5 Burning Questions for Week 5

What should fantasy owners make of the Falcons’ backfield?

Recapping the Week 4 installment of Burning Questions:

NOTES: Calvin Johnson’s lost fumble was inches away from a touchdown that would have boosted his day and helped his trade value…I still like Tyrod Taylor as a back-end QB1 the rest of the way…Thomas Rawls looks like he may get another chance to shine with Marshawn Lynch iffy for Week 5…The C.J. Anderson show is over in Denver, apologies to those who invested a first-round pick…Travis Benjamin is the clear top-dog in Cleveland’s passing game.

On to Week 5…

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1) Is it time to move on from Isaiah Crowell?

As of Thursday, Browns running back Isaiah Crowell was still owned in 81 percent of ESPN leagues and was in one-third of starting lineups for Week 5 at Baltimore. Both figures are too high. Crowell was unable to nail down the starting gig last season when he averaged 4.1 yards per carry and lost three fumbles, finishing the year with a cumulative -8.0 rating from Pro Football Focus. This year, he is at 3.9 YPC and ranks 43rd among qualified RBs in PFF’s elusive rating, averaging just 1.82 yards after contact per attempt.

In comparison, Browns rookie Duke Johnson is fourth in elusive rating with an average of 2.52 yards after contact, and he just shredded San Diego for 116 total yards and a touchdown (nearly two). Johnson, who has hauled in 15-of-15 pass targets out of the backfield over the past two weeks, also out-snapped Crowell by a 45-27 margin against the Chargers and is now ahead, 135-116, on the season. In other words, Browns coach Mike Pettine has already passed the baton to the quicker and more dynamic rookie.

WEEK 5 AND BEYOND

In PPR formats, Johnson is the No. 26 RB in this week’s expert consensus rankings, whereas Crowell is No. 36. However, Johnson still remains available in nearly 40 percent of leagues and is in less than 20 percent of starting lineups, as the fantasy community has been slow to adapt to the changing of the guard in Cleveland. Crowell should not be in starting lineups this week, while Johnson is more of a FLEX play against a stout Ravens front.

Given Crowell’s name recognition from last year and the unknown surrounding the rookie Johnson, Crowell may fetch some modest value in a trade if you need help at another position. But that window is closing fast, and with another fantasy performance from Johnson like Week 4’s, it will be slammed shut. The time to act is now.

2) Will any Cardinals’ RB emerge from the pack?

The last 1,000-yard rusher for Arizona was Beanie Wells in 2011, and that is unlikely to change after this year, as I touched on back in the preseason. This week, Chris Johnson, David Johnson, and Andre Ellington will be vying for touches when the Cardinals visit the Detroit Lions. The temptation is to start Chris Johnson (48 percent) given the fact that he has averaged 17 carries through four games and five yards or better per tote in the last two. But with Ellington expected to return this week and with the rookie David Johnson having scored four times in four games despite limited touches, the situation is obviously murky.

David Johnson has seen his snaps increase steadily each week (8.1 percent, 27.1, 31.6, 49.3) to go with a positive 1.1 overall PFF rating. However, head coach Bruce Arians threw a nice big bucket of water on the rookie’s prospects earlier this week when he said of the backfield situation, “It’s not hard, because the young guy (David Johnson) sits down.”

Chris Johnson, despite ranking fifth in the NFL in rushing, has posted a -3.3 overall rating from PFF. Quarterback Carson Palmer lauded the veteran as being “a great protector (and) really, really smart” in terms of picking up the Cardinals scheme quickly.

Ellington has had the door seemingly held open for him to take command of the featured gig since his rookie season in 2013, but injuries have derailed that train at multiple stops. He did look sharp in the opener with 69 yards and a score on 12 carries before getting hurt.

WEEK 5 AND BEYOND

Based on his receiving chops and big-play ability, David Johnson is still the one to stash if you have the roster space. If you’re picking a horse for the rest of the year in re-draft leagues, it’s the man formerly known as CJ2K, Chris Johnson, who carries an ECR21 among running backs this week when the Cardinals face a Lions team playing on a short week.

I like Johnson as more of a FLEX play this week, as he’ll likely need a touchdown to return RB2 status. As a unit, Arizona has logged at least 110 rushing yards in all four games to start the season, the first time that has happened since 1988. The key word there is unit, because that unit now has three healthy and able bodies for the first time all season.

3) What to make of the Falcons’ backfield moving forward?

Entering the season, the fantasy community had all but anointed rookie Tevin Coleman the new king of the Falcons backfield, given his third-round draft status and the uninspiring debut season from fourth-rounder Devonta Freeman a year earlier. We all know the story by now – Freeman was atop the depth chart all offseason, then both players suffered hamstring injuries in training camp, which opened the door for Coleman to start the season opener, only to suffer a rib injury and reopen said door for Freeman to light the world on fire as the top-scoring fantasy RB entering Week 5. Naturally, the million-dollar question now is, “How will the workload be divvied up with both players active?”

