Notes:
- Green highllight indicates plus matchup (top eight)
- Red highlight indicates negative matchup (bottom eight)
Giants at Patriots
- (Katz) Line: NE -17.0 Total: 41.5
Passing
Game Thoughts: After bursting onto the scene Week 3,
Daniel Jones has put in consecutive dismal performances as his
entire team collapses around him. Jones is now set to face the
league’s best defense as the Patriots have yet to allow
a passing touchdown, have recorded 11 interceptions and teams
throw for a league low 160.4 yards against them.
The Giants are on the road on a short week and will be without
Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, leaving Darius Slayton as the
primary X receiver with Golden Tate in the slot. Slayton ran the
second most routes last week and is a desperation bye week/injury
fill-in based on volume alone. The same goes for Tate, who caught
just three targets in his return, but did see six targets. Both
of those numbers should increase. Unfortunately, it is entirely
likely the Giants score zero points this week.
NE FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.32
NE FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.31
NE FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.32
NE FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.31
Running Game Thoughts: Unsurprisingly, Saquon
Barkley (ankle) is not returning this week but expect Barkley
back in Week 7. For now, we will revert back to the pre-Barkley
years where there is nothing to see with this Giants’ running
game. Wayne Gallman is out with a concussion, leaving Jon Hilliman
and Elijhaa Penny to form the least desirable committee since
the Paul Perkins days. For what it’s worth, Penny is my
pick to lead the backfield in snaps. The Giants won’t be
able to run much in the face of highly negative game script so
you are not starting either of these two guys no matter how desperate
you are.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The biggest concern facing Tom Brady this
week is how much he can produce before the game gets completely
out of hand. The Patriots are going to win this game by a lot.
The Giants have one of the league’s worst pass defenses,
allowing 279.4 passing yards per game and a total of 10 touchdowns.
If Brady wants to throw for 300 yards and five touchdowns, he
can. Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon will see the bulk of the targets
as usual. They may see an uptick in target share with Phillip
Dorsett out with a hamstring injury. Jakobi Meyers will replace
Dorsett in three receiver sets. He is nothing more than a desperation
bye week/injury filler. Ultimately, the productivity of the Patriots’
passing game comes down to whether the touchdowns are scored on
the ground or through the air.
NYG FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.7
NYG FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.13
NYG FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.2
NYG FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.22
Running Game Thoughts: Sony Michel finally had
a quality game last week and he even caught three passes. He did
so with Rex Burkhead absent and Burkhead was limited in practice
all week. My guess is he sits once more, which bodes well for
Michel in another game that will have hugely positive game script
and a good bet to fall into the end zone. James White will lead
this backfield in snaps and will catch as many passes as Brady
wants him to catch but doesn’t have much touchdown upside,
White has 19 targets over the past two weeks. His six carries
last week were a season high. White is a safe floor play, but
lacks a true ceiling, even in the easiest of matchups.
Panthers @ Buccaneers
- (Green) Line: CAR -2.0 Total: 48.0
Passing
Game Thoughts: Kyle Allen ran his record as a starter
this season to 3-0 last Sunday with a win over the Jaguars. That's
the good news. The bad news is that his numbers continued to trend
in the wrong direction as he threw for just 181 yards and fumbled
yet again (though Carolina recovered). We'll see if that changes
against the NFL's worst pass defense in Week 6 as the Buccaneers
have surrendered 323.6 passing yards per game this season.
Minus a timetable for Cam Newton (foot) to return to action,
the job belongs to Allen for the indefinite future. What that
has meant so far is a steady diet of throws to MVP candidate Christian
McCaffrey (23 in three games) and slot man Curtis Samuel (20)
for mostly modest gains. D.J. Moore caught six passes for 91 yards
last week and has seen his role increase from two targets in Allen's
first start to eight against the Jags.
While Moore has been trending up, veteran Greg Olsen has all
but disappeared. After a 6-75-2 line in Week 3, Olsen had two
catches for five yards against Houston and was not even targeted
this past Sunday. The Bucs did allow Olsen to gain 110 yards on
six grabs in Week 2, albeit with Newton at the helm, so that offers
some hope.
TB FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.2
TB FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.30
TB FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.5
TB FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.2
Running Game Thoughts: Despite dealing with cramping
issues in the fourth quarter, McCaffrey racked up 176 yards and
two TDs on 19 carries against the Jags—he added another
61 yards and a score as a receiver. He's the top player in fantasy
right now, though it's fair to wonder if his 205-pound frame can
handle his pace of more than 27 touches per game. At his current
rate, he'd log 435 touches, well up from the 326 he had a season
ago.
Only the Eagles have allowed fewer rushing yards per game than
the Bucs (69.8), who have faced the likes of Todd Gurley, Alvin
Kamara and yes, McCaffrey, this season. It was by far McCaffrey's
worst game of the season (53 total yards, 0 TDs), but that was
with an immobile Newton on a short week so it's debatable how
much we should read into it. One note, if you own McCaffrey make
sure you're carrying Reggie Bonnafon as your handcuff and not
Jordan Scarlett.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Coming off their big win in LA, the Bucs
struggled to get going offensively in a 31-24 loss to the Saints.
Jameis Winston played turnover-free football, but his already
modest line of 204 yards passing and two TDs was largely attained
on the game's final drive: a meaningless 76-yard TD march that
finished with 13 seconds left. It was a major step backward after
he threw for 765 yards and seven touchdowns over the previous
two games and a reminder of how volatile Winston can be.
That volatility got the best of Mike Evans, the usually steady
WR1, who was targeted just three times and finished without a
catch for the first time since September 2015. On the other side,
Chris Godwin continued his push toward fantasy's top-10 wideouts
by hauling in seven passes for 125 yards and both TDs—that
gives Godwin three 100-yard games this season and an NFL-high
six receiving scores. The tight end position remains a wasteland
with O.J. Howard catching just one ball.
Back in Week 2, Carolina held Winston to 208 yards passing, 182
of which went to Godwin (8-121-1) and Evans (4-61-0). That's slightly
above their season average of 197, which ranks fourth in the NFL,
though they're coming off a tough week where the Jags and Gardner
Minshew threw for 374 yards on them.
CAR FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.23
CAR FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.16
CAR FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.18
CAR FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.28
Running Game Thoughts: Tampa used a nearly even split with the
touches for Ronald Jones (11 for 56) and Peyton Barber (nine for
31 with a TD) last week, continuing their season-long effort to
confuse fantasy owners. It seemed much clearer cut during the
last matchup with the Panthers when Barber ran 23 times to Jones'
four. Feel free to shoot those numbers into the sun.
Since then, Jones has logged 42 carries to Barber's 30, and it
seems highly likely that Barber's heavy load in that Thursday
meeting was due to the short week. Carolina has struggled against
the run this year (134.4 YPG; 24th), and this seems like a good
area to attack their defense.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Will Fuller hadn’t scored a touchdown
or exceeded 70 receiving yards in any of the Texans’ first
four games, but his Week 5 performance was all he needed to catapult
himself into the top 10 at the position for the season. Fuller’s
gigantic 14 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns is the
best single-game performance of the 2019 season thus far and while
it’ll be nearly impossible for him to ever reach that number
again, Fuller has once again brought his name back up into the
WR2 boom/bust conversation.
This week Fuller and the Texans will be on the road to face a
Kansas City defense that has been subpar this season. They held
Jacoby Brissett in check in an oddly low-scoring game against
the Colts in Week 5 but were torched for nearly 300 yards and
three scores the week before by the Lions. Texans quarterback
Deshaun Watson has to be one of the best plays on the board in
what should be a high-scoring contest and DeAndre Hopkins should
be in line for a heavy target share against a defense that isn’t
equipped to deal with him. Hopkins has been less-than-spectacular
this season but he’s caught at least five passes in every
game which gives him one of the best floors at the position to
go along with an incredible upside.
The other receivers in this offense, including Kenny Stills, Keke
Coutee and tight ends Darren Fells and Jordan Akins, all have
the potential to get into the end zone this week but their lack
of volume makes them a low-probability play with a bottomless
floor.
