Week 4 was a prime example of why many fantasy experts were pointing to wide receivers as top draft picks in this year’s fantasy draft.
Julio Jones, A.J. Green and Antonio Brown all finished in the top-five among wide receivers in week 4, with Jones putting forth a monster effort with 36 fantasy points. The reason why those wide receivers were commonplace as top picks in this year’s fantasy draft is that you can depend on them every week.
They rank in the top-four overall among wide receivers in fantasy points again this year. They are reliable and matchup-proof. For those who aren’t matchup-proof, here’s the week 5 start ’em, sit ’em for wide receivers in fantasy football.
Start
Quincy Enunwa vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a bit turnover-prone lately for the Jets. But his lack of care for the ball shouldn’t affect Enunwa’s production level in week 5 against Pittsburgh.
Enunwa has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners this season, with several targets per game and a decent amount of volume. The Jets don’t utilize a tight end much, so his size helps impersonate that spot from the wide receiver position.
With Eric Decker likely out again this week, Enunwa will once again man the No. 2 slot for the Jets. That will increase his production level against a Pittsburgh team that has struggled against the pass. Forget about Pittsburgh’s performance last week. There are still some serious concerns regarding Pittsburgh’s defense, especially with injuries still plaguing the unit.
Fitzpatrick will once again be relied upon to throw heavily in this game. That might not be good for his turnover ratio again, but it should open up the chances for Enunwa.
Steve Smith vs. Washington Redskins
Week 4’s loss to Oakland wasn’t all that bad for Baltimore. It cleared up a few items on offense, including who the top running back is and who is still the No. 1 option at receiver.
Smith looked like his old self when he ran away from the defenders on his touchdown catch against the Raiders. But it’s not just the most recent game that has me excited about Smith’s potential as a fantasy option. His targets have continued to increase on a weekly basis, and with Baltimore’s high-volume passing offense, that likely won’t stop in the coming weeks.
What helps in this matchup is Washington’s porous pass defense, eighth-worst in the NFL at 291 passing yards allowed per game. Smith will be targeted heavily once again in this game and it should pay dividends for fantasy owners.
Kenny Stills vs. Tennessee Titans
If you’re not in a deep fantasy league, then you’re likely to ignore Stills as a viable fantasy option. So take this with a grain of salt.
The Titans are really good at stopping one wide receiver on the opposition. In week 4 it was DeAndre Hopkins. In week 3, it was Amari Cooper. And in week 2, Golden Tate (when we still believed he was the top guy in Detroit) was targeted heavily for the Lions, but was unable to haul in much of anything.
So, Jarvis Landry is the likely wide receiver that the Titans will focus on in week 5 for the Dolphins. That should open up some possibilities for Stills and DeVante Parker. And in my position, I’m actually favoring Stills over Parker.
Parker is still likely the No. 2 in Miami, but he just hasn’t done enough consistently from a production standpoint in the early going for me to pull the trigger on him. Stills has actually been decent in fantasy this season, registering lower than seven points only once this season. Parker has gone for two or fewer points in two out of four games.
This is a reach, but if you don’t have many options because of bye weeks, Stills could provide some value.
Sit
Mike Wallace vs. Washington Redskins
I like Smith, but I’m fading my confidence on Wallace. There was a feeling out of sorts in the first few weeks for Baltimore, trying to figure out its running and passing game.
What it found out was that Wallace was a big-play threat, but wouldn’t garner more than a handful of targets per game. That’s not a good sign for fantasy owners.
He ranks third on the team in targets and hasn’t registered more than 50 yards receiving in three consecutive games. If he’s not catching the long-ball, then he’s not scoring. He’s not a dependable option for your starting lineup, so he should earn a spot on your bench, even with a plus-matchup against Washington in week 5.
Golden Tate vs. Philadelphia Eagles
There have been some serious disappointments at the wide receiver position this season. DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant are a few examples. Despite the hype surrounding those receivers in the preseason, we shouldn’t forget about Tate.
He was a firm WR2/WR3 heading into the season, and has yet to eclipse the five-point mark in fantasy this season. It won’t get any easier in week 5 against Philadelphia.
The Eagles own a top-10 defense against the pass, limiting the opposition to less than 230 yards passing per game. What makes matters worse is that Tate was obviously benched last week for running the wrong route.
He’s not being targeted near as much as we anticipated with Calvin Johnson retired this year. Marvin Jones is the only wide receiver option for the Lions worth owning.
Michael Floyd vs. San Francisco 49ers
In the past, Arizona has been one of those rare teams where you can have three wide receivers with value in fantasy. I’ve been all over this since the beginning of the season, but this is not the same Cardinals team we’ve seen in the past few years.
Whether it was that blowout in the NFC championship game from last year or age becoming more of a factor, Arizona has lost a step. And that assessment was with Carson Palmer in the lineup.
With Palmer likely out against San Francisco, there’s just no room for three wide receivers. I’d actually sit two of them, with John Brown earning my starting nod against Fitzgerald and Floyd.
Brown has been the most targeted wide receiver with Drew Stanton as quarterback in the past and he was by far the most targeted last week. This is a tough time to have an injured quarterback on a short week and it will likely show against San Francisco.
Floyd should get a seat on your bench for the coming weeks.
