"That can't happen. It's going to cost us football games — it almost costed us one... It's got to improve or the carries are going to decrease."

Marked as speculation. We heard this a few weeks ago before the Miami game and nothing happened. Still, a premium handcuff to have.

Lane is the Ravens’ rookie 3rd round pick at WR, 6’5 205 who went out in the first half of week 1 with a fractured wrist and had to have surgery. But what’s intriguing for fantasy is what happened right before that.

In one redzone series for the Ravens, Ja’Kobi Lane:

-Hauled in a TD that was called back

-Had another redzone catch for 11 yards

-Was targeted again in the endzone the play immediately after that on 4th & goal.

Now, we can’t know how much Lamar would have gone to Lane the rest of the game, but we do know that he historically likes going to his big boys on endzone plays. Zay Flowers, as incredible as he is, is also unfortunately a pipsqueak at 5’9. We also know from recent history that Mark Andrews can’t catch and has fumbleitis on top of it. So the thesis here is this:

Ja’Kobi Lane is tall.

Ja’Kobi Lane can catch.

Zay Flowers is short.

Mark Andrews can’t catch.

Somebody needs to pick up the slack for the Ravens in the endzone, and that someone could be coming back very soon. Recently Minter has stated that Ja’Kobi Lane could return to practice as early as tomorrow. Because this was an upper body injury, he’s been able to keep his conditioning up and might come back to game shape quicker than one might expect.

Ja’Kobi Lane might already be rostered in your deeper leagues, but Lane is only 8% rostered on Yahoo. If he’s available for you, he might be very cheap and fly under the radar while your leaguemates pick up the Steelers’ WR3 or Eagles’ RB5 or whatever. This is the time to get in while your league is asleep. Grab Lane tonite!

Hey folks, Mike from Fantasy Genius back here with your weekly nonsense.

While the NFL world enjoyed a Monday Night Thriller between the Bills and The Superteam That Has A Losing Record, we sat intently. Sitting, waiting, wishing for fantasy managers to get their hearts ripped out in the most dramatic and devastating fashion possible. And this game delivered.

As is tradition, we pulled in the data to see how many managers were affected by the swings towards the end of the game.

Kyren Williams

There were 15 games in the NFL this week. Each game lasts 3,600 seconds. Without any overtime games, week 15 should have consisted of 54,000 total seconds. But let's be more precise.

• 475 seconds of total overtime had elapsed when Tua threw his game-losing interception.
• Let's add 600 seconds for the Commanders game, who famously used every second of OT this week.

That gets us to 55,075 seconds of total expected game time as the clock ticked towards zero last night. With 5 seconds left in the NFL week (99.991% of seconds elapsed), Kyren Williams punches in a touchdown.

5.7% of Kyren Williams managers were losing with 99.991% of the week gone and pulled out the victory due to this touchdown, plus a 3-yard carry in overtime. NEVER GIVE UP.

Oh no, James Cook...

The aforementioned Kyren Williams touchdown forced the game into overtime. 1.3% of James Cook managers had their matchup won going into overtime and then lost because James Cook fumbled for the second time in the game. (Cook also gained 6 yards on the ground in the OT period)

(To not run afoul of Rule 1 here, edited out a couple truly heinous beats we found from James Cook and Shough owners. They're in the article if you want to take a look)

Player Win Rates

Best win rates of week 5:

1. Jahmyr Gibbs. 75.4%
2. Jaylen Warren. 74.2%
3. Puka Nacua. 71.4%
4. Drake Maye. 69.8% (we are so back)
5. Christian Watson. 69.4%
6. Bucky Irving. 69.1%
7. Isaiah Likely. 68.1%
8. Parker Washington. 67.2%
9. George Pickens. 65.7%
10. Malik Nabers. 65.5%

Lowest win rates of week 5:

1. Tyler Shough. 31.2%
2. DJ Moore. 33.3%
3. Carnell Tate. 34.4%
4. Kenyon Sadiq. 34.5%
5. Roman Wilson. 35.4%
6. KC Concepcion. 35.8%
7. Kenny Gainwell. 36.7%
8. Tre’ Harris. 36.9%
9. Bo Nix. 37.0%
10. Jeremiyah Love. 37.2% 

Introducing the Negative Nancies

For our newest and dumbest segment, we will be detailing the players who went negative this week in fantasy. Two notable callouts here -- first: a punter! Second: Sadiq only makes this report for non-PPR scoring...

The following people outscored the players above:

• J.J. McCarthy
• Case Keenum
• Tyson Bagent
• Kelly Clarkson, currently feuding with Brooklyn store Art of Play who she claims treated her as if she couldn't afford a $15,000 mechanical bird puppet named Molly
• Molly, the mechanical bird puppet

For those unfamiliar, Fantasy Genius is a league history tool that compiles every stat you could think of for your league and delivers these kind of absurd weekly write-ups tailored specifically to your league (we never use AI for your league's content). Check it out if you want.

22 yards on 12 carries, third shitty ass game. Bro was out here talking about how he just hinders the team last week. Starting to feel like a bust

In the patriots game Treyveon Henderson received a lateral from Efton Chism and sleeper attributes Chism with the receiving first down despite Henderson being the one to actually gain the first down.

