With Week 5 quickly approaching, here are our starts and sits. 

Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers: Start. We will see a new Tom Brady this week against the Falcons, one that is now married to the game. He is taking on an Atlanta defense who has struggled defending the pass this season and no one is better at exploiting defenses than Brady. He also adds a healthy Chris Godwin and a non-suspended Mike Evans, together for the first time this season. Without the off-field distractions, Brady should return to the dominant fantasy player we saw last season. We are starting Tom Brady without hesitation Week 5. 

Baker Mayfield, QB, Panthers: Sit. Unfortunately, it’s time to give up on the former Heisman winner. A lot has changed in the two years since he led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002. Mayfield has only thrown for 747 yards this season on a horrendous 54.7 percent completion rate. Furthermore, he has only thrown four touchdown passes in the first four weeks, which is in the bottom third of the league. A tough matchup with a gritty 49ers defense makes this decision even easier. We are benching and dropping Baker Mayfield.

Rhamandre Stevenson, RB, Patriots: Start. We are at a point in the season where whichever running back is playing the Lions deserves to be started. They have given up the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and I slightly prefer Stevenson to his backfield mate in Damien Harris. Stevenson has out-snapped Harris about 60-40 and has a bigger role in the receiving game. Furthermore, Bailey Zappe, the fourth round rookie out of Western Kentucky, is filling in for the injured Mac Jones, so we could see the Patriots rely heavily on their run game. We would bet that Stevenson has at least 62 rushing yards, and would start in him in Week 5 versus the Lions. 

Rashaad Penny, RB, Seahawks: Sit. Despite coming off a massive game against the Lions, Penny will likely underperform this week. While Penny has some upside in a young, up and coming Seahawks offense, we think he will struggle to get going against the Saints, who are a top five rushing defense in the league. The Seahawks will likely be losing at the line of scrimmage causing Penny to be pummeled early and often throughout the game. We are avoiding Penny in this spot against the Saints.

Chris Olave, WR, Saints: Start. The one bright spot in the three straight Saints losses has been the emergence of rookie wide receiver Chris Olave. The Ohio State product has the highest target share out of any Saints receiver and has at least five receptions in the last three games. Andy Dalton is proving to be a capable replacement in the NFL and any fear of starting a receiver with a backup quarterback is mitigated by their matchup. They face a young Seahawks secondary who has given up over 425 yards per game, and Olave should be the prime beneficiary. Start Olave no matter what in Week 5. 

Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers: Sit. Money Mitch Trubisky’s time as starting quarterback has ended in Pittsburgh and the rookie Kenny Pickett is slotting into that role. This is bad news for the third year wide receiver out of Toledo. Johnson saw a mere two targets last week when Pickett was under center. Those targets went to rookie wide receiver George Pickens who already has a rapport with Pickett. We would not be surprised if Johnson’s targets continue to fall in favor of Pickens and advise you to sit Johnson if possible. 

Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams: Start. Higbee has looked like the clear number two option in the reigning Super Bowl Champion Rams offense this year.  Despite regression from Matthew Stafford, Higbee has been a very viable receiver in the Rams offense. Higbee reeled in ten catches on 14 targets, which led the position in Week 4. If this production continues, Higbee has a shot to end the season as TE1. We are very high on Higbee and believe you should start him against the Cowboys.

Dalton Schultz, TE, Cowboys: Sit. In Week 1, Schultz saw nine targets. That number has cratered since Dak Prescott got injured in the season opener. Schultz has seen only seven targets (although he did miss Week 3) and only has caught one of those passes; a sharp decrease from Week 1. Cooper Rush has proven he can win games, but he has not proven the ability to get Schultz involved. We will likely continue to see more targets go to Ceedee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Noah Brown. With Dak paving the way to return soon it is smart to stash Schultz but, until then, we are keeping him on the bench.