#FantasyFootball - NFL Week 5: Trash or Treasure
NFL Week 5 kicks off tonight with Tom Brady facing an old foe in Nick Foles as the Tampa Bay Bucs face the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football.
With so much uncertainty in the NFL due to injuries and COVID league-wide, players are getting the opportunity to perform in what will be a crucial week for some teams. As players like Nick Chubb and Tyrod Taylor fall to injuries, their backups Kareem Hunt and Justin Herbert respectively get the chance to shine.
This is a weekly column we will be doing for all the Fantasy Football lovers out there! Each week we will dive into which players we think will be like finding gold to help you win your fantasy matchup for the week, or who belongs to be put in the trash.
By Greg Wilson & Ervin Lassiter
Here are our picks for Week 5 of the NFL season:
Trash List:
Matt Ryan
Sad to say it but Matt Ryan seems a little OFF these last two weeks. Matt Ryan was missing some throws Monday night and couldn’t seem to locate his open WRs. He may also be without his #1 WR this week in Julio Jones who is still dealing with a hamstring injury. Matt Ryan is going against a division rival (Carolina Panthers) and they have contained most of the QBs they have faced so far this season. The Carolina Panthers have allowed the NFL’s third-best yards per attempt which is 6.3 yards per attempt. I would look for a different QB to start this week.
T.Y. Hilton
I don’t like T.Y Hilton for many reasons this week. The first reason is Hilton hasn’t had five catches or over 55 yards in a game yet this season. Hilton is not the clear cut number one WR in Indianapolis either. Zach Pascal has had more targets than T.Y. throughout multiple games this season. I also don’t like him this week because the Colts are a team that has been primarily depending on their run-heavy offense and defense to win games so far this season. For the second week in a row, T.Y. belongs in the trash.
Joe Mixon
Shocker seeing Mixon on this list right? Yeah I know he had an outstanding performance last week but I don’t like him in this divisional matchup. The Baltimore Ravens are a speedy defense that usually doesn’t allow RBs to beat them. The Ravens are only allowing 3.9 yards per rush to RBs so far this season. Which is a Top-10 mark in the league. Although the Bengals offense has looked good so far this season, their offensive line is their weakness. I can see the Ravens front seven winning this battle in the trenches.
Josh Kelley
Kelley is expected to be the lead back for the Chargers now with Ekeler sidelined for a few weeks. Regardless, I don’t like his matchup this week against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are only allowing 3.6 yards per carry to opposing backs, tied for 4th best in the NFL. After Ekeler got hurt last week Kelley underperformed and he also had fumbled on a crucial drive. I expect Justin Jackson to also have a role in this backfield this week. I would keep Kelley on the bench this week and choose a different player to start.
Treasure List:
Ezekiel Elliot
I know. I know. Isn't it obvious that Zeke should always be in my starting lineup? Well yes, but the Dallas Cowboys have been very pass-heavy in the first four weeks of the season while often playing from behind. Last week Zeke had no touchdowns and only had 54 yards rushing. This week the Cowboys play a horrible New York Giants team. Surprisingly enough the Giants are only allowing 3.6 yards per carry to opposing backs, which is tied for fourth-best in the NFL. Yet, the Cowboys shouldn’t be playing from behind in this one, expect Zeke to get a full rushing workload in a game where the Cowboys should be up early and throughout.
Mike Davis
Davis has stepped into CMC’s role in Carolina tremendously. He has scored a touchdown in both of the last two weeks while also helping the Panthers get big wins over the Chargers and Cardinals. The Panthers face a Falcons defense this weekend who are struggling. They are ranked 31st in the league in points allowed giving up a whopping 34.5 points per game. With Davis averaging at least 90 all-purpose yards and a touchdown the last two weeks, expect him to do the same versus the Falcons this week.
Robby Anderson
Two panthers make the treasure list this week Greg?! Yes. That’s just how bad this Falcons defense is. Robby Anderson has established himself as the clear number one wideout in Carolina, or maybe he’s just Teddy Bridgewater’s favorite target. Regardless, last week he was one yard shy of his 3rd 100 yard game of the season, the Falcons secondary has allowed the most touchdown receptions by wideouts in the league this season. Anderson is a strong candidate to boom this week, especially with Falcons safety Damontae Kazee tearing his Achilles Monday night, adding insult to injury of an already banged up, struggling group.
Kareem Hunt
With Nick Chubb headed to IR, Hunt will be taking over primary running back duties in Cleveland. Last week, Hunt scored two touchdowns in the absence of Chubb and saw way more Red Zone touches. With the heavy Run-scheme Browns HC Kevin Stefanski likes, expect Hunt to get an increased workload and thrive this week due to his dual-threat ability out of the backfield.