Fantasy Football: The Things I Learned – Week 5, 2018

By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.

Below, check out my fantasy-centered recaps of key players from this week’s contests. For instance, did a player come back to earth after an aberrant breakout, or were they simply affected by something like game flow?

Bills 13, Titans 12
Just when you think the Titans aren’t so bad, they go and lose to a Bills team that can barely get out of their own way. Yes, LeSean McCoy did have his best fantasy game of the year, but still didn’t reach 100 total yards or find the end zone – rushing for a measly 3.5 yards per carry – while Josh Allen finished the day with 85 yards passing.

McCoy was the only player even remotely near being fantasy viable, but he still ranks 22nd in running back scoring with four games left on the docket.

Marcus Mariota backed up his strong Week 4 with yet another dismal day, as he barely went over a 50-percent completion rate on his way to 129 yards passing, no touchdowns and one interception. Three of his teammates surpassed his fantasy numbers, although none of them hit double-digits. It’s back to the drawing board for the Titans.

Bengals 27, Dolphins 17
Andy Dalton almost managed this game to a loss, but he was picked up by his defense, which scored two touchdowns, while Dalton threw for one touchdown and an interception on a lackluster fantasy day.

Joe Mixon was supposed to be eased in after his knee surgery, but he played the bulk of the running back snaps and totaled 115 yards and a touchdown on 25 touches. As long as his knee can hold up, he’s going to put up numbers with that kind of workload.

Tyler Boyd came back to earth, but was still the No. 2 target as he caught 4-of-7 targets for 44 yards. He remains a strong fantasy play with that usage.

C.J. Uzomah led the tight ends with 2-of-2 receptions for 43 yards, while Tyler Kroft saw one target and no receptions. I’d like to see more targets, but the yardage is a good sign for now.

Ryan Tannehill is just not very good and needs extremely helpful circumstances to put up useful fantasy numbers. That status will continue.

Thankfully, Tannehill used Kenyan Drake well in the passing game, targeting him a team-high 11 times, of which he caught seven for 69 yards and a touchdown. That is great to see for Drake’s fantasy numbers because his rushing attempts were not great for fantasy, as he ran the ball six times for 46 yards, while Frank Gore ran the ball 12 times for 63 yards. Gore is the lead back in a committee, but Drake was at least used as the receiving back when trailing, and compared to his 11 touches over the two previous games, I think his fantasy backers will be happy with his productive 13 touches this week.

Browns 12, Ravens 9
Baker Mayfield completed 25-of-43 passes for 342 yards with one touchdown and one interception, adding 23 yards rushing on two carries. It’s not a week-winning fantasy day, but it comes against a strong Ravens pass defense and feels like a step forward in his development toward a quarterback who can put up consistent fantasy stats.

Jarvis Landry and David Njoku were the main targets throughout this game, with 12 and 11 targets respectively, but the consistency wasn’t there, as Njoku dropped two passes and both finished with 69 yards a piece. Njoku continues to drop the ball, but he’s too good to take off the field and I expect he’ll continue to see enough targets to break out sooner or later.

Nick Chubb saw three carries, the same number he had last week, but he had two yards this time instead of 105 and two touchdowns. The talk of him seeing more work didn’t materialize despite a lackluster game from Carlos Hyde, who rushed 17 times for 63 yards and caught 3-of-3 targets for 14 yards and no touchdowns. This is the first game Hyde hasn’t scored a touchdown this year.

Joe Flacco completed 29-of-56 passes for 298 yards with no touchdowns and an interception on his way to a lackluster fantasy day. The Browns have now allowed six passing touchdowns to five interceptions on the season, and four of those touchdowns came last week against Derek Carr. There will be games like the Carr game, but this Browns defense isn’t one you want to bank your fantasy future against.

Michael Crabtree continues to drop passes, which in no way helped Flacco’s numbers, and Flacco and John Brown couldn’t get their connection quite right, but Brown was the leading target with 14 despite catching just four for 58 yards. Brown is still the receiver to roster in Baltimore, and with Crabtree’s struggles, Brown should continue to be safe as the projected target leader.

Javorius Allen out-touched Alex Collins and was the preferred receiving and goal-line back again, but he wasn’t able to get into the end zone, plus he lost a fumble. Allen isn’t as good of a runner as Collins, but since his fumble came after a reception instead of at the goal line, he’ll likely continue to be the preferred back at the goal line. There is also no doubt he’ll remain the receiving back, which should push him ahead of Collins despite the talent discrepancy.

