NFL Reactions: Week 5

Of course we love fantasy football. And as great as our favorite hobby is, it's always enhanced when we get to see some incredible finishes in NFL games. The three AFC games in the early window Sunday had my adrenaline going full throttle. It was the kind of excitement that reminds me why I love this game so much. Let's look at the Week 5 action.

Reactions

Jets vs. Vikings

The Jets offense has had moments where things looked good this season. Regardless, this unit is in real trouble. I get it — Braelon Allen is a nice player. But Breece Hall has proven during his short career that he is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL. Even though Hall has struggled this season, not having him on the field is not making New York a better team. Allen is on the field way too often. Also, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett does not have answers for today's defenses that have become great at confusing offenses. The vibes around this team are troubling. On a positive note, at least Garrett Wilson had his first big game of the year while the Jets played from behind. Otherwise for fantasy, this is a week-to-week team that is difficult to trust. Hall is a player who is difficult to start, but I cannot recommend benching him on the chance the team begins to load him up with work.

Sam Darnold continues to help Minnesota win games.The QB has solid pass protection, a pair of excellent receivers as well as a coach who is excellent at putting the offense in advantageous situations. Despite a weird game against the Jets where New York committed a number of pass interference penalties while otherwise playing strong defense, the passing numbers for Darnold didn't look great. Fantasy managers should continue to have confidence in Darnold and Jordan Addison despite the lack of production this week. Also, if Aaron Jones (hip) is forced to miss time, Minnesota may need to pass more than it prefers. However, against most defenses, the Vikings should have little trouble having success through the air. 

Ravens at Bengals

Going into this game, it seemed as if the Ravens would be able to run the ball down Cincinnati's throats. Also, I believed that the Ravens defense would be able to hold Joe Burrow and the passing attack in check. What needs to be remembered is that when divisional opponents play, anything can happen.

 The Ravens had nothing close to the rushing attack they've enjoyed the last couple weeks. Their division rival loaded the box with bodies and dared Lamar Jackson to beat them. For much of the game, that strategy appeared to be successful in terms of the Bengals playing with a lead. For fantasy, Jackson simply threw the ball to Zay Flowers and his trio of tight ends, leading to a very productive passing attack. Derrick Henry did little before the game went to overtime. However, he broke off a huge run in the extra session to get him close to 100 scrimmage yards. The beauty of this year's Ravens is that it appears they have multiple paths to being strong offensively. After the tight end production had been irrelevant the last couple weeks, both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely had solid fantasy performances. It'll be difficult to predict weeks when the passing game gets going, but fantasy managers may just have to take their chances and start the tight ends.

Joe Burrow and his receivers shredded the Ravens' secondary for five touchdowns and almost 400 yards. Both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins had excellent performances, which is something fantasy managers had hoped to see from the duo for quite some time. It appears as if Chase Brown has earned his way into an even split in the backfield with Zack Moss.  With defenses having to defend the pass, both of these running backs should have plenty of opportunities to have free space to run, which will maximize their opportunities. 

Bills at Texans

Somebody involved in the concussion protocol for the Bills (or the NFL) should incur league discipline Monday. Josh Allen had his head bounce off the turf late in the game. He was taken to the blue tent for evaluation. However, Buffalo got the ball back quickly, and after one missed snap, Allen came running back on the field to play the rest of the game. I'm not an expert on concussions, but I know it takes more than five minutes to conduct a proper evaluation. Anyway, the star quarterback had a horrible fantasy performance for the third time in four games. His first bad game came against Miami in a blowout win, so that could be explained away. However, in back-to-back clunkers for Allen against the Ravens and the Texans, I am getting close to being very concerned about the entire Buffalo offense. James Cook recorded 22 touches, making him the only Bills' player who was fantasy relevant. I have a hard time believing that Khalil Shakir's absence was the main component as to why this team struggled. Obviously, I'll recommend continuing to start the key Buffalo players in fantasy, but now I have to consider players in the passing attack to have weekly downside. 

Houston got off to an excellent start by posting a pair of first-quarter touchdowns against the Bills. However, the team lost Nico Collins to a hamstring injury on a 76-yard touchdown pass. The Texans never found the end zone again. C.J. Stroud still piled up the passing yardage, but accounted for just a single touchdown. In regular season games since last year, Stroud has just one game with more than two touchdown passes. The young quarterback is clearly a superstar and is still is a weekly top-12 performer, but he's not a top-5 option. Also, if Collins misses time, this entire offense could run into serious trouble. 

