Quarterbacks didn’t shy away from putting up major fantasy points in week 4.
Seven quarterbacks totaled 30 or more fantasy points in week 4, easily outpacing last week’s quarterback total, where only two players reached that mark.
And it wasn’t just the big names. Mitchell Trubisky led all scorers with 43.46 points, the highest fantasy total yet this season. Jared Goff, Marcus Mariota, Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, Blake Bortles and Joe Flacco also put up QB1 scores, showing once again that the quarterback position leaves plenty of room for streaming.
Will the defenses adjust after a high-scoring week 4? That’s usually the case, so here’s the week 5 start ’em, sit ’em guide for quarterbacks in fantasy football.
Start
Ben Roethlisberger vs. Atlanta Falcons
Roethlisberger earlier in his career acted more as a plug and play option in fantasy football.
Nowadays, that just isn’t the case.
I sat Roethlisberger in week 4, with a tough matchup against the Ravens. And Roethlisberger struggled, netting the 19th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks.
This matchup, though, presents opportunities for the Pittsburgh signal caller. The Falcons defense is decimated with injuries. Atlanta is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and that number is going up, instead of down.
A once promising defense has not been able to adjust to the injuries and that won’t get any easier with Pittsburgh’s offense, which can move the ball against the right defense.
This Steelers team isn’t as formidable as years past, but it’s still good enough that Roethlisberger should be a QB1 in week 5.
Philip Rivers vs. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders are terrible on the defensive side of the ball.
They can’t get a pass rush and teams are throwing at will against them. Oakland is allowing 7.9 yards per pass attempt, ranking 28th in the NFL.
That should work right into Rivers’ hands, especially with the Raiders’ inability to get any pressure. If Rivers isn’t pressured, he can carve up defenses. Rivers also has been good at not turning over the football, which is what the Raiders rely on to stop opposing offenses.
River will limit the turnovers and shouldn’t have any problems working through this Raiders defense.
Derek Carr vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Each week, I like to give a streaming option and Carr is available on the waiver wire.
With Carr available in about 65 percent of fantasy leagues, he offers the most upside for streaming capabilities.
Quietly, after a disastrous start to the season, Carr has been much better in recent weeks. He’s thrown for at least 288 yards in each of the first four games, with his best output coming in week 4 against the Browns, with four touchdowns and 437 yards passing.
The turnovers are concerning, with seven so far this season, but this week’s matchup offers a solid chance at putting up big yardage totals again. The Chargers are allowing 8.3 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 29th in the NFL. Los Angeles also is allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
This game has all the makings of a shootout, so if you need a quarterback, Carr is your answer.
Sit
Marcus Mariota vs. Buffalo Bills
Is this the Mariota we should expect? Many fantasy football owners hope so, but I still have my reservations.
Mariota was surgical in week 4 against Philadelphia, throwing for 344 yards and adding 46 yards on the ground. He tallied three touchdowns, too, going for by far his biggest game of the season.
Even though Mariota looked good, that didn’t tell the entire story from the week 4 win. For much of the first half, and into the third quarter, Mariota looked pedestrian. He caught fire late and made the most of it, but I’ll have to see more before I give him the start.
Buffalo has been better in recent weeks against quality quarterbacks. The Bills are allowing just 6.6 yards per pass attempt, the seventh-best mark in the NFL.
Don’t expect the same output from Mariota in week 5.
Andy Dalton vs. Miami Dolphins
Miami looked bad in week 4 against a New England team hungry for a win. I expect that not to be the case in week 4 against a Bengals team that is much improved.
Minus a four-interception performance against Carolina, Dalton has been a steady fantasy football option. He’s thrown for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games and he already has 11 touchdown passes this season.
However, I still like this Miami pass rush, and despite a rough outing in week 4, this Dolphins defense is still pretty good.
The Dolphins allow 12.51 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the fourth-best mark in the NFL.
Dalton has been good this season, but he shouldn’t be in the category of earning consistent fantasy starts.
Joe Flacco vs. Cleveland Browns
Flacco actually hasn’t been that bad this season.
He’s been good at not turning over the football, with only two turnovers, compared to eight touchdowns.
And he’s gone for more than 300 yards passing twice this season.
However, this matchup doesn’t seem like the right one to exploit. The Cleveland defense is better than it showed in week 4. The Browns can muster a pass rush and that should deter Flacco a bit from moving the ball up and down the field.
This game also feels like a defensive struggle, with the Browns likely not able to move the ball against Baltimore’s defense. Flacco has some fantasy appeal this season, but this isn’t the best place for him to earn a start.
