EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR WEEK 5! 🏈🤑

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PREVIEW 🏈👀

Commanders vs. Bears | Tonight at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video

We are back again with another Thursday night matchup that could go either way.

The Bears’ patchwork team meets a Commanders unit that looked pretty off last week against the Buffalo Bills but is still realistically much better than this Bears team. The Commanders’ defensive line should be able to wreak havoc on this Bears’ offensive line, which has allowed 33 QB pressures this season.

On the offensive side of the ball, look for Brian Robinson Jr. to continue his stretch of good work so far this year. The young pro, who has taken over the backfield in his second season, could run all over Chicago’s defense here.

Don’t forget about Terry McLaurin either. The all-star wide receiver thrives against zone coverage and can beat all of Chicago’s corners.

The Bears have been struggling to stop anyone, but let’s not forget that the Commanders have allowed at least 33 points in each of their last three games. With the Bears also weak defensively, keep a keen eye on the over in this game.

Scroll down for our Week 5 fantasy football and betting BREAKDOWN!

WEEK 5 START ‘EM, SIT ‘EM 🏁🪑

Every week, Michelle Magdziuk shares her favorite start and sit decisions in her industry standard ‘Fire & Ice’ piece, which can be found exclusively on The Game Day’s website this season. Here are some of her favorite picks.

Start ‘Em: Breece Hall at Broncos

Hall is finally being unleashed this week, as Robert Saleh has noted that all limitations on Hall’s workload will be lifted.

That’s good news for the RB who ranks second in yards after contact per attempt among backs with at least 25 carries this season. Hall can be one of the most explosive backs when healthy, and the Broncos are allowing an average of 176 yards per game on the ground this season.

Start ‘Em: Jakobi Meyers at Packers

Meyers is a slam dunk start this week. Among wide receivers with 75 routes or more run this year, Meyers ranks 27th in targets per route run. He’s achieving targets on a high rate of his routes and has 10+ targets in two of his three games this year.

The Packers will have their hands full with Davante Adams, so keep an eye out for Meyers finding open space.

Sit ‘Em: Trevor Lawrence at Bills

If you were to look up the definition of 'meh' in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of Lawrence. He offers very little upside, having managed just four games with 3+ passing touchdowns in his last 20 games played.

He was expected to take a huge leap this season, but through three weeks, he has thrown only three touchdowns, averaging a measly 13.8 fantasy points per game. Given the Falcons' solid secondary, I anticipate Sunday will be another mediocre fantasy day for Lawrence.

Sit ‘Em: Rhamondre Stevenson at Saints

Stevenson has been horrid this year, with -62 rush yards over expected. That number ranks second-worst in the entire NFL, and might not get better against a Saints defense that is allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game this season.

SLEEPERS & BUSTS 😴💩

Sleeper: Sam Howell, Washington Commanders vs Chicago Bears

In his second season, Howell has not lacked the confidence nor resilience to perform respectably. After a four-interception outing against Buffalo, he came through with a quality outing.

Howell has passed for 290-plus yards in two games so far this season, and the Bears’ matchup is a friendly one for any QB. Chicago has allowed the second-most Fantasy Points Per Game to QBs.

Sleeper: Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

I included Edwards in this week’s fantasy football waiver wire report as well. He is clearly the lead RB for the Ravens, and while he’s not an exciting fantasy player, decent production can certainly be expected in a week where you will need a bye-week fill-in.

In Week 4, Edwards played on 69% 😉 of the snaps and led the Baltimore backfield with 15 carries. The Steelers have allowed the second-most rushing yards to RBs this season.

Bust: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys

Purdy is a winning real-life NFL QB. He is a model game manager and offensive distributor.

However, as a fantasy player, Purdy lacks upside. He has thrown just five touchdown passes in four games, and Dallas ranks second in fantasy points per game allowed to QBs.

Bust: Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Davis has caught touchdown passes in three consecutive games, making him a tempting play in a week where we need to find lineup fill-ins. However, you should consider alternatives in any close lineup decisions involving him.

The 24-year-old is too reliant on touchdowns, and he has only made four catches in his last two games. Davis still lacks a true fantasy floor.

INJURIES TO KEEP AN EYE ON 👀🤕

Justin Herbert: Fractured Finger

Herbert had his finger stepped on and fractured midway through last week’s game, but he does not foresee it being an issue and plans to suit up as normal this weekend.

Kenny Pickett: Bone Bruise

Pickett was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Texans, immediately exited the game and did not return. While many feared that this was a serious knee injury, Pickett has said that he is fine and hopes to return this weekend.

That being said, it wouldn’t surprise us if Pickett sits, given that the Steelers’ bye is in Week 6, giving him a week to fully heal.

Tee Higgins: Rib Injury

There isn’t much confirmed news here yet, but Higgins hurt his ribs and exited Sunday’s game relatively early on.

There is concern that he has fractured ribs, which could keep him out of a game or more. However, it has also been reported that it’s a pain tolerance issue and that he could play if he feels up to it.

MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT ⭐️🗑

Each week, Sam Wagman breaks down his favorite matchups to exploit that weekend in the NFL, from WR/CB to RB/DL. Let’s go through a couple favorites he likes this weekend.

WR/CB: Green Bay WRs vs Las Vegas CBs

We have a rare triple stack of great matchups here for the Packers. All three of the Raiders’ starting cornerbacks are allowing at least 0.3 fantasy points per pass route, which is great news for the Packers, who desperately need a good offensive showing after last week.

The most promising matchup to take advantage of is 6’4” Christian Watson against 5’11” David Long, who is allowing 0.57 FPpPR this season. Watson should finally be unleashed this week after making his season debut last week and catching a touchdown. We could see a statline reminiscent of what we loved from him last season.

RB/DL: De’Von Achane vs Giants’ DL

This could potentially be one of the biggest mismatches of the 2023 season. Okay, maybe that’s a hyperbole, but we've seen enough from Achane in the past couple of weeks to suggest he could have a significant impact against the Giants.

The Giants have allowed an explosive rush play (a rush of at least 15 yards) on 7.4% of their plays this season, according to Fantasy Points Data. This number ranks fourth in the NFL for this season.

On the other hand, Achane ranks first in explosive rush rate, with an astonishing 18.5% of his runs going for longer than 15 yards. This matchup is a slam dunk.

PARLAY OF THE WEEK 💰(+315)