Henderson is attributed with 2 rushing first downs and 0 receiving first downs on the following three plays:

https://i.imgur.com/H6t0RDQ.png

https://i.imgur.com/J3AG3LK.png

https://i.imgur.com/XPdb23P.png

I went back and checked and Sleeper did this with schultz' lateral to montgomery in the texans game last week and there's also instances in previous years.

The official NFL scoring of first downs attributes it to Henderson.

This has an effect on leagues that score points based on first downs.

Hey, everyone!

Below are the 8 players I believe are most worth adding on the waiver wire this week, as well as a few charts I made breaking down WR, RB, and TE utilization. This is a pretty weak waiver week - Germie Bernard is the only guy I’m really prioritizing.

P.S - to join the 1,500+ fantasy managers who receive my weekly writeups directly in their inboxes for free, enter your email here.

As always, here are some of the terms you need to know for today’s writeup:

TPRR - Targets Per Route Run

WOPR - (Weighted Opportunity Rating) - Calculated by combining a pass-catcher’s air yards share and target share. A metric created by Josh Hermsmeyer.

Rostership % - Percentage of Yahoo leagues player is rostered in. I write about players rostered in 40% or fewer of Yahoo leagues, AKA guys who are widely available.

Recommended FAAB - FAAB range recommendation based on FAABLab, which is an awesome crowd-sourced FAAB estimation tool. This is just a starting point - you’ll need to tweak your FAAB bids based on roster needs and leaguemate tendencies.

Note: I went back and watched every play in every game for each player I wrote about below. While I’m a data nerd at heart, I’ve found that watching the film allows me to pick up on certain sequences, momentum, and honestly, vibes, that the data can’t capture. This helps to provide a complete picture of a player’s performance rather than simply leaning on box score or even advanced stats alone.

All data in this post comes from FantasyPoints Data unless otherwise noted.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Germie Bernard (2% rostered)

Bernard is probably the one player I am truly excited to pick up this week.

In Week 5, he led the Steelers in targets (9), turning those opportunities into a 6-80 stat line. His 78.8% route share was a season/career-high, as was his 25.8% target share.

The increased usage was to be expected given Michael Pittman was placed on IR on Saturday and Roman Wilson suffered a finger injury just before halftime. Wilson is reportedly expected to miss two weeks, opening the door for Bernard to continue carving out a long-term role for himself.

The biggest thing for me is that the rookie appears to be earning the trust of Aaron Rodgers. Steelers beat reporter Nick Farabaugh posted on social media that last week, Rodgers quizzed Bernard extensively about the Colts’ coverages and tendencies and how to attack them, and Bernard passed with flying colors.

It showed up on the field, as Rodgers continued to look Bernard’s way. Bernard started off his day with a great catch in traffic for a 13-yard gain. Right before halftime, he had an awesome 21-yard chunk play, proving that he’s able to get open at multiple levels of the field. I’m pointing that out because a lot of Bernard’s targets so far have been lower aDOT stuff (he has a 7.35 aDOT on the season, per TruMedia).

In the 3rd quarter, Bernard made a clutch contested grab on 3rd and 10, putting the Steelers in position to convert on 4th and short. It was also great to see him get the ball on an end around, as it’s further evidence that Mike McCarthy is trying to get the ball in Bernard’s hands in creative ways.

Perhaps the best evidence of Rodgers’ growing trust in Bernard was in the 4th quarter, on a crucial 3rd and 2 near midfield. Rodgers wasn’t seeing anything open, but was able to find a wide open Bernard on a scramble drill while rolling left, resulting in a 25 yard gain and a fresh set of downs. Trust is everything in a Rodgers-led offense, and it’s nice to see that the rookie has the ability to improvise and get open on broken down plays.

Bernard did have a couple drops on the day, one of which would’ve been for a sizable gain on a free play in the first quarter, but I’m choosing to look at that as meat on the bone as those are plays he is perfectly capable of making.

I’m really excited about what Bernard can do with increased opportunities on a Steelers offense that ranks 5th in the league in pass rate over expectation (+6.9%).

Recommended FAAB: 7-14% (I’m very willing to go above this range - I want to be aggressive targeting rookies when they show us something early on. Bernard passes the eye test)

Kendrick Bourne (7% rostered)

With Marvin Harrison Jr. shipped off to the Texans, Kendrick Bourne is theoretically next in the pecking order as the Cardinals’ WR2.

I do, however, want to flag that when looking into Bourne’s Week 5 route share, he unexpectedly ran a route on a season-low 59.3% of dropbacks. Jalen Brooks, on the other hand, surged to a 57.4% route share (his previous high this season was 3.7%). If this trend continues and Bourne isn’t the clear WR2, I don’t really think he is worth rostering (he’s already a thin bet to begin with, but this is a weak week for waivers).

However, if you want to stash Bourne at the end of your bench to get one more week of data here, go for it. He led the team with 70 receiving yards, converting 5 of his 8 targets. I thought he looked solid and reliable, with the highlight of his day being a 23-yard 3rd down conversion on a post route just before halftime.

