It’s Week 5 in the NFL, and fantasy football owners are starting to feel the effects of this injury-riddled season. What should be their next move?
Key points to success in Week 5:
– Quarterback issues have been a concern for many owners. After Cam Newton’s hot start with the Patriots, his positive COVID-19 test has left him out for the foreseeable future and it may be time to give a nod to the rookie, Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert.
– Buccaneers’ tight end O.J. Howard ruptured his Achilles, which could mark the return of Rob Gronkowski as a dependable high scoring TE.
– For wide receivers, if you stuck with the Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. you saw a huge payday from him in Week 4 against Dallas. Your patience has paid off, and holding faith in him from here on out could be a smart decision. Yet, don’t forget to look at the slot position.
– Owners of running backs Nick Chubb and Austin Ekeler need to find replacements as both went down with long-term injuries early in their games. Some RBs you might want to acquire are Rex Burkhead and Justin Jackson.
Who to Start:
Quarterbacks: The rookie quarterbacks of 2020 are putting up big points and might be worth starting on your squad this week. Justin Herbert scored 31 points last week against the Bucs. Joe Burow is consistently putting up 20-plus points a game and just passed for 300 yards this past week.
The reason for this is these QBs are being asked to do a lot for their offenses. Burrow and Herbert, especially, were picked high in the draft to teams who were in desperate need of a starting QB, and ultimately when their team is playing from behind they are asked to throw the football downfield more often.
On my watchlist: Jimmy Garoppolo is listed as questionable for Week 5, so look for him to make a bounce back from his injury and potentially put up big points in his return against Miami.
Tight ends: Now is the time owners of Rob Gronkowski have been waiting for. O.J. Howard is out with a torn Achilles and Gronk may be back to prime form since he is going to have to carry more of a load from the position with Howard out.
On my watchlist: Jason Witten has not been an incredibly productive TE, but in Week 4 he caught a touchdown, meaning Derek Carr may look to him more often as a security blanket.
Running backs: With lots of injuries to the RB position around the league, look to pick up some high-performance backups like Justin Jackson who is going to be asked to carry the load for the Chargers offense. His pass-catching ability should also be noted as a catalyst for bringing in more points.
On my watchlist: Rex Burkhead of the New England Patriots has seen a considerable increase in touches with Sony Michel not at 100%. Burkhead scored 34.8 points in Week 3, but saw a significant drop in points only scoring six in Week 4. It would be risky to start him, but with owners in desperate need of filling holes in their roster from the position, the experienced Burkhead might not be a bad option.
Wide receivers: This week, the slot receiver position shined, and truly it has been shining all season. It seems these sorts of pass catchers have proven themselves to be starters. Slot receiver Hunter Renfrow has become one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets and Scotty Miller for the Buccaneers has become Tom Brady’s new Julian Edelman. Miller scored 19.3 points last week and has been a double-digit scorer in three of his four weeks of play this season.
On my watchlist: Randall Cobb, another slot option, has flown under the radar of many fantasy owners but could prove to be a sneaky good pick-up. Cobb was a historically high scoring fantasy player when he used to be on the Green Bay Packers, and now that the Houston Texans have had some injuries he may be a dependable high scoring starter.
Who to Sit:
Quarterbacks: Nick Foles and the quarterback controversy in Chicago has totally shaken the team and the chemistry of that offense. Foles will go up against Tom Brady this weekend, but don’t expect the Eagle-esque Foles to show up tonight.
Carson Wentz is another quarterback to bench this weekend as he will be facing one of the top defenses in the league, Pittsburgh, who is coming off of a bye. Wentz also has limited weapons to throw to due to the continual trend of the Philly offense failing to show consistency at the wideout position.
Wide receivers: T.Y. Hilton for the Indianapolis Colts has been underperforming all season. Hilton owners were expecting WR1-type numbers this season, but he has failed to discover any real chemistry with new QB Philip Rivers. Don’t expect a different result this week against Cleveland.
Tight ends: Dolphins’ Mike Gesicki received a lot of hype in Week 2 for nearly scoring 30 points against Buffalo, but it seems his massive serge will just be a one-time event.
All Fantasy data was taken from ESPN Fantasy.