In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of fantasy football, the buzz is now squarely on Freeman’s shoulders while Coleman has widely been cast aside as the backup, the forgotten man. Back in June, I profiled both players and broke down the Falcons’ newfound commitment to the run game with the outside zone scheme implemented by incoming coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The conclusion then was there would be enough touches to go around for both players to at least return FLEX value, and I don’t see how anything has changed.

Head coach Dan Quinn reinforced that this week, saying a 1-2 punch is what was expected all along. He also said that when Coleman is ready to return – possibly this week against Washington – it “probably would, to a certain degree” impact Freeman’s workload, via ESPN.com. “But we have such confidence in Devonta that he’s going to make the opportunities count — his toughness, his finish,” Quinn continued. “He plays with such a physical style. I think we have a heck of a 1-2 combination between Devonta and Tevin.”

WEEK 5 AND BEYOND

Washington has allowed only one rushing score through four games and is second in the league in run defense (78 YPG). Even if Coleman sits out another week, it’s best to temper expectations for Freeman as more of a RB2.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, fear not a running back by committee situation, as the Falcons’ coaches were not lying about wanting to run the ball more in 2015. The team’s pass-run ratio is 54/46 percent, whereas last season it was a 63/37 split. So just as it was wise to slow the hype train on Coleman at the start of the season, don’t simply cast the rookie aside based on Freeman’s recent performance.

4) Will Blake Bortles maintain QB1 status?

Jaguars second-year quarterback Blake Bortles is the No. 10 fantasy QB through four weeks. After struggling as a rookie with 11 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a 58.9 completion percentage, Bortles has looked like a new man in year two.

Or has he? His completion percentage is actually down to 54.5 percent, and his average yards per attempt has risen only modestly, from 6.1 to 6.4.

Bortles has made noticeable strides in a few key areas during his sophomore campaign. One of those areas has been dealing with pressure, as he boasts a 103.6 QB rating on 55 dropbacks against the blitz, with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has also completed 11 deep passes (20 yards or more in the air) after completing only 13 all last year, per PFF. Bortles has also cut down on interceptions, with only three picks through four games. And although Jacksonville’s WR corps is tied for the fourth-most drops (11), Bortles has displayed a solid chemistry with second-year wideout Allen Robinson.

WEEK 5 AND BEYOND

The Jaguars visit Tampa Bay this weekend to face the Buccaneers and their Cover 2 defense, which has shown improvement since allowing Marcus Mariota to complete passes at will in his four-touchdown debut Week 1. Bortles is not a recommended start this week outside of 2QB leagues, and while it is a stretch to assume that he will remain a QB1 from here on out, he has certainly played his way into being a streaming option with bye weeks upon us. Bortles’ early-season success has made some of Jacksonville’s skill position players fantasy-relevant, save for the absent Julius Thomas.

5) Is Richard Rodgers to be trusted as a starting TE?

Slowly but surely, Green Bay’s Richard Rodgers has emerged as a viable starting option at tight end. A third-round pick in 2014, Rodgers came from the same collegiate program as the quarterback who shares his surname, only he played under a couple of different coaching staffs at Cal and spent his final year there spread out wide in Sonny Dykes’ “Bear Raid” system. Now in year two with the Packers, Rodgers is more comfortable blocking in-line and, equally as important, has earned the trust of Aaron Rodgers. What’s more, fellow tight end Andrew Quarless is sidelined for at least eight weeks with a knee injury, opening the door for Rodgers to seize the job all to himself.

Currently 15^th among fantasy TEs, Rodgers is still available in 60 percent of leagues, and that ownership has actually risen almost 100 percent following his five-catch, 45-yard, one-touchdown performance at San Francisco this past week. Rodgers is not a target monster – his six targets this past week were the most he’s seen as a pro, so don’t confuse him with Jermichael Finley just yet. But the red zone is where fantasy tight ends make their living, and Rodgers is starting to get comfortable there. Going back to last year’s divisional playoff round, Rodgers has caught a touchdown in three of his last six games (plus another in Green Bay’s second preseason game).

WEEK 5 AND BEYOND

Largely passed over in fantasy drafts this summer, Rodgers is a prime example of the depth at the tight end position. With the likes of Greg Olsen, Kyle Rudolph and Jordan Cameron on bye this week, he is a touchdown-dependent fill-in this week against a tough Rams defense. But if you’ve got the bench space to stash or are streaming tight ends, Rodgers is an enticing pickup. Gary Barnidge and Eric Ebron (out three weeks) are two other options who currently reside in the top-10 fantasy TEs and are available in more than 60 percent of leagues. Personally, I like my fantasy pass-catchers to have a dependable QB, and it doesn’t get any more dependable than Aaron Rodgers.

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Mike Castiglione is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, you can view his archive or follow him @RickDancin.