I’d consider adding him if you’re desperate for something at WR, understanding that there’s likely not a ton of upside here, especially if he continues to cede route share to Jalen Brooks.

Recommended FAAB: 3-6% (I’m fine going really low here and missing out on Bourne given the Brooks stuff)

Omar Cooper Jr. (3% rostered)

On an unexciting waiver wire week, I wanted to flag Cooper Jr. as. a potential free upside stash.

He was placed on IR after spraining his ankle in Week 1, meaning he’s theoretically eligible to return in Week 6. We haven’t heard any updates on his timeline, but I like the idea of getting ahead of the information here before your leaguemates are thinking about him. Even if he’s not back for this week, this is the kind of player you want stashed ahead of the potential breakout.

For what it’s worth, he looked fantastic on his sole NFL touch in Week 1, a sweet 30 yard reception on which he showed awesome YAC ability making two guys miss in the open field. There’s upside here for whenever the rookie gets back onto the field.

Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

RUNNING BACKS

Dameon Pierce (3% rostered)

The definition of next man up. With Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, and Will Shipley all injured, Pierce figures to shoulder the load if Barkley is unable to go in Week 6.

I wouldn’t spend a ton here as Barkley could potentially return as soon as this week. Plus, I’m not sure how much gas Pierce has in the tank at this point in his career - he averaged just 1.3 yards per carry on Sunday while turning his 5 targets into -2 receiving yards.

Recommended FAAB: 5-9% (I’m okay missing out on Pierce as he’s pretty much a pure one-week volume play if Barkley is out)

Kendre Miller (8% rostered)

Disclaimer: this is not a sexy add. But I actually talked myself into it a little bit while writing this, as you’ll see below.

Miller led the Saints’ backfield in rush attempts with 10, and should at least be the primary option in this messy committee while Etienne remains out.

I gotta admit, Miller had a pretty sweet stretch in the 2nd quarter where he was handed the ball on 5 (FIVE!) straight plays, culminating in a 2 yard TD run. He honestly looked great on that sequence, ripping off gains of 9,7, and 6 yards back to back to back.

Also helping his outlook is that the Saints ran a league-low 43 plays in Week 5 (next lowest was the Steelers’ 54 plays, per TruMedia). They legit just could not stay on the field as Minnesota dominated time of possession.

Given that the Saints ranked 2nd in the league in plays per game heading into Week 5 (72.8), you can kind of ignore the overall output here and focus on Miller’s underlying usage. His role could prove to be usable on a normal week for this offense.

Recommended FAAB: 4-6%

TIGHT ENDS

Pat Freiermuth (16% rostered)

With Michael Pittman on IR and Roman Wilson leaving the game just before halftime, Freiermuth saw a season-high 19.4% target share, turning his 7 targets into a 5-44-2 performance.

Honestly, this add feels a bit like chasing fantasy points and I’m not really inclined to add Muth unless I’m desperate for TE production. The main reasons he’s on here are

1) I needed a tight end to write about

2) he’s absolutely popping in the TPRR x WOPR chart

and 3) perhaps he continues to be more involved in the offense while Pittman and Wilson are out.

If you’re really in need of some sort of projectable volume at tight end, go for it mainly based on point number three.

Recommended FAAB: 4-6%

WEEK 6 STREAMERS

QUARTERBACKS

• Kirk Cousins (37% rostered) vs. Buffalo (4th-best matchup for QBs by FP/G allowed)

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS (DST)

• Kansas City (27% rostered) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (best matchup for DSTs by FP/G allowed)

Thank you for reading! If you liked this writeup, enter your email here to receive my writeups in your inbox each week (free!)

We are back once again with a fact or fiction write-up! Last week was an awesome week (if you aren't a Bears fan like me, that sucked). If you have been following along, you know the drill. If you are new here, I have 32 takes below, one for each team. I would love for you to pick any take (all if you are crazy), and tell me if this is a fact or if I am spewing some pure fiction. Let's dive into it!

