Fantasy Football Mailbag: Week 5 Starts And Sits; Alfred Morris Advice

The NFL season is at the unofficial quarter pole, and there still are a lot more questions than answers.

That also applies to fantasy football, as uncertainty surrounds several key players — including two NFC East running backs — entering Week 5. We tried to clear the air a bit in this week’s mailbag, fielding your most pressing questions heading into another exciting slate of NFL action.

Check it out below.

Facebook Questions

DeMarco Murray has been one of the most frustrating fantasy players this season, and right now, things don’t look good.

That said, we wouldn’t drop him just yet. We’re still just four weeks into the regular season, and the fact remains the Philadelphia Eagles paid him a ton of money to make him a major player in this offense.

You shouldn’t be starting Murray at this point, but keep him on your roster at least for a few more weeks in case the Eagles finally figure things out on offense.

As always, it depends on who else you have. But if you’re in a deeper league, Marcus Mariota could be a decent play.

The Tennesee Titans rookie has posted 15 or more fantasy points in every game this year in standard-scoring leagues, and while the Buffalo Bills’ defense creates a challenge in Week 5, they’re more adept at defending the run, meaning Mariota could have plenty of chances to throw the ball at his home stadium.

We’d probably peg Mariota as the No. 15 or 16 quarterback in Week 5, so if your other options aren’t better, give him a shot.

Both aren’t ideal options, but we’d give the edge to Jay Cutler over Matthew Stafford.

Cutler posted decent numbers against the Oakland Raiders in his return from a hamstring injury in Week 4, and he has an excellent matchup Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has given up the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in standard-scoring leagues.

Stafford, meanwhile, hasn’t thrown for over 300 yards in seven consecutive games, and there’s a good chance that streak will continue against a talented Arizona Cardinals secondary.

Lots of intriguing options here, but here’s who makes our cut: Todd Gurley, Mark Ingram and Alfred Morris.

Gurley and Ingram are no-brainers, as the St. Louis Rams rookie looked awesome last Sunday, and the New Orleans Saints running back is a safe bet for around 10 fantasy points in standard leagues.

Morris wins the third spot by virtue of a great matchup — the Washington Redskins play the Atlanta Falcons, who already have allowed eight total touchdowns to running backs this season — and by the fact that he had 17 carries to Matt Jones’ seven in Week 4, suggesting he’s currently back on top of the running back depth chart.

Twitter Questions

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More Facebook Questions

This is a tough one, but if you’re in a 10- or 12-owner league, we’d suggest dropping Heath Miller.

The Pittsburgh Steelers tight end was off to a strong start with Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback, but he managed only 1 yard on one catch last week with Mike Vick throwing him the ball. We’d expect more of the same going forward — especially with wide receiver Martavis Bryant back from suspension — so better options likely are out there on the waiver wire.

Some questions might never be answered, Justin.

Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images