Lions 31, Packers 23
Matthew Stafford completed 14-of-26 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, but didn’t throw much due to a big lead early. LeGarrette Blount’s two goal-line touchdowns killed Stafford’s upside due to an early 24-0 lead and two touchdown opportunities lost for the quarterback. In a closer game, there’s no doubt Stafford’s numbers would have elevated.

Blount’s two goal-line touchdowns were a gut punch to anyone rostering Kerryon Johnson, who played well, totaling 85 yards on 14 touches. Johnson did have to leave this game with an ankle injury, but he says he is fine and the Lions also have a bye week coming up.

Kenny Golladay was the lead receiver this week, catching 4-of-9 targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also had a touchdown called back on an illegal hands-to-the-face call, which in no way impacted the play. Golladay’s 35-percent target share was hefty, and even though he won’t always have that much of a lead in targets, he’s very much a WR1 on this team, even if there are three at times – see L.A. Rams.

Aaron Rodgers completed 32-of-52 passes for 442 yards and three touchdowns for his best fantasy game of the year. After getting down 24-0 early, there was no doubt Rodgers would be passing a ton, and when that happens it usually means good results for fantasy, even with two rookie receivers starting. Rodgers is back, and there’s a good chance Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison will return next week against the 49ers, which will be a great matchup for Rodgers in Lambeau.

With Rodgers passing for 442 yards, there were plenty of fantasy relevant receivers for Green Bay, but Davante Adams was the most targeted and the best of the bunch, as he caught 9-of-12 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown. He’s secured a touchdown in 4-of-5 games and only has one game under seven receptions. He’ll remain a consistent source of fantasy points.

In comeback mode, we saw Ty Montgomery get the bulk of the snaps in the second half, but once again, Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams split work on the ground. Their stats were nearly identical this week, and it appears Jones won’t be overtaking Williams anytime soon.

Chiefs 30, Jaguars 14
Patrick Mahomes had his worst fantasy game of the season, which was expected against a stout Jacksonville defense. The bad news was that he didn’t throw a touchdown and threw two interceptions, but otherwise he again looked great while taking on one of the best defenses in the league, as he completed 22-of-38 passes for 313 yards. He also rushed for a touchdown; his second rushing touchdown in as many games.

Travis Kelce continued to play well, catching 5-of-8 targets for 100 yards, but the most interesting game came from Sammy Watkins, who caught 6-of-8 passes for 78 yards despite being limited this week with an injury. Watkins has now caught a touchdown or gone over 78 yards in his last three healthy games and should continue to have fantasy value in a great offense.

Blake Bortles completed 33-of-61 passes for 430 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, while adding four carries for 34 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was an awful game by any real-life standards, but in fantasy, it will be a top-12 game at worst. This is the garbage-time Bortles we saw a few years ago and what the Jaguars wanted to get rid of when they beefed up their defense and running game, but you can only hide your quarterback for so long.

With all those passing yards, it is a surprise no receiver topped 76 yards, and that receiver was Donte Moncrief who caught just 6-of-15 targets to reach that number. Dede Westbrook, who led the team in receiving last week saw just five targets, which he caught three of for 55 yards. Again, there’s no way to call out the right Jaguars’ receiver for fantasy from week to week.

Tight end Niles Paul was the most consistent receiver on the day, as he caught 7-of-9 targets for 65 yards, while Austin Seferian-Jenkins didn’t catch his one target before re-aggravating his core muscle injury. Paul could end up being worth a pickup in deeper 2TE leagues.

T.J. Yeldon looked good, rushing 10 times for 53 yards and catching 8-of-10 targets for a nice 69 yards and a touchdown. Yeldon has been a consistent player in relief of Leonard Fournette and should continue to have value while Fournette is out.

Jets 34, Broncos 16
Sam Darnold and the Jets were on big-play duty this week, as Darnold hit Robby Anderson for two long touchdowns of 76 and 35 yards, while Isaiah Crowell ran for a 77-yard touchdown and had another 54-yard run. On the day, Darnold completed 10-of-22 passes for 198 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while the team ran the ball 35 times. Darnold’s three touchdown passes were perfect throws and reminded many that, despite some down games, he is a big talent.

Crowell went off for a Jets-record 219 rushing yards on just 15 carries, while Bilal Powell had five more carries, as he rushed 20 times for 99 yards. In comparison, it looks bad for Powell, but it was a strong game. I doubt we’ll see games with this many rushing attempts for these two running backs, but both will remain flex plays in an even committee.

Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson tied for the team-lead in targets with five each, but Enunwa caught zero while Anderson caught three for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Enunwa was wearing a brace on his wrist and hand, andhe didn’t appear to be 100 percent, so we’ll give him a slight pass for now, but he’ll need to win our trust back, while Anderson has become a touchdown-or-bust player in this offense, as today’s five targets were his high on the season. But it was great to see him break out, and with his upside, he needs to be rostered and started more moving forward.

Case Keenum ended up with great fantasy numbers, but his play was more nightmare-like. He completed 35-of-51 passes for 377 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but padded his stats in garbage time. That’s fine in fantasy of course, but too many more games like this will see him benched for Chad Kelly.

Phillip Lindsay again out-touched Royce Freeman, as he rushed 12 times for 61 yards and caught 3-of-4 targets for 20 yards, while Freeman rushed five times for 31 yards and caught 3-of-4 targets for 16 yards. Unfortunately, Devontae Booker muddied things up, as he saw extra work in come-from-behind mode and caught 5-of-6 targets for 59 yards. In a world more conducive to fantasy, Lindsay would have gotten those receptions and put together a big PPR game, but right now, we’re seeing the ball spread a bit too thin for my liking. Lindsay remains the lead back for now and has proven he has the ability to put up good numbers when given enough work.

Steelers 41, Falcons 17
This was a game the Steelers fantasy plays needed, as Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and James Conner all went off, while JuJu Smith-Schuster scored a touchdown.

Roethlisberger and Brown again started poorly, as they could only connect on 2-of-8 targets for 15 yards in the first half, but that changed in the second half, when Brown caught 4-of-5 targets for 86 yards and two touchdowns to help put the Falcons away.

James Conner was an even bigger fantasy player than Brown though, as he touched the ball 25 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Conner’s big day comes after three down games, so it was a welcome sight for all of those rostering him.

Brown led the team with 13 targets, while Conner and Smith-Schuster tied for second with just four each. The Steelers ran the ball quite a bit and also blocked a punt that set them up for a short touchdown, so there wasn’t a ton of passing, plus the Steelers really need to get Brown going. I expect the target numbers to scooch back upward for Smith-Schuster moving forward.

The Falcons were able to move the ball, but just couldn’t string together scoring drives, which wasn’t helped by Julio Jones not catching a pass until the fourth quarter. Joe Haden shadowed Jones, which should have been a good thing for the Falcons, but instead Jones came out with a dud performance in a great matchup.

Jones’ absence for most of the game pushed work to Mohamed Sanu and Austin Hooper over the middle, with both putting up good numbers. Hooper set his career-high in receptions with nine for 77 yards and shows us again that the Steelers are extremely susceptible to tight ends this season. C.J. Uzomah has a chance to break out next week.

Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman split work evenly, but Ito Smith vultured both of them for a short touchdown run. Freeman did look to be his old self out there, and as long as he can stay healthy, he’ll lead this backfield.

Panthers 33, Giants 31
Cam Newton completed 21-of-35 passes for 237 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while adding four carries for 29 yards. It was Newton’s worst fantasy game of the season, but it could have been worse if not for good runs-after-the-catch on his two touchdown passes. Greg Olsen looks like he will return next week, and that should help steady Newton.

Christian McCaffrey led the team in fantasy points, as he rushed 17 times for 58 yards and caught 5-of-6 targets for 35 yards and a touchdown. McCaffrey didn’t have a target in the first half, but that was remedied and ended up getting the Panthers a touchdown. He wasn’t efficient this week, but his 23 touches ended up helping him to a strong fantasy day despite a poor yards-per-touch figure.

D.J. Moore looks like the real deal, but he’s still pretty far down the pecking order, as he saw just four targets. He did catch all four of those for 49 yards and also had one rushing attempt for 18 more, and after giving Jarius Wright the second most targets with six, I don’t see how the Panthers don’t push to get Moore more involved.

Eli Manning completed 22-of-36 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. After watching him struggle for much of the game, I sure didn’t see his fourth-quarter surge coming, but it did, and once again Manning showed us some life where there hadn’t been any. His touchdown to Saquon Barkley was all Barkley, but Manning finally hit Odell Beckham Jr. for a 33-yard touchdown pass, Beckham’s first receiving touchdown since Week 5 of last year. Manning connected with Sterling Shepard as well.

This was Odell Beckham Jr.’s day though, as he started off with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Barkley and caught 8-of-14 passes for 130 yards and his first touchdown of the year. Games against Philadelphia and Atlanta the next two weeks should have blowup potential for him.