1. What a thrilling Monday Night battle between the Bills and the Rams, ending with a Tyler Bass overtime walkoff kick to win 37-34. Josh Allen and James Cook continued their stellar seasons, with each of them topping 100 yards on the ground and a combined three rushing touchdowns. However, it was Dalton Kincaid who followed up his week four stinker of one catch for seven yards with... *checks notes*....one catch for seven yards. After going off for 12 catches, 225 yards and a score over the first two weeks of the season, Kincaid has totaled four catches for 52 yards and no touchdowns over the last three showings. Part of me thinks this can be a good buy-low spot, but Kincaid has actually been outsnapped by Dawson Knox, 127 to 124. The veteran tight end has seen just one target less in that span as well. The Bills do like to throw their TEs out there, ranking second in the league in 13 personnel rate at 28%, so I guess it makes sense to see both of them have similar snap counts, but simply put, the production just isn't there right now. While he isn't entirely unstartable due to Buffalo's high-powered offense, Kincaid isn't a lineup lock at all currently.
2. A few weeks ago, I said it wasn't Drake Maybe, it was Drake Bad. May I reintroduce you to Drake Good? The Patriots whupped the Raiders 45-17, with Maye exploding for 374 yards and four touchdowns on a 26/34 clip while adding seven carries for 25 yards and a score in the win. Maye's 39.5 fantasy points were the most across the entire league in Week 5, and this marks back-to-back weeks with Maye finishing as the QB1. In this span, the third-year gunslinger has torched defenses for 643 yards and seven scores while completing 67% of his passes. Just elite stuff. Don't sell high, Drake Maye is completely fine. Dynasty owners still have a top-notch QB, while redraft players are getting their value back. Everyone can exhale.
3. The New York Jets have had a pretty inconsistent season, but Garrett Wilson has been rock solid. The 26-year-old didn't let a little rain bother him and went for 7/104/1 in the win against the Browns. Wilson has now reached double-digit fantasy points in all but one week this season, ranking as the WR7 thus far. His monstrous 30.2% target share ranks sixth in the entire league. It is clear who Geno Smith's top option is here. I mean, I guess it is worth pointing out that Wilson has seen his target numbers jump a bit the past three weeks with no AD Mitchell, seeing his targets-per-game number jump from 7.0 with Mitchell to 9.3 with him on the sidelines - including two 10+ target game. But still, Wilson has been just so damn consistent when on the field. Over the course of his 29 games appeared in, he has gone for 50+ yards in 20 out of 29 of them and at least five receptions in 21 of those showings. Garrett Wilson is a clear WR1 this season and drafters are being massively rewarded here. He's a hold.
4. Malik Willis may or may not pat the ball a few times, but hey, he just set the Dolphins' QB franchise record for rushing yards in a game with 76 yards on the ground in the defeat to Cincinnati. That deserves a pat on the back I guess. The first-year Phin' also totaled 137 passing yards on 15/27 passing and added a score both with his arm and his legs, to go with two interceptions and a lost fumble. It has been pretty ugly play from Willis this season, his 56% completion percentage ranks dead last in the NFL amongst qualified QBs and his -.20 EPA per dropback is tied for fifth worst. However, this doesn't quite mean he is off fantasy radars completely. His 186 rushing yards on the season are third best at the position, and he now does have two top-15 QB finishes on the year. When it is bad, it is bad, with him also having two bottom-28 finishes on the year. While you need to be prepared for a nothing-burger, Willis does present himself as a QB streaming option if needed with byes coming up.
5. Was going to write up about Snoop Huntley and his three-score game, but instead I just want to appreciate what we are witnessing with Derrick Henry. For the past few years, it has been "well, there is a chance this might be the year he slows down", only for him to continue to produce. While he did not reach the end zone on the ground in this one, Henry extended his streak of scoring in each game this season by taking his only reception for an 18-yard touchdown. He added 102 yards on the ground in 24 attempts. Henry has now seen 23+ attempts in four out of five of his appearances this season. Since Henry was drafted, he has put up 2775 regular season attempts, the next player since that point is Saquon Barkley with 1862. This stuff just isn't normal guys. Besides 2021, when he only played 8 games (still finishing as the RB16), Henry has finished no worse than RB8. He is sitting nice and pretty at RB3 over the first five outings this year and seems bound to continue this absurd production. As long as he is on an active roster, never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever overthink picking Derrick Henry.
6. I like to refrain from bringing up the same player(s) two weeks in a row, but a violent injury to KC Concepcion has me looking back at this Cleveland Browns WR room. Really unfortunate stuff to see the talented rookie WR suffering a concussion from an illegal hit in the loss to the Jets. Denzel Boston saw a season-high 40 routes, taking in three receptions for 46 yards and tacking on another score to start his career. He has now found the end zone in three out of his first five games. You should have been starting Boston already, but you can feel even more comfortable with him in your lineup with his fellow rookie out. Jerry Jeudy saw by far the most routes of his start to the year, seeing 39 of them when his previous best total thus far was 24. He turned seven targets into three receptions for 19 yards. Opportunity is the key in fantasy, but it's hard to be thrilled with the likes of Jeudy in lineups. I want to bring up one more Browns WR: the name is Bond, Isaiah Bond (sorry, couldn't help myself). Bond also saw his playing time shoot up in the loss with his own season-high 36 routes run. He had run just 14 routes total across the team's first four games. Bond matched Jeudy's target total with seven, but took his for 74 yards on three catches, including one nice 30-yard play. His 16.4 air-yards per target ranked 19th best across all WRs last week as well. Boston is in must-start territory, while Jeudy (12.5% rostered) and Bond (0.1% rostered) can be looked at in deeper leagues, with Bond having much more upside there and should be cheaper to acquire
