Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Jakobi Meyers or Makai Lemon in London?
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Makai Lemon may well be labeled as the Eagles' No. 1 wide receiver in Week 5. DeVonta Smith out, the ceiling is quite high despite the lackluster production so far. In a trip across the pond, Lemon will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their fringe starter in fantasy start/sit options is Jakobi Meyers. Sitting around the WR35 range, today's debate asks: which wideout in London can be used in fantasy football?
The Case of Makai Lemon
On in-breaking routes through three games, Makai Lemon is averaging 3.8 yards of separation, according to Next Gen Stats.
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) October 2, 2026
That ranks 17th among all qualifying wide receivers and first among rookies.
Use. Him. In. The. Right. Way.
Lemon's 2026 season features 13 targets (13% target share), 10 receptions, and 65 yards. He is averaging the third-most routes per game among Eagles receivers, inches behind Dontayvion Wicks and comfortably behind Smith.
Sunday will be the second straight game Philadelphia plays without Smith. Against the Rams in Week 4, Lemon had 4 targets for 3 catches, 27 yards. It was third on the team in targets, and tied for first in receptions. Lemon ran the third-most routes of Eagles pass-catchers, four behind Wicks and among Darius Cooper.
The issue with starting Lemon is that he doesn't get big yards per reception. He plays in the slot with an average depth of target of 6.9 yards. That is roughly half that of Smith, Wicks, and Cooper.
Lemon is a bit more touchdown-reliant than most other wide receivers. But he has zero red-zone targets in four games. In total, Hurts has targeted a receiver 14 times this season.
My Week 5 projection for Lemon against the Jaguars is 6.9 targets, 4.7 receptions, 55.8 yards, and a 29.4% touchdown probability. He is WR34 in Non-PPR formats and WR32 in Full-PPR.
The Case of Jakobi Meyers
Trevor Lawrence -> Jakobi Meyers (PFF)
— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) October 7, 2026
- 152.1 NFL Rating (4th)
- 1.25 EPA/Play (2nd)
- 11.0 Yards/Target (18th) pic.twitter.com/VcGxZPBanm
Meyers' season stats include 15 Targets (16% target share), 13 receptions, 165 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Meyers is third on the team in targets, receptions, and yards each, ahead of Brian Thomas Jr. However, Meyers is first on the Jaguars in total routes run.
The Jaguars don't clearly have a WR1, but if they had to label one, that would be Parker Washington, with 6.3 targets per game. Meyers stands tall behind Washington with a gap to Thomas Jr., and Brenton Strange sandwiching in as the third option, with 4.3 more routes run per game than Thomas Jr.
Meyers' Week 5 will be more matchup-dependent than Lemon's, who has volume on short passes. Meyers lines up out wide most of the time. So he will face both Quinyon Mitchell and Tariq Woolen a great deal. They are perhaps the best cornerback duo in the NFL.
Mitchell is 25th in Completion Percentage Allowed and 11th in Coverage EPA Allowed. Woolen ranks 6th in Completion Percentage Allowed, although 55th in Coverage EPA Allowed. Meyers is formidable versus both zone and man coverage looks, and the Eagles play a mix of both, so that means little. Meyers should have a more difficult matchup, although not a shutdown, goose-egg risk.
My Week 5 projections have Meyers at 7.7 targets, 5.2 receptions, 57.3 yards, and a 34.7% touchdown probability. Meyers is the WR28 in all fantasy football scoring formats.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Makai Lemon or Jakobi Meyers?
I don't think either player is that high a risk. They both have defined roles and expected targets, so they shouldn't be expected to deliver disappointing performances.
I ultimately think you must start Meyers over Lemon in Week 5. He has the touchdown upside that Lemon does not. Meyers has the second-most red-zone targets of any Jaguar, and only one of those touchdowns came from the red zone, showing big-play ability in this Liam Coen offense that has been so good.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.