KC FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.12
KC FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.11
KC FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.19
KC FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.12
Running Game Thoughts: Texans running back Carlos Hyde has now
carried the ball at least 10 times in every game this season,
including a 21-carry performance this past week in the Texans’
53-point offensive showcase against the Falcons in Week 5. Hyde
didn’t even get to 3.0 yards per carry but he did get into
the end zone once so his fantasy day was still decent, but ultimately
his biggest issue is that he’s practically nonexistent in
the passing game. Duke Johnson should be the one who’s filling
that role but even Johnson has been less-than-stellar in that
category, having caught just nine passes through five games. Unless
Johnson becomes more involved as a pass catcher or Hyde goes down,
then he’ll remain an afterthought for fantasy football.
Hyde can be considered a low-end RB2 in standard leagues but he’s
more of a Flex option in PPR leagues. His upside just isn’t
strong enough to be a high-end option, but Hyde’s usage
makes him a fairly safe option even in games where the Texans
could hypothetically fall behind on the scoreboard. The Chiefs
have conceded 99 or more rushing yards to a single opposing running
back in four straight contests.
Passing
Game Thoughts: He’s only thrown one touchdown pass
over his past two games so fantasy owners might be a little bit
disappointed in the 2018 NFL MVP, but there’s nothing to
be worried about when it comes to Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has
thrown for 315 or more yards in every game this season and his
yardage-to-touchdown ratio actually indicates that he’s
been unlucky a bit, having thrown just 11 touchdowns on the season.
That number should regress positively for Mahomes, making him
an even better fantasy option going forward.
Mahomes will be at home against a Texans defense that gave up
330 yards passing and three touchdowns to Matt Ryan this past
week. There’s no reason to think that Mahomes won’t
approach or even potentially exceed those numbers, which makes
the entire Kansas City offense one to be heavily invested in here
in Week 6.
With Sammy Watkins having not practiced as of Thursday, it appears
that the Chiefs may be thin at wide receiver. Second-year receiver
Byron Pringle seems to be the most likely Watkins replacement.
Pringle caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown on eight
targets this past week for the Chiefs and could be an interesting
low-priced DFS option if Watkins is indeed out. Pringle’s
probably too risky of a play to start in most seasonal leagues
but he’s not a bad player to add in deeper leagues in case
he does end up continuing where he left off in Week 5.
Fellow wide receiver Tyreek Hill could be back, which would be
a huge boost to this offense’s already league-best firepower.
If Hill is back, he instantly shoots back into the WR1 conversation
as his shoulder injury shouldn’t impact his speed, which
is his greatest asset. If Hill is out, however, look for the duo
of Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson to continue to fill in
his role. They both become non-fantasy options if Hill is out,
however.
Tight end Travis Kelce remains an elite contributor at the position,
having contributed at least 70 receiving yards in all five games
this season. His touchdown numbers have been disappointing as
he’s only scored once, but there’s plenty of reason
to believe that he, like Mahomes, will be regressing in a positive
direction when it comes to touchdowns.
HOU FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.8
HOU FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.19
HOU FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.9
HOU FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.32
Running Game Thoughts: Chiefs running back Damien Wiliams returned
this past week, earning 12 touches in his first action since his
Week 2 injury. That led to veteran LeSean McCoy being almost a
complete non-factor as he saw zero carries and was held to just
two catches on the day against the Colts in what was a very close,
low-scoring contest. If McCoy isn’t seeing touches in that
type of situation, it becomes very concerning from a fantasy standpoint.
He certainly cannot be relied upon as a weekly contributor for
fantasy right now and he may very well end up on the fantasy chopping
block in the coming weeks if he’s not utilized more often.
Fellow backup running back Darrel Williams matched McCoy’s
14 snaps on the day in Week 5 but he was left without a touch
and he can probably be safely dropped in most leagues.
Damien Williams is really the only player who we should be interested
in at the moment in the Kansas City backfield, but we just don’t
have a great idea of what the touch distribution will look like
on a week to week basis. Feel free to trot out Damien as an RB2
but don’t be surprised if another back is the one who ends
up falling into the end zone.
Bengals @ Ravens
- (Swanson) Line: BAL -11.0 Total: 48.0
Passing
Game Thoughts: It took the offense most of the first
half of the game against Arizona to get going, but once Andy Dalton
and his receivers started to click, the Red Rifle finished the
week as the No. 13 ranked quarterback with 21.6 fantasy points.
Dalton enters Week 6 against the Ravens ranked as the No.14 ranked
quarterback in the league, ahead of other more popular fantasy
options like Jacoby Brissett, Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield,
and Aaron Rodgers.
The nine-year veteran has completed 63% of his passes for 1,411
yards and seven touchdowns, and is on pace for a career-best 4515
yards, with 22 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Dalton has been
the beneficiary of playing in the new Zac Taylor offense that
spreads the ball around more and utilizes more complex route schemes
that before under Marvin Lewis.
He also plays on a team with a defense that is the second-worst
in the league behind the lowly Miami Dolphins, which forces Dalton
and the offense to chase points.
Dalton will most likely chase points once again this week against
a Ravens team that will score at will with Lamar Jackson. Dalton
will have an uphill task against a Baltimore defense that allows
the tenth-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks through the first
five games of the season. Outside of Patrick Mahomes, the Ravens
have limited opposing quarterbacks, including Kyler Murray and
Baker Mayfield, the 21 or fewer points this season.
Despite their success limiting fantasy points to QBs, you can
pass on Baltimore as evident to the fact that the Ravens have
given up the fourth-most passing yards this year. In addition,
starting safety Tony Jefferson is out for the rest of the season
with an ACL tear.
If this game were in prime time we would recommend avoiding Dalton
like the plague. But considering the injuries to the Ravens secondary
and the likelihood of a high scoring game, Dalton is a decent
streaming option.
A.J. Green has already been ruled out of this game, and the team
will be without John Ross for a few more weeks. Both Tyler Boyd
and Auden Tate are worth a start, with the former option the better
play of the two.
BAL FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.22
BAL FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.12
BAL FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.10
BAL FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.18
Running Game Thoughts: Joe Mixon enters Week 6 as the No.31 ranked
running back in fantasy football, with 66 rushes for 243 yards
and zero rushing touchdowns. Mixon does have a receiving touchdown,
but his receiving numbers have not been much to get excited about,
with 68 total receiving yards on 12 catches this year.
According to FootballOutsiders.com, the Bengals own the seventh-worst
run-blocking line in the league and the eighth-worst line for
pass protection. Andy Dalton has been running for his life, while
Mixon has not done much running of his own behind a dreadful front
five.
The good news for Mixon and the Bengals is the Ravens defense
that is typically solid against the run has been dreadful this
year. No other team in the NFL has allowed more rushing touchdowns
(7), and the Ravens rank 12th in fantasy points allowed to running
backs.
Nick Chubb and the Browns torched the Ravens two weeks ago with
165 yards and three scores. It would be silly to expect a similar
performance this week by the Bengals, but it is possible to run
against Baltimore, and it would make sense for the Bengals to
try and run the ball as much as possible to keep the ball out
of the hands of Lamar Jackson.
Starting tackle Cordy Glenn is questionable with a concussion.
His absence from the game would be a big hit to the Bengals passing
game and would be a boost for owners looking to start the Ravens
DST.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Lamar Jackson is the No.1 ranked fantasy
quarterback through the first five weeks of the season despite
a 19.1 game last week against the Steelers. Jackson threw a career-high
three interceptions against the Steelers while throwing for a
meager 161 passing yards. Jackson made up for a lack of passing
yards by rushing the ball 14 times for 70 yards on the ground.
Even in his worst games, Jackson provides a floor that is unmatched
in the game right now and is a must-start regardless of the matchup.
In games like this, against a dreadful Bengals defense that ranks
second to last in total defense and gives up the 10th-most points
to quarterbacks, Jackson is an elite start who could be a week-winning
player.
Kyler Murray torched the Bengals for 93 rushing yards and a score
last week, along with 253 passing yards for 28 fantasy points.
I would not be surprised to see Jackson rush for over 100 yard
this week against the undisciplined Bengals while adding a couple
passing touchdowns to Mark Andrews or Hollywood Brown.
Both of those receiving options left Sunday’s game against
the Steelers due to injuries. Andrews has been dealing with a
foot issue all season, while Brown left with an ankle injury.
Of the two, Andrews appears to be more likely to miss the game
and is listed as questionable on the injury report. Keep an eye
on Andrews as we get closer to Sunday.
Willie Snead now has at least 47 receiving yards in each of his
last three games and 12 total targets. While the volume is not
exactly enticing, he continues to be a low-end flex option in
deep leagues, especially as we continue into bye weeks.
