Week 5 Roundup

A-Z FFB
Oct 13, 2020
16 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2020

Friends, welcome back. Thanks for catching another one of my weekly round-up articles! Not totally positive, but pretty darn sure that the week 4 roundup was featured in an online newspaper, so that is pretty cool! Shout out to whoever made that happen. Let's keep things rolling and hop right on into the week 5 roundup!

Injuries:

Another week of 2020 NFL football, another huge name goes down with a long term injury. This season has been awful, I seriously feel for all of these guys. As a fantasy football guy, it is easy to view these injuries through the lens of fantasy football implications. These injuries obviously take a huge physical toll on the players, but the mental and emotional barriers that these men will face as they work their way back to the field are real. Don't forget that they are human too.

- Dak Prescott - Ankle (Season ending IR) *

- Dalvin Cook - Groin *

- Diontae Johnson - Back *

- Baker Mayfield - Ribs/Shoulder

- Sammy Watkins - Hamstring

- A.J. Green - Hamstring

- D.J. Chark - Ankle

Dak Prescott suffered a gruesome season ending ankle injury. The injury was a compound fracture of the ankle + a dislocation of the ankle. Dak was dragged down awkwardly, his ankle was rolled up on and his foot was left pointing a completely different direction than his knee. Not good. Dak was on a record setting pace in a contract year, so this injury does have long term implications. Prayers up for Dak, I (and many others) wish him a speedy recovery.

Photo: Clutchpoints.com

Dalvin Cook suffered a groin strain in week 5's game vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Prior to leaving the game, Cook was putting on a fantastic performance: 17 carries - 65 yards - 1 TD on the ground & 5 receptions for 24 yards through the air. Cook suffered this injury early in the 3rd quarter and did not return to the game. Given Cook's history of injuries, we should be prepared for Cook to miss time, or be significantly limited if he does suit up to play until it is declared that he is at 100%.

Diontae Johnson left week 5's contest about mid way through the 1st quarter after suffering a back injury during a punt return. I have not been able to gather much more specifics in regards to what they injury actually is, but Johnson is considered week-to-week at the moment. Johnson has dealt with a few different injuries already this season. After what was a fantastic start to the season, Johnson may be in line to miss some time, allowing for additional opportunities for rookie WR, Chase Claypool to continue establishing himself in this Steelers passing attack.

Not a new injury, but Panthers RB, Christian McCaffrey is eligible to be activated off of the short term IR after the high ankle sprain that he sustained in week 2. Now, just because CMC is eligible to return does not mean that the team has to activate him. McCaffrey is undergoing tests to see if it is safe/smart for him to return. Considering how backup RB, Mike Davis has been playing, the Panthers should be in no hurry to rush CMC back onto the field.

What I Learned from Week 5:

- The Bears are 4-1, but should we even care?

After another sloppy win, the Bears have improved to 4-1 with an impressive victory over Tampa Bay. The Bucs were missing some key pieces on offense, but Nick Foles led another gutsy comeback in his 2nd game as the full time starter. The Bears defense was causing problems all night, holding the Bucs to only 19 points. I think the Bears have a better record than they deserve, however 4-1 is where we are, and the Bears defense is legit.

- Falcons HC, Dan Quinn & GM, Thomas Dimitroff: Fired

Quinn was one of many head coaches on the hot seat, but the latest to be fired. After a talented Atlanta Falcons roster has fallen to 0-5, it looks like the Falcons are cleaning house with the additional firing of their GM. It has always been puzzling to me how the Falcons always ended up being so bad. They have always had some of the worst injury luck in the league, but despite immense talent, they could never elevate their play to compensate for the injuries. Raheem Morris has been named the interim HC in Atlanta.

- The Browns are 4-1 for the first time since 1994

Cleveland extends their winning streak to 4 games. How does that sound, Cleveland fans?! "Winning streak"... Who woulda thought? Despite some lackluster QB play, Kevin Stefanski has proven to be a fantastic head coaching hire for a team that is absolutely loaded with talent, on both sides of the ball. DE, Myles Garrett is playing at an All-Pro level as the focal point of the defense. Additionally, despite losing RB, Nick Chubb for a few weeks with a MCL injury, the Browns (who predicate their offense on the run game) have former NFL rushing leader, Kareem Hunt to fill the void as the true work horse RB. Thins are looking good in Cleveland.

