Week 5 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Flex, PPR Advice for Fringe Fantasy Football Stars

Knowing when to start and sit fringe talent in fantasy football, even the elite kind, is often the difference between winning and losing a league match-up on any given week.

In Week 5, one of the game's best players faces a tough defensive match-up that should land him on the bench while two struggling offensive weapons earn "start" designations because of favorable match-ups against struggling opposition.

Ahead of the week to come in FLEX and PPR leagues, these are the players to adjust statuses for and ensure yourself the best possible lineup.

Brandon Aiyuk has been as bad as possible in 2024. He has been bad, failing to score at least five fantasy points in his first four games. He has caught more than half of his targets only once. For a receiver who spent most of the offseason worried about getting paid, he has not performed up to his new deal.

Luckily for him, his favorable matchup in Week 5 should help him get back on track.

Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers match up against an Arizona Cardinals defense allowing 33.95 points to opposing quarterbacks and while Aiyuk has been outplayed by Juauan Jennings to this point in the season, he will have the opportunity to catch plenty of balls as the Niners look to get their star receiver back on track.

The Cards have given up 605 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 52 receptions through four games and the 49ers, even with a banged up receiving corps, should be able to exploit it.

Look for the Niners to feed Aiyuk with enough volume to be worth a PPR start.

If so, and Aiyuk can build momentum from his performance against the division rival, there is no reason to believe he cannot bounce back and have a quality fantasy season moving forward.

Especially with Brock Purdy's strong play so far.

The Baltimore Ravens defense made Josh Allen look mortal in Week 4, limiting the leading MVP candidate and Buffalo's resident Superman to a single-digit fantasy performance. They forced a fumble, recovered it and kept the big man out of the endzone for the first time this season.

Imagine what the group could do to Joe Burrow.

The Cincinnati quarterback has played well for a mediocre Bengals team but has been sacked eight times through four games and fumbled five times. Against an aggressive, explosive Ravens defense, he is likely to struggle.

The 16.33 points to opposing quarterbacks may be more of an anomaly than anything at this point as the Ravens appear to have dialed in and are ready to go on a run that will see their defense play a key role in their re-emergence as a Super Bowl contending squad.

That means sitting one of the game's best quarterbacks in Week 5.

Najee Harris, like Aiyuk, has underwhelmed from a fantasy perspective this season. He has yet to finish in the top 20 among running backs and has not scored eight or more fantasy points in a single game thus far.

Luckily for him, the Cowboys and their sub-par rushing defense come to town Sunday, allowing him to prove his worth to managers looking for any reason to keep him on their roster, let alone in their lineups.

The volume will be there.

Dallas allows 29.40 fantasy points to opposing running backs, with 419 yards on 91 carries and six rushing touchdowns. More importantly for PPR managers figuring out how to utilize Harris this week, the Cowboys have also allowed 15 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown through the air.

The Steelers are typically one of the best-prepared teams in the league and will look to exploit their opponent's weakness. That means plenty of opportunities for Harris. Look for Pittsburgh to feed him early and often. It will be up to Harris to perform or risk losing touches, especially with Jaylen Warren potentially coming back in time for Sunday's showdown between two of the most storied franchises in the NFL.

SItting Kyle Pitts has nothing to do with his match-up against Tampa Bay Sunday, a team allowing less than 10 points to opposing fantasy owners.

Instead, it has to do with his usage or lack thereof.

Pitts has caught eight passes on just 15 targets thus far and scored less than 10 fantasy points in every outing, including last week's alarming nothingburger. His lone top-10 finish can be attributed to two catches for 59 yards against a Chiefs defense that apparently forgot he was on the field.

There is no reason to believe the trend will turn around this week or at any point in the foreseeable future.

Pitts has elite talent but his usage has been a problem from the moment he set foot in the Falcons locker room. Until the team figures out how to best use him and his skill set, Pitts is a weekly "sit" at this point.

All stats via FantasyPros unless otherwise stated