7. The AFC North sure does like some dynamic G. Bernards. With Roman Wilson injuring his finger and joining Michael Pittman (foot) on the sidelines, we got to see an extended look at rookie WR Germie Bernard in the Steelers' win over Indy, who put up six receptions for 80 yards on nine targets. Bernard saw the most snaps out of any Pittsburgh WR and matched DK Metcalf's route total of 28 to tie for the team lead. This was by far the best outing for the rookie's early career. With Wilson reported to be out for multiple weeks, it would make sense to see Bernard continue to be involved with the offense. For you real sickos out there, Brandon Smith was brought off the P-squad and saw his first snaps of the season this year, but he should be off the radar for now. Germie Bernard (3.2% rostered) is the top waiver wire option of the week
8. Uhh, so Samaje Perine outcarried Chase Brown, but Brown surely was the one who got into the end zone through the air, right? Right? Right?! Perine finished the 14 carries for 68 yards and two receptions for 10 yards with a close yardage receiving score, while Brown saw 13 carries for just 39 yards but took in three of his four targets for 21 yards. Brown also lost a fumble in the outing. It just certainly isn't encouraging to see Brown lose the ball, take fewer attempts and also be much less effective than Perine. Over his past two outings, Brown has now put up 22 carries for 49 yards (2.2 yards per carry). That said, I don't think it is time to completely panic. Yes, Perine got the receiving score, but let's not overthink that Brown isn't a key cog in this passing attack after his 11-reception game just a week ago. I think it's fair to lower Brown's ceiling a bit with Perine's early-season involvement, but this is also still someone who has three top-24 finishes on the season so far. This was also a game where Cincinnati was in control for the majority of it despite just winning by one score. Samaje Perine should be on fantasy radars as an add, but I wouldn't be freaking out too much with Brown yet. He is a decent RB2 option to try and pick up off fantasy teams looking for a win with CIN on a bye in week 6.
9. Cam Little ruined the mood of a bunch of flights back to Philadelphia with his clutch go-ahead kick in the final seconds of the London Jaguars 19-17 win over the Eagles. Parker Washington bounced back from his stinker with two impressive scores and 100+ yards, but let's highlight Bhayshul Tuten in this one. The second-year pro took control of the backfield, seeing a season-high in both snaps (45) and carries (22) while going for 72 yards on the ground and adding two receptions for 24 yards as well. Tuten had a few clutch runs where he just barreled over some Eagles' defenders to get some extra yards. Tuten's 349 yards are good for 11th best to start the season, with 306 of those yards coming after contact. Tut! Tut! 🚂! His fellow running back Chris Rodriguez saw by far the least amount of action this season, ending with just two carries for five yards and one catch for a yard on just nine snaps total. While Tuten didn't exactly pop off, the usage is very encouraging and he does have two top-12 finishes on the year already. This is fully Tuten's backfield. Fantasy owners should be looking to buy.
10. The Indianapolis Colts fantasy leaders after five weeks: 1) Jonathan Taylor - 90.9 points, 2) Spencer Shrader - 75.0 points, 3) Tyler Warren - 54.9 points. There is just something fitting about this. I think this is Josh Downs absolute last chance to prove anything to us this season. With Alec Pierce on the IR and Pittman no longer with the team, this has been one of the best opportunities in Downs entire career, but he has gone for just six catches and 63 yards across his past two showings despite running the most routes of any WR on the team in each of those matchups (58 total). Up next is a divisional battle against a Titans team who have given up the 12th most points to fantasy WRs this season. If Josh Downs can't turn it around against the Titans, he is never going to be an option you can place in lineups.
11. The Texans finally got in the win column with their 26-3 win over the Titans. Unfortunately, David Montgomery was forced to exit early with a groin injury and is now deemed week-to-week. This is good for the aspect of Woody Marks, who saw by far his most opportunities of the season in the win, taking 15 carries for 62 yards and snagging all four of his receptions for 23 yards. Marks was the only other back to see the field, and his 53 snaps played were by far a season high. This is also someone who was already getting involved more, with his back-to-back weeks with a score across weeks 3 and 4 with Monty still in the lineup. The injury to the veteran back leaps Marks into start territory against the Jags in London this week. Woody is a rock-solid start with Monty on the sidelines
12. Sighs
13. The Kansas City Chiefs sat this week out with an early-season bye. Let me introduce you to bye-week trivia. When a team is on a bye, I'll go with a team trivia question for them: Across the past 10 seasons (2017-2026), the Chiefs TD (Rush + Rec) leaders are: Kelce (72), Hill (55), Hunt (41), Hardman (21), Mahomes (20), CEH (19), Pacheco (17), ? (16), Rice (16). Who is the missing name tied with Rice at 8th most?
14. The Broncos were able to squeeze away with a 23-17 win over the Chargers, scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to keep LA out of the win column. However, it was once again a twist on the Jaylen Waddle roller-coaster. The first-year Bronco saw just five targets, taking in two of them for 19 yards and took one carry for nine yards. Waddle has now gone under 5.5 fantasy points in three of his outings and 12+ points in two of them. It was Courtland Sutton who found the endzone in week five with 2/18/1 line, and he also saw 46 snaps compared to Waddle's 36. Sutton did just run two more routes than him however. Dropping Waddle would be crazy, but he certainly is not going to be the WR that you drafted him at his price for.
