With only a few exceptions, the best fantasy players came to play this week. It wasn’t a week with a ton of out-of-the-blue breakout performances, although there always are at least a couple. Thankfully, it wasn’t a week with a lot of big injuries to fantasy studs.
In all likelihood, Week 5 will be most remembered for a few truly mind-blowing performances. If you happened to face Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Jones, Will Fuller, or Deshaun Watson, you have my condolences!
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup advice 
Top 5 Surprises
Will Fuller (WR – HOU)
Fuller was a popular pick to break out of his early-season malaise this week, so maybe this isn’t the biggest surprise in the world. Still, the sheer magnitude of his performance is beyond what even his biggest boosters could have been expecting — this was the ninth-best PPR performance by a wide receiver ever. We’re talking about a receiver who piled up more receiving yards (217) than he had in the first four games combined (183), while also doubling his catch total and tripling his fantasy point output to date. As the clear number two receiving option in one of the league’s most explosive passing offenses, more big games should be in Fuller’s future. He’ll have a great shot to keep it going in a likely shootout with the Chiefs next week.
Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
Jones is one of those players who seems to find his way into this column every week for one reason or another, and this week it’s for the four touchdowns he piled up on what had been one of the league’s best defenses against the run. It isn’t too surprising that Jones got more work with Jamaal Williams (concussion) sidelined, but it also wouldn’t be shocking if this reverted back to a committee when Williams returns. Still, every time Jones has a big game like this, you can’t help but wonder whether his coaches will finally entrust him to be a featured back. The touchdowns are certainly nice, but the most promising sign for Jones’ long-term outlook is his increased usage in the passing game — he now has at least six catches in back-to-back games and at least six targets in three of the last four.
Byron Pringle (WR – KC)
Entering Week 5, Pringle was a name that was only familiar to Chiefs fans and deep dynasty league owners, but that all changed when Sammy Watkins exited Sunday night’s game with a hamstring injury. While Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson appeared to stay in the same roles they had been playing, Pringle was the biggest beneficiary of Watkins’ absence, hauling in six of nine targets for 103 yards and a touchdown. It’s unclear how long Watkins will be sidelined, and Tyreek Hill could return next week, so there’s a lot of moving parts here. But if we’ve learned anything from rostering guys like Hardman, Robinson, or Damien Williams/Darrel Williams, it’s that any skill position player getting consistent snaps in the Chiefs’ offense can be a fantasy bonanza. That’ll surely make Pringle a popular waiver add this week.
Teddy Bridgewater (QB – NO)
Considered by many football prognosticators to be the best backup quarterback in the league, Bridgewater served as a cautious game manager through his first three games, handing the ball off a lot and averaging barely six yards per pass attempt. Needless to say, that was not a recipe for fantasy success. But Bridgewater broke out in a big way on Sunday, throwing for 314 yards and four touchdowns in the Saints’ victory over the Bucs. Tampa is certainly a favorable matchup — they’ve given up 300+ passing yards in four straight games — and Bridgewater did continue to lose some snaps to Taysom Hill. But even with Drew Brees seemingly making a faster-than-expected recovery from thumb surgery, he should be out at least a couple more weeks, putting Bridgewater firmly on the QB2 radar against a potentially Jalen Ramsey-less Jaguars D next week.
Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN)
There was a time where Cousins throwing for 300 yards and two scores would hardly have registered as a surprise, but to do so in Mike Zimmer’s rushing-obsessed offense certainly qualifies as one. It was nice to see for those of us who thought in August that Cousins might have some sneaky streamer appeal this season (guilty as charged), but Cousins still attempted just 27 passes, and it came against the Giants’ swiss cheese defense. Minnesota faces the Eagles pass-funnel defense next week, so perhaps Cousins will put up some decent passing stats in that game, too. But it’s still hard to be optimistic about Cousins’ rest-of-season outlook with Zimmer and Kevin Stefanski in charge, which brings us to…
Top 5 Disappointments
Stefon Diggs (WR – MIN)
There was apparently only enough grease for one squeaky wheel in Minneapolis. While Adam Thielen was likely encouraged by his seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns this week, the Vikings’ other unhappy camper, Diggs, caught just three balls for 44 yards. It’s hard enough for this offense to support one fantasy receiver, let alone two, and Thielen’s interior route running looks like a better fit for Minnesota’s conservative scheme than Diggs’ downfield ability does. As with Cousins, it’s possible that Diggs resurfaces next week against the Eagles’ leaky pass defense, but if he does, his fantasy owners should look at it as a good opportunity to shop him.
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
Jackson’s numbers have predictably tailed off after he stopped facing the Dolphins and Cardinals, but Week 5 was a new low even though the Ravens managed to pull out an overtime victory. With five interceptions over the last two weeks, Jackson’s limitations as a passer have come back into focus lately. Thankfully, he continues to be a cheat code for fantasy due to his rushing production. Perhaps the hype got a little out of control early, but Jackson remains a QB1, especially for a juicy draw next week at home against the Bengals.
