Mike Fanelli | Thu, Oct 3rd 2024, 9:22am EDT

6 Fantasy Football Lineup Landmines: Start/Sit Advice (Week 5)

Arguably, the most frustrating thing in fantasy football is seeing someone in your starting lineup struggle in a given week. Therefore, the logic behind this article is simple – identify fantasy football lineup landmines.

These are players you’re leaning toward starting this week who could end up being a landmine that blows up and destroys your starting lineup, potentially costing you your matchup. Brace yourself and take cover. These six players could blow up in your face in fantasy football Week 5.

Fantasy Football Lineup Landmines: Week 5

Kyler Murray (QB — ARI) vs. San Francisco 49ers

Murray was a popular mid-round fantasy pick this year. Unfortunately, he has struggled over the first month, averaging 16.9 fantasy points per game. The star quarterback had a massive Week 2 performance, totaling 266 passing yards, three touchdowns and 28.5 fantasy points against a banged-up Los Angeles Rams defense. By comparison, Murray has averaged just 170.3 passing yards, one touchdown and 13 fantasy points per game in his other three matchups, totaling 14.8 or fewer in every contest. Unfortunately, things won’t turn around this week against the 49ers.

San Francisco has historically kept Murray in check, holding the veteran quarterback to under 250 passing yards and one or fewer passing touchdowns in four consecutive matchups. Furthermore, the 49ers have surrendered only 13.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the ninth-fewest in the NFL, giving up 14.7 or less in all but one contest. After he totaled a season-low 142 passing yards and 10 fantasy points last week against an awful Washington Commanders pass defense, fantasy players shouldn’t bet on Kyler against his NFC West division rivals.

Breece Hall (RB — NYJ) vs. Minnesota Vikings

Fantasy players are panicking after Hall had 10 rushing attempts for four yards and 2.8 half-point PPR fantasy points in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos. While Braelon Allen has looked like a star over the first month, Hall remains the team’s lead running back. The superstar was the RB3 over the first three weeks, averaging 17.7 fantasy points per game and totaling 15.8 or more in every contest. While Hall will finish the year as a high-end RB1, fantasy players should expect another poor performance in Week 5.

The Vikings have a 4-0 record this year. While the offense gets all the credit, Minnesota’s defense has been outstanding, surrendering the fourth-fewest points per game (14.8). They have shut down running backs, giving up the fewest rushing touchdowns (one) and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game (14.5) this season. The Vikings have also allowed the lowest explosive run rate (1.3%) and yards before contact per rushing attempt (0.84) over the first month (per Fantasy Points Data). Unfortunately, Hall has an uphill fight ahead of him on Sunday morning in London.

Zack Moss (RB — CIN) vs. Baltimore Ravens

Last week, Moss had an outstanding performance, totaling 15.8 half-point PPR fantasy points against an awful Carolina Panthers run defense. However, the veteran averaged fewer than 3.5 rushing yards per attempt for the second time this season. Furthermore, his 60% stuffed run rate and 1.47 yards after contact per attempt were his worst averages over the first month (per Fantasy Points Data). Meanwhile, Moss’ fellow Bengals RB Chase Brown is coming off the best performance of his career. Brown finished Week 4 as the RB5, scoring 22.2 fantasy points and two rushing touchdowns.

More importantly, Moss is losing his role near the goal line. The veteran had four of the Bengals’ five rushing attempts inside the five-yard line over the first three weeks, with Joe Burrow having the other. However, that changed in Week 4. Brown accounted for two of the Bengals’ three rushing attempts inside the five-yard line, scoring both his touchdowns at the goal line (per Fantasy Points Data). Meanwhile, the Ravens have held running backs to the fewest rushing yards (42.5) and the third-fewest fantasy points (14.4) per game this season.

Diontae Johnson (WR — CHI) vs. Chicago Bears

Johnson has been significantly better for fantasy players since the Panthers replaced Bryce Young with Andy Dalton. The veteran was the WR80 over the first two weeks, averaging six targets and 3.0 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. By comparison, he has been the WR4 over the past two weeks with Dalton, averaging 13.5 targets and 20 fantasy points per game. Johnson has also recorded 17.8 or more fantasy points and a touchdown in both contests. While the quarterback change gave Johnson a massive boost in fantasy value, the veteran also benefitted from back-to-back appealing matchups.

Unfortunately, that won’t be the case this week. The Bears have held wide receivers to the second-fewest receiving touchdowns (one) and the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game (20.3) this season. Furthermore, they have surrendered just 81.2 fantasy points to wide receivers over the first month, with Nico Collins (23.5) accounting for 28.9% of that total. Collins is the only wide receiver to score more than 10.2 fantasy points against Chicago this year. Johnson should remain a fantasy WR1 with Dalton under center. However, the veteran belongs on the bench this week.

Stefon Diggs (WR — HOU) vs. Buffalo Bills

I called Diggs a must-sell candidate after Week 1. The veteran is the WR10 for the year, averaging 13.9 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, 32.4% of his fantasy production has come from three touchdowns. Meanwhile, his 6.9 aDOT ranks 44th out of 48 wide receivers with at least 100 routes run this season, a lower average than Zay Flowers and Elijah Moore (per Fantasy Points Data). While many think he will have a massive performance in a revenge game against the Bills, expect Buffalo to shut him down.

Last week, Diggs needed a rushing touchdown off a broken trick play to score double-digit fantasy points against a poor Jacksonville Jaguars defense despite the Texans missing Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. Both players are expected to play against the Bills. Furthermore, the veteran wide receiver has averaged only 1.1 fantasy points per target over the past three weeks after averaging 3.1 in Week 1. Meanwhile, Buffalo has held wide receivers to only one receiving touchdown (in Week 1) and the second-fewest fantasy points per game this season (15.5).

Trey McBride (TE — ARI) vs. San Francisco 49ers

The tight end position has been a fantasy nightmare, as George Kittle (11.9) and Dallas Goedert (10.5) are the only two TEs to average more than 8.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. McBride missed the Cardinals’ Week 4 matchup with a concussion but returned to practice on Wednesday. He is the TE3 on a points-per-game basis, averaging 8.4 fantasy points per contest. However, McBride doesn’t have a receiving touchdown and is a fumble recovery in the end zone away from being the TE10 on a points-per-game basis (6.4).

Furthermore, the third-year tight end has had 30 or fewer receiving yards and 5.5 or fewer fantasy points in two of three games this season. Meanwhile, the 49ers have held tight ends to the third-fewest receiving yards (16) and the sixth-fewest fantasy points (4.4) per game, surrendering 21 or fewer yards and 3.6 or fewer fantasy points in all but one contest. Austin Hooper is the highest-scoring tight end against San Francisco this year, totaling 8.3 fantasy points last week because of a garbage-time touchdown.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.

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