Colts at Jaguars

A number of people had asked me if they should start Trevor Lawrence this week. My answer was that while he has a great matchup, his body of work since last year makes him difficult to trust. The quarterback "predictably" threw for 371 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Of course, this came against a decimated Indianapolis defense that struggles to cover and rush the passer. Fortunately, the passing attack, even in down weeks, continues to support Brian Thomas and Christian Kirk. The biggest question I had during this game is what is going on with Travis Etienne?  As of this writing, I heard nothing about the running back being injured. However, he was rarely on the field in the second half while Tank Bigsby ended up being a huge fantasy performer with 129 scrimmage yards and a pair of touchdowns. This seemed to be the type of game in which Etienne could have had massive production. Now we're left to wonder what Etienne's role on the offense is. Although Etienne was targeted seven times, he has yet to have more than 13 carries in any game this season. 

If we didn't learn it last year, Joe Flacco is good for fantasy football. The veteran passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 22 additional yards. Both Michael Pittman and Josh Downs were productive despite not having ceiling games. Even Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce were involved in the passing attack. It would seem as if Anthony Richardson may be in line to return soon from the hip injury that left him out this week. Unless Richardson improves drastically from early in the year, his return may be a significant drag on the value of both Pittman and Downs.

Panthers at Bears

Andy Dalton was great in his first two games taking over for Bryce Young. That said, both of those matchups were favorable. Facing the Bears on the road was the opposite of that. Dalton had little chance to be successful, and all of his receivers had terrible games as well. The only winner was Chuba Hubbard, who continues to do well with the volume he's given. Hubbard will continue to be an auto start as long as he remains in the lead role. Dalton and the passing attack should be considered matchup dependent every week.

Caleb Williams has made progress since the beginning of the season. It appears as if he's becoming more comfortable when under pressure. He's also making his share of difficult throws. It should be noted that this week's matchup was one of the easiest for the rookie. He still might struggle to put up strong fantasy numbers when he faces defenses that could bring significant pressure. For now, DJ Moore may be the only receiver we can have a fair level of confidence in most weeks. It also appears as if D'Andre Swift has shaken off his terrible start to the season. In two favorable matchups, the running back has surpassed 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Even though it's difficult to wipe those three horrible early season games for our memory, Swift probably should be considered worthy of being in fantasy lineups until further notice.

Cardinals at 49ers

For the fourth time in five games, Kyler Murray had an excellent day on the ground. The veteran ran for 85 yards and a touchdown to give him a strong fantasy performance despite throwing for fewer than 200 yards. Although James Conner failed to find the end zone, he posted exactly 100 scrimmage yards. The running back continues to be someone we can trust in lineups almost every week. Marvin Harrison continues to be fairly disappointing based on the draft cost it took to acquire him. Although the receiver had a big game in Week 2, he has not been a difference maker otherwise. Against the 49ers, he caught a pair of passes for 36 yards. Harrison is seeing enough targets, but he definitely needs to ramp up his production for his fantasy managers.

Brandon Aiyuk finally showed up in a big way! After failing to reach 50 yards in any of his first four games, he exploded for 147 yards (though he didn't score). That performance should be enough to convince fantasy managers to put the star back in weekly lineups if they left him out. The only other San Francisco player with a strong fantasy performance was George Kittle, who continues to have a great season. In a year that tight ends have been disappointing, Kittle has been one of the correct answers. Finally, I had many questions as to whether people should start Jauan Jennings this week. I cautioned them that he is the fifth option in the offense when everyone is healthy. It's difficult to trust a player in that type of role. He finished with one catch for 13 yards on four targets, though he appeared to suffer a hand injury at one point.

Packers at Rams

Although the Packers won this game, it was not a fantastic day for fantasy unless your name was Tucker Kraft. The tight end led the team with 88 yards while scoring both of the team's receiving touchdowns. Fortunately, Josh Jacobs scored his first touchdown of the season, but he rushed for less than four yards per carry. Jacobs should continue to see enough volume to be a decent fantasy performer, but his investors were certainly hoping for more this season. With Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs out, many were excited to get Dontayvion Wicks into their lineups. Although the receiver was targeted seven times, he had a disappointing two catches for 20 yards. Green Bay seemed to be a team playing as if it thought it could control this game. I would go immediately back to trusting all of their regular fantasy options. 

