Looking at the quarterbacks starting this week, it's hard not to chuckle a little bit.. if you'd told me in 2020 that Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater, Geno Smith, Marcus Mariota and Jacoby Brissett would all be starting in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season, I would have thought you were crazy. Throw in Cooper Rush and (maybe) Bailey Zappe and you have nearly a fourth of the league starting guys we all thought last January would be backups at best.
The thing is, some of them have been pretty good. Smith even ranks as a top-10 option through four weeks. But his matchup against the Saints has driven him from the streaming conversation for me this week. In his place are a couple of quarterbacks facing off at the Meadowlands -- Bridgewater and Zach Wilson.
Of the two Wilson has the most short- and long-term upside. He's still only played 14 games in the NFL and he showed some real promise in the second half against the Steelers, completing 12 of 20 passes for 161 yards and a score. The Jets lead the NFL at 48 pass attempts per game. While that won't continue, they did just throw it 37 times in a win over the Steelers. Wilson has fantastic weapons as well, though they aren't as good as his opponents from Miami.
Bridgewater's duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle may be the best wide receiver duo in the league. He's also facing a worse defense in the Jets. For those reasons he certainly has a higher floor than Wilson, I'm just not sure his ceiling is as high. While Bridgewater has always been a serviceable passer between the 20s, and a precise passer in the short area, I'm not sure he takes the chances to give a top-five week. .And the Dolphins could run the ball more with the lead and their backup quarterback in.
Both of these streamers are starts over Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff and Smith this week. I'd strongly consider Wilson over a few bigger names as well.
Let's get to the rest of the preview:
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113.9 -- Tom Brady's career passer rating versus the Falcons, his best mark against any opponent. He's also 10-0 against Atlanta, including the playoffs.
27.66 -- Fantasy points per game from Jared Goff. If he does it against New England, we'll have to buy in.
1 -- Matt Ryan has thrown just one touchdown to a wide receiver in his first four games with the Colts.
836 - The last time Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray faced each other, they combined for 836 passing and rushing yards, while also coming together for six passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
9.8 -- The Bills have allowed a league-low 9.8 FPPG to quarterbacks this season.
77.3 -- Geno Smith leads the NFL with a 77.3% completion percentage.
5 - Kirk Cousins has thrown multiple touchdown passes in five straight games versus the Bears.
There are not a lot of great streaming options this week and there are no great Fantasy quarterbacks you should start Wilson over. But he really looked like he found something in the second half against the Steelers, and he's loaded with weapons. I project 40-plus pass attempts chasing the score against the Dolphins. That gives him a good chance at a top-18 week.
With his weapons and matchup, Bridgewater feels like a lock to get you 18 Fantasy points this week, and 24 points is well within his reasonable upside.
Despite the three interceptions, Pickett looked the part in his first NFL action. You can't start him in Week 5 against the Bills, but he should be rostered in a majority of leagues and has top-12 upside in the second half of the season if everything goes right.
Allen is the top play on both FanDuel and DraftKings this week. Through four weeks he's the No. 2 quarterback in Fantasy, and this week his Bills have the highest implied point total of the week at 30.5. The Bills should be the most popular stack in DFS in Week 5.
Don't let four fumbles in a monsoon against maybe the best defense in the league deter you from playing Lawrence. I prefer to play him on DraftKings over FanDuel, but he's in play everywhere against a bad Texans defense. Lawrence has shown major improvement across the board statistically and projects as a top-12 quarterback in Week 5.
