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Things returned somewhat to normal in Week 5 around the NFL, after three historic weeks of quarterback production. Only three quarterbacks topped 30 Fantasy points in CBS standard scoring, and 25 was enough for Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, and Case Keenum to rank as top-eight options at the position.
Was this just a blip on the radar? Was the production from quarterbacks before Week 5 the true outlier? Plus, we had some big names disappoint, as well as plenty of injuries to handle, many of which will linger into Week 6 and beyond. With two big-time Fantasy offense in bye in Week 6 too — no Lions or Saints this week — there is a lot up in the air as we head into Week 6.
Here's what our trio of experts — Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings — have to say about some of the biggest questions from around the NFL at the start of the week.
1. Did Monday night change your expectations for Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram?
Jamey Eisenberg: No. They both weren't going to have great games each week, and Kamara came into Week 5 a little banged up with a knee issue. He also had plenty of work over the first four games with Ingram out, so not giving him a lot of touches prior to New Orleans having a bye in Week 6 might have been by design. I still expect Kamara and Ingram to be standout Fantasy running backs for the rest of the season. Now, if you can find a Kamara owner in your league who is nervous about his production against Washington, see if you can steal him via trade.
Dave Richard: Nope. I know it stunk for people expecting big numbers from Alvin Kamara, but you knew his workload would lighten. It just so happened that in this game, Ingram was hot and had fresh legs. So why over-use Kamara? In time you'll see that Kamara gets some great games. Now's the time to try and buy low on him (but you probably won't be able to).
Heath Cummings: It didn't, but that may be because of what my expectations were. I expect Ingram and Kamara will have close to a 50/50 split in the running game with Kamara taking about two-thirds of the targets out of the backfield. As we saw last night, that can fluctuate based on game script, and last night's script called for getting Ingram involved early and killing the clock late. I still expect these guys will both be top-12 running backs after their Week 6 bye.
2. With Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees on bye, who are your top streaming QBs to add?
Jamey: No. 1 is Jameis Winston. No. 2 is Jameis Winston. And No. 3 is Jameis Winston. He should be awesome this week against the Falcons. After that, I like Eli Manning with his matchup against Philadelphia. The Eagles have struggled with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Marcus Mariota on the road, and in two games against Philadelphia last year, Manning combined for 800 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Dave: Hello, Jameis Winston! The matchup against the Falcons is too good to deny. After him, I'm looking for Andy Dalton, Blake Bortles and Joe Flacco ... so, yeah, it's Winston or bust.
Heath: It's Jameis Winston and it's not particularly close. Winston has one of the best matchups in the league against the decimated Falcons defense. If you've been streaming all year, this may be when you stop. I expect Winston to be a top-10 quarterback from this point forward, and he's already had his bye.
3. Which RB or WR are you moving up your rankings the most for Week 6?
Jamey: Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement with Jay Ajayi (ACL) out. Chris Carson based on how Seattle has run the ball. Robert Woods with Brandin Cooks (concussion) and Cooper Kupp (concussion) hurt. DeSean Jackson and Chris Godwin with their matchup against the Falcons.
Dave: In a league where everyone's passing the ball at an alarming rate, the Seahawks have finally found their run game. I think Chris Carson will have a big game against the Raiders on Sunday in London. He's moved up the most.
Heath: There are guys benefitting from injuries like Alfred Morris, Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement, but outside of them it's Chris Carson. Brian Schottenheimer has succeeded in turning the Seahawks into a running team, and their matchup against the Raiders looks like another game where they can run the ball 30-plus times. I'm not ready to say I'm trusting Carson rest of season, but he's a top-12 back from me in Week 6.
4. Who has the most to prove in Week 6?
Jamey: Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots are at full strength now with Julian Edelman back, and he hasn't had a big game since Week 1 against Houston. He's also facing a tight end across the field who might have passed him in terms of the hierarchy at the position. I'm still confident in Gronkowski being a standout Fantasy tight end, but he has to prove it this week.
Dave: If Julio Jones can't come through on a baby-cake matchup at home against the Buccaneers, I just don't know when he'll ever come through. It feels like it's been three years since Jones scored a touchdown. It's not that long (just 10 months), but the guy is due. Can you believe he hasn't even had an end-zone target since Week 1?! That changes on Sunday.
Heath: Julian Edelman. I'll give him a pass for the Week 5 because he hadn't played football in 18 months. But now he faces a Chiefs defense that has already given up more than 500 yards twice this season. I want to see Edelman's target share, and I'd like to see him get through a game without another costly drop.
5. Who is your favorite buy-low candidate heading into Week 6?
Jamey: See No. 4.
Dave: I wanted to draft Tyreek Hill in all my leagues and only succeeded in about a third of them. Time to pick him up in the rest of my leagues. The Chiefs' rest-of-season schedule is fantastic, and Patrick Mahomes played better than his Week 5 stats suggested. I'll try to get both of them.
Heath: Julio Jones. I can't explain why he hasn't scored a touchdown. I can't even promise that will change in Week 6 against Tampa Bay. But I am prepared to die on the hill of Jones being a top-5 receiver in Fantasy.
6. Who do you trust more right now: Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck?
Jamey: Luck because of his health, which is the surprising answer. I'm just worried about Rodgers that another hit to his knee could force him to miss several weeks. I expect more Fantasy points from Rodgers moving forward, but the question isn't who is better. It's about trust, and Luck, for now, is better in terms of his health.
Dave: I'll admit that you can get more in trade for Rodgers right now than Luck, but I like Luck's remaining slate just a little bit better than Rodgers'. I also don't believe the Colts will ever be able to run the ball consistently this year and their defense can't hang with most teams left on their slate. Luck could set a career-high in pass attempts and get lots of divine garbage-time Fantasy points.
Heath: Until T.Y. Hilton returns I'm going to have to say Rodgers. Both have beat-up receiving corps, but Rodgers still has Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham. Luck's No. 1 receiver is essentially Eric Ebron, and his No. 2 might be Nyheim Hines.
So who should you sit and start? And what shocking QB could win you Week 6? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy football rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB finishes in the top 10 this week, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