The Rams desperately need to get Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back on the field. As great as Sean McVay is as a coach, there is only so much they can do with the collection of receivers they're putting on the field. This matchup against the Packers was a forgettable performance for the entire passing attack. The one player who remains a must start is Kyren Williams, who continues to see elite volume while finding the end zone on a regular basis.

Giants at Seahawks

Darius Slayton  has always been a good receiver who has a great rapport with Daniel Jones. With Malik Nabers (concussion)  out this week, Slayton served as the top outside receiver for the Giants. The veteran had an outstanding game and was the only New York pass catcher with more than 50 yards. Obviously, once Nabers returns,  Slayton will be difficult to use in fantasy lineups. Also, Tyrone Tracy impressed while taking over for Devin Singletary, who is injured. It's difficult to know if the coaching staff will consider giving Tracy a bigger role when Singletary returns, but it certainly would seem worthwhile for the team to see what it has for the future.

Fantasy managers who started Seattle players were fortunate the Seahawks trailed the Giants by double digits in the second half. Otherwise, this was shaping up to be a horrible game for the Seahawks' offense. However, garbage time can be a beautiful thing. As a result, almost every Seattle player you were trusting in lineups had a "good enough" performance. I'm inclined to give this team a pass for the rough first three quarters. They were playing on a short week while the Giants were playing on a long week (having played last Thursday). Also, they may have subconsciously been looking past a New York team they should have dominated. Overall, this is an offense we should generally trust for fantasy.

Browns at Commanders 

Things have gotten so bad with the Browns, that defenses know they just have to send as much pressure as possible and the Cleveland offense will fold. Amari Cooper should now be considered a flex option. It's reasonable to consider benching any other player. David Njoku returned from injury, and if he continues to see the amount of screen passes he saw last year, he also would have PPR value, but he left this game with a knee injury. I sure hope that Cooper gets traded to a competing team. He's an excellent player in a horrible situation. I'm also concerned that when Nick Chubb returns to the lineup, he might not be able to overcome the situation around him. 

Washington could not have asked for a better start to the season. Jayden Daniels  has been an elite fantasy option. Terry McLaurin has been money in each of the last three games. In addition, Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler are posting strong fantasy production in almost each game. Continue to start those players with confidence each week. Even if they have an occasional rough game, each primary player in the Washington offense has done enough to prove they are capable of producing in a variety of game scripts.

Raiders at Broncos

In case anyone hoped the Denver offense would get better as a season progressed, that appears unlikely. I know that Bo Nix accounted for three touchdowns. Not only did the game get out of hand, but the Raiders' defense was terrible. The only player who appears to have some fantasy usefulness is Javonte Williams in PPR leagues. In the last couple weeks, Williams has distanced himself as the primary running back. He has seen quite a few targets. In addition, he has had decent yardage totals each of the last two games. There is not a lot of upside with Williams, but he is getting reasonable volume.

The Raiders finally made a change at quarterback. At the end of the third quarter, they pulled Gardner Minshew for Aidan O'Connell. The team clearly had nothing to lose. Against any solid defense, Las Vegas is going to struggle to score points. Fortunately, Brock Bowers caught a 57-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to salvage his fantasy day. Bowers remains a top tight-end option. When the Raiders face easier defenses, players like Alexander Mattison, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker will be fantasy considerations.

Dolphins at Patriots

As if things weren't bad enough with the Miami offense, De'Von Achane left this game early with a concussion. As a result, Raheem Mostert turned 21 touchdowns into 98 yards. Sadly, the quarterback situation is so bad that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are little more than flex options in PPR leagues. If Miami eventually gets Tua Tagovailoa back,  this offense may quickly regain hope. Otherwise, if starting Miami players, just be aware of the weekly downside. 

The "benching" of Rhamondre Stevenson was greatly exaggerated. I was asked a number of questions about Stevenson this week, and my basic answer was simply that. We had no idea what the punishment would be. It could have been one play, one series or an entire game.  It appeared like one series was about the end of the discipline. Hopefully, not too many fantasy managers benched Stevenson, as he posted 92 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Aside from DeMario Douglas in PPR leagues, no other Patriot was useful for fantasy. Unfortunately, that's likely to continue to be the case.

Injuries 

The following players were injured and did not return:

• Nico Collins injured his hamstring.
• Aaron Jones suffered a hip injury. Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin took over the backfield.
• De'Von Achane sustained a concussion. Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright received additional work.
• David Njoku suffered a knee injury. Jordan Akins took over the receiving duties at tight end.
• Xavier Legette injured his shoulder.