Vladimir De Wet breaks down the first half of the Week 5 matchups for the 2015 NFL football season. Be sure to also check out part one of this week's matchups analysis, breaking down the earlier slate of games. Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down each of the NFL matchups and providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, as well as some high-risk/high-reward players.

Below, you will find part two of our Week 5 NFL matchups & fantasy football start/sit analysis, which should help you prepare your lineups to win this week. It’s essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts.

Four weeks of the season have passed, leaving only 75% of the season left to play. Some guys have busted out and others are still trying to find their way. Check out this week's best options below.

 

Bills @ Titans - Sunday 10/11 @ 1:00 PM EST

Matchups We Love:

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Bills - Taylor didn't have his best game against the Giants last week but he was missing LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins. Tyrod and the Bills offense were held to a season low 55 yards rushing which consistently led to difficult 3rd and long situations. Do not bail on Taylor just yet though. He had two touchdowns (one pass, one run) called back on penalties and was still able to put up decent numbers. Taylor is the 6th ranked fantasy QB through four weeks and even when he doesnt play his best he's a clear QB1. All that being said, the Titans are ranked top 10 in both rush and pass defense and PFF has them ranked as their 6th overall defense (remember the Titans only played 3 games and many of these rankings are based on yardage totals). Taylor will be put to the test this weekend on the road at Tennessee and if he can continue to play mistake free he should be just fine.

Kendall Wright, WR, Titans - The Bills defense has given up the second most passing touchdowns in the league this year. Over the last two weeks they've given up 678 passing yards and 6 touchdowns to the Patriots and Giants. Marcus Mariota and Wright are at home after a bye week and should hopefully continue to build on their strong start to the season. Wright leads the team in targets and receptions and assuming the Bills keep giving up big plays in the air there's no reason he shouldn't have another good game.

Boobie Dixon, RB, Bills - Karlos Williams got shut down and concussed by the no name Giants D-line last week and if he doesn't play, then someone nicknamed "Boobie" will take the majority of running back snaps for the BIlls. The Titans have given up the 20th most rushing yards per game (113.7) and the Bills are pretty committed to the run no matter who has been back there (8th most rushing attempts in league). If Williams and McCoy are definitely out and you desperately need a running back then Dixon might be worth the flier.

Matchups We Hate:

Titans backfield - The Bills have given up the third fewest rushing yards through four games and only one rushing touchdown. The Titans backs just haven't gotten going between Bishop Sankey, Dexter McCluster, and Terrance West. Against this Rex Ryan defense none of these guys seem worth the start this week.

Notable Players:

LeSean McCoy, RB, Bills - McCoy sat out practice all week and just has not been able to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered in the preseason. Both McCoy and Williams should be game time decisions but are obvious starts if they play.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills - Watkins was held out of most of practice this week and doesn't look good to start on Sunday. Even if he does start Watkins has been limited this season and his hamstring injury seems like it may linger. This is one week where staying away from Watkins, even if he plays, may be the best idea.

 

Cardinals @ Lions - Sunday 10/11 @ 4:05 PM EST

Matchups We Love:

Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions - Johnson has looked more like Bumblebee than Megatron through the first quarter of the season. With all of the explosive receivers around the league Johnson's stats have been average at best so far this season ( 38th fantasy WR). Yet, last week he looked healthy and physically fit against a stacked Seahawks secondary and if he doesn't fumble the ball at the last second there is a completely different feeling surrounding Johnson this week. His talent and skill are still there it's just whether or not the offense as a whole can get it together so he can shine like we're used to. The Cardinals are a middle of the pack passing defense and will probably have Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathiew shading towards Johnson. That never mattered in the past and I expect Johnson to remind everyone how he got the nickname Megatron.

Matchups We Hate:

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Lions - The Lions offensive line is rated as the 5th worst run blocking line according to PFF. Abdullah has shown flashes but the Lions simply do not block well and when they don't block well they stray away from the run game (31st in rushing attempts). Abdullah's main value will come as a playmaker out of the backfield and as a punt returner. Arizona isn't the greatest at stopping the run but the Lions have just been so inept at running the ball it's hard to consider starting one of their backs on a week to week basis.

Notable Players:

Michael Floyd, WR, Lions - Floyd had somewhat of a break out performance last week against the Rams (5 rec, 59 yds). He's still a third or fourth receiving option on the team and with the offense as explosive as it is there's no reason he should see more targets. The time to cut bait with FLoyd has come as he just seems to be lost in a rotation of six or seven potential people for Palmer to throw the ball to with no special emphasis placed on getting Floyd the ball.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions - The biggest reason the Lions are 0-4 is because their franchise quarterback just isn't playing like a franchise quarterback. Stafford is owned in 86% of Fleaflicker leagues and is ranked the 24th fantasy QB. His ranking makes him barely a QB2 in most 12 team leagues. Guys like Tyrod Taylor, Eli Manning, and Marcus Mariota all seem like better plays instead of Stafford going forward.