CIN FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.10
CIN FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.2
CIN FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.27
CIN FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.23
Running Game Thoughts: The running back stable of Mark Ingram,
Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill have combined to score the 7th-most
fantasy points this season, with Ingram ranked 6th overall in
fantasy points. The former Saint has been everything Ravens fans,
and fantasy owners could have wished for so far, with six rushing
touchdowns and a 5.0 yard per carry average.
Ingram is a must-start in this game and should be in for a big
day against a Bengals defense that has allowed the most rushing
yards and the second-most points to running backs this year. The
Ravens will look to force Andy Dalton into bad decisions and then
capitalize on short fields with their potent ground game.
Don’t be surprised to see Ingram score multiple touchdowns
this week in what could be an ugly game for the Bengals.
In the one game this season in which the Bengals blew out the
Dolphins, Gus Edwards received 17 close-out rushing attempts in
Miami. While his volume in other games makes him a must-bench,
owners in deep leagues looking for a bye week flex could plug
Edwards in a pinch.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Many writers and analysts in the fantasy
community wrote about touchdown percentage regression as a reason
why Russell Wilson should be avoided in drafts this past summer.
The argument was simple. The Seahawks don’t throw the ball
enough for Wilson to compete against other quarterbacks who play
in pass-happy offenses. For Wilson to be fantasy relevant, he
would need to continue to post a touchdown rate of 7% (Well above
the league average) or more to make up for his lack of volume,
and he would need to provide fantasy points with his leg.
Through five games of the 2019 season, Wilson has proved that
narrative wrong, with 12 passing touchdowns on 156 attempts for
a TD rate of 7.7%. He also has 120 rushing yards and two rushing
touchdowns, giving him an average of 28.5 fantasy points per game,
and is tied with Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson as the No.3 QB
in fantasy.
Anyone who disregarded the fantasy community on Wilson is sitting
pretty right now, and things should continue in the right direction
this week against a Browns defense that was dismantled by the
49ers on Monday Night Football.
Marcus Mariota, Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson, and Jimmy Garoppolo
all threw for at least two passing touchdowns against the Browns.
Even rookie Luke Falk, the third-string option for the lowly Jets
competed 20-of-25 passes for 198 yards against Cleveland.
The 49ers proved that you could run the ball down the throats
of the Browns, and the secondary is susceptible to big plays on
play-action passes. Like the 49ers, the Seahawks are a potent
running team who will gash the Browns, and nobody in the league
is better at taking shots downfield on play-action than Wilson.
Will Dissly should be in line for a solid game as well, with
Delanie Walker and George Kittle posting big games vs the Browns.
Tyler Lockett’s volume has gone down over the last two
games, but he continues to be the No.1 wide receiver for Wilson
and could be the recipient of a big play or two downfield on play-action.
The ability of the Seahawks to run wild on the Browns is the
biggest concern for passing game skill position players, as it
is feasible that Seattle will not need Wilson to throw much in
this matchup.
CLE FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.16
CLE FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.8
CLE FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.26
CLE FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.5
Running Game Thoughts: The Monday Night dismantling on the ground
by the 49ers should have Chris Carson owners salivating at the
thought of their stud running back getting 20-plus carries against
the Browns.
Carson enters the week ranked as the No.13 running back with
486 total yards and three touchdowns. His 4.1 yard per carry average
is below the league average, but he is on pace to set career highs
in receiving yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns.
Carson’s snap count reached a season-high 84% last week
despite the return of Rashaad Penny, and his 17 targets on the
season is fourth on the team behind Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, and
Dissly. Needless to say, Carson has been great this season, and
he should be considered an excellent play this week.
Value Meter:
QB1: Russell Wilson (Elite)
RB1: Chris Carson (Mid-Range)
WR2: Tyler Lockett (High-End)
WR3: D.K. Metcalf (Low-End)
TE1: Will Dissly (High-End)
Passing
Game Thoughts: The Browns offense right now is a cross
between a dysfunctional family and a dumpster fire. The team is
loaded with talent at all the skill positions, but a terrible
offensive line has torpedoed all of the players on the Browns,
and Baker Mayfield is no longer even a streaming option in most
leagues.
Games are won in the trenches, and recent trades, retirements,
injuries, and subpar play turned one of the better offensive lines
in the AFC from last season into a barren wasteland, with Mayfield
running around like a crazy person on nearly every pass.
Odell Beckham Jr. has fewer fantasy points that Emmanuel Sanders
and John Brown, Jarvis Landry has yet to catch a TD pass, and
Mayfield has twice as many interceptions as touchdowns while completing
56% of his passes. So much for the Freddy Kitchens offense.
You can’t drop Beckham because another team would snatch
him up, and you can only trade him for pennies on the dollar.
To make matters worse, the Browns have four difficult matchups
ahead with the Seahawks, Patriots, Broncos, and Bills, before
things get better with the Dolphins, Bengals, and Cardinals.
On a positive note, the Seahawks do allow the 14th-most points
to opposing quarterbacks, with Andy Dalton, Kyler Murray, and
Jared Goff all reaching 20 or more fantasy points. None of those
QBs reached three touchdown passes, but they all posed enough
yardage totals to deliver strong starts.
The matchup to watch in this game will be the outside pressure
of Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney against the beleaguered tackles
of Greg Robinson and Chris Hubbard. If Robinson and Hubbard pass
block like they did against the 49ers, Mayfield will be in for
another rough day.
SEA FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.14
SEA FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.22
SEA FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.23
SEA FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.7
Running Game Thoughts: The lone bright spot for the Browns offense
this season is second-year running back Nick Chubb. With 485 yards
and four rushing touchdowns, along with 15 catches for 111 yards,
Chubb is the No.5 ranked running back in fantasy through the first
five weeks.
Seattle has yet to give up more than 69 yards on the ground,
but four running backs, including Alvin Kamara, have reached double
figures in fantasy points vs. the Seahawks. Look for Kitchens
to lean heavily on the run to limit the outside pass rush of Ansah
and Clowney, while taking some pressure off of the shell-shocked
Mayfield.
Passing
Game Thoughts: As I wrote in this space a week ago, I
was bullish on Week 5 being one spot where Teddy Bridgewater could
put up "Brees-esque" numbers. The result: 314 yards
passing, 4 TDs and an INT (which deflected off the hands of Alvin
Kamara). This week, though, I'm looking for a game plan more in
line with what we saw in the first two games under Bridgewater.
That means more underneath routes and a renewed focus on the running
game.
After watching the Jags be utterly mystified by Christian McCaffrey,
who amassed 237 total yards and three TDs despite missing time
with cramps, I expect the Saints will be looking to feature Kamara
heavily this week. Of course, the passing game continues to revolve
around Michael Thomas, who lit up the Bucs for 11 receptions,
182 yards and a pair of TDs. He has proven to be a steady WR1
without Brees operating the offense, and I don't expect A.J. Bouye
to shut him down.
After Thomas and Kamara, things thin out in a hurry. Jared Cook
(4-41-1 vs TB) finally showed a little life, but nominal No.2
receiver Tre'Quan Smith (ankle) suffered another ankle injury.
Ted Ginn Jr. scored but was only targeted twice. The Jags rank
18th against the pass this season, allowing 245.4 yards per game,
but even without Jalen Ramsey (back) they're still more susceptible
to the run.
JAC FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.19
JAC FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.5
JAC FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.12
JAC FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.21
Running Game Thoughts: Kamara finished with 62 rushing yards
in Week 5, giving him three consecutive games of between 60 and
70 yards on the ground. Latavius Murray was a little busier as
well, logging a season-high nine touches for 34 yards. While it's
not enough to get him off most fantasy benches, it's a step in
the right direction.
Perhaps Murray will finally get going against Jacksonville, which
sits 26th in rushing yards allowed per game (136.6) and dead last
in yards per carry (5.5). There's no shame in struggling to contain
McCaffrey, but letting his backup gain 80 yards on five carries
was abysmal. If you're desperate this might be a week to call
upon Murray as a flex.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Although his efforts ultimately came up
short, Gardner Minshew put together another impressive performance
in Week 5, passing for 374 yards and a pair of TDs against a Carolina
squad that brought the top-rated passing defense into the matchup.
The caveat to that was Minshew put the ball on the ground three
times, losing all three. As such, it wouldn't be surprising to
see John DeFilippo dial back the passing this Sunday.
