Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for Week 5 (2022)

Welcome back RotoBallers to our Week 5 matchups analysis and Start Em, Sit Em column for fantasy football. Week 4 was much better for overall fantasy scoring, featuring an NFL matchup with 93 points scored. Many of the big names came through along with some of the backups or fill-ins we picked up.

For those who are unfamiliar, each week we’ll be analyzing every game from the Sunday slate, helping you optimize your fantasy lineups and take down your opponent. Be sure to check back regularly for any updates on player injuries or other pertinent information.

I will be covering the entire Sunday slate of games plus the Monday Night Football game. There is also a separate article for the Thursday Night Football game each week, so be sure to read that as well. Hopefully, you had some players in that wild matchup and found your way to another win, which is what we’ll set you up for this week. If you have any additional lineup questions, follow me on Twitter @JoshCon, and feel free to ask away. Let’s dive into the matchups.

Editor’s Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best NFL Series, MLB Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller!
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Matchups Analysis – 9:30am ET Game (London)

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

Spread: Packers -8.0
Implied Total: Giants (16.5) vs. Packers (24.5)
Pace: Giants (14th) vs. Packers (32nd)
Giants Off. DVOA: 3.0% Pass (19th), 6.6% Rush (7th)
Packers Off. DVOA: 17.4% Pass (14th), 11.0% Rush (5th)
Giants Def. DVOA: 16.4% Pass (23rd), -2.4% Rush (21st)
Packers Def. DVOA: -5.5% Pass (9th), 12.0% Rush (28th)

Matchups We Love:

Saquon Barkley (RB, NYG)

Barkley rushed the ball 31 times while the team only threw the ball 16 times, and the result was a win. He’s pushing to be viewed as the No. 1 overall back with and remains a must-start weekly option because of his involvement in all facets of the game, especially given the matchup against the Packers.

Packers RBs

Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon came through again as the focal point of the offense. The game was also surprisingly close, reducing the amount of late-game carries expected for Dillon. The Giants are next up and with both their quarterbacks banged up, this will be another opportunity for these two to attack the defense and close out the game.

Matchups We Hate:

Giants WRs

On top of the plethora of injuries to the wide receivers, they are now dealing with quarterback concerns. The success of Barkley and injuries to their passing personnel limit the attempts for the offense, plus there isn’t a lead receiver. The Packers are a tough matchup, making them all players to avoid.

Other Matchups:

Packers WRs

Romeo Doubs and Allen Lazard played on 96% of offensive snaps, followed by Randall Cobb at 34%. Lazard is 24th among receivers in yards per route run with 1.83 and Doubs isn’t far behind at 1.72. They’re both talented receivers that Aaron Rodgers trusts, making them top-36 options with top-24 upside.

Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB)

Rodgers continues to be steady for fantasy, posting another day of about 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, which actually should have been a lot less had they not needed to come back and win in overtime. That is about what you can expect this week against New York, keeping him around that QB12 range.

Robert Tonyan (TE, GB)

Tonyan did what tight ends outside the top 10 are played to do, he caught a touchdown. He only had two targets but he is right there with Lazard as the team’s best red zone threat, making him a streaming candidate again in this matchup.

Injuries:

Wan’Dale Robinson (knee)

Kenny Golladay (knee)

Kadarius Toney (hamstring)

Sammy Watkins (hamstring)

Daniel Jones (ankle)

UPDATE: Daniel Jones will be active Sunday but is not in play for fantasy.

Matchups Analysis – 1:00 ET Games

Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills

Spread: Bills -14.0
Implied Total: Steelers (16) vs. Bills (30)
Pace: Steelers (5th) vs. Bills (7th)
Steelers Off. DVOA: -6.9% Pass (26th), -6.9% Rush (18th)
Bills Off. DVOA: 36.4% Pass (5th), -29.5% Rush (31st)
Steelers Def. DVOA: 2.3% Pass (12th), 10.2% Rush (15th)
Bills Def. DVOA: -38.0% Pass (1st), -16.5% Rush (9th)

Matchups We Love:

Josh Allen (QB, BUF)

Allen is the only quarterback to finish inside the top 12 all four weeks this year, finishing as the QB7 or better, highlighting both the consistency and upside he simultaneously provides. The Steelers have an above-average defense but Allen’s dual-threat ability combined with the Bills’ pass rate over expectation lock him in as a top-five quarterback.

Bills WRs

The information above also translates to the wide receivers. With Stefon Diggs leading the charge, the only unknown is who else should be started. Gabe Davis…