Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 5
SUMMARY
Week 5 was the week of booms and busts. Did you have a boom? No. You probably had a bust. That's why you're here, so dig in and maybe you'll nab a week 6 boom.
Blue chip medal
Will Fuller V, WR, Texans- Well, if you started Will Fuller week 5, congratulations— you won your week. His insane total of 53.7 is 9th highest ever by a wide receiver in fantasy. He has always had boom or bust potential, but at this point it's starting to seem a whole lot more boom than bust.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers- Ladies and gentlemen, the new king of fantasy football. Praises be to the gentlemen with the #3 overall pick, who more than likely nabbed Run CMC. There is no argument— he is the best non-QB player in fantasy football. He's +30 points in 4/5 games this year, and shows no signs of slowing down without Cam. Yeesh.
DJ Chark, WR, Jaguars- Five TDs in five games. #2 in receiving TDs. #5 in receiving yards. DJ Chark is the #5 overall WR in fantasy football. He's a 6'4" speedster with amazing hands and body control. Should be starting on any roster going into week 6.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders- Oakland finally fed the rock to their rookie phenom. He's averaging an insane 5 yards per carry on 60+ carries. He can catch out of the backfield—and he had a monster game against the supposed revival of the "monsters of the midway." He's an RB1 and the front runner for offensive rookie of the year.
Loss of rank
Mike Evans, WR, Bucs- Well, if you started Mike Evans week 5, then you probably lost your week. Mike Evans posted up a big fat goose egg after having a crazy productive week 4. There's just no predicting Tampa Bay. One week they are a drunk ex, screaming at you on FaceTime from the back seat of an Uber, the next week they're bringing you eggs in bed and crooning Minnie Riperton in your ear. There's no in-between.
Anybody playing for Chicago not named Allen Robinson, Bears- Allen Robinson is the only thing in Chicago worth rostering. None of their running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, or (excuses for) quarterbacks are worth having. Their stagnant offense was just stamped out by a wishy-washy and injured, Oakland defense. Move on.
Deandre Hopkins, WR, Texans- The Texans are spreading the ball around more, and it's paying dividends for them. While Hopkins is undoubtedly a top tier talent, this could drop his fantasy usefulness a tad behind the other WRs in his tier. It was his 4th straight week with fewer than 10 targets, something that hasn't happened since 2014. It's worth considering moving forward.
Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals- Another victim of a poor offense, Eifert has averaged 4.38 fantasy points his last NINE games. Unless you're in a deep 2TE league, he should be dropped no matter what. There are simply too many better options.
Promotion watch
Mohammed Sanu, WR, Falcons- Well look who has his 4th 10+ point fantasy performance in 5 games. Sanu is crazy efficient for how many looks he gets— he caught all of his five targets for 42 yards and a touchdown on Sunday and is a valuable streaming option moving forward, especially against teams that have a weak 2nd cornerback.
Courtland Sutton, WR, Broncos- Sutton, much like Sanu, has four 10+ fantasy showings in his last five games. The upside to Sutton is that he is his team's go-to target. The downside? He has Flacco throwing him the ball instead of Matt Ryan. That doesn't stop him from being valuable thus far. He was only started in 57% of leagues this last week, and could be a great trade target.
Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons- Matty Ice is back baby. He had 330 yards, and three touchdowns in a Falcons loss. It's good (for fantasy owners) that the Falcons have been so spotty defensively. Playing from behind causes them to air it out far more often, making Matt Ryan a lethal fantasy play.
Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals- After a shaky start, Kyler Murray may be a real fantasy player this year. One of the biggest reasons— his legs. Murray ran for 93 yards and a touchdown, padding his already decent 253 passing yards. Murray could also continue to flourish more and more as he gels with Kingsbury's system as the year progresses.
Badass hit of the week
Rashan Gary
This insane explosion of violence was so blatant that the referees had no choice but to throw a flag for roughing the passer. Gary strikes Dak Prescott so hard, it's difficult to believe that Dak could continue running, let alone play the game of football. I'm so glad we have referees who are willing to throw flags for 15-yard penalties in the name of safety. Calls like these do not completely mess up the tempo of games and infringe on the spirit of the rule. What a hit.