Photo: SportsIllustrated.com

- Miami put a beatdown on San Francisco, 43-17

The Dolphins shocked a whole lot of people this weekend, hanging 43 points on the returning Super Bowl contenders. With Ryan Fitzpatrick still at the helm, Miami seemingly scored at will vs. a decimated 49ers offense. The most notable thing from this game was that 49ers starting QB, Jimmy Garapolo was benched in favor of C.J. Bethard. Garapolo was returning from a high ankle sprain and looked anything but impressive in this outing. The Dolphins and the 49ers both sport 2-3 records entering week 6. Also, I might be back IN on Preston Williams... I am ready to be hurt again.

- Why are we not talking about the Rams?

The Rams are very, very quietly 4-1, their lone loss coming to the Buffalo Bills. The Rams strength of schedule has been very, very nice for them to acquire wins (Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, WFT), but they have looked mighty impressive for the majority of the season on both sides of the ball. The Rams are 1 game behind the Seattle Seahawks (5-0) in the NFC West standings.

- D.J. Moore calmed us down, but Robby Anderson is still the WR 1 in Carolina

D.J. Moore looked electric on his TD reception. He caught a short pass and then raced down the sideline, out running the entire Atlanta secondary for a 57 yard score. Moore totaled 93 yards on the game along with that score, but teammate, Robby Anderson also had himself a day. Anderson saw 13 targets, remaining efficient by catching 8 passes for 112 yards. The week 5 target shares tell the story here... D.J. Moore: 15%. Robby Anderson: 38%. Anderson remains a weekly play, but I do expect D.J. Moore's involvement to increase. He is simply too good.

- D.K. Metcalf, THE WR 1

Metcalf has taken that 2nd year leap... all the way to the moon. With the Seattle offense finally letting Russ "cook", Metcalf has had the opportunity to show the entire league that he is one of the best in the game. Having improved immensely as a route runner, it is growing increasingly hard to find any flaws in Metcalf's game. His freakish combination of size & speed & raw power now combined with his finesse and expanded route tree make him arguably the biggest, fastest problem in the league at the WR position right now. Metcalf has yet to record a game with less than 90 yards, and has scored 5 TD's already this season. He currently finds himself as the WR 2 in 0.5 PPR scoring, just 2 points behind the WR 1, Adam Thielen. Given the Seahawks need to lean into the passing attack, combined with one of the best QB's in the game right now, you will be hard pressed to find a more consistent WR in the game right now than D.K. Metcalf.

Photo: Clutchpoints.com

- Ravens beat up on Bengals, but what's up with Lamar?

Coming off the first win of his career, Joe Burrow & the Bengals ran into a buzz-saw of a Baltimore Ravens team. Burrow's streak of 300+ yard games came to and end, but Ravens QB, Lamar Jackson stayed right on track (which isn't great). Jackson is currently averaging just 189.8 passing yards per game which ranks 31st in the NFL. The Ravens are not a 'pass happy' offense, but through 5 games in 2019, Jackson had thrown for 1,271 yards. Now 5 games into 2020, Jackson has thrown for just 949 yards (24th). The Ravens are still 4-1, but Lamar Jackson is not looking like the returning MVP, 2nd round pick in your fantasy football drafts that you thought you were going to get.

- Justin Herbert is L-E-G-I-T

I was wrong about the rookie. I think a lot of us were. Despite not recording a win yet, Justin Herbert has looked excellent. Since taking over starting duties moments before kickoff in week 2, Herbert has exceeded almost every expectation that was set on him. Boasting a 9 TD / 3 INT ratio through four starts. Herbert has also thrown for 1,195 yards in that time. He has yet to grab his first career win, but with the Jets, Dolphins & Jaguars on the horizon, that first career win is coming.

Photo: news.immitate.com

- The best team in football did not play this weekend

#GoPackGo! Is this a homer bit? Maybe... The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Las Vegas Raiders in what was a PERFECTLY coached game, and a prime example of how to beat the Chiefs. My Green Bay Packers are the one team so far this year that have yet to reveal a glaring weakness. Exiting week 4, the Packers boasted the #1 ranked offense in the NFL, and their defense has been playing superb football. The Packers really do look like the most complete team in the league right now, and oh yeah... Aaron Rodgers is back to playing MVP level football. The Packers have a long stretch to end the season, but they are picking right up where they left off in 2019 where they were 1 game away from the Super Bowl.

