Ten Things We Learned In Week 5 (Fantasy Football)
Week 5 has now wrapped up, and it’s hard to believe that we are already past a quarter of the fantasy football season. We are still learning new things every week and getting a feel for how the season will go for specific players. However, five weeks is a lot of data, so we can begin to make decisions based on what we have learned in 2022. This article will look at some of the major storylines and what we learned in Week 5.
1. Christian McCaffrey Seems To Finally Be Back
We have finally seen Christian McCaffrey return to an elite fantasy asset in the last two weeks. He had 21.30 points last week and 19.9 points in Week 5. McCaffrey is finally seeing an uptick in involvement in the passing game, with 21 targets in the last two weeks. McCaffrey faced a tough 49ers’ defense in Week 5 and finished with 14 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown while catching 7-of-12 targets for 50 yards. While the Carolina Panthers’ offense is borderline abysmal, McCaffrey is once again the lone bright spot and is finally returning value on his draft cost for fantasy managers.
2. Alvin Kamara Gets Back To Making An Impact
Similar to the first point in this article, we have another running back who has re-emerged and put on a solid performance in Week 5. Alvin Kamara has had a rough first few weeks of the season, and part of that is due to injury. He rushed 23 times for 103 yards and caught 6-of-6 targets for 91 yards. Kamara was looking like his old self but did not score a touchdown, as Taysom Hill was the one scoring on the ground. The good news is that fantasy managers who took a chance on Kamara should be able to feel more confident in playing him. The downside is that it does not look like Hill is going anywhere, and Kamara could struggle to get into the endzone.
3. Taysom Hill Is Worth Playing
Speaking of Taysom Hill, we must discuss his big day and his potential fantasy impact going forward. Hill scored 36.08 fantasy points on nine carries for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Hill is likely worth a pickup and playing in your tight end slot if you don’t have one of the elite tight ends. The tight end landscape is a disaster right now, so if you have no other options, it’s worth a shot for the upside in your lineup.
4. Tyler Lockett Is Still A Great Fantasy Asset
When fantasy football draft time came around in August, most, if not all, fantasy managers were fading Tyler Lockett. He was typically boom-or-bust even with Russell Wilson at quarterback, so “downgrading” to Geno Smith was a major turn-off. Little did we know Smith would play well and Lockett would continue to perform in 2022. In Week 5, Lockett caught 5-of-6 targets for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He had a bad Week 1 performance, but since then, he has had at least 90 receiving yards in 3-of-4 games. He can have a blow-up week at any moment and is well worth a flex play.
5. Terry McLaurin is D.J. Moore Confirmed
One of the concerns for Terry McLaurin this year was that he would have a similar career path to D.J. Moore, a super-talented wide receiver who just can’t put together a top-12 season. McLaurin has yet to have a week with 15 fantasy points but has had 10 points in 4-of-5 games. He has been consistent but has not had a blow-up game, and we can finally accept that he may be a career top-24 type of receiver. The hope this season was that Carson Wentz would elevate McLaurin, but the emergence of Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson has hurt his ceiling.
6. Kenneth Walker Has His Opportunity
Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Kenneth Walker will have his opportunity as the primary running back as Rashaad Penny has suffered a significant injury. Walker rushed eight times for 88 yards and a touchdown in Week 5 and has shown flashes throughout the season. The Seahawks’ offense has had a great start to the year, so Walker has an excellent opportunity to become a solid fantasy asset. Right now, he should be considered a high-end RB2 option as we progress through the season.
7. Brian Robinson Will Get Plenty Of Volume
In one of the more shocking storylines of the NFL off-season, Washington Commanders‘ running back Brian Robinson was shot in the leg, which delayed his rookie season debut. In Week 5, Robinson rushed nine times for 22 yards, which was the most carries on the team. Antonio Gibson only had three carries. Robinson was getting a lot of hype during the pre-season, and it seems like he will be getting the bulk of the carries while Gibson takes a back seat. Neither running back might be a good play for fantasy purposes, as this backfield will likely be hard to predict between these two and pass-catcher J.D. McKissic.
8. Raheem Mostert Emerges As Dolphins RB To Have
The Miami Dolphins gave Raheem Mostert a significant workload in Week 5, and he had 18 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown. Chase Edmonds only had one carry for one yard, and Edmonds was also out-targeted by Mostert 2-3. If Mostert can stay healthy, he will be a draft steal, while Edmonds will likely be riding the bench for fantasy managers for the foreseeable future.
9. Rachaad White Is A Must Have On Your Bench
Rookie running back Rachaad White is getting more involved in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offense. Leonard Fournette is definitely still “the guy,” but White would be a league-winner if something were to happen to Fournette. White has been getting more involved in the passing game over the last two weeks. He caught 5-of-5 targets for 50 yards in Week 4 and 3-of-4 targets for 28 yards in Week 5. He may have value even with Lenny on the field, but as I said before, he could be a league-winner should he get the primary running back pass-catching role in that offense.
10. Dalton Schultz Needs Dak Back
Dalton Schultz caught 7-of-9 targets for 62 yards in Week 1 with Dak Prescott at quarterback. Since Dak’s injury, Schultz has caught 2-of-8 targets in three games with Cooper Rush at quarterback and has failed to have a reception in his last two games. Schultz has been a major disappointment after a huge year in 2021. He is playing on the franchise tag and is looking for a big contract this off-season, so hopefully, his production will go up soon. We can also hope that after Dak returns, Schultz will again be a favorite target of his. Fantasy managers who drafted him are likely desperate for production since good tight ends are hard to find.