Despite that, I still believe the Jaguars have two viable fantasy
wideouts for the first time since Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns
in 2015 with the duo of D.J. Chark (27-485-5) and Dede Westbrook
(23-227-1). That pair logged 22 of the team's 40 targeted passes
compared to just six combined for Chris Conley, Marqise Lee and
Keelan Cole. Whoever matches with Marshon Lattimore could be in
a tough day, though, after Lattimore blanked Mike Evans in Week
5.
Although New Orleans ranks 19th in passing yards allowed, much
of that can be traced back to garbage time production with the
Saints playing strong defensively, especially since the Brees
injury. Jacksonville's passing game could also take a hit after
emerging tight end James O'Shaughnessy (knee) suffered a torn
ACL. That should leave even more of the pass-catching load to
fall upon Chark, Westbrook and Leonard Fournette.
NO FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.3
NO FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.27
NO FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.6
NO FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.19
Running Game Thoughts: Fournette followed up
his 225-yard day in Week 4 with a 23-carry, 108-yard effort against
the Panthers. He's currently third in the NFL in rushing and averaging
a cool 131 yards of total offense per game this season. The problem
is that his 115 combined touches have resulted in just one touchdown—a
disappointing showing for a back of his size. Perhaps he'll do
better this week against a Saints defense that has allowed an
NFL-high seven rushing TDs in 2019.
Redskins at Dolphins
- (Katz) Line: WAS -3.5 Total: 41.0
Passing
Game Thoughts: The starting quarterback carousel continues
for the Redskins as they circle back to Case Keenum for a very
winnable game at Miami. The Dolphins sport an impressive combination
of stats. They’ve allowed the second most passing yards
per game at 296.2 despite having faced, by far, the fewest pass
attempts in the league at 117. For context, that is over 100 fewer
than the league leader in that category, Tampa Bay.
If Keenum airs it out, he should have success but working against
him is interim coach Bill Callahan’s desire to #establishtherun
as well as the Redskins being rare road favorites against the
league’s worst team. With that being said, the Redskins
can’t run the ball every play so Terry McLaurin should have
plenty of room to operate against a highly overrated Xavien Howard.
Miami has allowed 19.9 fantasy points per game to opposing WR1s
so fire up McLaurin. If you need a bye week filler, you could
also do much worse than Paul Richardson, who is running routes
on 86.6% of his snaps. TE Vernon Davis (concussion) did practice
Thursday but keep an eye on his status over the weekend.
MIA FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.1
MIA FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.1
MIA FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.8
MIA FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.8
Running Game Thoughts: If there were ever a week to hop in the
Delorean and fire up Adrian Peterson, it’s this one. The
Redskins may not be favored in any game the rest of the season
and they certainly won’t face a softer run defense. The
Dolphins have allowed a league worst seven rushing touchdowns
despite having already had their bye. They also allow 175.8 rushing
yards per game. Peterson has only been useful in games they have
won, and this projects to be one where he at least won’t
be game scripted out. Peterson should see 15 carries and is a
decent bet to fall into the end zone. Chris Thompson, on the other
hand, has absolutely no ceiling and is best avoided because he
simply won’t be needed.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The only team to allow more passing touchdowns
than the Dolphins (12)? You guessed it. The Redskins (13). The
matchup is ideal, but the quarterback is not. Josh Rosen is never
a fantasy option. However, Preston Williams could be in line for
a big week as the Redskins give up 18.7 fantasy points per game
to opposing WR1s and 19.1 points to opposing WR2s. I would be
the biggest fraud in the world if I advocated DeVante Parker at
all because, make no mistake about it, Parker is a very bad wide
receiver. But bye weeks and injuries take their toll and you can
certainly do worse than Parker. No one else on this passing game
is even worth mentioning.
WAS FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.6
WAS FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.7
WAS FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.3
WAS FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.10
Running Game Thoughts: Perhaps the most underappreciated running
back this season is Kenyan Drake. For some reason, Kalen Ballage
has started over Drake at times this season even though Drake
consistently leads the backfield in snaps. Drake has put up RB3
numbers for three straight weeks and is a safe bet to get at least
8-10 points this week. This could also be the week he finds the
end zone, more likely through the air as Drake averages five targets
a game. Drake is a borderline top 24 option this week due to injuries
and byes.
Eagles @ Vikings
- (Swanson) Line: MIN -3.0 Total: 44.0
Passing
Game Thoughts: Carson Wentz and the Eagles took advantage
of a third-string quarterback-led Jets team last week to move
to 3-2 on the season and a share of first place in the NFC East.
Philly ranks seventh in the league in points per game and sixth
in red zone efficiency, making up for the fact that they rank
24th in average yards per game.
Although he is averaging over three full points less per game
than his breakout 2017 in which he was an MVP candidate, Carson
Wentz is 14th among quarterbacks this year with 21.9 points per
game. Wentz has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three
of his games, including a monster 313/3 game against the Redskins
to kick off the season.
The Vikings once again rank in the top five in total defense
and present a difficult challenge for Wentz and the passing game.
Only Matt Ryan has scored more than 21 points against the Vikes,
with a big chunk of his stats coming in fourth-quarter garbage
time when the game was all but over.
The Eagles will be without speedy, deep-threat wide receiver
DeSean Jackson for another week as the veteran is rehabbing a
core injury sustained in Week 1. The absence of Jackson has limited
the Eagles somewhat in stretching the field and forcing defenses
to defend the back end with deep safety help. Look for Mike Zimmer
to exploit a lack of a deep threat by keeping safety Harrison
Smith close to the line of scrimmage to help in run support.
As good as they have been against the pass, it is not impossible
for wide receivers to score against the Vikings. Six different
wide outs have scored a touchdown against Minnesota, with three
players posting more than ten fantasy points. This is not a great
matchup for Alshon Jeffery and the wide receivers for the Eagles,
but it is possible to have a solid fantasy day against Zimmer’s
defense.
Zach Ertz caught his first touchdown of the season last week
and posted his first double-digit game of the year against the
Jets. His volume from the previous year is down, but he continues
to be a top 5 tight end and should be considered a must-start
this week. Although the Vikings have yet to allow a touchdown
to a tight end, both Darren Waller and Austin Hooper finished
as top-six tight ends when facing the Vikes.
MIN FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.26
MIN FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.28
MIN FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.20
MIN FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.20
Running Game Thoughts: After allowing 144 rushing yards and a
score to the Packers Week 2, the Vikings have been one of the
stingiest run defenses in the league. David Montgomery managed
just 53 yards on 21 carries, and Josh Jacobs posted his worst
game of the year with 44 total yards.
The Eagles will continue to run, but don’t expect a big
game this week from Jordan Howard or Miles Sanders. Howard continues
to be the better of the two options with four touchdowns in his
last two games, with most of Sanders’ value coming in the
passing game.
Howard may reach pay dirt again, and it is hard to bench a player
coming off four touchdowns in two games, but the chance of him
putting up a large rushing yardage total is slim.
On the side, the Vikings come into this matchup relatively healthy
with no starting defensive players listed on the report. The Eagles
will be without DeSean Jackson and Darren Sproles, two important
pieces of the passing game.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Adam Thielen got the squeaky-wheel treatment
last week with seven receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns
against the Giants after publicly blasting Kirk Cousins’
inability push the ball downfield in the passing game. It was
the first 100-yard game for Thielen and the first multi-touchdown
game for someone on the team not named Dalvin Cook.
Cousins finished with 306 yards and two touchdowns against one
of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. It was the first time all
season Cousins reached 300 yards, and the only time in which he
has thrown for more than a single passing touchdown.
Although the Vikings are one of the best rushing teams in the
league and Dalvin Cook has been a fantasy darling in 2019, it
would make sense for the Vikings to continue to attack via the
air this week against an Eagles team that allows the fourth-fewest
points to running backs.
Opposing running backs average 2.8 yards per carry against the
Eagles front seven led by Fletcher Cox, Time Jernigan, and Brandon
Graham. No running back has topped 50 yards rushing against Jim
Schwartz’s defense, although Le’Veon Bell, Chris Thompson,
and Devonta Freeman did have some success in the receiving game
out of the backfield.
The difficult question facing fantasy owners is what to do with
Stefon Diggs, the disgruntled wideout who has two double-digit
games sandwiched between three complete duds. The matchup dictates
that you should start Diggs, but he could just as easily goose
you as give you another 10-plus point game.