Photo: smallthingsfirst.com

Report Card:

I am honestly so tired of bashing myself in this segment. Across this entire industry, people miss. Every single week. This week I had some of the names. I just had them flip flopped, and honestly, I would pick these names again, and again.

Starts:

QB - Teddy Bridgewater: This was a chalky pick. In this matchup vs. Atlanta. Bridgewater did exactly what we thought he would do, put up a QB 1 performance. Teddy threw for over 300 yards & 2 TD's in week 5. He was a great start, especially considering that you may have grabbed him off of waivers this week.

RB - James Robinson: Facing off against the worst rushing defense in the league, Robinson certainly disappointed this week. This one impacted me personally, as I benched Miles Sanders in favor of Robinson. The match-up made too much sense here. I would absolutely pick Robinson again, and if this game were played again, it is possible that Robinson puts up a top 12 week... he just didn't. Robinson finished this game with an underwhelming 70 yards from scrimmage & 0 TD's.

WR - Justin Jefferson: Again... a perfect match-up for a WR coming off of back-to-back 100+ yard games. I will admit, I did not anticipate the Vikings opting to try and keep this game on the ground. I just didn't think they would be able to do it. Rather than getting into a shootout vs. Russell Wilson, MIN almost got 'em... but they fell short. Jefferson recorded a pedestrian 3 catches for 23 yards.

Photo: Hannah Foslien - Getty Images

TE - Hayden Hurst: This has to be Dan Quinn's fault, right? I take 0 responsibility for this call... Okay, just kidding. As a huge Hayden Hurst guy, it pains me to say that I may have fallen into a trap with Hurst. Despite a juicy match-up in a high scoring game with ATL down Julio Jones, Hurst didn't do squat. 6 targets (YAY), 2 receptions (BOO), 8 yards (BOOOOO).

Sits:

QB - Josh Allen / Ryan Tannehill: There is still some mystery surrounding this situation. I saw reports that a Titans coach tested positive for COVID on Sunday morning, prompting another shut down of the Titans facility, yet I have NOT seen any word of whether or not this game will be postponed, or cancelled (Titans forfeit). Given the Titans bungling of their own COVID outbreak, I 100% stand by this decision to call these guys as my sits of the week, whether they play or not.

RB - Miles Sanders: Ready to hear my defend this call despite Sanders finishing as a top 12 RB? Miles Sanders broke loose for a 74 yard TD. Sanders also added another score on a 1 yard TD run. Sanders finished this game with 80 rushing yards. Everything about this matchup said 'Sanders is a sit'. On the podcast I did say that you probably are playing Sanders despite the match-up because he was your first RB selected. If you started him, you are probably happy! Just know that 92.5% of Sanders's rushing yards came from 1 play in the first quarter. He is just a home-run threat who is always worth playing.

Photo: USA TODAY Sports - Steve Mitchell

WR - Preston Williams: I did it... I woke up Preston Williams. The week after I (not so) boldly declared that I was "done with Preston Williams", Williams went OFF for 4 catches, 106 yards & 1 TD. Williams out-targeted teammate DeVante Parker in this game which has NOT been the norm this season. It is likely that Preston Williams was dropped in your league, check your waiver wire, as I think he is a fine stash again.

Photo: dolphinstalk.com

TE - Austin Hooper: Sigh... Austin Hooper did post a "useful" stat line by TE standards. Hooper was targeted 10 times, catching 5 passes for 50 yards. 10 targets is certainly something to note moving forward. Hooper may be getting acclimated to that offensive system and may be a useful TE streamer down the road.

My Score:

Well, if you flip-flop my Starts with my Sits, I CRUSHED it this week. Unfortunately, this is not an alternate universe, my calls were wrong, again. As I have referenced previously, my process is something that I am always seeking to refine. Once again, I feel that based on the match-ups I would have ended up with a very, very similar list of names. "Start Miles Sanders vs. the best rushing defense in the league", or "Preston Williams is going to be a WR 1 this week even though he only has 48 yards in the past 3 weeks combined". Those are not sentences that would leave my mouth. It is what it is, results are results.

Process Grade: B, I stand by it.

Final Grade: D-

Popped Off | Dropped Off:

This segment may not always feature the highest/lowest scoring players at their respective positions. These are just guys who surprised me and could have continued success. Points referenced are from fantasydata.com | 0.5 PPR scoring

Popped Off:

- QB - Justin Herbert - QB 3 | 27.4 pts.

