Stars of Week 5 

QB: Aaron Rodgers, GB: 32-52, 442 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs 

RB: Isaiah Crowell, NYJ: 15 carries, 219 yards, 1 TD                                 

WR: Robby Anderson, NYJ: 3 catches, 123 yards, 2 TDs           

TE: Eric Ebron, IND: 9 catches, 105 yards, 2 TDs

We’ve got an OG leading the way at quarterback this week, followed by a bunch of uninvited guests to the party. Aaron Rodgers started off slow against the Lions, but he turned it on during the second half with three TD passes. He was too late to pull the Packers up for a victory, but nevertheless helped out his fantasy owners. Who would’ve thought the New York J…E…T…S Jets! Jets! Jets! would provide both the top RB and WR this week? The young squad took apart the Broncos defense this past Sunday, with Isaiah Crowell roaring past the two hundred yard mark and previously lifeless Robby Anderson snagging two TD bombs from Sam Darnold. Crowell should be viewed as a high variance RB2, as he’s been boom or bust so far. The booms have been magnificent, so that keeps him above the flex line. We’ll take a further look at Robby Anderson below. Eric Ebron has been a great free agent pickup for the Colts, as he has scored five TDs so far this year. Importantly for fantasy purposes, his TDs have been spread out – he has scored a TD in four of his five games. Ebron won’t keep up this TD pace, but he’s integrated himself nicely into the Colts offense and will be a low end TE1 moving forward.

Week 5 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Chris Carson, RB – SEA: 19 carries, 116 yards, 0 TDs

- Mike Davis, RB – SEA: 12 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD

- Rashaad Penny, RB – SEA: No carries

Analysis: We’re taking our second look at the running back situation of the Seahawks, given that we’ve had major developments (i.e. Pete Carroll has finally figured out what we already knew) transpire over the last few weeks. The best Seahawks RB is Chris Carson, the second best is Mike Davis, and Rashaad Penny is clearly behind Carson and Davis. The first few weeks we saw timeshares with Carson and Penny, along with Pete Carroll thinking that Carson was tired due to three special teams plays…in other words, shenanigans. Well, the Seahawks have had a rusher eclipse 100 yards in each of the last three weeks - Carson, then Davis, then Carson this past week against the Rams. With both Carson and Davis healthy this week, the team settled into the rotation that it needs to have moving forward – roughly a 65/35 split between Carson and Davis. The Hawks offensive line mauled the stout line of the Rams, and look for this trend to continue in the weeks to come. This is an improved Seahawks’ offensive line, and both Carson and Davis run with a nasty, “Beast Mode light” type edge. Carson cements himself as an RB2, with Davis a flex play going forward. Next week the team has a juicy matchup against the hapless Raiders – look for both RBs to eat. 

- James Conner, RB - PIT: 21 carries, 110 yards, 2 TDs (4 catches, 75 yards, 0 TDs)

Analysis: The Steelers have enjoyed James Conner stepping up for the team to fill Le’Veon Bell’s shoes while he’s continued his ill-advised holdout. Much like with the Seahawks RB situation, we covered Conner earlier this year as well – he’s an RB1 while Bell remains out. But, given what’s transpired over the last month, there’s an important additional angle to revisit here. Bell declared that he will return during the bye week, but there’s an open question as to whether or not the Steelers will allow him to rejoin the team. Bell does not appear to be in good graces with his teammates, coaches or the front office in the Steelers organization, and with Conner playing well, the team may very well decide to jettison Bell off to another team. So for those of you who own both Conner and Bell, you could end up splitting aces and having two RB1 for the second half of the season. On the flip side, if you don’t have Connor, give some thought to checking in on Connor’s asking price. No question there’s a risk here, but you may be able to snag Conner on the cheap with Bell’s pending return. And if Bell gets traded (let’s say 50 percent chance here), then you’ve got yourself a steal. Food for thought for those of you looking to maneuver at the RB position. 

- Wendell Smallwood, RB – PHI: 3 carries, 27 yards, 0 TDs (3 catches, 44 yards, 1 TD) 

Analysis: The Eagles have gotten off to a rough start in 2018, sitting at 2-3 after having won the Super Bowl last season. The team has suffered a few significant injuries over the first month of the season, and news came that starting running back Jay Ajayi has a torn ACL and will be out the remainder of the season. So what happens with the Eagles RB situation? There are outside names being thrown out there as trade possibilities – Le’Veon Bell, which the Eagles have denied, and LeSean McCoy, who makes logical sense if Bell is not in the cards. Whether a starting caliber RB comes from outside the organization remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the two next men up are Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement. Smallwood is healthy and has averaged six yards a carry in limited duty, while Clement has averaged roughly four yards per carry in similar usage to Smallwood. Clement has also been nursing a quad injury, so Smallwood is the priority add here, with Clement also warranting an add in deeper leagues. Smallwood will be a flex option starting this week, with RB2 upside in PPR leagues. 

