Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice: Matthew Stafford, Travis Etienne, Brian Robinson, Breece Hall (Week 5)

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.

Smash Starts for Week 5

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford (LAR) vs. PHI

Matthew Stafford has quietly had an amazing season in LA, but the lack of touchdowns has kept him from being fantasy-relevant. We’re willing to overlook that because of his usage. This slinger is averaging 41.5 pass attempts and 307 passing yards per game! Those attempts lead the NFL, while the yardage is second to Tua Tagovailoa. That’s a good indication of how pass-happy this offense can be, and the positive touchdown regression should be right around the corner. A matchup with Philadelphia is fantastic, too, as the Eagles are allowing the sixth-most passing yards in the NFL.

Running Backs

Travis Etienne (JAX) at BUF

Some managers are worried about Travis Etienne, but we’ll never complain about a bellcow back in any offense. That’s what Etienne is, playing in 85 percent of the snaps in Week 4. He’s also had at least 18 carries in three of four games this year while getting at least three targets weekly. That’s the sort of role you love to see, and it’d be silly to sit Etienne behind that sort of role. Buffalo has quietly been an amazing matchup, allowing 6.3 yards per carry, the worst mark in the NFL. If they do that this week with his role, Etienne should stumble into 120-plus yards!

Brian Robinson (WAS) vs. CHI

While this is a bit of a committee in Washington, Brian Robinson is clearly the head of the horse. He’s up to 61 carries this season, with Antonio Gibson recording just 13 carries. He’s also established himself as the goal-line back, averaging 15.3 carries a game while scoring three touchdowns in four games. That sort of role makes him impossible to fade against a bad Bears defense. Chicago is surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing rushers this season.

Breece Hall (NYJ) at DEN

This is risky, but it’s about time New York gives Breece Hall more work. This sophomore was a stud in his rookie season before tearing his ACL, and they’ve mentioned that they need to give him more opportunities going forward. He’s yet to receive more than 12 carries in any game, but he’s averaging a sublime 6.6 yards per carry. He’s also flashed some burst, and a full workload is the only thing holding him back from being a stud. We can’t overlook that ability against a team like Denver, who’s allowing the most fantasy points to opposing running backs. He also tore his ACL against Denver last year but had four rushes for 72 yards and a touchdown before that devastating injury.