Week Five Start/Sit Options

Follow@cimini

Get in on week five action for automatics/don’t do its for your lineups. Yes it’s October. Are you already contemplating how you’re going to draft better for next season’s fantasy drafts? Let’s hope not. Here are solid options to submit as starters and who not to this week.

Automatics

Chris Rainey
The Browns running back should get a steady dose Thursday against the Bills alongside Willis McGahee. The Bills have been poor defensively on the road. Coming off a short week the Browns will look to limit mistakes as much as possible. To do that they’ll need to expand the running game more than they have in their two game win streak. Brian Hoyer has done it with his arm but they’ll tone it down and give Rainey and McGahee a fair amount of carries.

Cam Newton
Cam Newton is one of those number one quarterbacks that people have to ponder to start/sit each week. This would not be a week to do that, even though he is going against a solid defense on the road in Arizona. Remember Newton’s first game as a professional was against the Arizona Cardinals and he put on a show. Coming of renewed confidence after their week three win and a bye week, I’d expect Cam to continue to build upward and not downward.

Riley Cooper
Chip Kelly has to be shaking his head with his offensive approach being derailed by playing from behind. Last week the Eagles were just over powered by the Broncos ability offensively. For the first time since week two against the Chargers the Eagles should be able to attempt their game plan for a complete game. New York’s defense has not been able to stop anyone. DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy will get their typical numbers but this is the type of game that Riley Cooper can step up and have a fantasy impact as well. Yardage wise he can crack the eighty yards with a touchdown.

Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitz gets his chance as the Titans starter for the next four to six weeks. With the team playing solid defense, Fitzpatrick will likely be able to play with calmness instead of being down by several scores like he was in Buffalo. For Fitz his woes in Buffalo had to do with his turnovers not his numbers overall. There was a time not too long ago that even you thought of picking him up off of waivers as a Buffalo Bill. He’ll have better value now on an underrated Titans team, and should be a solid play each week including Sunday against Kansas City.

Terrelle Pryor
A week after sustaining a concussion the Raiders made it clear there would be no quarterback controversy in Oakland. They further demoted Matt Flynn to third string. That should alleviate Pryor from any concerns of looking behind his shoulder or playing with increased stress on the field. A late game is going to cause some mental lapses defensively. Kickoff will be at 8:30PM which is the latest kickoff in quite awhile in the NFL. Pryor has the freelance escape skills and enough of an arm to equate to a viable starter this week against Oakland.

Others: Doug Baldin, Trent Richardson, and MJD

Don’t Do Its

Joe Flacco
Flacco had the type of day last Sunday that you just don’t see from a Super Bowl MVP. With Buffalo willing to squander a game, Flacco threw yet another interception with a chance to tie or win the game before the end of regulation. Almost all of his interceptions were in the “no business” zone. Throws he doesn’t typically make, but for some reason Buffalo had him in a tizzy. Getting out of a slump that Flacco is in doesn’t happen in one game. The Ravens will need to game plan a run heavy offense and slowly bring Flacco’s confidence back. Bench him this week against Miami.

Roddy White
White deserves to be commended for trying to play through his ankle injury, but it’s clear that he is no where near 100 percent. Teams are shutting him down and the usual potent Falcons offense is stammering with hiccups throughout games. Until White can be the opposite threat that he was before his injury, the Falcons may experience more bumps in the road. Speed loss and the inability to run crisp routes is hurting White drastically. You have to sit him if you drafted wisely at the receiver position.

Ryan Mathews
A few years ago Matthews was drafted as a prime back. Tabbed by all fantasy experts as a must draftee in high rounds. The bust label soon flourished for Matthews as he could not stay on the field. San Diego has seemed to bypass the notion of Matthews being the feature back they once drafted him to be. Instead they’re running a comfortable pass happy offense that gets more with their backs in the passing game than it does on the ground. Mathews has never had great success against the Raiders, and that won’t change Sunday.

Alex Smith
Notice when Alex Smith was on the 49ers and they were winning who was praised on the 49ers; the defense. In four games as a Chief it’s the same thing; the defense. Smith is the new Jay Fiedler. A game manager who can win by doing the bare minimum. Sooner or later the defense can’t hold and a quarterback’s arm will be called into action. That week is now for Smith. Tennessee will get after him and get one pick six off of a jumped eight yard route this week.

Larry Fitzgerald
Fitz’s best years as a receiver are starting to look like a chapter that he would want to relive in a different uniform. Arizona still has the same plaguing issues surrounded to their offense. No identity for a running game and an offensive line that is questionable at best. Carson Palmer is finding that out the hard way. With defenses able to blitz and scheme to the Cardinals weaknesses it may be another long season or Fitz. He did get a few touchdowns week one but that was against the Rams poor defense. Last week the offense was held to zero points until a few gifts by rookie Mike Glennon sparked a few short drives that the Cardinals capitalized on. Those opportunities are going to diminish this week against a stout Panthers defense. Sit Fitz if you don’t want to be disappointed by a poor fantasy outing.

Others: TY Hilton, Daryl Richardson, Carson Palmer, Geno Smith, and Kenbrell Thompkins.