 

Patriots @ Cowboys - Sunday 10/11 @ 4:25 PM EST

Matchups We Love:

Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots - Amendola's targets and receptions have gone up each week this season. He is clearly a part of the offense and because Tom Brady doesn't care who gets the balls you never know when Amendola will have a huge game. After a bye week the Patriots are going against a Cowboys secondary that is ranked 20th (PFF) and has given up the 19th most passing yards per game this season. Brady and Gronk will go crazy as usual but there has to be a third Patriot that steps up and Amendola is poised to breakout this week.

Joseph Randle, RB, Cowboys - Lance Dunbar is out for the season so both Randle and Darren McFadden are going to increase their touches. Dunbar was second on the Cowboys with 21 receptions so the team will be looking to replace some of his out of the backfield receiving with Randle. New England's defense has been good against the run this year, but has been susceptible to big passing plays. Randle might not rush for a lot of yards but with the increase in play and a good matchup he should have a good all around performance.

Matchups We Hate:

Dion Lewis, RB, Patriots - Before their bye week the Patriots were slowly transitioning to making LeGarrette Blount the feature back and after a week of practice he should be firmly implanted as the starter. Lewis had two good games but anyone that knows the Patriots backfield knows that it is one of the most consistent week to week rotations in the league. Belichick and Brady trust Blount a lot so Lewis may not see the field that much until Blount either fumbles or gets caught smoking again.

Notable Players:

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots - The Cowboys are getting Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain back this week from suspension and injury. While they won't stop Gronk they should make his life a little harder than people probably expect. There's no reason to think Gronk will have a bad game, but the added talent to the Cowboys defense may shock people in how well they play against him. Brady is always generous in spreading the ball around so even if Gronk gets smothered I expect the Patriots the throw the ball all around Jerry's World in Dallas.

 

Broncos @ Raiders - Sunday 10/11 @ 4:25 PM EST

Matchups We Love:

Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders - Cooper has had a blazing start to the season and will be facing his toughest matchup yet against Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr, and Bradley Roby. The Broncos have the leagues highest rated overall defense and should make it a hard day on all of the Raiders offensive players. Cooper should see the same amount of targets and his day will be dependent on whether or not he can beat the man in front of him. Today would be the usual time to shy away from Cooper but I have a belief that stars shine the brightest against the best competition. Cooper has so far proven to be a value WR2 and this week may go towards seeing whether or not he can already move up to WR1 .

Owen Daniels, TE, Broncos - The Raiders have given up the most fantasy points to opposing TEs. Daniels has had a touchdown reception each of the last two weeks and has become a consistent threat in the redzone for the Broncos. Nobody has been better at finding and exploiting matchups throughout their career than Peyton Manning so expect for him to be looking for Daniels against a defense that's weak up the middle.

Matchups We Hate:

Latavius Murray, RB, Raiders - Do not play running backs against this Broncos defense. That simple, let's not make it complicated. Murray has looked good but it's Derek Carr or bust this week for the Raiders.

Notable Players:

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos - Thomas hurt his neck while going against the Vikings last week. He should be fine and will more than likely put up big numbers against a run of the mill Raiders secondary.

 

49ers @ Giants - Sunday 10/11 @ 8:30 PM EST

Matchups We Love:

Torrey Smith, WR, 49ers - The Giants have given up the most passing yards this season and just do not get lots of pressure on the quarterback. If Colin Kaepernick can remember how to throw a football, then Smith has a chance to have an explosive game this week. Smith has been nonexistent this season and many have probably already given up on him. I don't think Smith will have a good season with Kaepernick as his QB but this week is a very favorable matchup against one of the league's worst secondaries.

Rueben Randle, WR, Giants - Last year Randle had a sneaky good season (71/938/3) but it went unnoticed because of all the Odell Beckham Jr. craziness. The Giants have been hoping Randle would take the step up this year and so far he has done well. The 49ers are PFF's 4th worst ranked pass defense and they have given up the 7th most points to opposing fantasy WRs. Odell should be getting all of the extra attention as usual so expect Randle to have favorable matchups and expect him to win a lot of them.

Matchups We Hate:

Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers - The Giants have the leading rush defense in terms of total yards and yards per rushing attempt this season. No one has been able to run on them through four games including the Redskins and Bills. Both teams have top 10 rushing totals in the league yet they had their lowest season totals when facing the Giants. The 49ers also haven't been able to establish a consistent running game outside of week two. The Giants will be expecting Kaepernick to beat them as they will be selling out to the stop the run.

Notable Players:

Victor Cruz, WR, Giants - Cruz continues to find ways to get injured and will miss another week. At this point the Giants passing offense is still dynamic and productive so even when Cruz comes back I don't expect him to be the biggest part of the offense. It may be time to cut bait on the salsa master.

 

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