Five weeks in and Team Outsports Equality is like 99 percent of all fantasy football team out there: uncertain, unpredictable, and at times, unbelievable.

The depth at quarterback, tight end and wide receiver is strong, but the depth at running back is not. Anyone care to make a trade? Can we pick up an LGBT-friendly player off the waiver wire? I wish it were that simple. Unfortunately, we don’t always get we want in fantasy football.

Last week, the team underachieved, scoring 102.68 points in a standard Yahoo! league. Its potential was halted thanks to Gio Bernard going inactive and a poor showing from the Packers defense and kicker Brandon McManus.

Let’s see if we can do better this week.

Quarterback

Start: Aaron Rodgers vs. 49ers (MNF)

Even with his damaged receiving corps, A-Rod continues to make an impact.

Sit: Andrew Luck vs. Jets , Cam Newton @ Redskins, Derek Carr vs. Seahawks, Russell Wilson @ Raiders

Luck has thrown the ball more than any other QB this season, but it doesn’t mean anything if you cannot throw to competent receivers.

Cam Newton was someone I almost started given his strong performance against the Giants and favorable matchup against the Redskins, but I opted against it.

Derek Carr and Russell Wilson face off in the first London matchup of the season. It should be a high-scoring affair, but I don’t trust either enough to make them my starting QB.

Running back

Start: Frank Gore vs. Bears

The depth is thin at running back with this team, but Gore has proven himself to not be a terrible play this season. He has averaged 4.3 yards per carry, his best since his Niners days, and has 202 rushing yards so far this season.

Start: Jordan Howard @ Dolphins

Howard is back after the bye week, but watch out. Tarik Cohen out-touched him in the game against Tampa Bay right before the bye. If we see the same this week, it is no longer a fluke.

Sit: Kyle Juszczyk @ Packers (MNF)

Juszczyk had 87 yards from scrimmage this past week, which is a very respectable number for a fullback. However, don’t expect him to keep this up. He is just a fullback.

Wide receiver

Start: DeAndre Hopkins vs. Bills

Hopkins had another 100-yard game last week against the Cowboys, including a wild 49-yard catch in overtime. He leads the NFL in receiving yards through five games.

Start: Adam Thielen @ Eagles

Who is second in the NFL in receiving yards? This guy. He’s also the first D-II player to have 100 receiving yards in each of his first five games to start a season in NFL history. Big ups.

Sit: Davante Adams vs. 49ers (MNF), Marquise Goodwin @ Packers (MNF), T.Y. Hilton @ Jets, Kenny Stills vs. Bears, Robert Woods @ Broncos

All of these guys are on the bench because it is a crime to bench either of the Top 2 receivers in the NFL.

However, expect all of these players to have boom potential on Sunday, especially Hilton, who returns from injury and Woods, who is slated to be the top receiver in the Rams offense after Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks were concussed this week against Seattle.

Tight end/Flex

Start: Rob Gronkowski vs. Chiefs (SNF), Travis Kelce vs. Patriots (SNF)

It’s Sunday Night Football, and the two best tight ends in the league are set to battle it out. Look for both to have a big game under the bright lights.

Defense

Start: Green Bay Packers vs. 49ers (MNF)

For the second week in a row, the Packers are our starting defense. While they may have pulled a dud last week in Detroit, the odds are better this week as the Packers return home to face a team that gave up two defensive TD’s last week to the winless Cardinals.

Kicker

Start: Brandon McManus vs. Rams

With Matt Prater out on a bye this week (along with the New Orleans Saints), McManus becomes our default starter. However, I like his chances against a Rams team that has given up plenty of points this season. Denver will have to keep up and give McManus opportunities to keep them in the game.

LGBT Focus

Adam Thielen

“Yeah, my aunt [is LGBT], so I’ve been around it and for me, it’s really none of my business and I love everyone for who they are,” Thielen said. “For me, I’m going to treat people how they treat me. As long as they treat me with respect, I’m going to treat them with respect.”

Read more on these players’ LGBT views:

Jeremy Brener is a student at the University of Central Florida who writes for Outsports. He can be reached via email ([email protected]) and followed on Twitter.

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