- Robby Anderson, WR – NYJ: 3 catches, 123 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson was one of the biggest busts of the year heading into week 5. Anderson flashed last year as the Jets’ primary receiving target, and the arrow pointed up for continued ascension in 2018. Through four games, Anderson had 108 yards and 1 TD, and found himself rightfully in the discard pile in fantasy leagues. In response to being dropped by many owners, Anderson went out and connected with QB Sam Darnold on two long TD plays against the Broncos. So, is Robby Anderson going to fulfill his promise for this season after all? And should you scramble to scoop Anderson back up if you dropped him? The answer depends on your expectations. Throwing out the first game, Anderson has been targeted between four and six times per game by Darnold, as he has otherwise looked to Quincy Enunwa on a more consistent basis. That leaves Anderson as your classic boom or bust weekly option – he’ll score you twenty points one week and just four the next. Anderson should be rostered in leagues, but he’s not a weekly starter. Matchups and your other options will dictate how often Anderson starts. 

- Keke Coutee, WR – Hou: 6 catches, 51 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Rookie WR Keke Coutee found his way onto last week’s Rapid Fire Pickups section, and this week we’ll dive deeper as to why. Coutee made his NFL debut in Week 4 and hauled in 11 catches for 109 yards, with QB Deshaun Watson targeting Coutee 15 times. What a debut! For an encore, Coutee scored his first NFL TD against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Given that Will Fuller returned to the Texans lineup, Coutee’s targets (7) and yardage (51 yards) are not insignificant, as Coutee showed that he can remain fantasy relevant as the team’s third WR. Coutee will be the Texans’ primary slot receiver, which fits his skills well. The Texans have a poor offensive line and a subpar running game, which means that Watson will be slinging the rock. With both Hopkins and Fuller in the lineup, reasonable expectations for Coutee are somewhere in the 6-8 targets range, and this number will jump to double digits if either of his counterpart WRs miss games. Coutee needs to be rostered in all leagues, and he should be considered a flex option in deeper leagues, and bumped up if Hopkins or Fuller sit a game.

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been featured above, and 2) a player available in most leagues. 

QB: Baker Mayfield, CLE

RB: Nick Chubb, CLE

RB: Corey Clement, PHI (see above)

WR: David Moore, SEA

WR: Christian Kirk, ARI

TE: CJ Uzomah, CIN

Week 6 Rankings

 

Quarterbacks:

  1. Patrick Mahomes, KC      @NE
  2. Tom Brady, NE                KC
  3. Aaron Rodgers, GB          SF
  4. Matt Ryan, Atl                 TB
  5. Deshaun Watson, Hou     Buf
  6. Cam Newton, Car           @Wsh
  7. Kirk Cousins, Min            Ari
  8. Andy Dalton, Cin             Pit
  9. Jameis Winston, TB         @Atl
  10. Jared Goff, LAR               @Den
  11. Russell Wilson, Sea         @Oak
  12. Philip Rivers, LAC            @Cle
  13. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit     @Cin
  14. Andrew Luck, Ind            @NYJ
  15. Baker Mayfield, Cle          LAC
  16. Alex Smith, Wsh              Car
  17. Mitchell Trubisky, Chi       @Mia
  18. Derek Carr, Oak              Sea
  19. Joe Flacco, Bal                @Ten
  20. Blake Bortles, Jax            @Dal

Running Backs:

