By now the noise has settled, and the NFL regular season is taking form. Matchups are starting to matter more than hype, and volume trends are becoming clearer. Here are your fantasy plays heading into Week 5.<\/p>\n
Quarterbacks<\/p>\n
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Start: Justin Fields, Jets vs. Cowboys<\/p>\n
Fields\u2019 dual-threat ability makes him potent even in tough matchups, and New York has leaned on his legs when passing lanes tighten. Dallas has been aggressive defensively, but that style can and has been exploited by mobile quarterbacks. With rushing production as a floor and developing chemistry with Garrett Wilson, Fields brings high-end QB2 upside with a path to QB1 numbers this week.<\/p>\n
Other Locks:<\/p>\n
\u2014Jared Goff vs. Bengals<\/p>\n
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\u2014Jalen Hurts vs. Broncos<\/p>\n
\u2014Kyler Murray vs. Titans<\/p>\n
Avoid: C.J. Stroud, Texans vs Ravens<\/p>\n
Stroud stepped up his game in Week 4, but Baltimore\u2019s defense is relentless at home. The Ravens’ pressure packages and disguised coverages limit deep chances and force younger QBs into mistakes. While Stroud should still deliver competent numbers, he\u2019s more of a safe floor option than the high-ceiling starter managers want this week.<\/p>\n
Running backs<\/p>\n
Start: Woody Marks, Texans cs. Ravens<\/p>\n
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Marks has steadily gained traction in Houston\u2019s backfield, carving out a larger share of opportunities each week. He\u2019s shown the burst to rip off chunk gains and the versatility to contribute as a receiver. While Baltimore is a tough opponent, the Texans have leaned on Marks in high-leverage situations, and his rising workload makes him a sneaky RB2\/FLEX option in Week 5.<\/p>\n
Other Locks:<\/p>\n
\u2014Christian McCaffrey vs. Rams<\/p>\n
\u2014Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Bengals<\/p>\n
\u2014James Cook vs. Patriots<\/p>\n
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Avoid: Jordan Mason, Vikings vs. Browns (London)<\/p>\n
Mason struggled in Week 4, and this week\u2019s matchup against Cleveland is one of the toughest in the league for opposing backs. The Browns\u2019 front seven has smothered inside runners and limited explosive plays on the ground. Upstart RB Zavier Scott\u2019s role is also bound to grow as a receiver. You probably have to start Mason because of the bye week, but you may not like the results.<\/p>\n
Wide receivers<\/p>\n
Start: Rashid Shaheed, Saints vs Giants<\/p>\n
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Shaheed has become New Orleans\u2019 big-play specialist, and the Giants have struggled against vertical threats this season. With defenses tilting toward Olave, Shaheed is seeing lighter coverage and a few schemed shots downfield each week. He\u2019s a boom\/bust option, but in this matchup the boom potential is well worth chasing as a FLEX or WR3.<\/p>\n
Other Locks:<\/p>\n
\u2014Chris Olave vs. Giants<\/p>\n
\u2014Nico Collins vs. Ravens<\/p>\n
\u2014George Pickens vs. Jets<\/p>\n
Avoid: Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos vs Eagles<\/p>\n
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Mims has tantalizing speed and flashes, but this week the matchup is middling. The Eagles have defended against deep threats well, forcing offenses to shorten their passing game. Without a heavy target share or consistent role, Mims\u2019 upside is limited \u2014 he\u2019s too volatile to trust as a starter this week.<\/p>\n
Tight ends<\/p>\n
Start: Jake Ferguson, Cowboys vs Jets<\/p>\n
Ferguson has developed into Dak Prescott\u2019s go-to red zone target, leading Dallas in end zone looks so far. The Jets\u2019 defense is tough on the perimeter but has allowed production to tight ends over the middle. Ferguson\u2019s steady route participation and scoring role make him a strong TE1 start in Week 5.<\/p>\n
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Other Locks:<\/p>\n
\u2014Sam LaPorta vs. Bengals<\/p>\n
\u2014Dalton Kincaid vs. Patriots<\/p>\n
\u2014Tyler Warren vs. Raiders<\/p>\n
Avoid: Hunter Henry, Patriots vs Bills<\/p>\n
Henry has a solid role in New England\u2019s offense and gets red zone usage, but this week he faces Buffalo, which has been stout defending the tight end. Their linebackers and safeties are disciplined in coverage, and they\u2019ve limited mid-tier TEs from breaking free. Henry\u2019s volume isn\u2019t high enough to compensate, so his ceiling is capped and his floor is shaky \u2014 making him a risky start in Week 5.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
This column was provided to The Associated Press by RosterWatch, www.rosterwatch.com.<\/p>\n
Dorian Colbert Of Rosterwatch, The Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By now the noise has settled, and the NFL regular season is taking form. Matchups are starting to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[5462,2216,49,48,18084,18082,4850,1762,7236,29890,2222,1750,1443,56056,41528,83113,12483,13296,13267,27561,3148,13294,93430,19260,2694,514,61155,29892,5457,83913,82,93429,18466,18081,68197],"class_list":["post-185915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-baltimore","tag-c-j-stroud","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chris-olave","tag-christian-mccaffrey","tag-cleveland","tag-dak-prescott","tag-dallas","tag-dalton-kincaid","tag-garrett-wilson","tag-george-pickens","tag-houston","tag-hunter-henry","tag-jahmyr-gibbs","tag-jake-ferguson","tag-jalen-hurts","tag-jared-goff","tag-jets","tag-jordan-mason","tag-justin-fields","tag-kyler-murray","tag-marvin-mims-jr","tag-new-england","tag-new-orleans","tag-nfl","tag-nico-collins","tag-rashid-shaheed","tag-ravens","tag-sam-laporta","tag-sports","tag-texans-vs-ravens","tag-tyler-warren","tag-woody-marks","tag-zavier-scott"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}