Fantasy Football: Week Five Staff Must Start, Must Sit and Sleeper Picks
By J.T. McGrath
J.T. McGrath
START: Rashad Jennings, RB, New York Giants
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
In ESPN standard scoring leagues, Jennings is a top-5 running back. Nope, not a typo. For someone who was a Darren McFadden backup just one year ago, it’s mind-blowing to see how far he’s come. Yeah, it’s early in the year, but take a look around the league and you’ll see Jennings is one of the few true workhorse backs in the NFL. He may not be pretty, but he’s productive. Plus, he gets a dream matchup against the 32-ranked Atlanta defense. Expect big things.
SIT: Desean Jackson, WR, Washington Redskins
Outside of his 5-117-1 “revenge game” stat line against the Eagles, D-Jax has totaled just ten receptions for ninety yards and ZERO touchdowns in his other three games COMBINED. Not good. In fact, in two of those three games, he had only one catch. Jackson is an obvious playmaker who really only needs one reception TD bomb to save fantasy face, but Kirk Cousins has been inconsistent. Oh yeah, and Washington get the Seahawks and their staunch secondary this week. If you’re desperate, you play him. But you’d have to be really desperate. Like, beer goggle desperate.
SLEEPER: Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns
Owned in less than 15% of all fantasy leagues on the planet, Crowell is no household name, but he eventually will be. His journey to the league is an interesting one — from being kicked out of Georgia for weapons possession, to being scooped up as an undrafted free agent — but the reality is that he is one injury away from nabbing the lion’s share of the carries in the Cleveland backfield. It really is not a matter of if, but when Ben Tate sustains another injury; then it’s Crow Time. It may not happen this week, but at the very least, keep him on your radar.