Skip to main content

Five Burning Questions for Week 5

Five Burning Questions for Week 5
Will Wendell Smallwood still have enough opportunities to build on his Week 3 performance?

Will Wendell Smallwood still have enough opportunities to build on his Week 3 performance?

Last week we got the much-anticipated debut of Jamaal Charles and Le’Veon Bell. This week we get the first installment of Tom Brady’s revenge tour 2.0, and we should also see Kenneth Dixon make his season debut. To discuss those storylines and more, here are five burning questions for Week 5.

Import your team for free to get waiver wire advice partner-arrow

Is Baltimore’s backfield Terrance West’s to lose?

With the departure of Justin Forsett, the current distribution of carries between Baltimore running backs suggests that West will be the workhorse back for the team. He has performed decently through four games and did outperform Justin Forsett to keep his role on the team.

However, Kenneth Dixon, a player the team spent a fourth-round pick on in the 2016 draft, is set to return to the field as he has recovered from a knee injury. While he is likely to be brought along slowly according to reports, if he impressed immediately the may force the Ravens hand and earn more carries quickly.

Unfortunately, like most running back situations this one will have to be monitored closely. West should continue to get the majority of carries for the time being, but it seems like only a matter of time before Dixon gets his chance as the lead back.

Will players emerge with new roles in Philadelphia?

The Eagles are coming off their bye week, and we have heard a lot of buzz about a couple players roles’ expanding. Two players, in particular, have gotten some buzz from fantasy analysts during the Eagles’ bye week, and Wendell Smallwood has gotten the majority of it. He saw 17 carries and gained 79 yards filling in for the injured Ryan Mathews in Week 3 against the Steelers.

Mathews has practiced fully this week and isn’t on the injury report, but Smallwood has gained plenty of buzz nonetheless. He is expected to get his chance to carry the ball plenty this week, so we will have a chance to see if he can follow up his impressive Week 3 performance.

While probably more of a DFS tournament option rather than a season long option, Dorial Green-Beckham has also gained some helium this week. Green-Beckham has not registered more than 33 yards in a game this season, but his snap rate has gone up steadily each week of the season from 32%, to 46%, to 49%. To be a reliable fantasy option, that number will have to spike and this week should give us a good indication of where he stands in comparison to Nelson Agholor who is the current number two receiver in Philadelphia.

Is DeAndre Washington ready to seize his opportunity?

Latavius Murray is officially out for Week 5 against the Chargers which means either Washington and Jalen Richard will get the chance to emerge out of the Raiders’ backfield. Washington has only out snapped Richard in one week, but he does have six more carries on the season. Both backs have been quite successful in their limited carries, though neither has received more than six carries in a week, so the sample size is limited, to say the least.

Each should get the chance to prove themselves in a plus matchup against the Chargers this week, though given the relative investment the Raiders made into each player, Washington should receive the first shot at winning regular carries. This is a situation to keep an eye on, as the winner could push aside Murray and step into a featured running back role.

Does Golden Tate have any role in the Lions’ offense?

Tate hit a low in his time with the Lions last week as he had just one yard on one reception and four targets. Meanwhile, his snap rate fell from 85%, 89% and 87% respectively in Weeks 1-3 to 57% in Week 4. However, last week wasn’t the only struggle for Tate as he has not reached the end zone this season and has just one target inside opponents’ 15-yard line.

Anquan Boldin and Eric Ebron have both stolen targets from Tate early on, however, Ebron is expected to miss this week’s action. The Eagles have had one of the better defense’s in the league to this point, but with a home game and some targets opening up with Ebron’s absence, if Tate is going to flash at any point before fantasy owners give up on him, this season this has to be the week.

Will we see Rob Gronkowski be himself again now that Tom Brady is back?

Gronkowski has battled health issues all season, but he seems to be improving in that regard as he managed to play in 67% of offensive snaps last week for the Patriots. Even so, he managed just two targets and 11 yards while Martellus Bennett had five receptions for 109 yards. Many have taken it as a given that Gronkowski will be back to his normal tricks as he is ranked as the third best tight end according to the expert consensus rankings.

While we know that Gronk is something special when he is healthy, he has yet to prove that he is healthy this season. There will likely be a time where he is the consensus number one tight end, but it seems a bit premature to assume everything will be fine just because Brady is coming back. The Browns offer an outstanding matchup, but I want to see more from the health perspective out of Gronkowski before I count him among the fantasy elite once again.

Daniel Marcus is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Daniel, check out his archive, visit fantasy-phenoms.com, or follow him @danmarcus3.

More Articles

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by TJ Horgan | 3 min read
Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Tera Roberts | 3 min read
NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Joe Pepe | 3 min read
Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

fp-headshot by Thor Nystrom | 1 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Up - RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Article