Getty Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles
Welcome to Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 5 of the NFL season. Our defense edition this week features a struggling unit from the NFC East licking their chops at the thought of facing off against a possibly Sam Darnold-less Jets team. Plus, two defenses going head-to-head in the same game, both with tough matchups.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Be sure to also check out our weekly fantasy football defense rankings to better gauge where these start-sit options compare to the rest of the options at the position.
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DEF: Start ‘Em
Start of the Week: Eagles DEF vs. NYJ
The real start of the week goes to the New England Patriots defense vs. Washington. However, at this point, I think inserting the Pats D into your starting lineup is fairly obvious. So for that reason, we’ll go with the Eagles defense. Philly has been anything but a viable fantasy option thus far this season. Yet, if Sam Darnold doesn’t suit up for the Jets, New York will once again have anything but a viable passing game. New York allows nearly 13 fantasy points to opposing defenses this season, the third-most in the NFL.
Titans DEF vs. BUF
Buffalo has allowed 12.50 fantasy points to opposing defensive units through the first four weeks of the season. The Bills may also be without quarterback Josh Allen come game time, as he currently still dealing with concussion symptoms. This means Matt Barkley may be slinging the ball around for Buffalo on Sunday. The Titans defense has scored the fourth-most fantasy points by a defense all season.
Sleeper: Vikings DEF at NYG
Minnesota is just the 16th ranked defensive unit in fantasy this season. However, they may begin to climb the ranks following Week 5. New York has turned the ball over six times in their last two contests. They will also likely be without Saquon Barkley once again, despite what their head coach may tell the media.
DEF: Sit ‘Em
Sit of the Week: Packers DEF at DAL
The Packers have impressed on the defensive side of the football this season, ranking seventh in terms of fantasy points. However, Dallas’ offense has been unkind to defensive units this season. Opposing defenses average a putrid 2.75 fantasy points against the ‘Boys in 2019.
Broncos DEF vs. LAC
Defenses average just six points when facing off with the Chargers offense this season. Los Angeles will have yet another weapon at their disposal this week, as running back Melvin Gordon is set to make his 2019 debut. Denver’s defense has totaled just six fantasy points for the entirety of this season. To make matters worse, Denver will be without Bradley Chubb, as he is done for the season with a torn ACL.
Buyers Beware: Cowboys DEF vs. GB
We revisit this matchup, this time with the Cowboys defense. Dallas has averaged an impressive 11.5 points over the past two weeks, good enough to tie them for the sixth-best fantasy output over that time span. However, all good things must come to an end. Even without Davante Adams, the Packers are an extremely tough matchup. Defenses facing off against Green Bay’s offense average just five points per game this year.
READ NEXT: Fantasy: Defense Rankings Week 5
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