There is nothing easy about making lineup decisions in fantasy football. It is a necessary part of the game. Getting these decisions correct is key to your success as a fantasy manager. Here to help you make those decisions are our positional start ’em and sit ’em picks.
Fantasy decisions will only get more difficult from here on out, so let’s take a look at our Week 5 start/sit plays for the WR position.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Which WRs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
After missing the first three games of the season, Christian Watson returned last Thursday in a limited role. By design, he played just 46% of the snaps, commanding only four targets. Yet, he still managed to score because that’s what he does best.
Watson escaped the game with no setbacks, and he’s now had another 10 days to get himself fully healthy. Look for the Green Bay Packers to restore Watson to his rightful spot as the team’s WR1 this week, and it is the perfect spot in which to do it.
The Las Vegas Raiders are allowing a 69.2% catch rate to opposing WRs, and they’ve surrendered six touchdowns to the position. Overall, they are allowing the 13th-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
The Packers need a big bounce-back performance after their embarrassing home loss to the Detroit Lions. Watson should quickly remind fantasy managers why they drafted him in the fourth or fifth round.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
After seeing double-digit targets in each of his first three games, the Michael Pittman Jr. train came off the rails in Week 4. He caught just one of his five targets for 15 yards.
MORE: Week 5 Start/Sit Options — QB | RB | TE
So, is that it? Is Pittman bad now? Of course not. It was just a hiccup.
Pittman is still playing close to 100% of the snaps, and he’s the clear WR1 on a team that lacks any real threat behind him.
The Tennessee Titans were able to shut down the Bengals last week, but that’s not exactly difficult. Tennessee is still allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers, and a whopping 77.5% of their receiving yards allowed have gone to WRs.
The way to beat the Titans is through the air, as they are elite against the run. Even if Jonathan Taylor returns, there will be plenty of targets for Pittman. The towering wideout is going to bounce back in a big way this week. Don’t let last week scare you off from starting him.
Which WRs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Gabe Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills
Gabe Davis is averaging a respectable 13 points per game on the season. That’s perfectly fine based on where he was drafted, but it’s all smoke and mirrors.
Davis is averaging just 4.5 targets per game. He caught three passes for 61 yards last week and one pass for 35 yards the week before. He just happened to score both weeks.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
The Jacksonville Jaguars are allowing the 13th-fewest fantasy points to WRs, and just 51.8% of targets they face go to WRs. Teams have been beating them by throwing to the tight end.
Look for Josh Allen to key in on Stefon Diggs, as he usually does, and utilize Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox more than Davis this week.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos
It’s now been three weeks, and the Denver Broncos haven’t yet restored Jerry Jeudy’s every-down role. His snap shares through three games have been 68%, 76%, and 62%.
Jeudy is still the clear WR2 behind Courtland Sutton, but he was supposed to be the WR1. I don’t think anyone is still valuing Jeudy ahead of Sutton for this season. It’s abundantly clear who the better player is.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
We could see Sauce Gardner shadow Sutton this week, opening things up for Jeudy, but I don’t think it will matter. The fourth-year WR just isn’t a key member of this passing attack.
The Jets have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers and just one touchdown to the position all season. This is a bad spot for an underwhelming player on a bad team.
Trending Searches for WR Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network? It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter in up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup.
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, which we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity!
Should You Start Christian Watson or Christian Kirk?
It is a battle between two Christians for one spot in your lineup. In 2023 fantasy drafts, Christian Watson was the highest-drafted player. But a month into the season, Watson has just one game under his belt, and Christian Kirk is averaging 13.9 ppg.
A couple of weeks from now, this could easily be Watson. But right now, Kirk’s recent performance cannot be denied.
Calvin Ridley looks like a guy who hasn’t played football in two years. He saw just two targets last week, continuing a concerning trend where Ridley’s target share has decreased every week of the season.
It is Kirk who has established himself as Trevor Lawrence’s favorite target and best receiver. I see no reason to think this will change.
With Zay Jones out, Kirk has resumed his role playing in two-receiver sets. He’s scored at least 15 fantasy points in three straight games.
The Start/Sit Optimizer says to start Kirk, and I wholeheartedly agree. In an ideal world, though, you can just start both.
Should You Start Gabe Davis or Zay Flowers?
My concerns about Gabe Davis are covered above. He is surviving exclusively on touchdowns. Playing with Josh Allen certainly helps, but that’s not a recipe for sustained success.
Zay Flowers has yet to find the end zone, but the volume has been fantastic. He’s averaging 7.25 targets per game and has never scored lower than 8.6 fantasy points. Of course, 8.6 fantasy points isn’t good. But it establishes a higher floor than Davis. If Flowers could ever find the end zone, which he will eventually, he’s a near lock for a WR1 week.
The Start/Sit Optimizer has this firmly in favor of the rookie. That is how I see it as well. Flowers is an every-week WR3, who I believe will emerge into an every-week WR2. Davis is a touchdown-or-bust WR4.