As the fantasy football season rolls on, every win is crucial. We need to be making smart and informed decisions on which IDP players to trust in our lineups going forward — now is not the time to bench star players out of frustration. Instead, we need to trust the process and focus on players whose snap shares and alignments will lead to fantasy production.
Click here for more PFF tools:
Rankings & Projections | WR/CB Matchup Chart | NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings
Here are some of the players IDP fantasy managers might be debating in Week 5 and thoughts on whether these players should be started or left on fantasy benches.
DEFENSIVE LINE
START: DE MAXX CROSBY, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS VS. CHICAGO BEARS
Only Joey Bosa has a higher pass-rush grade (92.5) than Crosby (91.6) among edge defenders this season, and no player has more pressures (30) than Crosby through the first four weeks of the year. While that has yet to translate to fantasy production outside of Week 1, there are plenty of reasons to still be high on Crosby heading into Week 5 and beyond.
Crosby has arguably been the best edge rusher in the NFL so far this season, and that will lead to production if we stick with him. He gets a matchup this week against rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who owns the highest pressure to sack conversion rate (41.4%) among quarterbacks this season. Crosby’s primary matchup on the offensive line will be right tackle Germain Ifedi, who posted a 54.1 pass-blocking grade over the last two weeks (48th among tackles), allowing two sacks and four pressures.
Related content for you: NFL Week 5 Positional Fantasy Football Rankings via Nathan Jahnke
Crosby’s box score won’t tell you how dominant he’s been this season. The more advanced stats should give fantasy managers plenty of confidence going forward.
Maxx Crosby ranks among Edge rushers (min. 20% snaps)
| Metric | Value | ED rank |
| Pass-rush grade | 91.6 | 2nd |
| Pressures | 30 | 1st |
| Pass-rush win-rate | 29.3% | 1st |
| Blocks defeated** | 17 | 1st |
** = blocks defeated are pass-rush wins that don’t result in a pressure
SIT: ED CHANDLER JONES, ARIZONA CARDINALS VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Another player who had a big Week 1 but has since largely been a disappointment for fantasy, Jones has been unable to get home again after delivering five sacks to open the season. While Jones is likely to get back in the sack column again soon, it just might not be this week against the 49ers. San Francisco is not only a top-five pass-blocking unit so far this season (71.6), but it also ranks sixth in run-blocking grade (78.4), leaving no easy path to production for Jones in Week 5.
DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32
Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades
Already have a subscription? Log In
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.