Week 5 QB Start, Sit Fantasy Strategy: The Minshew Mustache is a Must Start
Week 5 QB Start, Sit Fantasy Strategy: The Minshew Mustache is a Must Start
This Week 5 is filled with a ton of great matchups. If you are one of the many fantasy players choosing to play the streaming game at QB, then this is a perfect week for you. You should have your choice of players to pick from on the waivers and many of them are set for huge weeks. If you happen to be in a SuperFlex/2QB league, then I still think that there should be someone on the waivers that has a good matchup. Do not force yourself to start a big name QB in a bad matchup! Be smart, and see who will be in passing game scripts against bad secondaries.
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Start Them
Gardner Minshew
@ Houston Texans
Minshew now has had 25 points in every game he has played with Chark healthy. The fact that he struggled against Miami in Week 3 should give you an opportunity to maybe buy low or pick him up off the waivers. Against this bad Houston Texans’ secondary Minshew should be able to once again produce huge points. While the Texans have only given up the 14th most points to QB, a lot of that has to do with the opposing team blowing them out or being able to run all over them. However, in this game Deshaun Watson should be able to either surpass or keep up with Minshew, meaning that a passing game script is in the cards for the Jaguars. Minshew should easily finish as a QB1 this week.
Teddy Bridgewater
@ Atlanta Falcons
Teddy Bridgewater has the best QB matchup there is, taking on the Atlanta Falcons this week. Not only was the secondary always bad for the Falcons, but now they are riddled with injuries, leaving practice squad players to take over. Even without Bridgewater tearing it up this would be a “start them” just based on the matchup. I do not think that there are many NFL quality QBs that I would not have as a start against this sad, sad secondary.
With all that said, Teddy Bridgewater has been great. Last week against Arizona Teddy left with 3 total touchdowns, 30 yards rushing, and 276 yards passing. Again, Atalanta’s secondary makes Arizona’s look like the legion of boom. I am so excited for Teddy to showcase everything he’s got against the Falcons. Teddy has done a great job of finding his myriad of weapons in Anderson, Samuel, and Moore, and that is 3 too many weapons for the Falcons’ defense.
Kirk Cousins
@ Seattle Seahawks
Kirk Cousins has been a decent play for fantasy 3 out of 4 weeks so far throughout the season. Now he gets to take on the Seahawks who have given up the 3rd most points to the QB position. The reason for these extreme points is not only that the defense is bad, but also that Russell Wilson is so good it forces the opposing QB to air it out. The Seahawks are similar to the Falcons in that the QB that Wilson faces off against is almost always a must-play.
Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins has been gifted with the amazing play of Justin Jefferson. The past two weeks Jefferson has had 175 and 103 yards. Jefferson looks like a real Diggs replacement and he has the talent to take on that role with ease. Between Jefferson and Thielen I think that Kirk Cousins could have a monstrous week.
Ben Roethlisberger
Vs Philadelphia Eagles
Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers are coming off of a BYE week due to the postponement of their game against the Titans. With a week off, Dionatae Johnson is all healthy. I am ready to play Roethlisberger in my lineup. While the Eagles have given up the 11th fewest points to QBs, in their games against good QBs (Goff and Burrow) they gave up QB1 weeks. This makes me extremely confident to play Big Ben in this Eagles’ matchup. The only worry you should have is the fact that the Eagles may get shut out in the game, meaning that Roethlisberger will not have to pass too much.
Sit Them
Carson Wentz
@ Pittsburgh Steelers
Carson Wentz has the household name and star power. However, his entire WR core is injured, his great TE of Dallas Goedert is injured, and his offensive line has three names on the injury report. If that is not enough to scare you off Wentz, then how about the fact that he is taking on maybe the best defense in the NFL. TJ Watt has been on a tear and will be taking down Wentz multiple times in this game. The entire defense has had a week to rest and prepare for this game and that should terrify Eagles fans and Wentz owners. Do not play Wentz, go find a pivot from the waivers, and save your fantasy week.
Ryan Tannehill
Vs Buffalo Bills
While I do not hate this play, I think that there are just too many other options to play ahead of Tannehill. Even if the Titans get AJ Brown back this week, he will have to go up against Tre’Davious White. Therefore, you can basically fade the AJ Brown play this week. It is possible, unlike Wentz, that Tannehill ends up finishing in an okay spot, not ruining your team. However, there is no reason to take that chance when there are so many options like Teddy, Cousins, and Minshew on the waiver wire. A low floor and ceiling for Tannehill.
Jared Goff
@ Washington Football Team
Washington has been pretty good against immobile QBs. While Washington has been burned by Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray, both Wentz and Mayfield played horribly against The Football Team. This is because their pass rush is one of the best in the league. If your QB cannot get out of the pocket and make these guys miss, then he is not having a good week. It does not matter how bad the secondary is if you have no time to throw. While I have been impressed with Goff and this offensive line thus far; however, this is by far their hardest test yet from a pass rush perspective. I am not playing Goff this week and predicting him to have an extremely low floor and low ceiling.