Saquon Barkley didn’t fare that well on the ground, rushing 15 times for 48 yards, but he did most of his damage through the air, catching all four of his targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns, with his last touchdown coming on an amazing leap. Barkley has topped 20 PPR fantasy points in every game this year, and even against a stout Philadelphia run defense, he remains a top fantasy play.

Chargers 26, Raiders 10
Philip Rivers completed 22-of-27 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns. It was an easy day at the office for him, as he had little trouble finding open receivers against the geriatric Raiders defense. Rivers has now had three games with three touchdown passes and two with two, but this was his first 300-plus yard game since Week 1 against Kansas City. His consistency and easy targets to his running backs should continue to give him a high-floor consistency.

Keenan Allen got back on track as a high-volume PPR stud, as he caught 8-of-9 targets for 90 yards, but he once again didn’t find the end zone. His Week 1 touchdown felt like he was on his way to positive regression, but it hasn’t panned out that way yet. I do expect he’ll find the end zone sooner than later though.

Melvin Gordon wasn’t efficient on the ground, but he did his usual work as a high-volume back and cobbled together 23 touches for 120 yards and a touchdown. If Todd Gurley weren’t playing football, Gordon would easily be the highest floor and most consistent fantasy back in the league.

Austin Ekeler continues to put up usable fantasy numbers despite limited touches. This week, he caught one pass, but took it 44 yards for a touchdown. He’s on pace for 1,311 total yards and nine touchdowns on 152 touches. The chance that he keeps his current pace up is slim, but he’s been a useful fantasy player in four of his five games, scoring 12 or more fantasy points, which makes his production feel more sustainable than just a few blowup games here and there.

Derek Carr completed 24-of-33 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception in what was a poor overall game. He somehow targeted Seth Roberts seven times to lead the team, which shows you just where Oakland’s offense was this week.

Jordy Nelson led the Raiders in fantasy points due to his touchdown catch, and he was also efficient, catching all four of his targets for 43 yards. Nelson now has three games in a row with a touchdown. He won’t be a big-yardage guy outside his huge 173-yard game in Week 3, but he’s a strong red-zone target for Carr and with inconsistent players all around, I expect Nelson to remain a go-to guy when hanging onto the ball is most important.

Keeping up with his on-again, off-again romance with fantasy points, Amari Cooper caught his lone target for 10 yards for his third game with fewer than 18 yards this season. In his other two games, he topped eight receptions and 116 yards, so of course the upside remains, but good lord.

Vikings 23, Eagles 21
Kirk Cousins completed 30-of-37 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown, which was enough to win the game, but disappointing for fantasy, as he was on-target all game, but just couldn’t convert, as Dan Bailey had four field goal attempts.

Cousins had no trouble getting the ball to his two amazing receivers, as Adam Thielen caught 7-of-10 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Stefon Diggs caught 10-of-11 targets for 91 yards and rushed twice for 25 yards. They continue to dominate targets and make for easy plays every week due to their consistency and Cousins’ ability.

Carson Wentz completed 24-of-35 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, as he continues to show that he’s fully back from last-year’s knee injury. He did lose a fumble, which cost the Eagles the game, but this is fantasy football, where he put up good numbers and showed that he’ll likely do the same gain next week.

Zach Ertz was again Wentz’s favorite target, as he threw it his way 11 times, of which Ertz caught ten passes for 110 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He’s an elite fantasy tight end this year, and it doesn’t look like that distinction will fade away because he maintains consistent high-end usage.

Jay Ajayi rushed eight times for 28 yards and lost a critical goal-line fumble, while Wendell Smallwood rushed three times for 27 yards and caught 3-of-4 targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. Right now, there really isn’t a running back in this backfield we can count on, so even a good game from Smallwood doesn’t move the needle too far for me. Right now, Wentz and Ertz are the only safe plays, while Alshon Jeffery will be a bit more inconsistent due to taking on the opponent’s No. 1 cornerback on a team that won’t force-feed the ball into bad situations.

Cardinals 28, 49ers 18
Hey! Arizona won. That’s nice for them.

Josh Rosen completed 10-of-25 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, with 75 of those yards coming on the first play of the game, as he hit Christian Kirk for the long touchdown. Rosen didn’t do much of anything after that, as his receivers dropped a few passes and he also wasn’t quite on the same page with his pass catchers most of the game.

The Cardinals’ offense didn’t need to do much, as their defense had two interceptions and three fumble recoveries, which helped David Johnson to two short touchdown runs despite an inefficient game in which he rushed 18 times for 55 yards and caught 2-of-3 targets for 16 yards.

