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IDP Start em, Sit em – Week 5 (2022 Fantasy Football)

IDP Start em, Sit em – Week 5 (2022 Fantasy Football)

Thursday Night Football was a snoozefest for fans of offense, but for those equally, or even more enamored with the defensive side of the ball, there were certainly some fireworks. Bradley Chubb and Baron Browning hosted a sack party in the Colts backfield, while DeForest Buckner and Yannick Ngakoue started one of their own, much to the dismay of the hometown crowd. Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.

Start em

Bryan Cook (S – KC)
Bryan Cook saw 73 percent of the snaps in Week 4, playing a heavy box role as the third safety for the Chiefs. He logged two solos, three assists, one pass defended, and chipped in a QB hit against the Buccaneers. He essentially took snaps away from Darius Harris, who sat on the sidelines while Cook lined up in the box. The Chiefs will, in all likelihood, revert back to heavy nickel looks when Willie Gay returns from his suspension, but until then, Cook has a new lease on his fantasy upside. He should play a similar role this week against the Raiders and carries DB3 upside. Start him where needed as a DB3/flex option.

Keanu Neal (S – TB)
Keanu Neal played 57 percent of the snaps in Week 4, racking up six solo tackles. His usage was a direct result of Logan Ryan suffering a foot injury, so if Ryan misses Week 5 as expected (he drew two DNPs to start the week), Neal should find himself over the 60 percent snap mark. His value may be short-lived as there has been no indication that Ryan’s injury is of the severe variety, but he does have DB3 with DB2 upside value for Week 5. Keanu gets a plus matchup in a revenge game against his former team this weekend. Atlanta has allowed the 14th most fantasy points to the position.

Damar Hamlin (S – BUF)
Damar Hamlin played 100 percent of the snaps for the second week in a row, confirming that he will get the first crack at Micah Hyde’s spot. Hamlin was above average in Week 3 with three solos, one assist, 0.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss, but was able to turn it on in Week 4, racking up seven solos and one assist. He is a DB3 option by virtue of his every snap role alone, but the flash of his upside we saw last week gives him DB2 upside, especially in plus matchups like he gets this week against the Steelers.

Jason Pierre-Paul (DE/LB – BAL)
JPP slid right into a featured role for the Baltimore Ravens, playing 86 percent of the snaps in Week 4. He responded with three solos and one assist. His usage suggests that the numbers should be there for the veteran pass rusher. He managed just 2.5 sacks last season on a career low in snaps but was still generating pressures at nearly the same rate (30 to 32 percent) that he did on his blitzes in the previous season. JPP is an immediate DL3 and should work his way into the DL2 conversation once he starts adding some sacks to his ledger. Start him as a DL3 for a tasty Week 5 matchup against a Cincinnati Bengals team surrendering the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing edge rushers.

Jaylon Smith (LB – NYG)
Jaylon Smith was elevated from the practice squad and immediately played 50 percent of the snaps, good for second on the team in Week 4. He recorded five solos, one assist, and one tackle for loss. Smith is not what he once was in terms of explosion, but he should be able to see his role expanded in the coming weeks. Micah McFadden is a fine depth piece, but Smith should be given every opportunity to earn a role that nets him around 70 percent of the snaps. Smith is an LB4/flex for Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers.

Sit em

Cody Barton (LB – SEA)
Cody Barton saw his snaps drop to the 62 percent mark in Week 4, which is concerning for his future value. He was an LB2 option when he was playing every snap, but if he continues to miss snaps due to being a liability, he will drop to LB3 or even LB4 range. Barton was still productive on his reduced snaps, posting four solos, three assists, and one pass defended, but he may be hard-pressed to keep up this level of production. Another concern to note is that Barton did not lose his snaps to another linebacker or excessive dime package looks. Instead, the Seahawks chose to deploy three safeties, with Ryan Neal seeing an expanded role and spending almost half of his snaps in the box. Barton should be benched in all leagues that require you to start less than three linebackers but should be kept on rosters.

Kyle Hamilton (S – BAL)
Kyle Hamilton has hovered below the 30 percent snap mark for two straight weeks now, which looks to be becoming a concerning trend. Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark are playing every snap roles, leaving Hamilton seeing the field only during three safety looks. We could see more of these in the coming weeks, but it is best to take a wait-and-see approach with the talented rookie. Talent will win out eventually, but fantasy managers with the bench space to do so are recommended to exercise patience with the upside-laden safety.

Isaiah Simmons (LB – ARI)
Isaiah Simmons saw his usage spike with Nick Vigil injured, playing 83 percent of the snaps in Week 4. Unfortunately, he still spent the bulk of his time in the slot, resulting in a disappointing three solos with no other IDP contribution to speak of. He has yet to top the three solo mark in any game this season, despite seeing over 80 percent of the snaps in two out of his four games. Simmons remains dripping with tools and upside, but the Cardinals have no intention of deploying him as a safety with Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson on the roster. He should hopefully see an increase in box snaps with Vigil looking like he will miss Week 5 with a hamstring injury. Still, Simmons, despite his name equity, is not a recommended start despite the perceived increased opportunity.

Darius Harris (LB – KC)
Darius Harris was expected to soak up all of Willie Gay’s snaps while he serves his suspension, but after seeing 87 percent of the snaps in Week 3, he saw just 38 percent in Week 4. He played a total of 21 snaps and recorded no stats. The goose egg, combined with the shocking drop in snap percentage, is going to make Harris hard to trust over the next couple of weeks, especially if they continue to show a preference for the three safety looks we saw last week. The suggestion here is to part ways altogether and to roster an option that will have more value over a longer period of time.

Anthony Barr (LB – DAL)
Barr has played 69 percent of the snaps this season, with two outings over the 70 percent mark. However, he has not been very productive in those two ‘starts’, averaging just 3.5 solos, two assists, and 0.5 tackles for loss. Dallas should probably be using the college edge rusher as an interchangeable piece with Micah Parsons, but that is a discourse for another day. For now, fantasy managers will want to avoid plugging Barr into lineups where at all possible, despite the plus matchup against the Los Angeles Rams struggling offense.

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.

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