Only the lowly New York Jets have scored fewer fantasy points
at the tight end position than the Vikings, with Kyle Rudolph
and Irv Smith combining for 11 catches for 100 yards in five games.
Even in a plus-matchup like this for tight ends, the volume is
just not there to trust either player.
PHI FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.11
PHI FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.29
PHI FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.4
PHI FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.17
Running Game Thoughts: Dalvin Cook is one of the biggest breakout
players of the 2019 fantasy season and is on pace to finish with
2200 total yards and 16 touchdowns. He has reached over 100 yards
or a score in all five games, and is a must-start regardless of
the opponent.
This is not a great matchup for Cook, as the Eagles have held
opposing running backs to less than three yards per carry and
only two rushing touchdowns. Kerryon Johnson, Aaron Jones, and
Le’Veon Bell all struggled to run against the Eagles, but
they did still finish with decent fantasy performances because
of their ability to catch passes out of the backfield.
Look for the Vikings to counter blitzes by Jim Schwartz with
multiple screen passes to Cook. The points for Cook may not come
from the ground, but his elite ability in the receiving game and
his elusive running abilities could lead to big things in the
air this week.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The biggest story for the Atlanta offense
this week centers around the health of superstar wide receiver
Julio Jones. Jones suffered a hip injury in the Falcons’
Week 5 loss. He was able to practice in a limited capacity on
Thursday so there seems to be hope that he’ll be on the
field this weekend. If he is, there’s almost no reason to
believe that he won’t be one of fantasy football’s
best plays against this terrible Arizona defense.
The Cardinals have given up the fourth-most fantasy points per
game to opposing quarterbacks this season and Matt Ryan has been
a solid fantasy contributor in every game this season. He’s
thrown multiple touchdown passes in all but one game and in the
one game he didn’t get into the end zone in, he threw for
a season-high 397 yards. Ryan’s a locked-in QB1 this week.
One of the most slept-on fantasy contributors this season has
to be wide receiver Mohamed Sanu and he has a sneaky-great matchup
this week against an Arizona secondary that has been absolutely
decimated out of the slot this season, which is where Sanu primarily
lines up in three-receiver sets. Sanu isn’t a high-upside
play but he’s been extremely reliable this season and can
be confidently placed in lineups as a WR3 or Flex in PPR formats.
Tight end Austin Hooper also sees plenty of work out of the slot
so it seems likely that he’ll have another solid TE1 this
week. The Cardinals finally held an opposing team’s tight
ends out of the end zone this past week, but they still lead the
league in fantasy points conceded to opposing tight ends by a
wide margin.
The only other player in this passing game who we should be looking
at is second-year wideout Calvin Ridley. Ridley has struggled
at times this season, particularly in Weeks 3 and 4 when he was
held to just four total catches for 38 yards over a two week span,
but he’s gone for at least four catches, 64 receiving yards
and a touchdown in all three of his other games. In a game that
could end up being a shootout against a terrible Arizona defense,
Ridley makes for a fine WR2 play with upside.
ARI FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.4
ARI FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.24
ARI FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.15
ARI FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.1
Running Game Thoughts: Having been held to just 28 and 30 rushing
yards respectively over his past two weeks, Devonta Freeman should
be in line for a much more successful day on the ground here in
Week 6. The Cardinals have given up 350 rushing yards to the trio
of Christian McCaffrey, Chris Carson and Joe Mixon over their
past three games. That group also caught eight passes for an additional
92 yards over that span.
The concern about Freeman right now is mostly centered around
the Falcons’ surprisingly high usage of backup running back
Ito Smith. Smith played 35 snaps to Freeman’s 40 in the
Falcons’ Week 5 loss to the Texans and he’s been on
the field for at least 25 snaps in all but one game for Atlanta
this season. While Smith hasn’t out-snapped Freeman in any
single game, he’s seeing enough work to cap Freeman’s
upside a bit. That alone pulls Freeman out of the RB1 conversation,
but he should still be a solid RB2 in this game against a bad
Arizona defense.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The Cardinals offense has taken a bit
of a step back in pass attempts over the past two weeks, but rookie
Kyler Murray still ranks fourth in the NFL in total pass attempts
as we head into Week 6. This week he’ll get to face an Atlanta
defense that has conceded the fifth-most fantasy points per game
to opposing quarterbacks, having given up an average of nearly
27 fantasy points per game to the position. This past week they
were absolutely decimated by Deshaun Watson and the Texans, giving
up 426 yards and five touchdowns through the air. While we can’t
expect that kind of production from Murray and the Cardinals who
have seen their offense sputter out at times this season, there’s
still plenty of hope that this will be another great fantasy performance
from Murray, who is one of only three quarterbacks in the league
to have scored at least 16 fantasy points in all five games this
season.
There is a possibility that Christian Kirk (ankle) gets back on
the field this week after practicing on Thursday. We’ve
seen a significant increase in usage for Trent Scherfield, who
has played over 50 snaps in each of the past two games, but he
hasn’t been a fantasy contributor at all, having caught
just two passes over those games. This passing game pretty much
remains the Larry Fitzgerald show from a fantasy standpoint as
the veteran has caught at least five passes in all five games.
It’s been well-noted that the Cardinals offense has been
extremely poor in the red zone this season but much of that is
likely just due to bad luck rather than any inherent inability
to score touchdowns. Look for the Cardinals offense to positively
regress in the touchdown column which should lead to Murray being
a solid QB1 this week and going forward, along with higher upsides
for Fitzgerald and Kirk once he returns from injury.
ATL FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.5
ATL FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.23
ATL FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.1
ATL FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.15
Running Game Thoughts: David Johnson had his best rushing say
of the season this past week as he took 17 carries for 91 yards
against the Bengals. He also added three catches for 65 receiving
yards. Johnson’s usage in the passing game continues to
prop up his overall fantasy game as he now sits at fourth place
among running backs in total receiving yards this season. Unfortunately,
this week he’ll be up against an Atlanta defense that has
conceded the fewest total number of receiving yards (91) to opposing
running backs this season. Some of that is situational as they
haven’t faced many of the top all-purpose backs yet, but
they did hold the likes of Duke Johnson, Darren Sproles, Nyheim
Hines and Dion Lewis in check.
Still, Johnson remains a quality RB1 for fantasy. His rushing
yardage and receiving yardage might fluctuate depending on gameplan,
but the Cardinals have seemingly made a commitment to get the
ball in his hands one way or another. Since the near-disastrous
Week 2 performance where he touched the ball just eight times
and only saved his fantasy day with a short-yardage touchdown,
Johnson has now touched the ball at least 17 times in each of
the Cardinals’ three games since. That usage in a high-octane
offense against a bad Atlanta defense should give fantasy owners
plenty of hope in this game, provided that he’s able to
get on the field.
Of course, the big concern is that Johnson is dealing with a back
injury that has limited him in practice throughout the week and
which led to increased usage from backup Chase Edmonds this past
week. The back injury is something that definitely needs to be
monitored heading into Sunday’s game and Johnson’s
fantasy owners should certainly be looking to add Edmonds in case
the Cardinals’ star tailback is unable to play.
Edmonds would be a great RB2 option this week as he possesses
an all-purpose skill set that might not be as refined as Johnson’s
but is still good enough to produce quality fantasy numbers when
matched up against a bad defense.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The 49ers have to be the league’s
most surprising undefeated team after five weeks, but it certainly
hasn’t been because of their exceptional passing game. Jimmy
Garoppolo has thrown for an average of just 230 yards per game
with seven touchdowns and four interceptions through four games.
In fairness, the team hasn’t needed to pass the ball much
as they’ve been playing against some of the league’s
worst run defenses thus far and against teams that’ve struggled
themselves offensively, but it does seem possible that they may
need to rely on their passing game a bit more in this week’s
matchup on the road against the Rams.
Los Angeles started off the season strong against opposing quarterbacks,
having conceded just one passing touchdown in their first three
games, but things have quickly gone off the rails over the past
two weeks as they’ve been absolutely lit up for eight total
passing touchdowns - four each from Jameis Winston and Russell
Wilson. The Seahawks and Buccaneers are more equipped to implement
a pass-heavy approach than the 49ers are, but this is still a
positive matchup for Garoppolo and the 49ers passing game. Garoppolo
is still only a mid-level-QB2, but there are certainly worse streaming
options if you’re in need this week.
