It's another bargains-and-busts day, when I suggest a handful of off-the-radar players with good shots at breaking through--and to highlight some highly ranked guys destined to disappoint. Last Saturday I hit 7-of-10, pushing my season-long results to 29-for-44 (66%). Been warning since Week 2 that this percentage will drop, but it's hanging on for now, thanks to some surprisingly not-surprising performances from bargains like Mason Rudolph (QB-22 vs. 14th best in Week 4) and Devante Parker (WR-56 vs. 14), as well as busts like Dak Prescott (QB-5 vs. 24) and Greg Olsen (TE-6 vs. 42).
Kicking things off at QB, Andy Dalton (consensus 15th ranked Week 5 QB) has posted progressively worse numbers in each game since Week 1, and now he'll be without John Ross. Yet he's returning home to face the beatable Cardinals D, which has given up 10 passing TDs to go with zero interceptions. Dalton is worth streaming and then dropping. On the flip side, Matt Ryan (QB-7) is far from my favorite Week 5 quarterback. He'll be on the road against a Houston defense that's yielded only five passing touchdowns despite facing the sixth most pass attempts in the NFL. In other words, the Texans have been tested, and their numbers are deceptively impressive.
Now to running back. As always, I can't in good conscience recommend bargains or busts that capitalize on injuries--for example, if James Conner had suffered a setback yesterday, recommending Jaylen Samuels (RB-33) would have been unfair. So with that in mind, it's Miles Sanders' (RB-29) turn after Jordan Howard crushed Week 4. The Eagles should control this home matchup against the Jets, making the rookie back higher usage than usual. On the flip side, despite his blistering start to the season, Mark Ingram (RB-12) won't finish in the top 18 against a capable Pittsburgh defense. And despite his bust-out Week 4, Nick Chubb (RB-6) will crash (relatively speaking) in a brutal Monday night showdown in San Francisco.
At WR, Nelson Agholor (WR-52) is drawing disrespect after a one-target outing last week. It's nonsense. There are few better flyers this week. And Deebo Samuel merits a flex start despite a misplaced WR-50 ranking. Finally, simple math tell us Auden Tate (WR-42) should be ranked at least a little better in a plus matchup against Arizona. On the flip side, Amari Cooper (WR-8) needs to find the end zone to come close to matching expectations; he's a risky top-16 play.
At TE, O.J. Howard (TE-16) has plummeted to a new low. He's simply too talented to underestimate. On the flip side, Darren Waller's (TE-5) glorious reign will come to a temporary end at the hands of the Bears' D.
Kicking things off at QB, Andy Dalton (consensus 15th ranked Week 5 QB) has posted progressively worse numbers in each game since Week 1, and now he'll be without John Ross. Yet he's returning home to face the beatable Cardinals D, which has given up 10 passing TDs to go with zero interceptions. Dalton is worth streaming and then dropping. On the flip side, Matt Ryan (QB-7) is far from my favorite Week 5 quarterback. He'll be on the road against a Houston defense that's yielded only five passing touchdowns despite facing the sixth most pass attempts in the NFL. In other words, the Texans have been tested, and their numbers are deceptively impressive.
Now to running back. As always, I can't in good conscience recommend bargains or busts that capitalize on injuries--for example, if James Conner had suffered a setback yesterday, recommending Jaylen Samuels (RB-33) would have been unfair. So with that in mind, it's Miles Sanders' (RB-29) turn after Jordan Howard crushed Week 4. The Eagles should control this home matchup against the Jets, making the rookie back higher usage than usual. On the flip side, despite his blistering start to the season, Mark Ingram (RB-12) won't finish in the top 18 against a capable Pittsburgh defense. And despite his bust-out Week 4, Nick Chubb (RB-6) will crash (relatively speaking) in a brutal Monday night showdown in San Francisco.
At WR, Nelson Agholor (WR-52) is drawing disrespect after a one-target outing last week. It's nonsense. There are few better flyers this week. And Deebo Samuel merits a flex start despite a misplaced WR-50 ranking. Finally, simple math tell us Auden Tate (WR-42) should be ranked at least a little better in a plus matchup against Arizona. On the flip side, Amari Cooper (WR-8) needs to find the end zone to come close to matching expectations; he's a risky top-16 play.
At TE, O.J. Howard (TE-16) has plummeted to a new low. He's simply too talented to underestimate. On the flip side, Darren Waller's (TE-5) glorious reign will come to a temporary end at the hands of the Bears' D.