Mike Evans (WR – TB)
Evans owners’ worst fears came to fruition this week, as he goose-egged in Marshon Lattimore’s shadow coverage while Chris Godwin went off for 125 yards and two scores. It’s fair to question whether Evans is still the number one receiver in Tampa Bay, but it ultimately doesn’t matter for fantasy purposes. Both Evans and Godwin remain elite weekly plays. Evans has topped 1,000 yards all five seasons he’s been in the league, and he’s on pace to do so again even after doing nothing in Week 5. Perhaps this game will present a nice buying opportunity in your league.
Sammy Watkins (WR – KC)
Watkins made this list in Week 3, when I noted that the window was quickly closing for him to provide game-changing fantasy numbers. Well, consider that window now officially shut. With heavy-duty iron bars. Ever the fantasy enigma, Watkins exited last night’s game with a hamstring injury before he received a single target, and Pringle went off in his place. Pringle, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson have now all had big games since Watkins’ Week 1 explosion, and even if he doesn’t miss significant time, it is far from certain that Watkins will outproduce that trio once Tyreek Hill returns to the lineup.
Tyler Eifert (TE – CIN)
I’ve been a shameless Eifert apologist for a while now, and this week most of the fantasy industry joined me in considering him a borderline TE1 for his matchup with a Cardinals defense that has been atrociously bad at covering tight ends. It didn’t end up paying off, but it would have if Eifert had managed to haul in a contested catch in the endzone. That’s how small the margin for error is when you’re streaming “touchdown or bust” tight ends. Still, the fact Eifert didn’t come through in the best possible matchup says a lot about the Bengals’ dysfunctional offense, and it puts him firmly off the streaming radar until further notice. And if you happen to have one of the few tight ends who get consistent targets each week, make sure to cherish them!
Key Stats
Austin Ekeler’s 15 catches were the second-most by any running back ever. Melvin Gordon picked up 16 touches in his return to action, but Ekeler remained the best player in LA’s backfield for another week, especially in the passing game. The Chargers say they are committed to getting Gordon more and more work, but Ekeler’s contributions may prove too valuable to discount, especially considering he could be the team’s feature back again when Gordon departs next offseason.
Deshaun Watson became the first QB to pass for 400+ yards and five touchdowns with five-or-fewer incompletions. Watson has alternated huge games and duds through the first five weeks, but he is going to have far more good games than bad when it is all said and done. There’s a reason he’s a consensus top-3 QB just about every week, and this was a good reminder of it.
Top Takeaways
Christian McCaffrey is in a league of his own. Coming into the season, McCaffrey was widely grouped with Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, and Ezekiel Elliott as the “Big 4” at the top of fantasy drafts, but it’s now clear which one is the king of the fantasy landscape in 2019. C-Mac topped 175 yards from scrimmage for the fourth time in five games on Sunday and is now up to seven touchdowns as well. In fact, he’s got the third-most PPR fantasy points through five weeks of any running back of all-time, going back to Jim Brown! McCaffrey did sit out Carolina’s final couple drives with cramps, and it’s probably fair to worry about whether he can hold up under his current workload (Reggie Bonnafon, not Jordan Scarlett, looks to be the handcuff here). But let’s not let such concerns get in the way of appreciating the sheer awesomeness of what McCaffrey is doing on the football field. He is the definition of a league-winner.
Josh Jacobs is an every-week starter. Jacobs was probably benched in a lot of fantasy leagues ahead of his tough matchup with the Bears, but that is the dictionary definition of overrating a matchup. Matchups matter, but not nearly as much as talent and usage. Jacobs is a highly-skilled running back who is capable of playing on all three downs. He may not have been getting the bell cow usage fantasy owners were hoping for over the first few weeks, but he is now averaging 18.8 touches per game after Sunday’s huge performance in the Raiders’ upset victory. Don’t overthink this one — he belongs in your lineup every single week.
It’s time to take D.J. Chark seriously as a WR2. It’s been a while since we had a Jaguars receiver to get really excited about, but that time is now. The calendar now says October and Chark trails only Chris Godwin and Amari Cooper in fantasy points among wide receivers in standard-scoring formats. Chark’s chemistry with Gardner Minshew is obvious, and it’s translated to five touchdowns and nearly 100 receiving yards per game through the first five weeks. He’s demonstrated both a high floor (at least four catches and 44 yards each week) and a high ceiling (two games with 145+ yards), which is what distinguishes a WR2 from your trendy WR3/flex plays of the week.
Patrick Mahomes is human. Mahomes’ stats from last night (321 yards, 1 TD) don’t look too bad, but if you watched the game, he didn’t look like himself after he injured his ankle. As Chris Collinsworth pointed out on the broadcast, Mahomes’ mobility is a big part of what makes him the best QB in the league, and it was sorely missing after the first quarter. It’ll be worth watching the practice reports this week to get a sense of how limited Mahomes is with the ankle, but there is no need to panic. With just one touchdown, this last two-game stretch will almost certainly go down as the low-point in Mahomes’ otherwise stellar fantasy season.
View your league’s top available players with My Playbook
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.
