Here are players to consider stashing ahead of this weekend’s slate of games.
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QUARTERBACKS
Jared Goff at Vikings in Week 5
The Lions’ passing game has been unexpectedly functional so far in 2021. Goff is completing 69.9% of his throws and has 801 passing yards and five touchdowns. He’s the QB14 in fantasy scoring right now, and in Week 5 he’ll be facing a Minnesota defense that’s giving up 10.1 yards per pass attempt and ranks 31st in opponent passer rating.
Zach Wilson at Falcons in Week 5
The Jets’ rookie QB has struggled so far, but he’s faced a string of high-quality defenses: the Panthers, Patriots, and Broncos. Wilson gets a cushier matchup against the Falcons in Week 5. Atlanta ranks 29th in opponent passer rating and has given up eight TD passes without recording an interception.
RUNNING BACKS
Samaje Perine vs. Bengals in Week 5
Since he’s unlikely available as someone who’s already played this week, this is more of a call not to forget about Perine when you’re making your Week 5 waiver wire claims. Joe Mixon injured his ankle in the fourth quarter of Cincinnati’s Thursday-night win over Jacksonville. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor called it minor, but it’s too early to tell whether Mixon will be able to play in Week 5. If not, Perine will be the Bengals’ lead back against a shaky Packers run defense.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Hunter Renfrow vs. Bears in Week 5
Renfrow is quietly becoming a starting-caliber fantasy contributor. He has 16 catches for 204 yards and one touchdown in a potent Las Vegas passing game, and he’s been clowning cornerbacks with his feints and cuts. Renfrow should be able to win his matchup against Bears slot corner Duke Shelley.
Rashod Bateman vs. Colts in Week 5
He’s been out all season with a core injury, but Bateman returned to practice this week. There’s even a chance he’ll suit up against the Broncos this weekend. If not, he’ll almost certainly make his NFL debut in the Week 5 Monday night game against the Colts. This is one of my favorite players in this year’s rookie class. He’s a terrific route runner, he has good hands, he’s dangerous after the catch, and there are seemingly no holes in his game. We saw Marquise Brown drop three long passes from Lamar Jackson this week. That’s not to say that Brown is a bad receiver, but I suspect it won’t take Bateman long to assert himself as the top option in the Ravens’ WR corps.
K.J. Osborn vs. Lions in Week 5
The Lions’ secondary is in horrible shape, with the injuries to Jeff Okudah and Ifeatu Melifonwu decimating a cornerback group that wasn’t great to begin with. This has become a pass defense we want to attack in fantasy whenever possible. Osborn has 14 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown this season and will be a viable flex option against an opponent with such an undermanned defensive backfield.
TIGHT ENDS
Dawson Knox at Chiefs in Week 5
Bills-Chiefs could be quite the Week 5 shootout. Knox has scored a TD in each of his last two games, and he showed his athleticism on his Week 3 touchdown, a leaping catch to grab an end-zone fade. The Chiefs’ pass defense ranks last in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, and they’ve allowed 7.7 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.
Anthony Firkser at Jaguars in Week 5
Titans WRs A.J. Brown and Julio Jones seem to be on the wrong side of questionable for Week 4, and who knows if they’ll be able to answer the bell in Week 5. If Tennessee is shorthand at receiver, perhaps that will mean an enhanced role for Firkser, who’s set to return to the Titans lineup this week after missing the last two games with a knee injury.
DEFENSES
Dallas Cowboys vs. Giants in Week 5
The Cowboys’ defense has been surprisingly decent this season and is currently tied for sixth in fantasy points. The real attraction is a date with Daniel Jones, who’s thrown 22 interceptions and lost 18 fumbles in 30 career games.
Las Vegas Raiders vs Bears in Week 5
The Raiders defense has been surprisingly plucky this year, partly because defensive end Maxx Crosby is playing like a young J.J. Watt, terrorizing quarterbacks from the edge. Bears’ quarterbacks have been sacked 11 times this season. It’s not clear whether rookie Justin Fields or veteran Andy Dalton (or even veteran Nick Foles) will be starting for the Bears in Week 5, but the Raiders will be a strong streaming option regardless.
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