8 Big-Name Players You May Want to Avoid in Week 5

Steelers Defense

I'm going out on a limb here, but I think this is one of the better calls I'll make this week. The Steelers defense has been much-maligned of late, and with good reason. They are one of the oldest and least deep units in the league, they currently rank as the fifth-worst defensive unit in both Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP and Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP. They allowed a lackluster Buccaneers offense headed by Mike Glennon to put up 27 real points on them in Week 4. This is not a good team.

They are, however, the plug-and-play "Whoever Is Playing the Jaguars" streaming matchup of the week. I don't think this is a good week to use that strategy. Since taking over the Jaguars' starting quarterback job, Bortles has thrown two interceptions per game, both against Indianapolis and San Diego. However, he's also passed extremely well besides that, with a completion percentage of 70.5% and 7.82 yards per attempt. He currently only ranks 26th in Passing NEP on a per drop back basis among quarterbacks, but with the way the Jaguars' defense plays and the ineffectiveness of the running game, I expect Bortles to get a decent volume of attempts here too.

Another week as the starter can only increase the young Bortles' effectiveness, and I could see a scenario where the Jaguars put up decent yardage, negating the fantasy upside of this Steelers' unit.