Below, we'll highlight 10 moves to make ahead of Week 5, recommending who to start, sit, add, and drop, along with players to buy low or sell high in the trade market.
🤝 Buy: George Pickens
People who drafted Pickens in the second or third round are likely underwhelmed with his production. He hasn't scored a touchdown this year after finding the end zone nine times last season, and he's scored double-digit fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) only once in four games. To make matters worse, CeeDee Lamb is coming off a 21-target, 17-catch outing in Week 4.
However, bigger days are surely ahead for the Cowboys' No. 2 wideout. Pickens' target share remains 19.44%, only slightly down from last year's 22.57%, according to SumerSports. He's clearly the second-best option in a target tree that includes four players, with Jake Ferguson and Ryan Flournoy seeing far fewer targets. Dallas has no reason to move away from its pass-first offensive approach, so it's a great time to buy low on Pickens after a few lackluster games.
👋 Sell: DK Metcalf
After looking completely washed up at the beginning of the season, Aaron Rodgers threw for nearly 300 passing yards and six touchdowns in his past two games. Metcalf caught 146 yards and a touchdown over that span, which could wind up as his best two-game stretch of the year. The Steelers continue to throw the ball more than expected under new head coach Mike McCarthy, but that scheme doesn't seem sustainable with a 42-year-old quarterback. Rodgers is averaging 38.25 passing attempts per game and is on track to blow past his previous career high of 610 attempts over a season. It's reasonable to expect Pittsburgh to run the ball more once Rico Dowdle returns, lowering the floor and ceiling of Metcalf's week-to-week output.
🟢 Start: Jacoby Brissett
No team is allowing opposing quarterbacks to score more fantasy points than the Lions. Brissett - and the rest of the Cardinals' passing attack - should blow past expectations in Week 5's meeting with Detroit, a game with a total of 54.5 points. The veteran signal-caller finished as QB4 two weeks ago against the 49ers, so the potential for a high-end start is clearly there. The Lions are also giving up the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, and Brissett has Trey McBride, arguably the league's best tight end, at his disposal.
🛑 Sit: Jalen Hurts
The vibes around the Eagles are awful right now. Future Hall of Fame tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement, and Philadelphia then traded away two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens. Saquon Barkley is also likely out for Week 5 with a hamstring injury, while DeVonta Smith's status is equally grim. The Eagles offense has looked dysfunctional all season, and Hurts now faces a tough Jaguars defense as a 7.5-point road underdog. The three-time Pro Bowler has one week as a top-10 quarterback this season, and he'll be droppable if things don't turn around quickly.
🤝 Buy: Jets pass-catchers
New York's offense was abysmal in Week 4, running 32 plays and controlling the ball for 17:15. In the fourth quarter, it held possession for just 45 seconds. The only conclusion you can draw from the performance is that the Jets will struggle to stop the run against elite run schemes - like the Bears'.
The positive takeaways come from the target share for Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq, with Geno Smith throwing to them four times each in 15 pass attempts Sunday - good for a 26.67% target share. If those rates hold and Smith attempts a normal number of throws, Wilson and Sadiq will be fine moving forward. However, some managers are definitely overreacting to one bad game and willing to sell them cheaply.
👋 Sell: Aaron Jones
Credit to Jones for the start to his season. The 31-year-old back has four straight games with 10 or more fantasy points to rank RB17 for the year. But he's doing all of this work with Jordan Mason on the injured reserve.
Mason is set to return in Week 7 after the Vikings' Week 6 bye, and he'll likely assume his role splitting carries with Jones right away since he was only sidelined with a thumb injury. In Week 1, Mason carried the ball 15 times to Jones' 12. You only have one more week to sell Jones as a lead back before he returns to a timeshare.
🟢 Start: Kyle Monangai
The Bears' coaching staff may be losing its patience with D'Andre Swift, who was benched after losing a fumble in Week 4, his second of the year. With Swift on the sideline, Monangai handled 31 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets. Notably, he's yet to lose a fumble in his NFL career over 229 carries.
Swift should get plenty of work in Week 5, but that shouldn't deter you from starting Monangai against the Packers, who've allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Monangai frequently gets goal-line carries and has clearly earned Ben Johnson's trust.
🛑 Sit: Alvin Kamara
Kamara is coming off a two-touchdown game on Monday night against the Falcons, but he's better off on your bench in his Week 5 matchup against the Vikings. Kamara is primarily a pass-catcher at this stage of his career, earning seven targets alongside his seven carries in Week 4. However, the Vikings are a tough matchup, allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs and conceding only 13 catches to the position this season. Plus, Kamara was banged up Monday and may not be at 100%.
🤝 Buy: Emeka Egbuka
Baker Mayfield is pushing to return from his thumb injury as early as next week, which is great news for those with Egbuka on their roster. While he didn't blow anyone away with his production in the three weeks Mayfield was healthy, Egbuka was still usable in fantasy, averaging 8.77 points per game (half-PPR scoring). You may have a bit more time to buy Egbuka for cheap in the trade market if he struggles against the Cowboys on Thursday night with Jalon Daniels at quarterback, but the window to get him for a discount will close once the Bucs announce Mayfield's return. If you can get Egbuka for a receiver like Stefon Diggs, Rome Odunze, or Devaughn Vele, you'd be winning that deal.
❌ Drop: Mark Andrews
Tight-end production is deeper this year than in other seasons, so Andrews no longer needs to be rostered in 84% of Yahoo leagues. Ranked TE19 for the season, he's unstartable in nearly every format. In contrast, Sadiq is rostered in only 49% of leagues and offers far more upside. You could even play weekly matchups with players like Mike Gesicki, T.J. Hockenson, and Darren Waller and likely get better results than starting Andrews every week. With Tyler Huntley starting at quarterback for at least one game for the Ravens, Andrews' outlook is even less promising.
