Here are my Week 5 fantasy football notes. There has been an offensive regression in the NFL (take that both literally and figuratively), which raises the floor for potential fantasy start or acquisition options.
Tampa Bay at Atlanta
Be sure to get Drake London into starting lineups. His matchup is against Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean, who has been a target magnet for opposing quarterbacks. That makes London an 8+ target candidate and it makes him a borderline WR1 due to that his performance over the past three weeks.
New York Jets at Minnesota
No fantasy manager will even think of benching Justin Jefferson, but don’t let his matchup against Sauce Gardner make you get more aggressive with other picks due to thinking Jefferson may have a low floor in this matchup. Gardner has allowed 10.5 yards per target this year (per Pro Football Reference) and that means Jefferson is apt to post his usual dominant numbers in this contest.
Carolina at Chicago
The big story out of Carolina is that Andy Dalton has turned the offense around, but don’t let that distract from the reality that the Panthers defense is still abysmal. Caleb Williams is starting to find a groove and this reality will make him a solid spot starter for managers who have their starters either injured or on a bye.
The rest of KC Joyner’s Week 5 fantasy football notes are available exclusively for Pickwatch Pro subscribers.
Baltimore at Cincinnati
The Bengals rush defense is terrible this year and that means the Ravens should end up posting a lot of points in this contest. That will make Cincinnati go to pass-first mode on offense. This will increase the value of Tee Higgins, so get him into starting lineups. Also be sure to start Zay Flowers, as Baltimore will put the ball in the air versus Cincinnati cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who has some of the worst coverage metrics around.
Buffalo at Houston
Don’t avoid starting the Bills D/ST due to this matchup, as Houston’s pass blocking numbers have been very inconsistent this year. Pass rush accounts for 50 percent of D/ST points, and eight Bills defenders have recorded at least one sack this year, so Buffalo should still have a path to get to D/ST 1 status even without Von Miller.
Indianapolis at Jacksonville
The Colts secondary is chock full of pass coverage weaknesses. Kenny Moore II is a surprise name here, as he has allowed 11.7 PPR PPG in the first four games of the season. Since he will be facing Christian Kirk on many occasions, Kirk should be strongly considered for flex status this week. Brian Thomas is in a similar coverage situation with Samuel Womack III, so slate Thomas for WR2 status.
Miami at New England
Antonio Gibson is a good longshot play this week, as he might get more work given Rhamondre Stevenson’s recent fumble woes.
Cleveland at Washington
Amari Cooper posted a huge game two weeks ago due to an incredibly favorable matchup. He fell back to earth last week, but this is another instance where you will want to get Cooper into lineups, as Washington has five defensive backs with an 8.9 or higher yards per target this season.
Las Vegas at Denver
Tight end scoring has been atrocious this year, so be thankful if you have Brock Bowers in a lineup. He is an upside candidate this week, as his target volume should increase with Davante Adams out.
Arizona at San Francisco
It’s time to consider benching Brandon Aiyuk in many leagues, as his low scoring pace no longer looks like an anomaly. Or to say it another way, he needs to post at least one good game to earn fantasy managers’ trust.
Green Bay at Los Angeles Rams
There are few games where you want to start as many players from one team as you possibly can. This is one of those matchups, as the Rams defense is so bad at every level that you will want to start every Green Bay player you can. This even includes tight end Tucker Kraft, who has TE1 value versus this matchup.
New York Giants at Seattle
Jaxon Smith-Njigba may be passing Tyler Lockett on the Seahawks passing target priority chart. That hasn’t entirely played out in the fantasy scoring ranks yet, so consider putting in a reasonable trade offer for JSN before his value moves up over the coming weeks.
Dallas at Pittsburgh
It doesn’t take much rushing ability to move a so-so passer into QB1 status. That’s the case with Justin Fields, as he is now a strong QB1 due to the Steelers highlighting his rushing ability. In fact, he has top four QB status in Week 5.
New Orleans at Kansas City
Consider rostering Jamaal Williams in deeper leagues, as the Saints are overusing Alvin Kamara. It’s why Kamara was dealing with two injuries last week, and it’s the type of thing that is eventually going to get Williams more playing time.