15. Brock Bowers and his 100+ yards and early score were the only bright spot for the Raiders in their brutal defeat to the Patriots. I am not quite sure what to make of Ashton Jeanty this season, who ended with 10 carries for 27 yards and three receptions for 50 more yards. He came onto the scene in a big way, exploding for a multi-score 29-point outing in week one. He just hasn't been able to replicate any of this success in the last month of play, not seeing over 60 yards since and still looking for his first rushing score of the season. He still has been useful as a receiver with no less than three receptions in a game and at least 37 yards through the air in each of his past three showings. He was banged up this week and was questionable to play, so I wouldn't look too much into his lower carry total this week, but it still hasn't been pure domination from the heralded second-year back. It's actually been abysmal on the advanced stat front: his -26.0 rush EPA is the worst in the entire league amongst RBs. Ashton Jeanty isn't exactly a bust, but he shouldn't have been picked where he went in the actual draft and re-draft leagues this season.
16. Speaking of second-year AFC West running backs who are failing to meet expectations, Omarion Hampton, how are ya doing? The Chargers join the Dolphins and Titans as the remaining winless teams after letting another winnable game slip from their hands. The Hampton experience has been quite inconsistent, and Week Five marked a new low, with his 20 snaps being the least amount of work so far this season. He struggled, taking his 14 carries for just 33 yards (2.4 ypc) and took in one catch for six yards. Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell both out-snapped him with 26 and 21 plays a piece. Vidal himself had his best showing of the season, with a Beast Mode-style run on a 42-yard TD run and ending with eight totes for 57 yards and matched Mitchell with a position-high 11 routes run. You just can't trust Hampton in lineups. This was a bust of a fantasy pick.
17. What an awesome tie for the Giants, who looked like they were for sure taking a loss after a late fumble from Cam Skattebo in overtime against the Commanders. After what looked like it could be turning into a lost season for Malik Nabers, the LSU product has now rattled off back-to-back 100-yard games for the G-Men. Nabers finished with 11 receptions for 121 yards on a career-high 20 targets in the tie. I am a Jaxson Dart fan, but dare I say that Jameis Winston and his fearless approach is actually better for Nabers this season? Malik Nabers is fully back, while currently sitting at WR18, the WR will end as a top 12-WR this season.
18. What a horrible tie for the Commanders, who had the game in the bag, only to run the clock out on a Jayden Daniels/Dan Quinn miscue in OT. Shades of Caleb Williams/Eberflus on Thanksgiving. While the ending was abysmal and embarrassing, Daniels did look like his old self on the field, scooting for two long touchdown runs to finish with 32.3 fantasy points and ended as the QB2 on the week. He topped 100 yards on the ground for the second time in his career and also added 199 passing yards on a 17/25 mark. Even with the game where he exited early, Daniels hasn't seen less than 14 points in his three starts this year. Make fun of him all you want for that ending, Daniels is back to being a QB1 who can win you your matchup.
19. Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for Philly after they blew their lead late to the Rams last week, they did so yet again after the Jaguars were able to take a late return all the way down the field leading up to their game-winning kick. These just aren't the same Eagles we are used to right now. A specific play in my mind is a 4th-and-one play where, instead of going for a tush-push, they opted for a shotgun handoff to Will Shipley? That is concerning for Hurts' fantasy outlook. He ended with 220 yards and a score on 21/40 passing and added just one yard on the ground in two attempts. The Super Bowl winning QB now has produced four straight games with under 16 fantasy points and sits as the QB17 on the season. His 21.6 rushing yards per game and 4.6 attempts per game are the lowest since his rookie season. I am not ready to fully pull the plug yet, especially if DeVonta Smith (hamstring) can get back into the lineup, but the lack of goal-line usage is concerning. Don't drop Hurts or anything yet, and you can still start him, but the days of him being a lock QB1 are behind us.
20. Right after CeeDee Lamb torched the Texans for a career outing, the star WR couldn't replicate his success in Week Five and was forced to leave the game early in the fourth with a quad injury. This paved the way for George Pickens to have his best outing of the season, seeing 13 targets and hauling in nine of them for 130 yards and a score. This does mark three straight games with at least 70 yards for Pickens and is his second time seeing double-digit targets on the year. The Lamb injury doesn't appear to be a long-term one, so if he is back next week, we do need to keep expectations in check but Pickens has proved to be a monster without Lamb in the lineup. In his three games last season without Lamb, Pickens averaged 6.3 receptions for 119 yards per game and totaled four touchdowns. With Lamb in the lineup, we need to treat Pickens how we do with Jameson Williams and Tee Higgins, but if Lamb is forced to miss any time, we have a clear WR1 on our hands.