Unfortunately, the overall lack of target consolidation makes
the wide receivers in this offense way too risky to trust for
fantasy purposes. Only one 49ers wide receiver has been targeted
more than five times in a single game so far this season and that
happened back in Week 2 when Deebo Samuel was targeted seven times,
which he converted into five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
It’s likely that at least one 49ers wide receiver will see
at least a handful of targets this week, but predicting which
one it’ll be is just too difficult as Garoppolo hasn’t
really focused in on any one receiver yet this season.
The player we all care about in this passing game is tight end
George Kittle. Kittle finally got into the end zone this past
week for the first time in 2019, capping off a six catch, 70-yard
day. Kittle has remained highly effective as a pass catcher and
heavily involved in the 49ers passing game as he’s seen
at least eight targets in all but one of the 49ers’ games.
Very few tight ends see that type of usage so Kittle should continue
to be a high-end TE1 given his high floor and his floor is as
high as any player who’s ever played the position. The Rams
have been fairly good at containing opposing tight ends this season,
but they did allow Will Dissly to catch four passes for 81 yards
this past week so they’re not a complete shutdown unit.
LAR FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.20
LAR FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.10
LAR FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.14
LAR FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.14
Running Game Thoughts: Through five weeks of the NFL season, no
team averages more fantasy points per game from their running
back position than the San Francisco 49ers. This group has already
seen four different backs score touchdowns in four regular season
games. Of course, as you might have guessed, that also means that
they’ve been extremely hit-or-miss from a fantasy standpoint.
This past week we saw the 49ers utilize three different backs
- Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert - almost exactly
equally from a snap count standpoint. Breida and Coleman dominated
the touches and we should expect them to be the primary ball carriers
going forward, but Mostert isn’t going anywhere. That makes
this entire backfield very risky from a fantasy standpoint. We
know that they’re a quality group overall, but unless you’re
in a league where you can start a team’s entire backfield
at once, that’s not very helpful.
The player to go with out of the bunch right now would seem to
be Matt Breida, whose explosiveness and playmaking ability was
on full display in Week 5, but we also know that Kyle Shanahan
has been non-committal about giving him a full workload. Breida
has a long history of injuries so it does make sense that his
touches would be limited, but he hasn’t seen more than 16
touches in any game this season. Still, he’s touched the
ball at least 13 times in every game and that’s by far the
highest usage rate on the team, making him the best play both
from a floor and an upside standpoint.
Coleman could be a bye week fill-in here in Week 6 if you’re
in need, but understand that he likely needs a touchdown to return
much value given that he hasn’t been a particularly important
part of the 49ers passing game thus far.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Jared Goff is yet to throw three touchdown
passes in a game yet this season, but no player has thrown for
more yards than he had over the past two weeks, as his 517 yards
against the Buccaneers and 395 yards against the Seahawks helped
provide a quality fantasy day despite the scores through the air
or any rushing production.
Goff will likely be in for a much tougher day in Week 6, however,
as he’ll be facing a San Francisco defense that has given
up the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks
so far in 2019. They haven’t exactly played a who’s
who of elite-level quarterbacks, but their performance on Monday
Night Football against Baker Mayfield and the Browns has to be
a warning sign to anyone looking to start a quarterback against
this defense. There’s a chance that the Rams will be without
Todd Gurley which would almost certainly mean that they end up
relying on their passing game more heavily than usual, but Goff
is still a risky low-end QB1 here in Week 6.
The passing game weapons in Los Angeles remain difficult to predict
with the exception of one breakout star - Cooper Kupp. Kupp has
now gone over 100 receiving yards in four straight contests, he’s
scored four touchdowns over that stretch, and he’s been
targeted at least nine times in every game this season. Kupp has
established himself as the top target in this passing game and
a WR1 for fantasy.
The other top two wide receivers in the Los Angeles offense, Brandin
Cooks and Robert Woods, have both had their moments, but neither
has been particularly consistent this season. They both possess
enough upside to be WR2s when healthy, but Cooks is in the league’s
concussion protocol after being knocked out of the team’s
Week 5 contest. He did practice this and is expected to play.
Tight end Gerald Everett was a hot add on waiver wires this week
as the tight end caught seven passes for 136 yards in the Rams’
Week 5 loss to the Seahawks. Everett has now turned in two quality
fantasy performances in a row, but it’s most important to
note that he’s out-targeted fellow tight end Tyler Higbee
by a total of 19 targets to 10 targets over the past two weeks.
Both players will likely continue to see snaps in this offense,
but Everett’s pass catching ability might finally be showing
up for fantasy purposes. He’s a low-end TE1 this week given
the uncertainty of the position as a whole.
SF FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.28
SF FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.32
SF FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.21
SF FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.30
Running Game Thoughts: Running back Todd Gurley is questionable
to suit up on Sunday, leaving a potentially very interesting situation
in the Rams backfield. Gurley has missed practice throughout the
week with a quad injury and we’ll have to pay close attention
to see if he practices on Friday and then if he’s on the
field for Sunday’s game.
If Gurley is on the field, it’ll almost certainly be in
some sort of limited capacity, with the team also leaning on backup
running back Malcolm Brown, who has served as the second back
throughout the early part of this season. Brown was one of Week
1’s biggest surprises as he carried the ball 11 times for
53 yards and more importantly was in for two red zone touchdowns.
Since that point, however, Brown has seen just 16 total touches
in four games, including just one reception and he’s scored
zero times. It’s been the Todd Gurley show, and rightfully
so, but we have to believe that Brown will see some touches whether
Gurley is on the field or not this weekend.
Unfortunately, even if Gurley does miss this weekend’s game,
head coach Sean McVay has indicated that Brown might not be the
only back who would see touches. Rookie running back Darrell Henderson
would likely see playing time, according to McVay, and that would
muddy the waters enough that we probably want to avoid this backfield
from a fantasy standpoint. Henderson does become an add if Gurley
is out this week as he does have some interesting upside should
Gurley’s injury keep him out multiple weeks, but there’s
no way that we can trust him in normal seasonal leagues here in
Week 6.
Titans @ Broncos
- (Caron) Line: DEN -2.5 Total: 39.0
Passing
Game Thoughts: The positive for the Tennessee passing
game is that Marcus Mariota has not yet thrown an interception
or fumbled the ball in five games. Unfortunately, he’s been
held out of the end zone in two of those five games and he’s
only exceeded 250 passing yards once. Mariota has also thrown
the ball 28 or fewer times in all but one game. That lack of overall
volume makes the Titans passing game one of the least likely in
the league to produce fantasy points.
We’ve seen that lack of volume manifest itself into some
seriously ugly performances from all of the members of the Tennessee
passing game. To put things into perspective, the highest-scoring
pass catcher in Tennessee this season has been rookie wide receiver
A.J. Brown. Yet Brown has not yet been targeted more than five
times in any game, he hasn’t caught more than three passes
in any game, and he has only scored a touchdown in one game (he
scored twice in Week 4 against the Falcons). Corey Davis has essentially
been completely worthless, Adam Humphries hasn’t been the
target magnet that many had hoped for and tight end Delanie Walker
has just two catches for 14 yards over his past two games combined.
Needless to say, this is not a passing game that we want to be
relying on when going on the road to face a Denver Broncos defense
that has given up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing
quarterbacks this season.
DEN FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.31
DEN FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.6
DEN FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.29
DEN FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.25
Running Game Thoughts: If the Titans are going to do anything
on offense this week, it’s likely going to have to come
in the form of Derrick Henry dominating with the running game.
The Broncos have conceded the sixth-most fantasy points per game
to opposing running backs so far this season. Henry has carried
the ball at least 15 times in every game and while his passing
game usage remains spotty at best, his total touches are still
among the best in football. He’s scored in all but one game
and that one game was his only 100-yard rushing day thus far in
2019 so Henry has not yet given a dud to his fantasy owners.
One sneaky thing to keep an eye on in this game is Titans backup
running back Dion Lewis. Lewis hasn’t yet seen more than
four carries in any game so we shouldn’t expect that he’s
going to suddenly see a big uptick in carries, but he is a much
better pass catcher than Henry and he’ll be against a Broncos
defense that just gave up a whopping 20 receptions to the members
of the Chargers backfield in Week 5. Don’t expect that type
of volume for Lewis but there’s a possibility that the Titans
saw what worked for the Chargers and decide to implement more
passes to their running backs in this game. Lewis is still a low-end
PPR Flex play at best, but he does at least have some potential
this week.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The Broncos were able to surprise the
Chargers in Week 5, earning a victory in a game where Joe Flacco
threw the ball just 20 times for 182 yards and a touchdown along
with one interception. Flacco has now thrown six touchdowns on
the season with four interceptions. His yardage is nothing special
and we’ll probably never want to use Flacco in single-quarterback
leagues, but he’s at least doing enough to give wide receivers
Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton the opportunity to produce
fantasy points.
