Welcome to The Fantasy Football Universe Football Matchup Guide (Week 5). This column will not tell you specifically who you should start or sit with, rather it will show you which players have the best and worst matchups from there. This isn’t meant to convince you to sit your studs in favor of streaming options it’s intended to help you determine which lower-ranked players could be streaming options best on a favorable matchup and which studs could be in for a down week based on a bad matchup.
*The information above the player photo is that player’s last name and opponent’s rank against that position. 1 indicates the best matchup, while 32 indicates the worst matchup. The information above the player photo is their opponent and how many points they are allowing to that position on average per game.*
Quarterback Matchups
Must Start: Week 5 figures to be the first start of the season for Joe Flacco with Colt’s starter Anthony Richardson expected to miss time with an injury. Last week, in relief, Flacco put up 168 passing yards and two touchdowns and proved he can still be relied on as a fantasy asset when on the field. This week, he gets a matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars who rank as the best matchup for opposing quarterbacks and are allowing 22.2 fantasy points per game to the position. Sam Darnold and Andy Dalton have been QB1s this season, so why not Joe Flacco as well?
Must Sit: As mentioned briefly above, Sam Darnold has been excellent this season after being fantasy-irrelevant over the past few seasons. The problem with Darnold this week is that even after throwing for at least two touchdowns in the last four games he will be going up against a New York Jets defense that ranks as the worst matchup for opposing quarterbacks and is allowing only 8.9 fantasy points per game to the position. His run of strong fantasy performances to start the season is about to come to a crashing halt against a brutal matchup.
Running Back Matchups
Must Start: After seeing his playing time waiver in the Bear’s backfield, D’Andre Swift took a firm hold on the lead back role in Week 4 with a solid performance against the Los Angeles Rams. He totaled 93 rushing yards and one touchdown in the matchup, more than doubling his rushing production from the first three weeks of the season combined. This week, he gets a matchup with the Carolina Panthers who rank as the second-best matchup for opposing running backs and are allowing 28.6 fantasy points per game to the position. Fire up Swift in this juicy matchup and hope he has won this starting job permanently.
Must Sit: Zack Moss was a pleasant surprise to kickoff the season and currently sits as RB18 on the season. However, despite putting up a solid performance in Week 4, he yielded a significant portion of the backfield touches to Chase Brown. This is a concerning trend which on it’s own will limit some of Moss’ upside, but when you factor in a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, he is a must-sit this week. The Ravens rank as the third worst matchup for opposing running backs and are allowing 14.4 fantasy points per game to the position. Sit Moss in this one.
Wide Receiver Matchups
Must Start: Amari Cooper has been a peculiar case this season. He is getting a level of targets that rivals most elite receivers in the league, unfortunately the targets he has received have been massively off-target and haven’t led to much fantasy production. If Deshaun Watson is able to get his throws on target on a more consistent basis, this could be a massive boom week for Cooper. He faces off against a Washington Commanders defense that ranks as the best matchup for opposing wide receivers as they are allowing 39.1 fantasy points per game to the position. Cooper is a Top 10 receiver for Week 5.
Must Sit: Stefon Diggs has been surprisingly consistent this season due in large part to the absence of Tank Dell, but this week he faces a Bills defense that ranks as the second worst matchup for opposing receivers. The Buffalo Bills are allowing only 15.5 fantasy points per game to the position and are sure to limit receiver production. This matchup could be made especially bad if the Texans get a healthy Dell back in the lineup. It’s best to steer clear of Diggs in this matchup.
Tight End Matchups
Must Start: Cincinnati Bengals rookie tight end Erick All went undrafted in almost all fantasy leagues and has not been on the fantasy radar up until this point, but over the past three weeks, he has caught four passes in each. That may not seem like a lot, but in this tight end market, it’s one of the safer floors. Add in a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens who rank as the second best matchup for tight ends and he is a solid streaming option. The Ravens are allowing 11.8 fantasy points per game to the position and could allow for All to set a new career-high in his fifth appearance.
Must Sit: Dalton Kincaid was expected to be a target hog with very few options in the passing game for Buffalo. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened and he finds himself with one touchdown and only 13 catches to date. This week he faces the Houston Texans who sit as the third worst matchup for opposing tight ends. The Texans are allowing only 4.0 fantasy points per game to the position and are a great spot to avoid Kincaid for another week.
If you enjoyed our Week 5 Fantasy Football Matchup Guide, check out our weekly Sit & Start column to see all the players we are targeting and fading this week, and check out The FFU YouTube Channel for all of our daily content.
