Hungry for More: The Fantasy Footballers’ Predictions for Week 5
With the first month of the fantasy season behind us, fantasy managers find themselves looking for options to fill the holes in their rosters left by injury or bye weeks. The best replacement to find is a player who not only can be a “plug and play” but is even better when they bring some spice to your fantasy football life! Andy, Mike, and Jason put their chef hats on ahead of Week 5 to serve up players that can help get fantasy managers another W in this week’s Hungry for More presented by Uber Eats!
Each week, the Ballers get into their fantasy cookbook to find a player they’re wanting to see upgrade from a simple sack lunch to a delicious fantasy meal!
QB – Sam Darnold (MIN)
| Week 4 | ||
| Passing Attempts | Passing Yards | TDs |
| 20/28 | 275 | 3 |
It’s been well-documented how much Jason loves and believes in Sam Darnold, but this is the cherry on top of his delicious start to the season. Darnold is currently the QB4 through the first four games of the season, rattling off three straight top-10 QB finishes where he’s thrown for a combined nine TDs and just two interceptions. The only other QB in the league to finish as a top-15 QB every week this season is Lamar Jackson, so Darnold should be seen as an every-week play for fantasy managers until we see something different.
The last piece of the Sam Darnold redemption story could come in Week 5 against the New York Jets – the team that drafted him with hopes of getting a franchise QB. Darnold will have his hands full with one of the best defenses in the league that’s allowed the second-fewest passing yards through four games and is just one of four teams to allow two or fewer passing TDs on the season. After the Vikings’ bye in Week 6 though, Darnold has a fantasy QB buffet laid out for him with four-straight matchups against defenses ranked 23rd or lower against fantasy QBs.
Upcoming Schedule: vs. NY Jets, bye, vs. Detroit, at L.A. Rams
RB – Rico Dowdle (DAL)
| Week 4 | ||
| Carries | Rushing Yards | TDs |
| 11 | 46 | 0 |
The potential backfield takeover in Dallas has the Fantasy Hitman’s belly growling for more Rico Dowdle in fantasy lineups. Dowdle’s opportunity started a little low in the Cowboys offense, but he’s slowly seen a larger share of the team’s overall touches from week-to-week with 24% of Dallas’ rush attempts and targets in Week 4. When you pair Dowdle’s increase in usage with reports that the Cowboys are “drifting away” from the committee approach we’ve seen in the past, there could be tasty fantasy RB goodness ahead for fantasy managers. Dallas’ offense is the top team in the league in red zone plays per game and has run the third-most plays inside the 10 which could only mean more valuable touches for Dowdle going forward.
Even with Dowdle getting increased opportunity, the schedule coming for the Cowboys may make it tough for fantasy managers to see the turn in production they’re hoping for. Over their next three games, Dallas plays defenses that all rank in the top six in rushing yards allowed this season. Despite having a tough schedule, the opportunity should be enough for some tasty treats in your fantasy lineup from Dowdle over the coming weeks.
Upcoming Schedule: at Pittsburgh, vs. Detroit, bye, at San Francisco
WR – Brian Thomas Jr. (JAX)
| Week 4 | ||
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| 6 | 86 | 1 |
It’s taken a few weeks, but Andy wants a rookie WR snack in Brian Thomas Jr. The Jaguars rookie was a focal point of the team’s passing attack last week, leading the team in receiving yards for the second time in three weeks and seeing nine targets in back-to-back weeks. Through the first month of his NFL career, Thomas is averaging 69 receiving yards per game and his 13 first downs in those four games is top-10 for a rookie WR over the last decade. Thomas is seeing 23% of the targets in an offense that’s going to be playing from behind regularly, so Andy is confident that type of volume is something that fantasy managers should be able to see going forward.
Thomas has a prime opportunity to serve up fantasy goodness again in Week 5 with a juicy matchup against the Colts. Indianapolis’ defense is one of just eight teams in the league to have already allowed 1,000 passing yards on the year, and more importantly for fantasy has allowed a top-24 WR four times already this season. Looking forward, Thomas faces a defense allowing an average of 30+ fantasy points to opposing teams’ WRs in seven of his next eight games, so the rookie could be a delicious treat for fantasy lineups that could make a huge difference!
Upcoming Schedule: vs. Indianapolis, at Chicago, vs. New England, vs. Green Bay
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