  1. Todd Gurley II, LAR         @Den
  2. Melvin Gordon, LAC         @Cle
  3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dal            Jax
  4. C. McCaffrey, Car             @Wsh
  5. Kareem Hunt, KC             @NE
  6. Joe Mixon, Cin                 Pit
  7. James Conner, Pit            @Cin
  8. David Johnson, Ari           @Min
  9. Sony Michel, NE               KC
  10. T.J. Yeldon, Jax                @Dal
  11. Chris Carson, Sea            @Oak
  12. Marshawn Lynch, Oak      Sea
  13. Tevin Coleman, Atl          TB
  14. Carlos Hyde, Cle              LAC
  15. Jordan Howard, Chi         @Mia
  16. James White, NE             KC
  17. Phillip Lindsay, Den         LAR
  18. LeSean McCoy, Buf          @Hou
  19. Adrian Peterson, Wsh      Car
  20. Dion Lewis, Ten               Bal
  21. Alfred Morris, SF             @GB
  22. Nyheim Hines, Ind          @NYJ
  23. Tarik Cohen, Chi             @Mia
  24. Isaiah Crowell, NYJ          Ind
  25. Alex Collins, Bal              @Ten
  26. Lamar Miller, Hou            Buf
  27. Aaron Jones, GB              SF
  28. Bilal Powell, NYJ              Ind
  29. Royce Freeman, Den        LAR
  30. Kenyan Drake, Mia          Chi
  31. Austin Ekeler, LAC           @Cle
  32. Javorius Allen, Bal           @Ten
  33. Mike Davis, Sea               @Oak
  34. Peyton Barber, TB            @Atl
  35. Ito Smith, Atl                   TB
  36. Derrick Henry, Ten            Bal
  37. Jamaal Williams, GB         SF
  38. Ty Montgomery, GB          SF
  39. Kapri Bibbs, Wsh              Car
  40. Latavius Murray, Min         Ari

Wide Receivers:

  1. Antonio Brown, Pit           @Cin
  2. Julio Jones, Atl                 TB
  3. DeAndre Hopkins, Hou      Buf
  4. Adam Thielen, Min            Ari
  5. A.J. Green, Cin                 Pit
  6. Davante Adams, GB          SF
  7. Tyreek Hill, KC                 @NE
  8. Mike Evans, TB                @Atl
  9. Keenan Allen, LAC            @Cle
  10. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pit   @Cin
  11. Stefon Diggs, Min             Ari
  12. Julian Edelman, NE           KC
  13. Jarvis Landry, Cle             LAC
  14. Cooper Kupp, LAR            @Den
  15. E. Sanders, Den               LAR
  16. Robert Woods, LAR          @Den
  17. Allen Robinson, Chi          @Mia
  18. Brandin Cooks, LAR         @Den
  19. Tyler Boyd, Cin                 Pit
  20. T.Y. Hilton, Ind                 @NYJ
  21. D. Thomas, Den               LAR
  22. Corey Davis, Ten              Bal
  23. Will Fuller V, Hou              Buf
  24. Amari Cooper, Oak           Sea
  25. John Brown, Bal               @Ten
  26. Sammy Watkins, KC         @NE
  27. Doug Baldwin, Sea           @Oak
  28. Calvin Ridley, Atl              TB
  29. Josh Gordon, NE              KC
  30. Tyler Lockett, Sea            @Oak
  31. Randall Cobb, GB             SF
  32. Devin Funchess, Car        @Wsh
  33. Michael Crabtree, Bal       @Ten
  34. DeSean Jackson, TB        @Atl
  35. Jordy Nelson, Oak           Sea
  36. Keke Coutee, Hou           Buf
  37. Mohamed Sanu, Atl         TB
  38. Ryan Grant, Ind              @NYJ
  39. Robby Anderson, NYJ       Ind
  40. Kenny Stills, Mia              Chi

Tight End:

  1. Rob Gronkowski, NE        KC
  2. Travis Kelce, KC              @NE
  3. Jimmy Graham, GB         SF
  4. George Kittle, SF            @GB
  5. Jordan Reed, Wsh           Car
  6. Eric Ebron, Ind               @NYJ
  7. Jared Cook, Oak             Sea
  8. Kyle Rudolph, Min           Ari
  9. Trey Burton, Chi             @Mia
  10. Vance McDonald, Pit       @Cin
  11. Cameron Brate, TB         @Atl
  12. David Njoku, Cle             LAC
  13. Greg Olsen, Car              @Wsh
  14. Austin Hooper, Atl           TB
  15. Ricky Seals-Jones, Ari      @Min
  16. C.J. Uzomah, Cin             Pit
  17. Hayden Hurst, Bal           @Ten
  18. Geoff Swaim, Dal             Jax
  19. Niles Paul, Jax                 @Dal
  20. Charles Clay, But             @Hou

Defense/Special Teams:

  1. Chicago Bears                 @Mia
  2. Jacksonville Jaguars        @Dal
  3. Houston Texans              Buf
  4. Green Bay Packers          SF
  5. Minnesota Vikings           Ari
  6. Los Angeles Rams           @Den
  7. Baltimore Ravens            @Ten
  8. Dallas Cowboys               Jax
  9. Tennessee Titans             Bal
  10. Los Angeles Chargers      @Cle
  11. Cleveland Browns            LAC
  12. New York Jets                  Ind
  13. Seattle Seahawks           @Oak
  14. Carolina Panthers           @Wsh
  15. Miami Dolphins               Chi