Ten Things We Learned in Week 5 (Fantasy Football)
From start to finish, with the Monday night game in tow, there was a ton of action in Week 5 of football. From the Thursday night shootout to an early Sunday start (thanks, London games) to a late-night Sunday game (thanks, weather delay), there is a ton of important information to keep in mind. There were some unfortunate injuries, some players starting to find their rhythm, and Mark Andrews caught four passes (but was still the TE3 on his own team)! Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from Week 5 and what we learned that we can apply moving forward.
The Rise of Backup RBs
Chase Brown, Roschon Johnson, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Tank Bigsby are just a few of the backup running backs who had big games this weekend and could see more playing time as the season progresses. Despite playing half the snaps that Zack Moss played, Brown out-carried him 12-9 and scored a receiving touchdown. Moss got banged up, and if he misses time, Brown’s stock would skyrocket. Johnson has taken over the clear number two role in Chicago, scoring two touchdowns on Sunday and getting looks inside the five-yard line. D’Andre Swift has come alive in the last two weeks, but Johnson should be picked up as a premium insurance back. Tracy Jr. filled in valiantly for Devin Singletary, rushing for 129 yards on 18 carries. He likely earned himself more playing time even when Singletary returns. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Bigsby, who dominated in Jacksonville’s first win of the season. He rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries (a whopping 7.8 yards per rushing average). Of all the names listed above, Bigsby is the most intriguing because of his stellar play of late and the less-than-ideal play of the incumbent in Jacksonville.
Is Etienne in Trouble?
With the rise of Bigsby comes the fall of Travis Etienne, who has yet to score more than 13 fantasy points in a game this season. A second-round pick in fantasy drafts this year, Etienne is losing snaps to Bigsby, and the latter is looking more explosive. On Sunday, Bigsby out-snapped Etienne for the first time this season, albeit just by one snap, but the trend is concerning for fantasy managers who roster Etienne. And the schedule over the next few weeks is intimidating, with matchups against good defenses like the Bears, Patriots, Vikings, and Jets. Etienne managers might want to trade for Bigsby if he’s not available on waivers.
Browns Offense Spells Trouble
With the way Deshaun Watson and the Browns’ offense as a whole have been playing, it’s difficult to find any hope for fantasy. Cleveland’s highest-scoring output of the season was 18 points in Week 2 against the Jaguars, and it’s not like the Browns have faced stiff defensive competition (the Giants, Commanders, and Cowboys). Jerome Ford hasn’t seen more than 12 carries in a game this year, Jerry Jeudy has cooled off after a good start, and David Njoku, who has missed most of the season due to injury, just got hurt again on Sunday. Amari Cooper is the one player who can still put up respectable numbers, but even he has had a couple of duds so far this season.
Houston’s Backfield Sans Mixon
Joe Mixon has been nursing an ankle injury for the last three weeks and Houston’s backfield has been a mishmash since. With Dameon Pierce also out, Cam Akers was in line to take the bulk of the workload, but instead it’s been a split with Dare Ogunbowale. In fact, Ogunbowale out-snapped Akers 46-22 on Sunday and was the better fantasy player. Akers salvaged his day with a touchdown, but it looks as if Ogunbowale might be the better option because not only is he the pass-catching RB, but he’s getting work in between the 20s as well. When Mixon returns, he should see the lion’s share of the work once again.
Tight End Targets
We harp on it in this column and the guys talk about it frequently on the show but tight ends are the most difficult position to predict. It’s been even more challenging this year without the top-tier names delivering. So the best we can do is look at targets and cross our fingers that the TE we start gets a few receptions. Some tight ends to consider starting: Tyler Conklin, Cade Otton, and Dalton Schultz. Conklin has quickly become a go-to target for Aaron Rodgers, seeing six, eight, and nine targets over the last three games. It’s hard to find much better at the position. Otton’s target shares over the last three games are 25%, 19%, and 17%, much higher than the start of the season. And Schultz hasn’t been great for fantasy, but he’s coming off a season-high six targets and could see more coming his way with Nico Collins likely to miss a couple of games. For those struggling at the position, which is pretty much everyone, these are a few players who can help fill the void.
Sound the Alarm for Breece?
Breece Hall saw a season-high 27.6% target share in Week 2 and that number has dipped all the way to 7.8% in Week 5. He scored just 2.8 fantasy points in Week 4 and 5.2 on Sunday. The downward trajectory is likely due to a combination of Braelon Allen‘s involvement and the defenses the Jets have faced over the last two weeks – the Broncos and Vikings. Hall managers need to take a breath and not panic, he’s going to be just fine. The Jets play the Bills next week, who are terrible at defending the run. Hall is in for a big game. And the Jets’ fantasy playoffs schedule is delectable with matchups against the Jaguars, Rams, and Bills again in the fantasy championship. Hang tight Hall managers and deflect unworthy offers.
Hubbard Making Season-Long Case
The Panthers used their second-round pick to take Jonathon Brooks, the highest-drafted running back in the 2024 NFL Draft. The plan was to ease him back off injury and eventually give him the starting role. The way Chuba Hubbard has been playing, there’s a good chance Brooks doesn’t eat into much of his work when he does return. Brooks still needs a couple of weeks before coming back and even then Carolina will want to ease him in. Brooks is a future investment, not one to throw in the fire right away, especially during a losing season. Hubbard saw a season-high 87% running back rush share on Sunday and scored 27.9 fantasy points. I think there’s a good chance Hubbard will hold this job the entire season and continue to deliver RB2 numbers.
McLaurin Finally Has a QB1
The fantasy football community has been enamored with Terry McLaurin‘s talent for years now, but the veteran WR hasn’t been able to reach his full potential because of poor quarterback play. Well, he finally has a quarterback who can get him the ball in Jayden Daniels. McLaurin is dominating the WR target share in Washington, averaging 29.5% over his last four games. He ranks in the top four in air yard targets per week. He had over 100 yards on Sunday, Daniels connected with him for a long bomb in the game, and he also barely lost his grip on a would-be-touchdown. I was worried about McLaurin after a slow start to the season, but Daniels and his WR1 seem to be building a strong rapport. McLaurin might finally reach that potential we’ve been waiting on for years.
Javonte Williams Trending Up
An interesting tidbit from Next Gen Stats and friend of the show JJ Zachariason, no player has faced more stacked boxes than Javonte Williams this season. Williams saw a 23.1% target share on Sunday and it’s no coincidence it was his best game of the season. He led the Broncos with five receptions, three more catches than the next player. He’s the RB11 on the week (without the Monday night game) and that was without a touchdown. The Broncos’ defense is one of the best in the league and they’re going to keep games close most of the time, leading to more opportunities for Williams. Denver’s fantasy playoff schedule is advantageous with matchups against the Colts, Chargers, and Bengals in the fantasy championship. Williams is a good buy-low target at the moment, but I think you need to trade for him now before his stock keeps rising.
Don’t Bail on Wicks After One Bad Game
I know it was frustrating for fantasy managers, myself included, who dropped major FAAB on Dontayvion Wicks to see him put up a dud on Sunday. But don’t rage drop him, even if Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs return sooner rather than later. Wicks had some egregious drops, but he’s shown an ability to beat defenders off the line and get open. He’s shown the ability to make big plays and score. The matchups over the next four weeks are WR friendly, start Wicks with confidence.