20/34 passing / 264 yds. / 4 TD | 4 rush att. / 8 yds.

- QB - Kyler Murray - QB 4 | 26.3 pts.

27/37 passing / 380 yds. / 1 TD / 1 INT | 9 rush att. / 31 yds. / 1 TD

- RB - Mike Davis - RB 1 | 25.4 pts.

Rushing - 16 att. / 89 yds. / 0 TD | Receiving - 9 rec. / 60 yds. / 1 TD

- RB - Todd Gurley - RB 2 | 23 pts.

Rushing - 14 att. / 121 yds. / 1 TD | Receiving - 4 rec. / 29 yds.

- WR - Chase Claypool - WR 1 | 39.1 pts.

11 tgt. / 7 rec. / 110 yds. / 4 total TD

- WR - Travis Fulgham - WR 2 | 26.2 pts.

13 tgt. / 10 rec. / 152 yds. / 1 TD

- WR - Mike Williams - WR 4 | 25.4 pts.

8 tgt. / 5 rec. / 109 yds. / 2 TD

- TE - Travis Kelce - TE 1 | 20.8 pts.

12 tgt. / 8 rec. / 108 yds. / 1 TD

- TE - Mark Andrews - TE 2 | 14.6 pts.

9 tgt. / 6 rec. / 56 yds. / 1 TD

***

Dropped Off:

- QB - Phillip Rivers - QB 26 | 5.6 pts.

21/33 passing / 243 yds. / 0 TD / 2 INT | 1 rush att. / -1 yds.

- QB - Joe Burrow - QB 27 | 4.3 pts.

19/30 passing / 183 yds. / 0 TD / 1 INT | 3 rush att. / 1 yds. / 1 FUM

- RB - Clyde Edwards-Helaire - RB 24 | 9.5 pts

Rushing - 10 att. / 40 yds. / 0 TD | Receiving - 3 rec. / 40 yds.

- RB - James Robinson - RB 27 | 7.5 pts.

Rushing - 13 att. / 48 yds. / 0 TD / 1 FUM | Receiving - 5 rec. / 22 yds.

- WR - Odell Beckham Jr. - WR 39 | 8.9 pts.

9 tgt. / 5 rec. / 58 yds. / 0 TD

- WR - Tyler Lockett - WR 48 | 6.4 pts.

5 tgt. / 4 rec. / 44 yds. / 0 TD

- WR - Tyler Boyd - WR 49 | 6.2 pts

6 tgt. / 4 rec. / 42 yds. / 0 TD

- TE - Tyler Higbee - TE 27 | 2.2 pts.

2 tgt. / 2 rec. / 12 yds. / 0 TD

- TE - Hayden Hurst - TE 29 | 1.8 pts.

6 tgt. / 2 rec. / 8 yds. / 0 TD

The Waiver Wire:

Quarterback:

Andy Dalton - QB, Cowboys - 3% Rostered

Andy Dalton is no doubt the waiver wire add of the week at the QB position, especially if you were a Dak Prescott manager. Is Dalton going to step in and throw for 1,800 yards in 4 and a half games? No. That being said, Dalton is clearly a competent QB, and now he takes over starting responsibilities for an absolutely LOADED Dallas Cowboys offense. While we will likely not get 'Dak numbers', Dalton should still provide a safe floor of fantasy points each week to warrant him as a weekly starting option.

Ryan Fitzpatrick - QB, Dolphins - 21% Rostered

It's Bye Week Szn. That means you will likely be looking for some QB streamers. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a great option for you. Fitz ranks as the QB 7 on the season, he is more than just a streamer. He is viable weekly starter.

Photo: 1045theteam.com

Running Back:

Chase Edmunds - RB, Cardinals - 64% Rostered

At 64% rostered (at least in Yahoo leagues), Edmunds may be a long shot to be on your waiver wire. Hopefully you caught last week's roundup article and scooped him then. Regardless, Edmunds's week 5 performance proved that Kenyan Drake's workload is in jeopardy, and Chase Edmunds is more than capable of handling more work. Edmunds should be rostered, as he is a great duel threat option in a high volume offense.

Justin Jackson - RB, Chargers - 44% Rostered

On Monday Night Football, 3rd year RB out of Northwestern University put on an impressive performance filling in for the injured Austin Ekeler. Jackson split time with rookie, Joshua Kelley, but it was Jackson who looked like the better option throughout the game. Versus a stout Saints run defense, Jackson recorded 15 carries for 71 yards (4.7 YPC) & also added 5 receptions for 23 yards. I could see this backfield situation being frustrating in terms of predicting usage, but nonetheless, Jackson is a great bench stash if you are in need of a FLEX play.