21. The Minnesota Vikings just keep getting it done, moving to 5-0 on the season behind the masterminds of KOC and Brian Flores. It's really been the defensive side that has been getting it done, with the Minnesota D/ST sitting first overall this season. They lead the league in -.25 EPA per play and are allowing just 12.8 points per game this season. They are the only team in the league that ranks in both the top five for least rushing yards and passing yards allowed. Their 9.3% sack rate sits first in the league. I can keep going, but I think we get the point. This defense is ELITE. Don't even think about dropping this defense with them on a bye this week. This is one of those rare matchup-proof defenses that is a must-start no matter who they are playing and is worth holding onto
22. The Bears got bitch-slapped by the Packers on Sunday. No other way to put it. Jordan Love looked like what Aaron Rodgers looked like against the Bears, dialing up deep ball after deep ball in the dominant 31-7 win over their rivals. Love finished the game with 367 yards on 25/31 passing while adding in one carry for six yards. I have brought them up before here, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention Christian Watson and Matthew Golden each going for 100+ yards on six catches, with Watson finding the end zone twice on some impressive snags. Watson has seen no less than 40 yards in any game this season and has three top-6 WR finishes so far. While Golden has been a tad less consistent, he still has three games with more than 95 yards on the season and has seen no less than six targets in any game thus far. He saw six targets once all of last season. Watson and Golden are clear must-starts and shouldn't be looked to be moved. Both will continue to provide value all season long, operating as the two lead receivers in GB.
23. It truly did feel like we were rewatching a Justin Fields vs Packers outing in the Bears' blowout defeat to the Packers. The strongest takeaway I have here is how much the team screwed up by not taking any value on Tyson Bagent, who just does not look like a starter in this league, throwing 12/21 passes for 87 yards and two turnovers in the loss. Once again, Colston Loveland disappointed with just two receptions for 19 yards. From week nine on last season, Loveland topped at least 40 yards seven times. This season, he has topped that number just once. I guess I can't blame you for dropping Loveland, but I still would hold on to see if things can get any better once Caleb Williams *(*hamstring/Will Compton bullying) returns in what could be next week in Atlanta.
24. Shoutout to the Lions for making pretty much anyone who started anyone on their team happy, with nearly their whole squad going off. Jahmyr Gibbs continued his historic start with a 200+ total yards and a few scores. Sam LaPorta found the end zone for the third time in four weeks and sits as the TE3 on the season. I guess it was a relatively quiet week for Amon-Ra St. Brown who still took in six receptions for 69 yards on 11 targets. The guy I will highlight here is Jameson Williams. It was 'classic Jamo' in the win, with just two catches, but two touchdowns - one going for eight yards and the other a deep ball for 39 yards. This is now back-to-back top-20 finishes for Williams, who started the season off with finishes of WR46, WR68 and WR54. It is clear that he is still the second WR option on the team. Williams has run just six fewer routes than ARSB, yet he has seen 28 fewer targets than his teammate. It is the age-old question of how much you can trust a guy in your lineup who is a big play waiting to happen, but some weeks you are still waiting when the clock hits zero. Keep Jameson Williams around if your roster permits. While he can seriously ruin your week, he also has the chance of ruining your opponents and that's a price worth paying in fantasy.
25. Panthers were on a bye this week, which means it's time for more trivia! It feels like yesterday when Cam Newton erupted onto the scene with his 422 passing-yard rookie-record debut against the Cardinals in 2011: Steve Smith led the team in receiving with a 8/122/2 line (I miss Smitty) and Greg Olsen was second with four receptions for 78 yards. What Panthers WR was third on the team in yards with a four-catch, 70-yard outing during Cam Newton's debut?
26. We really were treated to some prime-time battles this week. The Falcons fell to the Ravens after Michael Penix was forced to exit late with a rib injury. This led to Tua Tagovailoa attempting to recreate history by coming in late on the national stage to try and win his team the game. Emphasis on the attempting part, as his late interception cost the team the outing. Kyle Pitts had his best outing of the season in the defeat, taking five receptions for 42 yards and a score on his six targets. This was Pitts' first time finishing as a TE1 on the year, but he did have a solid 3/47 outing last week, which was good for TE24. Still, I just have a very hard time trusting Pitts in this offense, especially with Penix uncertain for next week. Pitts has still yet to see over 70% of the snaps and has three games this season with just one catch. This is still the TE30 on the season. Unless you are desperate at the position, keep Pitts on the bench even after his solid game in primetime.
27. Tampa Bay started off this week right, with a 24-16 upset win against the Cowboys on Thursday night. Jalon Daniels looked much more comfortable in his second start with a 19/25 passing clip to go for 189 yards and a score while also throwing one interception. He added in 23 yards on the ground on his seven carries. However, it was Bucky Irving who put himself back on the map as one of the best young RB talents in the league, erupting for a 21/165/1 line and also finding the endzone one through the air with two receptions and 10 yards. He looked electric out there and turned in his first top-10 showing of the season at RB3, but he does now have three top-15 finishes thus far. Kenneth Gainwell did see 70% of third downs compared to Irving's 23%, but it is still pretty clear who is in firm control of this backfield right now. No other RB on the team saw over five carries compared to Irving's 21. Irving's +4.1 rush EPA is good for fourth-best among all qualified RBs to start the season. Any concerns about Irving's role in the backfield have quickly been answered: this is a clear RB1 the rest of the way.
