When the Broncos and Colts face each other in Denver to begin Week 5 on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video), there are a lot of big questions on the table for both offenses. The total of 42 points is low with the Broncos being a field-goal home favorite, and with both starting RBs out because of injuries, there are plenty of start 'em, sit 'em questions for fantasy football owners.
The Broncos are down Javonte Williams (knee) after he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4. Russell Wilson (shoulder) has been limited in practice all week but will continue to start at QB.
The Colts will be without their talented running back, Jonathan Taylor (ankle), for the first time in his short NFL career. That adds further issues to an offense where QB Matt Ryan has struggled and the blocking hasn't lived up to expectations.
With all that in mind, here's breaking down the entire start 'em sit 'em picture for Thursday night, including a couple of DFS lineup suggestions for FanDuel and DraftKings:
MORE BRONCOS-COLTS: FD lineup | DK lineup
Broncos: Who to start or sit in fantasy football on Thursday night
Start: QB Russell Wilson
Ride with Russ again after he threw for 237 yards and two TDs against the Raiders and also added a short running score with a season-high 29 rushing yards. He's starting to feel more comfortable in Nathaniel Hackett's offense by containing himself a bit and being patient enough to deliver big plays.
The Colts' defense has taken a step back under Gus Bradley, as Shaquille Leonard (back, concussion) has been a big absence and the secondary hasn't played as well. Russ won't need to do a ton, but with no Javonte Williams, expect him to air it out enough to produce as a QB1.
WEEK 5 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Sit: RB Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray | Start: RB Mike Boone
The Broncos have been adamant that "obviously" Gordon will carry the load without Williams, but that seems like classic coachspeak. They also seemed intent on featuring Williams early in the offseason until Gordon become a cheap afterthought for a re-signing.
There also was a tell that even before Williams got hurt in Week 4, Boone played more than Gordon after the vet lost his fourth fumble of the season. Also, if Denver felt great about Gordon, it wouldn't have added Murray fresh off scoring again for the Saints in London.
The bottom line is, do you really trust Hackett? No matter what Gordon does, it would shock no one to see Boone, with showed legit burst relative to Gordon, get the key touches in the red zone and receiving game.
WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start: WR Courtland Sutton
Sutton and Wilson developed strong chemistry in the offseason, and the results have been great on the field so far. Sutton has fallen just short of WR1 status, ranking 14th in half-point PPR leagues. The Colts' secondary isn't well positioned to contain him outside.
WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start: WR Jerry Jeudy
The Colts used to have a top slot corner in Kenny Moore, but the level of play hasn't been there. Jeudy is also starting to feel it as a key No. 2 target for Wilson. He's been a borderline WR3, but he will retain at least that value this week.
WEEK 5 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
Sit: WR K.J. Hamler and TE Albert Okwuegbunam
Hamler is intriguing, as he made a big play downfield last week and might be the answer for a No. 3 option for Wilson. However, his volume is too low to be trusted in seasonal leagues. Albert O should be nicknamed Albert Zer-O for how little Hackett and Wilson have involved him.
WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings
Start: Broncos D/ST
The Broncos were solid in the first three games against the Seahawks, Texans, and 49ers before an off game vs. the Raiders. Notably, the Houston and San Francisco results were at home, the latter in prime time. They will wreak havoc (that's how you say it, Eli) on Matt Ryan even without Randy Gregory (knee).
Sit: K Brandon McManus
McManus has a big leg, but he's been inconsistent early to fall out of K1 status. Don't start him in a low-total game.
Colts: Who to start or sit in fantasy football on Thursday night
Sit: QB Matt Ryan
Matty Ice has been more like Matty Carbonite on his new team. It's clear he's lost his blaster from his best Millennium Falcons days. He's QB22 with low upside on the season and you can't fly Solo with him in non-superflex leagues.
Sit: RB Nyheim Hines and Phillip Lindsay
Hines isn't a true handcuff because he's already a key receiving complementary back when Jonathan Taylor is healthy. Deon Jackson is more of a special teamer. That means former Bronco and Colorado native Lindsay will try to exact revenge on the team that dumped him in favor of Melvin Gordon in 2020 despite back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
The Broncos' run defense was inflated over three weeks and finally got exposed by Josh Jacobs in Week 4, but between the blocking woes and uncertain split, no Taylor means nothing reliable in the Colts' backfield for fantasy in Week 5.
Start: WR Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman hasn't lived up to sleeper WR2 status. He is WR39 in half-point PPR, as he's battled injuries and been attached to the struggling Ryan. He also doesn't have much help yet from rookie Alec Pierce and others to deflect coverage attention. Frank Reich seems to want to use random tight ends in the red zone more than Pittman, too, which further hurts his value. That said, Pittman is too talented to sit, and there's always a chance for late garbage.
Sit: WR Alec Pierce
He's the second-best rookie named Pierce in the AFC South, which doesn't mean much. The rookie battled a concussion early and did get much more involved with his downfield speed in Week 4, but he's still not playable with uncertain targets.
Sit: TEs Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods and Kylen Granson
Granson has looked the best overall, but Alie-Cox and the rookie Woods are the ones who have each posted two-TD games the past two weeks. They've gone from reliable Jack Doyle to a random three-headed monster. Thanks, Reich.
Sit: Colts D/ST
No Shaquille Leonard (concussion, back) and the Gus Bradley scheme have made them very disappointing in reality and fantasy.
Sit: K Chase McLaughlin
We miss Rodrigo Blankenship and his glasses. We miss Adam Vinatieri a lot more.
Broncos vs. Colts: FanDuel single-game lineup
- MVP (1.5X): QB Russell Wilson $16,500
- AnyFLEX: WR Michael Pittman Jr. $14,000
- AnyFLEX: WR Courtland Sutton $13,000
- AnyFLEX: RB Mike Boone $9,000
- AnyFLEX: RB Phillip Lindsay $7,500
Looks like we're going with Broncos offensive triplets here and adding in the best Colts receiver and contrarian, revenge-minded running back.
Broncos vs. Colts: DraftKings Showdown lineup
- Captain (1.5X): QB Russell Wilson $15,600
- FLEX: WR Michael Pittman Jr. $10,600
- FLEX: WR Courtland Sutton $9,400
- FLEX: RB Mike Boone $6,200
- FLEX: Broncos D/ST $4,200
- FLEX: TE Kylen Granson $3,200
The thinking here is banking on the reliable stack of Wilson and Sutton and hoping for a Boone TD/fourth-quarter yards while correlating him with the Broncos' high-upside defense. Here's thinking Pittman and Granson can provide some garbage return.
