Fantasy Football Matchups I Am Targeting For Week 5

Dylan Wilkerson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

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It is tough to put any weight to matchup data early in the season because one poor performance can skew the stats. However, by week 5 the picture becomes much more clear. We will take a look at the best fantasy matchups for each time and what players are worth drafting in fantasy lineups for this week or starting in your leagues. This is also a great way to target NFL player props.

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NFL WEEK 5 PASSING MATCHUPS

In the passing game, I am keeping a close eye on 4 guys:

• Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills v. New England Patriots)
• Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets)
• Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders)
• Jared Goff (Detroit Lions vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

I also have my eye on Justin Fields. He has not looked great in the pass game this season (in the games he has played) but we all know how atrocious this Cowboys pass defense is. They are allowing the most EPA per dropback (.442) and by a large margin.

Here are guys that I am "sitting" heading into week 5:

• Dillon Gabriel (Cleveland Browns vs. Minnesota Vikings)
• Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles vs. Denver Broncos)
• Spencer Rattler (New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants)
• Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
• Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans vs. Arizona Cardinals)

There aren't many surprises on this list. Dillon Gabriel is making his debut in London against one of the trickiest pass defenses in the NFL, this is an awful spot. To be completely fair, I am not sure what Kevin Stefanski is thinking by starting his rookie in such a tough spot, but perhaps there is a reason I am writing this and not an NFL head coach.

Jalen Hurts is one of the surprising names on the list for this week. I want to be clear, this is an assessment of the PASSING game only. This Broncos defense is the 6th best passing defense in terms of EPA allowed per dropback. They are allowing a dropback success rate of 38.3%, the second lowest in the NFL. Who are they behind?

The Los Angeles Chargers, who are facing Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. Jayden is coming back this week to face one of the toughest passing defenses in the NFL. Again, this is an assessment of passing ability and not rushing. I expect Daniels to have trouble moving the ball in the air. I offer this with the caveat that the Chargers have one of the highest missed tackle rates in the NFL. There is a path that Daniels dinks and dunks his way around the field and the Chargers allow the Commanders receivers to shake them in the open field. However, Daniels' deep ball threat should be neutralized.

NFL WEEK 5 RUSHING MATCHUPS

I believe the rushing picture is much more clear than the passing picture. Here are a few running backs I will be looking to start this week:

• Derrick Henry/Justice Hill (Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans)
• Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt/Chris Rodriguez (Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
• Devon Achane (Miami Dolphins vs. Carolina Panthers)
• Alvin Kamara/Kendre Miller (New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants)

I am particularly fond of the Alvin Kamara/Kendre Miller matchup this week since the matchup is so poor for Spencer Rattler. It feels like the Saints will need to get the run game going to have any offensive success. It is surprising that the Giants rush defense has been so bad given the strength of their defensive line.

The Ravens running back duo is also one I am keeping my eye on. With Cooper Rush starting at quarterback, the Ravens will be looking to get things going on the ground. The Panthers defense is abysmal, so Achane/Gordon are primed for big games.

Here are a few backs I am "sitting" this week:

• Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions)
• Tony Pollard (Tennessee Titans vs. Arizona Cardinals)
• Kenneth Walker/Zach Charbonnet (Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Tampa Buccaneers RB room (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Seattle Seahawks)
• Jordan Mason (Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns)

Sitting Chase Brown is a tough decision because this ultimately means the Bengals will have no success on offense. Browning has looked awful, and if the run game can not get going, it is going to be a long day for the Bengals.

I think the most surprising sit is Kenneth Walker and the Zach Charbonnet. Tampa Bay is #1 in the NFL is designed run defense. They sit atop the league in rush EPA allowed with -0.318. This could mean trouble for the Klint Kubiak-ran offense that has tallied the 4th most rush attempts in the NFL.

CONCLUSION

Above, I have highlighted players that I like and don't like in both the run and passing game. You can use this data along with the latest NFL odds to power your NFL bets. To get the most out of your bets, use our comprehensive list of the best sportsbook promos to claim a bonus and get in on the action.

Are you a baseball fan? Check out my piece on MLB teams performance based on their payroll!

Dylan Wilkerson

Dylan Wilkerson has over 2 years of experience reporting and analyzing the sports betting industry for various sites. His portfolio includes work for SportsHandle and Action Network, in addition to VegasInsider. His favorite sports are the NFL, College Football, The PGA Tour, the LIV Tour, and Cricket. Dylan has a broad and deep understanding of various sports-related topics. More from Dylan Wilkerson