C.J. Beathard completed 34-of-54 passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus had two fumbles while adding a short rushing touchdown. Together it added up to a good fantasy day, but not one the 49ers would ever want to see again. His four turnovers kept him throwing the ball, which by sheer force of attempts and offensive snaps, helped him accumulate fantasy points, but he was awful and this game was not a blueprint for anything.

Pierre Garcon led the 49ers with 12 targets, but he only caught five for 47 yards, while Trent Taylor was second in targets with eight, of which he caught seven for 61 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers won’t throw the ball with Beathard under center 54 times if they can help it, but Taylor deserves to be one of the leading targets moving forward. We’ll see if that happens.

Rams 33, Seahawks 31
Jared Goff completed 23-of-32 passes for 321 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. It wasn’t Goff at his finest, but he managed to get the job done and without Cooper Kupp or Brandin Cooks for some of the game due to concussions. Goff still topped 320 yards for the fourth straight game, and there’s no doubt this offense will continue to play to his strengths. He’s earned his QB1 status in fantasy.

Todd Gurley rushed for three touchdowns and just missed a fourth, giving him nine touchdowns on the year and at least one in every game. His per-rush efficiency wasn’t great this week, but who cares? He still totaled 113 yards to go along with his three touchdowns and continues his fantasy football dominance.

Cooper Kupp led the way for the Rams’ receivers, catching 6-of-9 targets for 90 yards and yet another touchdown, but he had to leave the game at halftime due to a concussion. He was on his way to yet another blowup fantasy game. He now has five touchdowns on the season. Hopefully, he can be cleared for next week at Denver.

Brandin Cooks took a devastating hit to the head in the second quarter and was quickly ruled out with a concussion. His status will be iffy for next week.

Russell Wilson completed 13-of-21 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. It was another low-yardage week, but at least the touchdowns were there on a day when Seattle moved the ball on the ground easily. The Rams’ ability to score kept Wilson in action, but there was never a time the Seahawks needed to abandon the run, as Chris Carson and Mike Davis both were efficient on the ground, rushing 31 times for 184 yards and a touchdown. Davis scored the touchdown, but Carson was the lead back, rushing 19 times for 116 yards and catching his one target for 11 yards, while Davis rushed 12 times for 68 yards and a touchdown and caught both of his targets for seven yards. It’s a committee, but one led by Carson so far.

Doug Baldwin saw one target and caught it for one yard. If you are playing some kind of fantasy football bingo where a 1-1-1 line wins you something, then congrats. Baldwin played normal snaps, but it just wasn’t there for him. It’s hard not to think his knees have something to do with that, but when your leading target gets just five passes thrown his way, there are going to be some low target numbers.

Tyler Lockett led the way in targets and yardage, catching 3-of-5 for 98 yards and a touchdown, but David Moore was the touchdown-maker, catching 3-of-4 for 38 yards and two scores. Moore appears to have passed Brandon Marshall on the depth chart for this game at least, as Marshall saw one target, which he didn’t catch.

Texans 19, Cowboys 16
Deshaun Watson completed 33-of-44 passes for 375 yards, a touchdown and an interceptio, plus collected 40 yards on 10 carries. It wasn’t a perfect game, but one in which he scraped together the stats for both a strong fantasy day and a real-life win. He’s now topped 375 passing yards in his last three games, and if the Tesans can get better at scoring touchdowns from the red zone, Watson’s touchdown numbers have plenty of room to rise.

DeAndre Hopkins was the man once again, as he caught 9-of-13 targets for 151 yards, including an amazing catch-and-run to set up the game-winning field goal in overtime. With his workload and ability, his consistent floor is the highest in the league.

Alfred Blue touched the ball a whopping 28 times, but he was stuffed to the tune of 20 carries for 48 yards on the ground, while catching all eight of his targets for 73 yards. Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman should be back next week, so this situation is about to get really spread out unless Foreman can win the job quickly.

Dallas’ offense hurts my head. Ezekiel Elliott touched the ball 27 times for 84 yards, and seven of those touches were receptions! He averaged 2.7 yards per carry and 4.3 yards per reception, yet led the team in receptions by four!

Dak Prescott completed 18-of-29 passes for 208 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, plus rushed for 36 yards. He has no receivers, but he’s also not on target and dumps it off to Elliott even though there is nowhere for him to go. The Jaguars get to feast on this offense next week.

For more thoughts, check out Walt’s updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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