Week 5 start em sit em: the calls Week 4 workloads back up, and the injuries still open

The clearest Week 5 start em sit em calls

Week 5 has 15 games and two byes, Kansas City and Carolina, so anyone from the Chiefs or Panthers is out of your lineup this week. Our Week 5 start or sit calls rebuilt this afternoon, and only part of the week has projections yet. Every pair below has a real Week 5 number on both sides, and the table prints each player's Week 4 workload next to it, so you can see where the work agrees with the call and where it does not.

Source: the calls read at 12:50 PM ET and the rankings updated at 12:37 PM ET. Points are PPR. Shares are from Sleeper's Week 4 stats, defined in the sources above.

Running back. Javonte Williams had 19 of Dallas's 23 carries by backs and receivers in Week 4 and three touchdowns. Irving had 16 of Tampa Bay's 23 but no targets at all, and he faces a Dallas defense that allows the 8th most running back points. Both play Thursday night, so this call is due first. Emanuel Wilson is still first on Sleeper's Seattle depth chart, and he was added in 997,236 Sleeper leagues in the last 24 hours. Allen's 100% is 14 carries out of 14 with Breece Hall listed Out (quadriceps), so the share is real but the volume is small, and Judkins gets a Jets defense that allows the 2nd most running back points. That is the shakiest call in the table.

Wide receiver and tight end. London drew 6 of Atlanta's 20 targets for 96 yards on Monday night, and Baltimore allows the 4th most receiver points. Pickens drew 3 of Dallas's 42 targets, while CeeDee Lamb took 21 of them. Kittle drew 6 of San Francisco's 27 targets and scored. Kincaid drew 2 targets against New England and is projected for 3.6 catches this week.

Calls inside the noise

A gap under 1.5 points is inside the noise of one catch, the line our call model draws. These are leans, not answers:

• Josh Allen over Matthew Stafford, 23.2 to 22.8. They play each other on Monday night.
• Deshaun Watson over Dak Prescott, 18.3 to 17.8. Watson completed 24 of 33 for 268 yards in Week 4 and was added in 121,064 Sleeper leagues.
• Tyson Bagent over Jalen Hurts, 16.8 to 15.9. Ben Johnson named Bagent the starter at Green Bay. Hurts threw for 93 yards in Week 4, and his projection is 193.5 passing yards and 26.6 rushing.
• Christian McCaffrey over Kyren Williams, 18.8 to 17.4. Kyren scored 36.7 PPR points in Week 4 on 16 carries and 13 targets, but Buffalo allows the 6th most running back points, and the projection does not chase last week's score.

Calls that turn on injuries

Lamar Jackson, Ravens. Jackson has an ankle sprain that gives him only an outside chance to play Sunday against Atlanta (NFL Network). Sleeper lists him Questionable. He has no full Week 5 projection, so he sits below the ranked board. Tyler Huntley, second on Sleeper's Baltimore depth chart, completed 8 of 9 for 63 yards in relief in Week 4 and is QB15 at 15.0 on an early, thin projection. Derrick Henry does not need Jackson to be the RB2 at 22.4. He had 23 of Baltimore's 24 carries last week, 96%.

The timing matters more than the projection. Ravens at Falcons is the Sunday night game, 8:20 PM ET, and inactive lists are due 90 minutes before kickoff. If Jackson is ruled out that late, the only quarterbacks still unplayed are Huntley and Michael Penix Jr. in that game, and Allen and Stafford on Monday. If you have another quarterback you trust, start him over a Jackson who is still Questionable on Saturday.

Saquon Barkley, Eagles. Barkley is week to week with a hamstring injury that is not considered long term (Rapoport and Garafolo). Sleeper lists him Out. Tank Bigsby, who had 14 carries after Barkley left in Week 4, is headed to injured reserve after core muscle surgery. Will Shipley is the lone healthy back on Philadelphia's active roster (ESPN) and second on Sleeper's depth chart. He was added in 589,026 Sleeper leagues, but he has no Week 5 projection yet, and he had 6 carries for 23 yards in Week 4. The Eagles play Jacksonville in London at 9:30 AM ET Sunday, before every other Sunday game.

Bengals receivers. Ja'Marr Chase left Week 4 with a concussion and is in the NFL's protocol (Zac Taylor). Tee Higgins hurt his adductor on the final drive after 16 targets, 11 catches and 157 yards, and is day to day (Taylor). Sleeper lists Chase Out and Higgins Questionable. Higgins has no Week 5 projection yet, and his 15.5 on the board is a carried Week 4 figure, so it is not a Week 5 call. Cincinnati plays at Miami at 1:00 PM ET. Dohnte Meyers drew 9 targets in Week 4 and was the second most added player on Sleeper, but he has no Week 5 projection either.

Chicago backfield. Kyle Monangai had 30 carries, 146 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4, 60% of the carries, and Sleeper lists him Questionable with a thumb injury. D'Andre Swift is still first on Sleeper's depth chart. Neither has a Week 5 projection yet, so wait for Wednesday's practice report before choosing.

Washington quarterback. Marcus Mariota has a sprained MCL with no timetable, and Dan Quinn says Jayden Daniels will practice in full with the hope of starting against the Giants. Sleeper still lists both Out. No Washington quarterback has a Week 5 projection, and every call with Daniels in it is gated until his designation changes.

Seattle. The Seahawks plan to sign Joe Mixon to their practice squad if he passes a physical (ESPN sources). Sleeper has not given him a depth chart spot. Nothing about Wilson's Week 5 role changes until Mixon is on the active roster.

When each call is due

• Thursday, 8:15 PM ET: Tampa Bay at Dallas. Javonte Williams, Irving, Lamb, Pickens and Ferguson.
• Sunday, 9:30 AM ET: Philadelphia and Jacksonville in London. Hurts, Shipley, Tuten.
• Sunday, 8:20 PM ET: Baltimore at Atlanta. Jackson or Huntley, Henry, London.
• Monday, 8:15 PM ET: Buffalo at the Rams. Allen, Stafford, Kyren Williams, Kincaid.

A call is fixed at the earlier of its two kickoffs and graded after, misses included.

What to do with this

1. Set the calls with a real gap first, and treat anything under 1.5 points as your own decision.
2. Decide on Dallas and Tampa Bay players by Thursday night, and on Eagles and Jaguars players by 9:30 AM ET Sunday.
3. Recheck the Week 5 calls and the injury report after Wednesday's practice reports, when Jackson, Higgins, Monangai and Daniels may move them. For who to add, see the Week 5 waiver wire targets.