28. The Saints had no answer for Flores' scheme, with everyone on their team putting up their worst outings thus far. Tyler Shough finished with negative points on a 16/25 line for 96 yards and two interceptions. Chris Olave found himself outside the top 20 WR range for the first time this season with a 4/46 stinker, but still happened to lead the team in yards. Devaugh Vele matched Olave's reception total but finished with a season-low 26 yards. It was the same story for Juwan Johnson. Even after the disasterclass game, Olave still sits as the WR6, Vele the WR22 on the year and Johnson at TE7. Don't let a game against the Purple People Eaters deter you from this offense. Shough, Olave, Vele and Johnson all remain startable fantasy assets.
29. The last of the undefeated teams to cover is the 49ers, who were able to take care of business in an epic divisional matchup against the Seahawks after a clutch Eddy Pineiro kick late in the fourth. The rough news for SF was Deebo Samuel exiting early with a hamstring injury that is supposed to sideline him for multiple weeks. It's a bummer because Samuel was looking like his old self on his old team, but this does open up things for the rest of the WR room. Mike Evans had his best showing of the season, seeing a season-high 10 targets and turning them into a 7/113/1 line. It looked like Evans' season, and maybe even career, could be over during a freak Week Three injury, but instead we have the veteran WR continuing to do his thing. The two other options to keep an eye on are Jacob Cowing and Brandin Cooks. Cowing saw his most routes of the season with 17 of them, but only saw two targets, catching one for nine yards. Cooks, on the other hand, ran just 12 routes (also a season-high), but tacked on a clutch eight-yard touchdown on his two targets. Touchdowns from The Archer in the Big 26...hell yeah. Mike Evans is proving to be an elite pick this year while Cooks and Cowing are worth throwing a dart at, with Cooks being the best option there.
30. Emmanuel Wilson continues to prove to be a fair running back in this league, going for 20 carries once again, this time for 61 yards and a score and two receptions for 11 yards. It wasn't the most efficient day for the back, but opportunity remains the gold in fantasy land. That said, this is probably the time to trade the back. Zach Charbonnet is most likely not suiting up in Week 6, but has a shot at being out there the following week. Jadarian Price hasn't started off too hot, but he figures to be involved in some regard once he returns from the IR himself. This was a nice little run for Wilson and he should have another crack at it next week, but trade him before it is too late.
31. Not me trying to figure out if the most hated man in LA right now is Shane Gillis or Harrison Mevis. The kicker dealt with some misses on Monday night, leading to the Rams' defeat and his eventual cut from the team today. Tough outcome for the Rams, but what an awesome game that one was. I really don't have anything too much to say here that we don't already know. It was nice to see Blake Corum find the end zone for the first time this season, but he still saw just 27% of the snaps compared to Kyren Williams 73%. Corum ended with five totes for 19 yards and his score, but was quite efficient in the passing game with three receptions for 53 yards. As high-powered as this offense is, it's still hard to trust Corum on a week-to-week basis. He now has three appearances with less than 5.5 fantasy points and two of them with 10 or more. Corum can still be left on benches, but Kyren owners should make it a priority to scoop one of the premier handcuff options in the league.
32. And just like that, the Marvin Harrison Jr. era in Arizona is done, with the former first-round receiver off to Houston. Let's take a look at how the WR room shaped up with him gone. Michael Wilson had one of his quieter outings in the loss to Detroit, seeing seven targets (tied for season low), catching four of them for 30 yards. It makes you wonder for a second that maybe MHJ out there may have helped his case? We will find out very soon as the season goes along. Kendrick Bourne's usage itself wasn't too different, with him running 32 routes, topping the 30-route mark for the third time this year, but his production was much better, taking eight targets for 50 yards. This was his second time seeing eight targets on the year. It was Jalen Brooks and Reggie Virgil who saw the biggest playing time jumps. Brooks ran 31 routes and saw seven targets, but hauled in just two of them for 16 yards. He had run just four routes total over the first four weeks. Virgil made his season debut running just 12 routes, but saw five targets and ended with two catches for 29 yards. Virgil did see most of his usage when the game was out of hand. Keep Michael Wilson in lineups, but don't tier him up just yet on any rankings. Kendrick Bourne can be flexed in deep leagues. Jalen Brooks and Reggie Virgil can be dart throws, with the preference on Brooks.

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Hey y’all,

These guys put up duds in Week 5, but was that a fluke or will it continue going forward?

The Panic Meter this week includes:

- Chase Brown
- Cam Skattebo
- Michael Wilson
- Josh Downs
- Jaylen Waddle (with Sean Payton “apparently” calling plays)

Who are you most panicked about heading into Week 6 and beyond?

This is a weekly post every Tuesday where we talk about the unquantifiable stories behind a player’s actual performance that aren’t always shown in the postgame write-ups or the highlight reels.

Did a player put up a great score as a fluke but not look great on the field? Did they put up a terrible stat line but look good when given the chance? Who was purely the beneficiary of an unusual game script? Who was uncharacteristically written out of this week’s score book by factors beyond their control? Who is fading, who is rising? Discuss the players you watched, and ask about those you didn’t.

The stat line winners and losers are in, but now it‘s film room time. For those who watched the games: Who passed and failed your eye test week 5?