To this point, I’ve played it fairly safe with this blog whilst I built up some confidence in my writing. I’ve only been writing about fantasy football since August of this year and I wanted to find my feet before charging ahead with various commitments to weekly features.

This week marks the start of my start/sit articles, which I’ll endeavor to provide once a week moving forward. As with any start/sit decision, it really depends on who your alternatives are. I can’t make your decisions for you, but I’ll look to make a case for a number of players, good or bad, that will hopefully make your decisions a little easier.

Start: Rome Odunze (Chicago)

The bears kick off this Sunday’s action when they host (does anyone know how to increase the angle of italics?) the Jaguars in London.

The Jags are giving up the most receiving yards to wide receivers this year and I’m fully expecting this trip abroad to be a successful one for Chicago.

After the Bears’ first game of the year, I looked up the average depth of target for the receivers, trying to get an idea of how Moore, new addition Keenan Allen and promising rookie Rome Odunze were going to be utilized. There was almost nothing between them, with Moore and Allen both at 6.6 yards and Odunze at 5.5.

After five weeks though, things look a little different. Moore is the clear number one receiver, but I wanted to check on Allen and Odunze, now that the former is back healthy and both players received the same amount of targets in week 5 (6).

Keenan Allen’s ADOT is 6.3 on the year, so not much change there, though it is clearly the lowest of the three receivers. Moore’s ADOT has increased to 9.7, but Odunze’s, previously the lowest, has shot up to a massive 13.8 yards.

With Jacksonville allowing so many yards through the air, and Odunze matching Allen for targets, I’m backing the young pretender to go big in London this weekend.

Sit: Mike Evans (Tampa Bay)

Fifteen weeks of every year, Mike Evans is a must-start when healthy. Currently the WR11 in half-PPR, Evans has three WR1 finishes to his name already through five games.

Unfortunately for fantasy managers, this week is not one of the previously mentioned fifteen weeks… this week, is Saints week, and Evans’ struggles against Saints corner Marshon Lattimore are no secret.

In his previous seven games vs the Saints, Evans has topped three receptions just once, and that was only four. When making less than five receptions this season, he’s finished outside WR3 range on both occasions.

What could come to the receivers rescue, though, are touchdowns. Evans ranks joint-first in the NFL with five receiving scores this year, averaging one a game. Against the Saints, however, he hasn’t found the end-zone in any of his last five appearances.

Start: Tony Pollard (Tennessee)

Currently the RB25 on the year, just outside RB2 range, Pollard has only finished outside the RB2 spots on one occasion this year, when he was given just six carries against Green Bay. Other than that, Pollard has been a solid producer and, after a week off, should be fresh and ready for a big game against a Colts team that has really struggled against the run.

The Colts defense has registered the third-highest number of missed tackles (46) through five games, something the elusive Pollard should be able to capitalize on.

Also possibly working in Pollard’s favour, is the news that Anthony Richardson is planning to play this week, replacing Joe Flacco. The Colts time in possession drops to around 33% when Richardson plays, which should mean more opportunities for everyone on the Tennessee offense.

Sit: Hunter Henry (New England)

Hunter Henry is the current TE19 in fantasy this year, so I understand if this one seems a bit redundant. This week, however, with the news that rookie QB Drake Maye is set to start his first NFL game, replacing Jacoby Brissett, I’ve heard some chatter around Henry, as well as some waiver adds.

Most won’t need this advice, but for those that do, the Houston Texans have, so far, allowed the second-fewest receiving yards in the league to tight ends. Whilst they have avoided the then-injured Evan Engram and T.J Hockenson, they restricted Dalton Kincaid to just two receptions for thirty-four yards on six targets last week.

I like Drake Maye and I think he’ll be a good NFL quarterback, but Brissett makes way having faced the highest pressure rate in the league this season. Not an ideal situation for a rookie to walk into.

Start: Cade Otton (Tampa Bay)

I backed Cade Otton in my mid-week buy-low’s and I backed Cade Otton in my week six betting preview, now I’m backing Cade Otton as a fantasy “start”.

For the third time this week, *exhales exhaustedly*, the New Orleans Saints have given up the third-most receiving yards to tight-ends this year. Currently a low-end TE2 on the year, Otton has produced two TE1 performances in the last three weeks and this is a great opportunity to add another.

Mike Evans, as previously mentioned, has a significant history of struggling in this match-up and that could make Otton a top-two receiver on his team, in a potential shoot-out.

Shoot-out potential may have taken a knock with the injury to Saints QB Derek Carr last week, but rookie Spencer Rattler is an intriguing prospect and this Saints offense shouldn’t be written off.

That’s all from me this week, have an awesome Sunday! I’ll be back with the round-up, along with some potential trade targets once the week 6 dust settles.