start em sit em, the fantasy football experts, are on the hunt for the best players to start and sit this week. Last week’s slate was chock full of upsets, including a fired coach and several key injuries. These factors contributed to a lower overall scoring average. In addition, four new teams are on bye this week, which will significantly reduce your available fantasy options at every position.
David Montgomery
The only real question is, “Should I start David Montgomery or sit him?” start em sit em The matchup against the Patriots does not look as good as it did in week six, so it’s probably best to trade or bench Montgomery. But he’s a must start in most games. The Patriots defense is strong against the run, so Montgomery is an excellent RB2 this week.
As of Sunday morning, Montgomery was listed as questionable for Week 5. The Chicago Bears listed Montgomery as questionable, but his practice time on Thursday and Friday was limited. It’s too early to make a decision based on this information, but it’s worth watching him in the upcoming weeks.
In addition to Montgomery’s lackluster matchup against the Vikings, Montgomery’s injury history is a concern. He’s missed the past two games with an ankle injury and hasn’t played since Week 3. But he’s expected to be available this Sunday, despite the absence of Khalil Herbert. Despite this setback, Montgomery is an intriguing flex option in Week 5, though he’s risky.
If you can’t afford to start Montgomery this week, consider Herbert as a low-end RB2 instead. Herbert is a better fantasy option this week than Montgomery. Herbert has improved during his absence from the Giants. With a lack of production from Montgomery, the Giants will likely be forced to rely on Herbert.
Travis Etienne Jr.
Travis Etienne Jr. is an American football running back who plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is a former Clemson Tiger and was selected by the Jaguars in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a versatile player and has a great deal of potential. While at Clemson, Etienne played running back for the Clemson Tigers.
Etienne has improved in his play of late. Last week against Houston, he scored 14 PPR points. In the Colts game, he scored 12 PPR points. Though he has not scored a touchdown yet this season, start em sit em Etienne has been a better fantasy option than Robinson over the past two weeks. Etienne is also likely to see a significant workload against the Giants this week. Kenyan Drake scored 14 PPR points last week, so Etienne should have a good opportunity for another big day.
Etienne has a good chance to score his first touchdown this week. After two strong performances, he is poised to take over the Jaguars’ backfield. In both games, he has averaged 8.9 yards per carry compared to 3.8 yards per carry for Robinson. If he isn’t able to find the end zone this week, he could be labeled as a fantasy bust.
Robinson is a better matchup than Etienne, but Etienne has the edge in a couple of key areas. His size and speed should help him make an impact at the top. start em sit em He’ll likely have a few more carries to get his footing in the NFL. But he’ll need to be looser to score against the Colts.
Robinson and Etienne are expected to split time in the backfield. The game flow will determine how much each plays. Robinson’s workload is more pronounced in the first half of the game, while Etienne’s workload came late in the game when the Jaguars had a big lead. However, it is possible that Robinson gets more early-down work against Philadelphia next week.
Kenny Pickett
The Pittsburgh Steelers are contemplating plugging Kenny Pickett back into their starting lineup this week. He suffered a concussion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, but he is no longer in the concussion protocol. Pickett’s absence will leave Mitch Trubisky on the bench.
Although Pickett’s play has been erratic throughout his career, he has a solid matchup against the Miami Dolphins. start em sit em The Dolphins rank 20th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs and rank 31st in pass defense DVOA. Moreover, while Pickett’s production has been uneven this year, he did explode as a fifth-year senior with 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns. His rushing output was solid, too.
As a start, Kenny will try to put up as many points as possible. Najee, on the other hand, may be used more as a pass rush blocker this week. If this is the case, Kenny should be a solid flex option.
After a disappointing Week 4 performance for Mitch Trubisky, the Steelers are moving ahead with Kenny Pickett as their starting quarterback in 2022. Coach Mike Tomlin said that the decision was made to give his offense a spark. While this may not have inspired confidence, Pickett is still a good bet to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Trevor Lawrence
The Giants are a tough matchup for quarterbacks. In Week 5, the Giants held Aaron Rodgers to just 222 yards through the air. In week five, he rushed just four times for 29 yards and threw two interceptions. In Week 6, he should be benched or traded for more valuable players.
The Jaguars’ new head coach, Doug Pederson, is familiar with Trevor Lawrence and his pass-catching ability. As such, he’s a good late-round pick in fantasy football leagues. However, there are some caveats to keep in mind. First, he’s likely to face a defense that surrendered the most fantasy points last year.
Another factor to consider is Lawrence’s workload. In 2021, he was a busy rookie. He ranked seventh in pass attempts and fifth in carries. He also ranked first in INTs. In addition, he dealt with 39 drops and managed only 12 passing touchdowns. Still, those aren’t terrible numbers, start em sit em and he did improve in the final month of the year.
The Jaguars looked good in the preseason and moved the ball well. They also have upgraded pass-catchers, a functional head coach, and a solid quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. In Week two, they face the Washington Professional Commanders. Trevor Lawrence is the team’s long-term answer at quarterback. However, the team’s ceiling is likely dependent on other players.
Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan isn’t the most consistent quarterback in fantasy football, but he’s an attractive bye-week replacement. His last game was against the Jaguars, and he posted 27.2 fantasy points. This week, he’ll face the Titans, who have given up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year.
Ryan is second in the NFL in pass attempts and has a favorable matchup against the Titans. He scored a touchdown and threw for over 350 yards against Tennessee in Week 4. The Titans are averaging 25.4 Fantasy points against opposing quarterbacks, third-worst in the NFL. Even with the Titans’ lackluster defense, Matt Ryan has top-10 upside this week.
Matt Ryan is on pace to set single-season highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and quarterback rating. He has averaged 301 yards per game over the last five games and has thrown 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions. If he can continue this pace, he could become a legitimate MVP candidate. However, his next test is a tough one against the Arizona Cardinals’ defense.