Sutton has been one of the breakout stars throughout the league
this season as the second-year wideout has now caught at least
four passes in each game this season while also scoring three
touchdowns over his past two contests. He currently sits at 10th
in the league in receiving yardage. Sutton is a physical specimen
who defenses have a difficult time matching up with and there’s
no reason for the Broncos to get away from targeting him heavily,
even against good defenses like the one they’ll face in
Tennessee. Sutton is a low-end WR2 this week.
Sanders shouldn’t be too much further down the list from
Sutton as he’s also been an important part of the Denver
passing game thus far, but his scoring has surprisingly been a
bit more sporadic than Sutton’s. Sanders started off the
season by scoring touchdowns in back-to-back games, then was held
to just two catches for 10 yards in Week 3. He got things going
again in Week 4 with a five catch, 104-yard performance against
the Jaguars before being held to just one catch for nine yards
against the Chargers this past week. The Broncos didn’t
need to utilize their passing game much to control the pace of
the game and get the win over the Chargers so it’s possible
that his lack of usage was just game script-based, but there’s
been a bit less consistency from Sanders so we’ll consider
him a PPR Flex option for the time being.
TEN FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.21
TEN FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.26
TEN FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.25
TEN FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.4
Running Game Thoughts: The Denver backfield split continues to
be a frustrating one for fantasy owners as Phillip Lindsay just
can’t seem to break into RB1 range. He did perform as a
RB1 for the second time in three games this past week when he
rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown while also catching four
passes for 33 yards against the Chargers, but his usage continues
to be in question. So far this season, Lindsay has touched the
ball 86 times, but Royce Freeman continues to be involved as he’s
touched the ball 71 times. Both players are quality all-purpose
backs and it’s been helpful for the Broncos as a team to
have two healthy, fresh sets of legs on the field, but it’s
still frustrating for fantasy owners.
After the Broncos dominated the Chargers with their running game
in Week 5, there’s no reason to think that they’ll
do anything different this week against the Titans. Look for a
roughly 60-40 split to continue in favor of Lindsay which will
put him in the RB2 range, while Freeman can still be put into
lineups as a Flex option.
Cowboys at Jets
- (Katz) Line: DAL -7.5 Total: 43.0
Passing
Game Thoughts: The result may have been poor last week,
but it was actually an impressive showing for the Cowboys’
offense. Dak Prescott threw for 463 yards and almost brought the
Cowboys back. A matchup against the Jets is the perfect rebound
spot to get back on the winning track. The Jets have only allowed
five passing touchdowns on the season, but they’ve allowed
the eighth most points in general. This is not a good defense
and it is a great matchup for Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup,
both of whom exploded against the Packers. Gallup actually leads
all receivers in yards per game and doesn’t have at least
one mind-numbing drop each week like Cooper. Jason Witten is also
a viable streamer in a disastrous week for tight ends. The Jets
have been quite stingy against the position, allowing the second
fewest fantasy points to tight ends, but they also haven’t
exactly faced any credible ones other than Zach Ertz.
NYJ FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.17
NYJ FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.17
NYJ FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.11
NYJ FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.26
Running Game Thoughts: This is a dream matchup for Ezekiel Elliott.
Through five games, Elliott has finished between RB14 and RB18
four times. He’s been okay, but he hasn’t been that
elite back he was drafted to be. The Cowboys are touchdown favorites
on the road against a Jets’ rushing defense that is quite
overrated statistically. They only allow 3.4 yards per carry,
but they haven’t faced a real running back other than Nick
Chubb. The Cowboys should experience positive game script, allowing
Zeke to touch the ball 20 times and have multiple red zone opportunities.
This is the blow up week for Zeke.
Passing
Game Thoughts: In Luke Falk’s defense, he was never
supposed to start. With that being said, Falk was completely unwatchable.
Thankfully, Sam Darnold is back to at least give the Jets’
offense some semblance of hope. The Cowboys have great pass defense
numbers, having allowed just three passing touchdowns on the season,
but Aaron Rodgers is the first real quarterback they’ve
faced. However, Darnold is much closer to the first three quarterbacks
Dallas faced than he is to Rodgers.
The Cowboys have recorded just one interception and are generally
not good at forcing turnovers. Unfortunately, Darnold doesn’t
have much to work with. Robby Anderson is a downfield threat that
doesn’t mesh well with Darnold’s checkdown style.
Anderson will also be dealing with Byron Jones, who has yet to
be burned this season and allows just 0.26 fantasy points per
snap. Jamison Crowder racked up 14 receptions in Darnold’s
only game this season, but has done very little since. Crowder
should have a decent floor in a game where the Jets should have
to throw.
DAL FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.29
DAL FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.9
DAL FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.31
DAL FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.11
Running Game Thoughts: Le’Veon Bell has not lived up to
his draft position but it hasn’t been his fault. He still
looks fantastic. The volume is there as Bell has touched the ball
at least 22 times in every game. He’s struggled to have
those pop weeks because the Jets’ offense doesn’t
put him in position to score touchdowns and Bell has never been
a splash play guy.
It should be more of the same this week. The Cowboys have allowed
six rushing scores this season, but four of them came from Aaron
Jones last week. When they face weaker teams, they shut them down.
The good news, as always, is Bell should push double digit targets
with the Jets in catch up mode and lacking any real receiving
weapons. You know what you’re getting with Bell. If he finds
a way to score, he will be an RB1 for sure.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph has
not yet cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and is looking
less and less likely to play as Pittsburgh may opt to hold him
out as they’ll be going into a bye week in Week 7. That
would mean that the team will turn to quarterback Devlin Hodges
against the Chargers here in Week 6.
Hodges looked OK in limited work against the Ravens in Week 5,
but this is simply not an offense that we should be trusting for
fantasy purposes at the moment. They weren’t a very good
unit when Roethlisberger was playing, they got worse with Rudolph
behind center and it’s hard to believe that things are suddenly
going to turn around with an undrafted free agent rookie quarterback
behind center.
While Diontae Johnson is in line to play significant snaps with
James Washington sidelined due to an injury, the reality is that
we should probably be avoiding him for fantasy purposes for the
time being. The only pass catching weapon we should have any interest
in is JuJu Smith-Schuster, and that’s really only due to
the equity he’s built up. JuJu has had a tough start to
the season and he hasn’t yet reached 20 fantasy points in
any game, but he’s really only “busted” in one
contest, so he’s still been a borderline WR2 even with his
disappointing production. It’s hard to believe that he’s
suddenly going to have a breakout game in a tough matchup against
the Chargers, but he’ll likely lead the team in targets
and he’s a supremely talented player so that alone should
make him a viable high-end Flex option at worst.
LAC FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.24
LAC FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.15
LAC FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.24
LAC FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.9
Running Game Thoughts: The lack of passing game firepower has
not only affected Pittsburgh’s wide receivers but it’s
also affected their running game. James Conner has averaged just
39 rushing yards per game so far this season. His passing game
usage has helped prop up his fantasy value but it’s hard
for a running back to produce elite fantasy numbers - as many
expected Conner would have - with the team as a whole performing
as poorly as it has.
Conner is still a borderline RB1 in PPR formats but he’s
more of an RB2 at this point in standard leagues. Backup running
back Jaylen Samuels has been ruled out with a knee injury so that
should help get Conner more touches than usual, but his upside
is still fairly limited, especially against a Chargers defense
that has only allowed two opposing running backs to exceed 65
rushing yards against them so far this season.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Although he rarely has the big “boom”
weeks, Philip Rivers very rarely gives his fantasy owners a complete
dud. That wasn’t the case this past week, however, as Rivers
threw for just 211 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions
at home against the Broncos. That was a surprising turn of events
as Rivers has been pretty productive in just about every game
so far this season. It really affected wide receiver Keenan Allen
who had his worst game of the season, catching just four passes
for 18 yards on six targets. Mike Williams being back from injury
and leading the team with 13 targets likely contributed to the
Chargers not leaning heavily on Allen, but there’s still
concern that the Chargers offense - particularly the passing game
to their wide receivers - is just out of sync at the moment.
