Last week wasn’t my best showing, but having Anthony Richardson as the highlight player worked out well. Not all of these players will hit, but we want to give readers a better idea of which borderline flex players to ride each week. That’s one of the toughest tasks in fantasy football, especially since we’re hitting bye weeks! That’ll make things difficult, but we’re ready to keep rolling here!
The premise behind this article is simple. Identifying fantasy football smash plays that are on the fringe of your starting lineup. We will rarely recommend a top-10 player at any position, but we want to help you fill those critical flex spots! Here is my full article of fantasy football smash starts for Week 5. Below we dive into a few notable players.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Smash Starts for Week 5
Wide Receivers
Garrett Wilson (NYJ) at DEN
It’s been scary watching Zach Wilson destroy this offense, but he looked like a different player last week. One of the main reason for his resurgence was the fact that he fed Garrett Wilson. This stud wide receiver was a top-25 pick for a reason in redrafts, picking up nine catches for 60 yards in Week 4. He’s also scored at least 11 fantasy points in three of four outings, and this might be the start of a special run for the talented wide receiver. We don’t expect Denver’s disastrous defense to slow him down, allowing a historically bad 461 yards per game!
Adam Thielen (CAR) at DET
I never thought Adam Thielen would be in this article, but he’s looked awesome in his debut season with Carolina. The former Pro Bowler is the clear-cut top option for the Panthers, providing at least 12 fantasy points in three straight outings. He’s had at least seven receptions in all of those while being one of the league leaders with 31 targets! That sort of workload should bode well against Detroit, with the Lions sitting 18th in passing yards allowed. In their two matchups last season, Thielen scored at least 15 fantasy points in both of them!
Romeo Doubs (GB) at LVR
This could be risky with Christian Watson back, but Romeo Doubs looks like the top receiver in Green Bay. The talented wideout has played at least 86 percent of the team’s snaps in back-to-back games, scoring at least 14 fantasy points in three of four outings this year. That’s all you can ask for from one of your flexes, and it’s strange to see a No. 1 receiver be so overlooked by the fantasy community. It’s even more baffling against a team like Vegas, ranked 25th in total defense!
Tight Ends
Darren Waller (NYG) at MIA
It’s been a rough start for Darren Waller in New York, but it’s just a matter of time before he gets rolling. The Georgia Tech product is top five in fantasy points per game over the last four years, ranking top two twice! That’s why NY decided to trade for him and make him the focal point of their passing attack. That hasn’t panned out yet, but he’s still one of the league leaders with a 25 percent team air yardage share. We love that in this matchup because the Giants will likely be trailing and have to throw a ton to keep up with the Dolphins. In addition, Miami allows the seventh-most passing yards in the NFL.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.