Hello and welcome back, Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly starts and sits. I will be doing the WR starts and sits for the 2022 season! As a group, we will make our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings from FantasyPros. Here is our squad and the position groups they will be covering to help you each week. Follow us, DM us, and tweet us; we look forward to hearing from you!
QB: Jason Snyder (@Spydes78) – Changing the Call
RB: Jake Oliver (@DarthDbacks) – The Cutback
WR: Tristan Cook (@THEtristancook) – Slant Pattern
TE: Ethan Wyatt (@ethanAwyatt) – 12 Formation
FLEX: Evan Brown (@FFEVanlution) – Flex on ‘Em
IDP: Jon Glosser (@Glosser13) – IDP Start/Sit
One thing to keep in mind when making your start/sit decisions, it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. The players listed below are WRs that I expect to finish above/below their respective rankings. But it doesn’t mean you need to take them out of (or put them into) your lineup unless your alternatives are worth it.
NOTE: Rankings are based on a 12-team PPR league. So, saying WR2 means top 24, or TE1 means top 12, etc., and are pulled from Fantasy Pros consensus expert rankings.
LAST WEEK’S RECAP
Week 4 was a really strong week for my start/sit calls. The only ‘miss’ I had was having DeVonta Smith as a ‘start.’ He flopped after a monster game in Week 3, only tallying 17 yards receiving on three catches. My other ‘start’ calls were Jerry Jeudy, Chris Olave, and DJ Moore. Jeudy and Olave finished well above their respective rankings, but Moore only finished three spots above his, so I’m calling that a push. My two ‘sit’ calls were Gabe Davis and Rashod Bateman. Davis finished as WR87, and Bateman finished as WR69. Those were both ‘hits.’ Hopefully, I can keep up that success rate, so let’s get to these calls.
STARTS
JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. LV – WR32
Week 4 Stats | WR 38 | FPts: 9.6 | Tgts: 8 | Rec: 5 | Yds: 46 | TDs: 0
Smith-Schuster is my first ‘start’ for the week. He has been relatively mediocre for Kansas City so far, but I think he has an opportunity for a big game this week. The Chiefs and Raiders have allowed many yards through the air this year, and Patrick Mahomes has traditionally torched the Raiders. JuJu has seen 8eight targets in three of the first four games but has not scored yet on the year. I expect this game to be rather high scoring, and if JuJu sees that kind of target load again, he should put up solid numbers. I think his ceiling isn’t quite as high as it once was, but I’m playing JuJu this week.
Allen Lazard vs. NYG – WR33
Week 4 Stats | WR 16 | FPts: 17.6 | Tgts: 8 | Rec: 6 | Yds: 116 | TDs: 0
There has been a lot of hype around Packers rookie wideout Romeo Doubs, but Lazard has quietly had a solid year. He missed the first game with an injury but has improved every week since returning. Lazard scored in Weeks 2 and 3 and put up over 100 yards receiving last week.
This week, Green Bay is in London for the early game against the New York Giants. Surprisingly, New York has had one of the better pass defenses from a statistical standpoint. However, it’s primarily because they played the Titans, Panthers, Dak-less Cowboys, and Bears. None of those teams are exactly offensive passing juggernauts. So, I am confident in starting Lazard and expect him to finish well above his WR33 ranking.
DeVonta Smith @ ARI – WR27
Week 4 Stats | WR 69 | FPts: 4.7 | Tgts: 4 | Rec: 3 | Yds: 17 | TDs: 0
My third ‘start’ for this week is a carryover from last week, Smith. I’d love to blame the weather for Smith’s poor performance last week, but his teammate AJ Brown played well. The two receivers have seemingly traded off weeks for being the top fantasy WR on the team. This week they face off against the Arizona Cardinals, who have been strong against the run and weak against the pass. I expect to see Hurts attack through the air this week, and both will be the beneficiaries. I’m starting DeVonta Smith with confidence.
Garrett Wilson vs. MIA – WR35
Week 4 Stats | WR 58 | FPts: 6.2 | Tgts: 6 | Rec: 2 | Yds: 41 | TDs: 0
Garrett Wilson struggled last week in Zach Wilson’s return, but I am not worried about it long-term. Zach hadn’t seen live game action since injuring his knee in the pre-season. So, while some people have been (somewhat jokingly) clamoring for Joe Flacco, I think better days are coming for the Wilson-to-Wilson connection.
This week should be a good opportunity for Zach Wilson to knock off any rust. The Miami Dolphins are the second-worst pass defense in the NFL this year. Garrett Wilson is tenth in the NFL in targets heading into this game, and he should have ample opportunity to continue his strong start against the Dolphins. I’m starting Wilson if I have him.
SITS
Marquise Brown vs. PHI – WR14
Week 4 Stats | WR 11 | FPts: 20.8 | Tgts: 11 | Rec: 6 | Yds: 88 | TDs: 1
Moving over to my ‘sits’ for Week 5, Brown is the first player of two on my list. He is coming off a big Week 4 against Carolina, where he caught six of eleven targets for 88 yards receiving and a score. We know Hollywood can score on any play from any place on the field, but I am tempering my expectations this week if he’s on my roster.
The Philadelphia Eagles have held opponents to 177 yards passing per game, which is seventh best in the NFL. The Cardinals have not looked particularly good this year, outside of Brown. So, I expect the Eagles to deploy Darius Slay to slow down Brown and make Arizona beat them elsewhere. You may not have a better option than Brown this week, but I’m not expecting him to finish close to his WR14 ranking.
DK Metcalf @ NO – WR16
Week 4 Stats | WR 7 | FPts: 21.9 | Tgts: 10 | Rec: 7 | Yds: 149 | TDs: 0
Metcalf had a big game last week as well, but similarly is facing a much tougher defense and likely individual matchup. The Seahawks have been a surprise with Geno Smith throwing the ball much better than he ever has, but I’m worried about that continuing this week on the road in New Orleans.
Metcalf will likely be lined up against Marshon Lattimore, who has shown the ability to shut down the opponent’s top receiver. If I had other options, I’d be benching DK this week. Not all teams will have better options, but I am not anticipating he will hit WR16, where he is ranked for the week.
That’s it for Week 5, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@THEtristancook) if you have any specific questions about who I would start.
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There are also weekly office hours in the Facebook group and on Twitter each Sunday morning before the early games kick off. There are a handful of writers that will answer all the questions posted, so you are usually able to get a few different takes on your situation. Make sure to come back next week to see how these picks turned out. Good luck!
