Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 5 RBs Include Joe Mixon

Week 5 is upon us, and so too is the start of NFL team bye weeks. This adds yet another wrinkle to the already challenging fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em task. As far as the running back position is concerned, injuries, backfield timeshares and, dare I say poor ball security, continue to alter the outlook for players in fantasy football on a week-to-week basis. Despite the challenges, setting the optimal starting lineup is crucial to one’s success.

For the record, players like Breece Hall, Alvin Kamara and Bijan Robinson will still be started in lineups weekly. It’s the RB2 and FLEX spots where things get a bit dicier. To help you make some of these tough decisions, check out our weekly fantasy football rankings and read below for our Week 5 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em analysis at RB.

Wide Receivers — Week 5 Fantasy Football Start/Sit

Tight Ends — Week 5 Fantasy Football Start/Sit

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Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 5 RBs

Start: Joe Mixon Fantasy Outlook vs. Bills

Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) Rank: 19

We must preface all matchup analysis by noting that Joe Mixon was a non-participant at practice for the Houston Texans on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Admittedly, this would suggest that he is in danger of missing a third straight game due to an ankle injury. However, head coach DaMeco Ryans has not waivered from calling Mixon day-to-day. This hopefully means that the team is just exercising a cautious approach.

If Mixon can get back into action this week, he couldn’t ask for a better fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em matchup. The Texans will host a Buffalo Bills team that is giving up the most PPR fantasy points per game to the RB position by a wide margin. Where the Bills have been particularly poor at defending the position is in the passing game. 28 receptions, 250 RB receiving yards and three touchdowns allowed all rank dead last among NFL defenses.

While Mixon can be plugged right back into starting lineups if he can return this week, managers might also want to have a contingency plan in place. With Dameon Pierce also not yet returning to practice, Cam Akers would again be the preferred Texans RB in Week 5 over Dare Ogunbowale.

Start: Javonte Williams Fantasy Outlook vs. Raiders

ECR Rank: 26

Look, it’s tough to get super excited about much of anything concerning the Denver Broncos’ offense right now. Somehow, the team has won two straight road games, thus carrying momentum into an AFC West divisional showdown against the rival Las Vegas Raiders this week. Javonte Williams also brings some personal momentum into this contest. Last week, he toted the ball 17 times and averaged 4.81 yards per carry. Both figures represent season highs.

Despite all of the mixing and matching Sean Payton has been doing with his RBs, Williams has actually played north of 50% of the team’s offensive snaps in all four games to date. Tyler Badie looked like he might swoop in and assume a larger role, but a back injury last week has him likely headed to the IR. Thus far, Williams clearly has the edge over Jaleel McLaughlin.

With the Broncos’ passing attack still a work in progress, Williams could be a focal point of the offense this week against a Raiders team that is allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.

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Sit: Zack Moss Fantasy Outlook vs. Ravens

ECR Rank: 22

The Cincinnati Bengals finally notched their first win of the season last week, and their running backs played a big role in the game plan. Zack Moss and Chase Brown each carried the ball 15 times. Through four games, Moss ranks as the RB18 in PPR scoring. Despite his consistency, there are some concerns that land Moss on the wrong side of fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em this week.

For starters, Brown’s incredible efficiency has enabled him to continue earning more touches, thus cutting into Moss’ workload. That’s all well and good in a game against a bad team Carolina. However, such a split could be a real problem against a Baltimore Ravens defense that comes in allowing only 57.8 rushing yards per game. That’s over 17 fewer yards allowed than any other NFL team! As a result, the Ravens are allowing the third-fewest PPR points to opposing RBs.

Taking all of this into consideration, it will be tough to trust either Moss or Brown in this matchup with minimal production expected overall.

Sit: Devin Singletary Fantasy Outlook vs. Seahawks

ECR Rank: 21

Devin Singletary is the second running back in our Week 5 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em column who has yet to practice at the time of writing. He is dealing with a groin injury but has stated himself that he has a chance to play. Unfortunately, even if he does suit up and start, the New York Giants’ top RB is difficult to trust in fantasy this week.

While Singletary may wind up being good to go, the Giants are expected to be without star rookie receiver, Malik Nabers on the road this week against the improved Seattle Seahawks defense. This is a major problem given that his presence has seemingly resurrected an otherwise pedestrian offense. To date, Singletary’s two strong fantasy performances were buoyed by him finding the end zone.

Even if Singletary goes, it would hardly be a shock to see his workload reduced by the injury. He will be hard-pressed to live up to his RB21 ECR ranking and should be viewed as a fringe RB2 at best.