Fantasy Football Week 5 Wide Receiver Who Should I Start? Tetairoa McMillan, Courtland Sutton, and More
Comparing Tetairoa McMillan to five receivers that he is being matched up with often on the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool.
Though the Carolina Panthers don't have a good passing game, they do have a clear top man in Tetairoa McMillan. Lesser players aren't fantasy options in Carolina's offense; McMillan has been good enough to warrant weekly consideration.
The Panthers play one of the biggest disappointments of the early season, the Miami Dolphins, and that has fantasy owners interested in McMillan's place among the wide receivers in Week 5. He has been showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.
Let's look at McMillan and five receivers he has been compared to often on the start/sit tool. We will do a quick-hit head-to-head exercise and determine the best player to put in your lineup in each case.
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Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers vs. Miami Dolphins
I don't like counting on bad quarterbacks and/or bad passing games. That's what we are doing by putting McMillan in the lineup. He has had a good start, though, and stands out as the top option on the team, so he has more value than your usual bad-offense receiver.
McMillan is averaging 4.5 catches and 69.5 yards per game, but he hasn't gotten into the end zone yet; that's a hazard of playing in a low-level offense. McMillan has a bit of a ceiling, but he can also be useful in your lineup with the right matchups.
The Dolphins offer a decent matchup. They have allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt, but Miami has also given up the eighth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. This team is short on talent in the secondary, and they can be picked on, so I'm happy to count on a top receiver like McMillan.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Washington Commanders
It looks much like old times for Allen in Los Angeles, as he's averaging six receptions and 57.8 yards per game while scoring three touchdowns. Allen leads the Chargers in catches, and he is second behind Quentin Johnston in targets, receiving yards, and touchdowns.
Washington has allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers, offering a positive matchup here. Last week, Drake London caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Commanders.
Advice: Start Tetairoa McMillan over Keenan Allen. McMillan is the top man in Carolina, while Allen is fighting for targets with more receivers in LA, so I'll give McMillan the slight edge when they both have nice matchups.
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants
Olave is New Orleans' top wide receiver, leading the team in targets and receptions and second behind tight end Juwan Johnson in receiving yards. The Saints have a below-average passing game with Spencer Rattler under center, and the offensive line ranks in the bottom four in both pass blocking and run blocking (per ESPN).
The Giants have given up the 10th-fewest yards per pass attempt, but they have still allowed the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers. That disparity comes because New York gave up a touchdown run to Deebo Samuel Sr. in Week 1, the Giants have allowed four receiving touchdowns to wide receivers, and they have given up an average of 183.3 yards per game.
Advice: The weak passing game problem I talked about above comes into play here as well. I trust attacking the Dolphins more than the Giants, so I'll say start Tetairoa McMillan over Chris Olave.
Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Pittman is averaging 5.3 receptions and 58.5 receiving yards per game and has scored three touchdowns. That has him inside the top 15 fantasy receivers in both standard and PPR scoring. Pittman has been a major benefactor of Daniel Jones' good start.
The Raiders have allowed the 11th-most yards per pass attempt and the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Again, touchdowns are the main culprit that hurt their fantasy performance, as Vegas has given up five WR touchdowns (with 173.8 yards per game).
Advice: This is a very close one, but start Michael Pittman over Tetairoa McMillan because Pittman plays in the better offense.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles
Sutton and Troy Franklin are tied for the team lead with 27 targets and 18 receptions, but Sutton has been the more explosive player, gaining 266 yards to 196 for Franklin and scoring three touchdowns to Franklin's one.
The Eagles have allowed the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt, but they are right near the middle in fantasy points allowed to WRs. Philadelphia has the makings of a high-level defense and has been a little better than average so far.
Advice: Start Courtland Sutton over Tetairoa McMillan. Sutton is an experienced WR1, and though he has the tougher matchup here, Sutton has succeeded before against good defenses.
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers
Opposing McMillan is Waddle, Miami's new top receiver after Tyreek Hill went down for the season with a knee injury last week. Waddle's new role likely increases his fantasy value while lowering the prowess of the Miami passing game, as the Dolphins are short on pass catchers.
The Panthers offer a good matchup, though the numbers paint it more middling. Carolina has allowed the 14th-most yards per pass attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. I still see them as a below-average defense who will regress, and pass catchers will get more volume stats in closer game, like this one projects to be.
A longer timeframe will likely show Carolina as a low-level pass defense, and that means Waddle has a good outlook. Especially without Hill, Miami will likely force the ball to Waddle.
Advice: Start Tetairoa McMillan over Jaylen Waddle. This is a close one, but McMillan has a better matchup by the numbers.
