Warm ups are done, the NFL season is in full swing, and we are in the middle of another great season of fantasy football.  To show what a wild first month it's been, clearly we all had Vikings QB Sam Darnold leading the NFL in TDs and San Fran RB Jordan Mason as a top five rusher. Also, there's no doubt that the way this season has panned out some of you have had terrible losses. However, now is not the time to give up, as you need to stay with that "any given Sunday" attitude. A good way to get back on track is with this week's starts and sits.

Starts

QB- Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (Dal)

Man it’s been a weird year. A lot of guys that were written off are kind of balling out, and Steelers QB Justin Fields is one of those.  The first two weeks were kind of bumpy, but in the last two games he’s really kicked it into gear: 557 yards through the air, 2 passing TDs and 3 rushing TDs. Those are QB1 type numbers. What truly makes him a must start is his skills as a rushing QB along with taking care of the football. For perspective, he’s already got 38 carries for 145 yards and 3 TDs on the ground, and has only turned the ball over twice during that span! His opponent this week is the Cowboys, who have given up 145 yards per game on the ground to go along with 26 points per game. Fields looks to be a top-10 QB this week.

RB- Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Atl)

We see it almost every year, a back-up stealing the spotlight of a starting running back. Tampa rookie RB Bucky Irving has earned his way into lineups, as very few thought this was going to be a split backfield given that starting RB Rachaad White is coming off a great 2023.  While White is still involved in the passing game, the Bucs are really leaning on the rookie Irving on first and second downs. He’s had double digit touches in three out of four games and on the season has rushed for 205 yards on 35 carries (good for 5.8 per clip). White, on the other hand, has 41 carries for 114 yards, continuing his trend of inefficiency. The writing is on the wall for White, as it's only a matter of time before Irving takes over on a more permanent basis. Make sure you are starting Bucky, especially this week against Atlanta. The Falcons have allowed 145 rushing yards per game.

WR- Allen Lazard, New York Jets (@Min)

It's quite early, but so far Jets WR Allen Lazard and QB Aaron Rodgers have continued their chemistry from their days with the Green Bay Packers. If I was a receiver in the NFL, I'd follow a QB like Rodgers to the other side of the country if he kept me this heavily involved in my team's offense. To put things in perspective, star wide-out Garrett Wilson has 20 catches (leads the team), and Lazard is right behind him with 16. Through four games Lazard has taken those 16 catches and turned them into 203 yards and 3 TDS. Those are some pretty solid numbers folks, and his Week 5 matchup makes him a must start. The Vikings offense is getting a lot of hype but their secondary is the worst in the league right now, allowing 274 passing yards per game, the most of any team.

TE- Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (Dal)

Here we go again with the worst position in fantasy football. TEs have been pretty bad the last couple years, but this season it seems like things have gotten worse, with only 2-3 TEs hitting their projections every week. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has so far been one of the few consistent bright spots, and at this point, that's all we need. His 4+ catches per game currently make him one of the most reliable TEs in the entire NFL.  Additionally, he’s caught 17 passes for 156 yards and a TD. While those numbers don't immediately jump off the page, once we realize he's been the fifth best TE in all of fantasy, reality begins to set in. Also, with the improved play of QB Justin Fields, everything is pointing in the right direction for Pat. Make sure he’s in your starting lineup.

Defense - Denver Broncos (LV)

Currently the second ranked defense in fantasy, The Denver Broncos are killing it and they’re only owned in about 5% of leagues. In their last three games they have allowed 29 points COMBINED (quick math says that's less than 10 points per game). While their run defense is just mediocre, their pass defense is a completely different story. Denver has allowed just 146 passing yards a game and completely shut down opposing passing attacks. Additionally, they have already totaled 16 sacks and 5 turnovers. In Week 5, they go up against a Raiders team averaging less than 300 total yards of total offense per game. To that end, the Broncos might be the number one unit in fantasy this week. Make sure they’re in your lineup.

Sits

QB- Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (NYJ)

You’d think the way Vikings QB Sam Darnold is playing this year he wouldn’t make an appearance on a "sit" list. Yet here we are.  Darnold has a league high 11 passing TDs and is currently a top 5 fantasy QB. However, for Week 5 keep him on waivers or the bench. He should not be in any starting lineups against the Jets D. Simple. As. That. The Jets are absolutely locking down opposing passing games in the season's early going, allowing a ridiculously low 128 yards per game through the air. If we extrapolate those numbers over the course of a full season, that’s barely 2,000 passing yards allowed. I don’t care how good the QB is playing, I’m not playing anyone against that defense at the moment.

RB- Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals (Bal)

Here's another guy having a great year on the "sit" list for this week. Bengals RB Zack Moss has been a focal point of the offense, as he has a whopping 60 touches through the first four games. However, he’s not exactly tearing up the field, averaging under 4 YPC. That’s what worries me about this Week 5 matchup, as he’s going up against the toughest defense he's faced so far. The Ravens have stifled opposing backfields, allowing just 231 yards on the ground in the season's early going. For perspective, that’s almost 100 yards fewer than the next best unit. Moss was definitely a draft day steal, but don’t force him in your lineups in Week 5.

WR- Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (@Cin)

Back to back sits from the same game are pretty rare, and the Ravens offense has looked good this year regardless if they use Zay Flowers or not. With 21 targets through his first two games, it was looking like a breakout year for the young wide-out. However, he’s come back to earth with just 6 targets in the last two games, with 4 of those being caught for just 30 yards. Those aren’t up-and-down numbers you want from a WR2 in your lineup, and to add insult to injury the running game is starting to take full effect in Baltimore. Additionally, the Bengals have a pretty solid pass D, giving up only 180 passing yards per game. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect Baltimore to continue to pound the rock, and those reasons alone are enough to keep Flowers out of lineups for Week 5. 

TE- Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (@Cin)

Normally I don't expect to have three straight "sits" from the same game, but in this case I'll make an exception. I'm recommending sitting BOTH Baltimore TEs this week in their matchup against the Bengals.  Both Andrews and Isiah Likely are owned in over 70% of leagues and neither are producing. Speaking of Andrews, the veteran has been pretty much non-existent for fantasy purposes, and alarm bells are beginning to sound. The interesting twist is that it's pretty rare to see a fall like this, as Andrews has had over 500 yards every year he’s been in the NFL. To conceptualize how bad things have been, consider this: through four games he has just 6 catches for 65 yards, with only 2 targets in his last two games.  Obviously I don’t know the game-plan of the Ravens' coaching staff, but what I do know is this passing attack is pretty ugly for fantasy purposes at the moment, so you shouldn’t be starting any of their TEs or WRs.

Defense - Cleveland Browns (@Wsh)

When looking at the schedules at the beginning of the year, I would’ve circled this game saying it's a must start for the Browns defense. A tough defense against a young rookie quarterback with a new coach is almost always a solid recipe for a good defensive game. However, just like everything else up to this point in the year, things have changed. Washington’s offense with QB Jayden Daniels and OC Kilff Kingsbury has been nothing short of spectacular. Growing up in the DC area, you were lucky to see Washington score 30 points once in an entire season. To put that in perspective they've dropped 80 points in the last two weeks! Washington’s offense is too hot at the moment to risk starting any defense against it.