With that said, there’s a huge opportunity for Allen to
get back on the right path this week as he’ll be up against
a Pittsburgh defense that has been absolutely shredded by opposing
slot receivers so far this season. Allen plays nearly half of
his snaps out of the slot and it seems likely that the Chargers
will look to put him in that advantageous position even more often
this week, especially if the Steelers prove they can’t contain
him. Allen has seriously high-end upside in this game and his
floor makes him a great WR1 option.
Williams was one of the league’s most productive touchdown
producers in 2018 but he hasn’t yet found the end zone in
2019. He’ll have the opportunity to do so this week against
the Steelers in what should be a good matchup for him. The Chargers
really don’t have any other proven wide receivers or tight
ends so another 10-target game is not out of the question and
that’s enough to make him a decent Flex play.
PIT FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.18
PIT FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.14
PIT FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.13
PIT FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.16
Running Game Thoughts: While Melvin Gordon dominated the running
back carries for the Chargers in Week 5, his 12 carries to Austin
Ekeler’s three don’t look quite so intimidating when
you consider that Ekeler also caught a ridiculous 15 passes against
the Broncos.
There’s definitely some concern that Ekeler is simply not
going to be utilized much as a runner now that Gordon is back
and he’s probably never going to have another 15-catch game,
but there’s definitely hope that he can remain a viable
RB2 in PPR formats due to his usage in the passing game. The Steelers
have given up the sixth-most receptions to opposing running backs
this season which should bode well for Ekeler’s chances
to produce decent numbers in this game. Add in the reality that
the Chargers will likely be ahead on the scoreboard and Ekeler
should also see more carries than usual.
Gordon’s 12 carries in Week 5 in a game that the Chargers
actually lost should be enough to tell us that he has returned
to his usual place as Los Angeles’ primary running back.
That doesn’t mean that Ekeler hasn’t carved out a
more significant role than the one he had in previous seasons,
however, and that almost certainly caps Gordon’s upside.
Sure, Gordon will almost certainly lead the team in carries each
week and he’ll still be utilized in the passing game himself,
but if Ekeler is on the field for even 40 percent of the Chargers’
snaps, that’s a huge blow to Gordon’s upside. Still,
Gordon and the Chargers should enjoy a positive or at least neutral
game script in this contest which should bode well for Gordon’s
chances to produce RB2 numbers here in Week 6.
Passing
Game Thoughts: The Week 6 slate of games concludes with
the Lions heading to Lambeau to take on their divisional foes,
the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Of the two quarterbacks
facing off in this matchup Matthew Stafford has a clear advantage
in fantasy points scored with 24.4 points per game compared to
18.9 for Rodgers.
Stafford has three games of 20 or more fantasy points, including
an opening week monster performance against the Cardinals with
385 passing yards and three touchdowns. The 11-year veteran threw
for another three touchdowns and 291 yards against the Chiefs
before their Week 5 bye.
The Lions passing attack fared well against Mike Pettine’s
defense last season, with Stafford throwing for two touchdowns
in each of the games played against Green Bay in 2018.
The Packers defense this year is loaded with talent via free
agency and the draft, and currently allows the 8th-fewest points
to opposing quarterbacks and the 17th-most points to wide receivers.
Considering the 339 yards and three touchdowns the Cowboys dropped
on the Packers at Jerry’s World last week, it is safe to
assume that Stafford and the Lions should also fare well against
the Pack. As a fantasy defense, the Packers have scored double
figures in all but one game, but they give up a ton of yards per
game and rank 7th in points allowed.
The points allowed stat is skewed by matchups against Mitchell
Trubisky, Kirk Cousins, and Joe Flacco. When facing offenses like
the Lions who are not afraid of throwing the ball downfield, Green
Bay has struggled with 58 points allowed in their last two games.
Kenny Golladay comes off the bye week as the 15th ranked wide
receiver in fantasy points per game, ahead of Julio Jones, T.Y.
Hilton, DeAndre Hopkins, and Davante Adams. The third-year breakout
candidate has no fewer than eight targets in any game this year
and has three games of double-digit fantasy point production.
The matchup of Golladay against Jaire Alexander is going to be
an interesting one in this game. Pettine continually left Alexander
alone on an island with Amari Cooper last week, with Cooper gashing
him for over 200 yards and a pair of scores.
Rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson was in full helmet and pads during
Wednesday’s practice but has yet to clear the concussion
protocol fully. Considering he is wearing a helmet and participating
in some drills suggests he will return to the field this week.
GB FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.25
GB FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.3
GB FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.17
GB FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.27
Running Game Thoughts: Kerryon Johnson set a career-high in carries
(26) Week 4 against the Chiefs, with 125 rushing yards and 32
yards receiving. For two weeks in a row, Johnson has been on the
field for 70% or more of the teams' snaps and appears to be locked
in as a workhorse back going forward.
Look for the Lions to use a similar playbook against the Packers
that they did against the Chiefs by focusing on running the ball
against a subpar run defense with the goal of winning time of
possession. Only the Dolphins and the Bengals have allowed more
fantasy points to running backs this year, with three different
running backs scoring more than 25 points against the Green and
Gold.
Fire up Kerryon Johnson and hope he does not fumble a goal-to-go
run like he did against the Chiefs. Assuming he gets at least
20 touches, I would anticipate Kerryon finishing as an RB1 in
Week 6.
The Packers could be without starting safety Darnell Savage,
who was spotted wearing a walking boot on Tuesday. His loss would
be a big hit to both the pass defense of the Packers in the middle
of the field, along with his run help support on Johnson.
Passing
Game Thoughts: Aaron Rodgers enters Week 6 against the
Lions ranked as the No.20 quarterback in fantasy points per game.
For the first time since becoming a starter in 2008, Rodgers is
on pace to average less than 20 fantasy points per game as the
4-1 Packers continue to rely heavily on Aaron Jones and the ground
attack, along with an improved defense.
Although it has been nearly four years since Rodgers was an elite
fantasy quarterback, a massive drop to 18.9 fantasy points per
game is shocking, even for those who predicted a continued decline
for the future hall of fame quarterback.
On a positive note, the Packers have a much easier schedule the
rest of the fantasy regular season with home games against Detroit
and Oakland and road games against the Chiefs and Chargers.
The Lions allow the 15th-most points to opposing quarterbacks,
although they did limit both Philip Rivers and Patrick Mahomes
to zero touchdown passes in their two home games this year.
Rodgers threw for 425 yards and three scores against the Lions
at Ford Field last season, connecting with Davante Adams for nine
catches for 140 yards and a score. Adams continues to be questionable
with a toe injury that kept him out of last week’s game
against the Cowboys. Considering this is a divisional game against
a heated rival, I anticipate Adams will do everything he can to
return to the field.
On the injury front, safety Quandre Diggs left the Chiefs game
early with a hamstring issue and is still limited in practice.
Run-stopping defensive lineman Mike Daniels suffered a foot injury
Week 3 and will likely miss a chance to play against his former
team. Fellow defensive lineman Damon Harrison was not at practice
on Wednesday but is not listed on the team’s injury report.
The Lions should have cornerback Darius Slay back from a hamstring
injury. Slay will likely be tasked with covering Adams, should
Adams be able to return to the field.
DET FPts Allowed vs. QBs: No.15
DET FPts Allowed vs. RBs: No.4
DET FPts Allowed vs. WRs: No.22
DET FPts Allowed vs. TEs: No.24
Running Game Thoughts: Aaron Jones played his college ball in
Texas for UTEP and could not wait to return to his home state
to take on the Cowboys. The former Miner did not disappoint, with
107 yards rushing, 75 yards receiving, and an incredible four
rushing touchdowns in Green Bay’s 34-24 at AT&T Stadium.
Jones now leads the league in rushing touchdowns and is firmly
planted as a must-start fantasy running back going forward. By
comparison, Jones has two more rushing touchdowns than Aaron Rodgers
has passing TD’s through five games.
Only the Dolphins, Bengals, and Packers have allowed more points
to running backs this season with five different players reaching
double-digit fantasy points vs. Detroit. Both Darrel Williams
and LeSean McCoy scored when the Lions played the Chiefs Week
4, and Austin Ekeler and David Johnson each had big games as well.
Needless to say, you are starting Aaron Jones this week and should
expect big things.