Alexander Mattison - RB, Vikings - 41% Rostered

With the news that starting RB, Dalvin Cook may miss week 6 while nursing an adductor strain. Mattison is in line to be the starting RB in a favorable matchup vs. the Atlanta Falcons. Even with Dalvin Cook active for half of week 5's game vs. Seattle, Mattison still recorded 20 carries for 112 yards on the ground. The Dalvin Cook manager in your league should already have Mattison on his/her bench, but at just 41% rostered there is a chance that he is still available in your league. At present, Cook is only projected to miss 1 game with this injury, but given Cook's injury history, it is possible Mattison develops a more consistent role in this rushing attack even when Dalvin Cook returns.

Photo: sportingnews.com | Getty Images

Wide Receiver:

Chase Claypool - WR, Steelers - 16% Rostered

As a fantasy manager who just dropped Chase Claypool last week, I am certainly kicking myself for that move. Claypool recorded a HUGE performance in week 5, totaling 116 total yards & 4 total TD's. Claypool may have been the benefactor of Diontae Johnson exiting the game in the first quarter, but he certainly capitalized on his opportunity. Seeing a career high 11 targets, he proved that when heavily targeted, he can do significant damage to opposing defenses. If Diontae Johnson misses any time, look for Claypool to continue seeing more opportunities, and eventually he may have his own established role in this offense that has found yet another stud at the WR position.

Photo: 3downnation.com

Henry Ruggs III - WR, Raiders - 44% Rostered

Henry Ruggs returned from his injury with a bang. On our podcast, the A-Z FFB Podcast I did mention Ruggs as a nice play this week given the matchup with the Chiefs, stating that Oakland could use some of that "Tyreek Hill energy" to keep up in this game. That is exactly what Ruggs provided Sunday. Ruggs needed only 3 targets & 2 receptions to make his mark. 118 yards & 1 TD was the result. I do think that Ruggs is a matchup dependent play, but we all want a home run threat at our disposal. Ruggs gives you exactly that.

Laviska Shenault Jr. - WR, Jaguars - 34% Rostered

Alright... this is just getting out of hand. LAVISKA SHENAULT SHOULD BE ON YOUR ROSTER. Yes, Viska's streak of having at least 1 rushing attempt in every game was broken in week 5, but he saw a career high 8 targets in this game, and nearly broke the 80 yard mark again. His playing time continues to increase. His targets continue to increase. And oh yeah, Viska currently leads the team in receptions (23). The man is a stud, and the team is leaning into him more and more. I expect his opportunity to increase (as it has every week so far), and if his roster % is not above 40% next week I am going to have a tantrum. Hasta Laviska, baby.

Photo: jaguarswire.com

Travis Fulgham - WR, Eagles - 3% Rostered

Did you know who Travis Fulgham was before Sunday? I didn't. Despite this being his second huge performance in a row! Travis Fulgham separated himself from the rest of this banged up Philly WR core in week 5 with an impressive outing. 13 targets, 10 receptions, 152 yards & 1 TD. Fulgham has now scored in back-to-back games, and with 13 targets vs. the Steelers defense, this connection might be for real. The Eagles have to throw the ball to someone, that someone just might be Travis Fulgham. By the way, here is what Fulgham looks like, just in case you didn't know.

Photo: philidelphiaeagles.com

Tight End:

Austin Hooper - TE, Browns - 55% Rostered

Austin Hooper is a name I did not see myself mentioning in the waiver wire section this year. Perhaps that was a bit foolish considering Hooper's TE 6 overall season in 2019. With Hooper, it may have just been a case of acclimating to a new team and a new offense. While Hooper's yardage totals have not been amazing, he has seen 17 targets over the past 2 games, finding the end zone once. This is not a guy you have to rush out and grab, but if you are in need of a TE, you could do worse than Hooper, as he has yet to finish a game with a snap share below 77%. The best ability is availability, Hooper does seem to have that going for him.

Thank you!

Welcome to the end of the article! Great to see you here. I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of the weekly roundup! For more content like this (with less characters) be sure to check me out on the Twitter. You can find me @ZackFFB & again @AtoZffb. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this! Until next time.