Tom Brady’s return back home was not the game we expected. We all expected the Buccaneers to beat down the Patriots Sunday night, but instead we got a classic Brady experience. Down to the wire, game winning drive, this game had it all. With this win, Brady has now beaten all 32 NFL teams, and surpassed Drew Brees for all time passing yards.
Week four was fun, but week five is lining up to be even more exciting. The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs line up for a prime time AFC Championship rematch. Two of the best young quarterbacks in the league go head to head in the Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers matchup. And the undefeated Arizona Cardinals look to remain perfect as they take on their division rival, the San Francisco 49ers.
Now that bye weeks are starting and we are a quarter through the season, let’s jump into who should start and who should sit in week five.
Quarterbacks:
Michael’s picks
Despite the 17 point loss, Matthew Stafford and the Rams played a great game of football. Stafford threw for 280 yards on 26 completions, tossing up two touchdowns on his way, arguably out-playing quarterback Kyler Murray on the other side of the field. Ever since leaving Detroit this off-season, Stafford has shown signs of being a Super Bowl caliber quarterback, and should definitely start this week.
Thursday night we had a battle of two young arms: Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence took on the Bengals’ Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. The 24-21 win for the Bengals showed a glimpse of what Burrow can be one day in the league, but this week I don’t think we will see the same performance. Going against the Packers strong pass defense, the quarterback will find himself handing the ball off more than he normally does, and won’t have the chance to show his strengths this week. Joe Burrow should see the bench for your team in week five.
Tre’s picks
After coming off a huge victory over the then undefeated Carolina Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys are back on a roll. Dak Prescott, who is coming off of his leg injury last season, is starting to get his groove back, throwing for 188 yards and four touchdowns. With a game against the New York Giants coming up this week, Prescott should have a field day against the Giants lackluster defense. I would without a doubt start Prescott this week.
Let’s move onto the Cleveland Browns, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield and the Browns offense struggled last week against the Minnesota Vikings, only winning by 7 points. Mayfeild threw for 165 yards, but he had zero touchdowns. As they go on to take on the Los Angeles Charges this week, I think that if they struggled offensively against Minnesota, then they will struggle even worse against the Chargers in L.A. Mayfield should see the bench this week.
Running backs:
Michael’s picks
Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was toying with the Eagles defense en route to the 42-30 victory in Philadelphia. The second-year halfback ran 102 yards on 14 carries, putting up 19.4 fantasy points on ESPN. Heading back home to take on the Bills, the Chiefs may look into using the run game more, as defenses have slowly learned how to slow down the Chiefs and their absurdly talented air raid. Edwards-Helaire should be starting this week.
The Detroit Lions, to no surprise, are bad. After losing to the Bears, the team still remains without a win. Running back D’Andre Swift has not been helping the cause. Running for just 16 yards on eight attempts, Swift has been lackluster all year. All Lions running backs should be on the bench this week.
Tre’s picks
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot has been performing really well so far this season. Elliot has always been a reliable player and consistently performs really well. Last week against the Carolina Panthers he ran for over 100 yards and scored himself a touchdown. The Cowboys face the New York Giants this week and by the way the Giants have played recently, Elliot should have a breakout performance. Elliot should start this week
The Saints losing this past week to the New York Giants in overtime is absolutely embarrassing for them, considering they should be a playoff team this year. The Saints running back Alvin Kamara scored no touchdowns in this game. Although he rushed for 100 yards, he’s going to have to score this week against The Washington Football Team if his team has a chance at winning. Kamara is not someone you should start this week.
Wide receivers/Tight ends:
Michael’s picks
New England’s wide receiver has been a promising target all year. Jakobi Meyers has put up almost ten points in both of the last two weeks, both against top-ten defenses. This week the Patriots take on one of the worst defenses in the NFL: the Houston Texans. After the Patriots quarterback showed off his talent against the Buccaneers, Mac Jones should help Meyers put up serious numbers. Meyers is a definite starter this week.
CeeDee Lamb was disappointing last week. The man only had 13 yards all game. After having three sad weeks in a row, it’s time the CeeDee sees the bench. Taking on the Giants this week, it’s possible that Lamb can have a breakthrough game, but the risk isn’t worth the reward. Sit Lamb this week.
Tre’s picks
The Denver Broncos are catching people by surprise this year. Although they haven’t played the best teams this year and are now coming off of a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, I still think tight end Noah Fant is a sleeper pick. He has been playing consistently and he can steal some points for your team in fantasy this week as they get ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Chicago Bears are the worst team in the league right now. The only thing they have right now is their defense, although they are not always consistent. Definitely do not start Allen Robinson II in your lineups this week, at least not until the Bears can figure out a way to get the ball consistently moving down field.
Wrap Up
As always, this week’s NFL action is setting up to be exciting. We should expect to see big games from big name players, and fun finishes throughout the day Sunday. Now that our lineups are set and we’re ready to play, we wish you all good luck as you roll into week five of the NFL fantasy football season.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
