week 4: 7-139-1 receivingIt is officially War Daddy SZN
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) September 29, 2024
Love’s return to the lineup against the Vikings last week was interesting. It started badly and then turned out to be a fantasy manager dream as the Packers quarterback threw three interceptions and four touchdown passes. Man, I miss Jameis Winston.
In that return, Dontayvion Wicks may have had two touchdowns, but Jayden Reed was no slouch, hauling in a touchdown of his own along with 139 yards on his seven grabs.
Expect a similar performance this week against the Rams, who are allowing the sixth most fantasy points to receivers this season, allowing 148 yards, nearly two touchdowns, and 30.9 fantasy points per game.
Week 5 Sits - Fantasy Football Busts
Stefon Diggs - WR, Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills
While the revenge narrative would have been an easy angle to work this week, I’m looking at the numbers, and this isn’t a favorable matchup for the Texan's pass catchers. Teams may have had success running the ball on the Bills with injuries to their linebackers, but they haven’t had the same success in the passing game.
Entering week 5, Buffalo is allowing just 15.5 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers, allowing just 9.8 receptions and 68 yards on a per-game basis. I sure as heck am not sitting Nico Collins, so Stefon Diggs earns the sit role in this contest, although he will likely have a chip on his shoulder.
Buffalo has limited some top-end talent thus far this season. Marvin Harrison Jr. had one catch for four yards in week 1. In week 2, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were each held to less than 42 yards a piece. Christian Kirk had a “big week,” hauling in eight passes for 79 yards in week 3. Then, last week, I’m not sure a wide receiver caught a pass for the Ravens.
Drake London- WR, Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We can hate the Drake all we want, but we should be thankful the Falcons wide receiver hasn’t been the “Pitts."
Last week against the Saints, Drake had six receptions on 12 targets for 64 yards. So why the hate this week? Well, it’s about the matchups.
This week's opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a top-seven fantasy defense so far against opposing receivers. The Bucs have yielded just 20.7 fantasy points per game through four weeks.
Tampa’s defense has had a bend but doesn’t break approach early, allowing 121.8 yards per game to wide receivers but just 0.2 touchdowns per game. Fun fact: Parris Campbell is the only receiver with a touchdown grab against Tampa this season, and I’d hardly consider him a wide receiver.
Zyon McCollumn looks like a legit CB1. 3 straight weeks of outstanding tape pic.twitter.com/yB6iBHmJMF
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) September 30, 2024
While the 27% target share during the first month of the NFL calendar is promising, the 10.5 fantasy points per game in half PPR formats leaves fantasy managers yearning for more. In 70 career contests, London only has 70 or more receiving yards in 10 of them, none as of yet this season.
Xavier Worthy - WR, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints
With the recent loss of Rashee Rice (knee), it may be tempting to just slot Xavier Worthy into that WR1 role and all those vacated fantasy points; however, this week's matchup is difficult. Kansas City is hosting the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, a Saints defense that has only surrendered one receiving touchdown this year.
Patrick Mahomes has, dare I say it, become a game manager. With Rice, Marquise Brown, and Isiah Pacheco gone, the Chiefs' offense becomes even more predictable. If they are to have success, it’s back to dink and dunk with Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt underneath while Worthy creates space.
Perhaps Mahomes will take a shot here and there, but overall, the volume won’t be enough to consider Worthy a reliable fantasy option in season-long formats.
Two of the premier fantasy receivers have difficult matchups this week. Minnesota Vikings All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson faces a Jets secondary that is as good as they come with Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter. New York is allowing just 8.5 receptions per game to opposing wide receivers, and this game is in London, where offenses typically go to die.
The other All-Pro receiver in a less-than-favorable matchup is CeeDee Lamb, who will face Joey Porter Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers one-on-one. Porter has proven to be an elite shutdown defender early in his career, so this is one of the matchups inside the matchup I can’t wait to see unfold here in week 5.
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