Week 5 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Eagles vs Panthers

The Carolina Panthers look to get back into the win column when they play host to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5. FanDuel Sportsbook shows the Panthers as 3.5-point home favorites, showing this could be a close matchup.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 5 clash.

Jalen Hurts Fantasy

Start Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: The Carolina Panthers defense is legit. They rank near the top in almost every statistical category, making this a tough matchup for Philadelphia's playmakers. But, the dual-threat abilities of Jalen Hurts will remain on display in this one. Hurts is operating as QB3 through four weeks of the season and has been brilliant in fantasy. He's increased his passing yards in each of the past two weeks, including nearly 400 against a struggling Dallas secondary. Carolina is no picnic, but Hurts will get fantasy managers the points they need, rushing for at least 45 yards in every contest. Not many bright spots in this contest, but count on Hurts if you're picking anyone.

Sam Darnold Fantasy

Start Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina Panthers: The Eagles defense is struggling, giving up more than 40 points in each of the past two weeks. Granted, that came at the hands of two high-powered offenses in the Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. But, Sam Darnold is another quarterback performing at a high level this season. He's QB5 thus far thanks to his 297.3 passing yards per game and five rushing touchdowns. Philadelphia's defense ranks middle of the pack (15th), giving up 19.69 fantasy points to opposing QBs. It's nothing to write home about and Darnold should continue his hot streak.

Miles Sanders Fantasy

Sit Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: When looking at Carolina's defense, it's not going to be a fun week for any of Philadelphia's playmakers. Running back Miles Sanders, especially. Carolina gives up just 12.45 fantasy points to opposing running backs, the third lowest mark in the league. Philadelphia hasn't figured out exactly the best way to incorporate Miles Sanders in their offense, either. He owned an average draft position (ADP) of RB20 in PPR formats and has underperformed at RB33 thus far. Sanders continues to see his role evaporate, garnering just 9 rushing attempts the past two weeks. He may average 4.6 yards per attempt, but won't see enough volume until Philadelphia figures out how to utilize its playmaker.

Robby Anderson Fantasy

Sit Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers: Robby Anderson is another disappointment for fantasy managers in 2021. He sat with an ADP of WR33 to start the year, suggesting value as a FLEX option. But, he's performed at WR70 level. Regardless of his performance, fantasy managers are clearly still holding out hope as he's rostered on 87.1% of ESPN fantasy rosters. This is a stay-away situation. Anderson ranks second on the Panthers depth chart with 22 targets, but ranks more than 20 below target-leader D.J. Moore (43). Anderson also saw 11 targets in Week 4 against the Cowboys, but the Panthers were playing fourth quarter catch up in that one. Carolina will want to control the clock in a close 3.5-point spread, so don't expect enough volume for Anderson in Week 5.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.