Week 5 Fantasy Football Duds
If you were unable to watch the games on Sunday consider yourself lucky. Between the injuries, injuries, the other injuries, and horrific play from some trusted fantasy football studs, it was a rough slate of games to watch. With any luck, you avoided starting these duds in your lineup. The following is a list of the worst offenders, granting immunity to the injured players, as always.
Make sure you listen to today’s podcast where Mike, Jason, and Jay Griz discuss Week 5’s studs. Read up on the Week 5 Studs.
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger vs JAX
312 passing yards, 5 INTs
But Big Ben was at home. I thought he was supposed to be good at home. Oh well. I guess he just doesn’t have it anymore.
Blake Bortles @ PIT
95 passing yards, INT, 9 rushing yards
Considering he only attempted 14 passes, it could’ve been worse.
Jared Goff vs SEA
288 passing yards, 2 INTs, 22 rushing yards, fumble lost
The Rams repeatedly shot themselves in the foot against Seattle. The seabirds are not a defense that will let you get away with mistakes.
Running Backs
Todd Gurley vs SEA
14 carries, 43 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 7 receiving yards, fumble lost
If you don’t believe the NFL is a game of inches, just ask Todd Gurley owners. Gurley fumbled a sure thing touchdown in which the ball hit the pylon. That goes in the books as a fumble, a turnover, and a touchback. Gurley also tipped a screen pass directly into a defenders hands. Needless to say, Gurley was ‘this close’ to a solid day.
Mike Gillislee @ TB
12 carries, 52 rushing yards
Gillislee needs to convert is red zone and ten zone carries, or he’s going to have many more disappointing days like this one. He now has 16 red zone carries on the season and zero targets in the passing game.
Carlos Hyde @IND
8 carries, 11 rushing yards, 1 reception, 7 receiving yards
Matt Breida ended up out snapping Hyde in Week 5. Coach Kyle Shanahan says it does not have to do with injury. Jason Moore is calling “Shanahanigans!” on that.
Jonathan Stewart @ DET
18 carries, 21 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 23 receiving yards
J-Stew looks cooked. He doesn’t have any juice left in his legs to get anything more than what is blocked and it doesn’t even look like he’s getting that much on some of his runs.
Ameer Abdullah vs CAR
10 carries, 31 rushing yards, 1 reception, 3 receiving yards
The Lions were down big in the second half of this game which limited Abdullah’s opportunities. As long as Zenner is around to take the short-yardage work and Theo Riddick is the passing down back, Abdullah is going to have some rough outings.
Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper vs BAL
1 reception, 8 receiving yards, 2 targets
The only thing worse than Cooper’s play on the field is the situation he’s put his owners in. Fantasy owners now have no choice but to bench Cooper until further notice, which means his 7 reception game for 149 yards and a TD game will happen on your bench. Oh yeah, you know that’s going to happen.
Alshon Jeffery vs AZ
3 receptions, 31 receiving yards, 4 targets
On a day when Carson Wentz went off, there’s only one explanation for this: Patrick Peterson.
Doug Baldwin @ LAR
4 receptions, 37 receiving yards, 8 targets
I think we have come to expect games like this from Doug Baldwin. But like bad medicine, you just have to take it and hope Baldwin shakes it up the next week.
Mike Evans vs NE
5 receptions, 49 receiving yards, 8 targets
The Patriots defense isn’t doing many things right these days. But if there’s one hallmark of a Belichick offense, it’s that they take away your best player.
Golden Tate vs CAR
5 receptions, 48 receiving yards, 8 targets
The volume was there, but the Lions wasted all 3 of their TDs on Darren Fells and Zach Zenner.
Randall Cobb @ DAL
4 receptions, 29 receiving yards, 5 targets
With Ty Montgomery out and Davante Adams returning from a brutal concussion, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in expecting more from both Cobb and Nelson. At least Nelson had the decency to score.
Martavis Bryant vs JAX
5 receptions, 21 receiving yards, 8 targets
It was rumored before the game that Bryant would draw Jalen Ramsey in coverage. His fantasy production was also choked out in the vacuum created by Antonio Brown‘s 19 targets.
Sammy Watkins vs SEA
nothing, 4 targets
Watkins? Watkins?
My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who saw Sammy pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.
Tight Ends
You know what? All of them. Just, all of the TEs who are not named Zach Ertz or Travis Kelce. They’re all bad. How’s that for analysis?
Dishonorable Mentions
DeShone Kizer vs NYJ
87 passing yards, INT, 29 rushing yards, fumble lost
Jay Cutler vs TEN
92 passing yards, TD, INT
DeMarco Murray @ MIA
14 carries, 58 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 11 receiving yards
Derrick Henry @ MIA
4 carries, 9 rushing yards, fumble lost
Jay Ajayi vs TEN
25 carries, 77 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 2 receiving yards
Isaiah Crowell vs NYJ
16 carries, 60 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 7 receiving yards
Allen Hurns @ PIT
2 receptions, 21 receiving yards, 3 targets
Marqise Lee @ PIT
2 receptions, 49 receiving yards, 4 targets
Cooper Kupp vs SEA
3 receptions, 44 receiving yards, 8 targets
Rishard Matthews @ MIA
3 receptions, 34 receiving yards, 6 targets