Fantasy Football Wide Receiver & Tight End Start/Sit Week 5: Should You Start Tyler Boyd, Jonnu Smith, Courtland Sutton?

The importance of knowing who to start and who to sit can make or break a fantasy week and your matchup. People like to say “Start your studs,” and typically speaking, that is the way to go, especially early in the season, but sometimes a player's matchup gives them more value in a certain week. On the flip side, a player can also have a poor matchup that could give you a reason to bench them. 

Sync your league with the Fantasy Assistant to get rankings, waiver help, trade suggestions, optimal lineups, and more. Not sure Who You Should Start? We can help. Utilize our fantasy football trade analyzer for trades.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Week 5 Starts

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets @ Denver Broncos

There are a couple of main reasons why I am finally back on the Garrett Wilson train this week. It had been tough sledding for the Jets' offense this season; however in Week 4, QB Zach Wilson finally looked comfortable, and he targeted Garrett Wilson a season-high 14 times. That amount of volume in the passing game is going to lead to success for the Jets and for Garrett in fantasy. The matchup for Wilson and the Jets is also excellent this week, taking on a Broncos team that has been torched through the air over the past couple of weeks and ranks 24th against WRs this season. 

Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals @ Arizona Cardinals

The Bengals' offense has struggled in three of four weeks this season, but with Tee Higgins now nursing an injury, Tyler Boyd is going to see his snap count and target share increase. He gets a matchup this week with a Cardinals defense that ranks 24th against the pass this season and with his expected increase in opportunity, combined with four teams being on a bye this week, Boyd has become a solid WR3 or Flex option in Week 5. 

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Week 5 Sits

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets

Sutton does have three TDs this season and has been productive even when he doesn’t score a TD. The problem is that this week he has a very tough matchup against an excellent Jets defense. The Jets not only get tremendous pressure on the QB with their pass rush, but they also have an elite secondary and rank in the top five against WRs this season. Keep in mind that they rank very well even though they have faced three elite passing offenses in the Bills, Cowboys, and Chiefs. In shallower leagues, I would look to sit Sutton in Week 5. 

K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Vikings do have an elite passing game, but they also face a Chiefs defense this week that is top 10 against the pass and against the WR position in fantasy. Furthermore, Osborn is not seeing enough targets on a weekly basis to warrant being in your active lineup this week. He has seen just five targets over the past couple of weeks, catching two of them for 52 yards. His teammate Justin Jefferson seems to get all the looks in the passing game, with good reason of course. Unless you are playing in a 14 or 16-team league, I see no reason to start Osborn this weekend. 

Fantasy Football Tight End Week 5 Starts

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The matchup for Higbee is very good this week. We all think of the Eagles as being this amazing defense that you don’t want to start your players against, and although they are talented, they haven’t had success vs. the pass this season. They do get sacks and force turnovers, but they rank 27th in the league vs. the pass and 30th in fantasy against TEs. Higbee hasn’t found the end zone this season, yet he has still been very solid thanks to a ton of targets. He saw 11 targets in Week 4, a season-high for him and we should expect to see the same in Week 5 against an Eagles team that is sure to score a lot of points, leading to a high-scoring shootout. 

Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons vs. Houston Texans

This one may seem like a bit of a reach on my part, but I have a gut feeling about Jonnu this week, especially in deeper leagues. He has seen at least six targets in three straight games and is coming off his best game of the season, in which he caught all six targets for 95 yards. He has a history with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith from their time in Tennessee, where Arthur was the offensive coordinator for the Titans. Smith's time in Tennessee coincides with when Jonnu Smith had his breakout season. Considering his 95 yards led the Falcons in receiving in Week 4, starting Smith this week feels like the right move. 

Fantasy Football Tight End Week 5 Sits

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts

Now we go from a former Titans TE that you should start this week to a current Titans TE that should be left on your benches. Okonkwo hasn’t seen more than four targets in any game this season, and the Titans don’t throw the ball often enough for him to be a factor most weeks. This offense still runs through Derek Henry, and until we see that change, or at least an increase in Okonkwo’s targets, he is better served as a backup TE on your rosters. 

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Kincaid has been fine in real football terms. He plays a tough position and has carried himself well in the early going of his rookie season. In terms of fantasy production, though, he is leaving much to be desired. He hasn’t topped 43 yards in a game yet, and his best game in terms of receptions is five. The Bills have scored 78 points the past two weeks combined, and Kincaid has played very little role in that scoring. Right now, the Bills fantasy options are Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and James Cook. Everyone else should be left on your bench for the time being.