After a few crazy weeks with players blowing up on benches, fantasy starters finally showed up in Week 5. There were still some surprises, but for the most part, this week felt a lot more normal than others. Overall, it also felt like a higher-scoring week, which is always fun for fantasy matchups. Without any further ado, let’s look at some players who saw their values rise and fall due to their Week 5 performances.
Week 6 Risers
The easiest riser for me is none other than veteran QB Geno Smith. He finished the week as QB4 with 24.02 fantasy points. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was started by many tanking dynasty teams, either, since it feels like no one truly knows how to value him. After this week, he’s a solid SuperFlex option to me. He’s got great weapons, and with Rashaad Penny‘s season-ending injury, the Seahawks might just need to throw more than before.
I don’t think you need to overpay for him, but if you’re contending in dynasty or need a QB in redraft, Smith could be a great buy candidate. I’d start with a bench RB in redraft since RBs tend to be so hard to find down the stretch. In dynasty, I’d start with a 23 3rd and see how it goes. You will have to add to that, but depending on your roster and your team’s status, it could be worth it.
Welcome to fantasy relevance, Mr. Jacobs! Jacobs had a great Week 4, scoring 34.5 PPR points on 28 rushes for 144 yards, 2 for touchdowns, and caught 5 passes for 31 yards. Like many others, I wasn’t sure if this was just a fluke against a bad Denver defense or if it was the real thing. In Week 5, we got our answer. Jacobs scored 30.3 PPR points this week against the Chiefs. He rushed 21 times for 154 yards and a touchdown and again caught 5 passes for 39 yards this time. Jacobs is for real, and his value just went up. If I roster him, I’m holding, and if I don’t, I doubt that I can get him on the cheap anymore. The buying window may have just slammed shut.
So much for Davis being a bust, right? He finished Week 5 as the WR1 overall, scoring a whopping 32.1 PPR points on just 6 targets. He caught 3 of those 6 targets for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. There’s no way this is sustainable, and his scoring will be all over the place week to week, but his value definitely went up again. If you roster Davis, you might be able to use this as a chance to pivot to someone more consistent. Tee Higgins or Michael Pittman are generally ranked higher than Davis but have had down starts to the year. Higgins is WR24 on the year after putting up a zero in Week 5, and Pittman is WR29. Both are very close to Davis at WR27, so you never know unless you try. I’d be fine adding a bench RB or TE to the deal if needed, but you might be able to pull off a one-for-one right now, even in dynasty leagues.
Hill was the fantasy TE1 on the week, even though Travis Kelce tried his hardest to take the crown on Monday night. Hill hasn’t had a single target since Week 1, but his flexibility to play QB in wildcat formations is really saving his value in fantasy. He ran 9 times for 112 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Seahawks in what turned out to be one of the better games of the week. Love him or hate him, he’s a true starter at the tight end position for now, or for as long as he’s considered a tight end, at least.
It’s hard to imagine him scoring 3 rushing touchdowns every week, so he’s a great sell-high candidate for me. If someone is willing to trade you Darren Waller or TJ Hockenson for him, do it. Those guys had terrible weeks but will likely be more consistent and cause less stress than starting Hill will down the stretch.
Week 6 Fallers
Buh-bye Matt Rhule! The Carolina Panthers fired their head coach after their Week 5 loss, which doesn’t bode well for Mayfield as their QB. This team needs a lot of help and has a roster ripe for the picking. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see them tank for 2022 and either plays it conservatively with Mayfield, which is bad for fantasy scoring, or they may move on from him entirely. I’d sell him now for whatever I can before the wheels entirely come off and be happy with it. His time is short in Carolina, it should be short on your fantasy team as well.
I wrote about Gibson last week, but his value fell again, so he’s on the list again. He scored 9.3 PPR points last week but only scored 6.9 points this week. Brian Robinson did return to action this week, but it was in limited time. Gibson is probably not worth selling any longer since everyone and their mother is out on him. On the teams where I roster him, I’m likely going to ride him until he retires, or I cut him for someone else. That being said, if you like risk and have many future picks you can burn, I’d send a future 3rd for Gibson in dynasty just to see if that other manager wants out. You could wait a week or two to see if the trend continues, but if you’re bored, he’s a fun, cheap target of mine right now.
McLaurin finished Week 5 as WR27 with 12.7 PPR points, but I’m still very worried about him. Much like Gibson, McLaurin feels like an afterthought in this offense. He’s clearly playing behind Curtis Samuel right now, and the entire team feels like it’s one loss away from blowing it all up like the Panthers are about to do. Carson Wentz isn’t the long-term solution in Washington either, meaning McLaurin could be in for a long ride. That being said, I wouldn’t mind adding Scary Terry to my roster if their current manager is panic selling. I doubt a single 23 2nd gets it done in dynasty, but you might be able to move a guy like Taysom Hill and a bench WR for him to the right team. McLaurin is a value faller right now, but he’s still a buy for me since I think his value rebounds in the long term.
Elijah Moore/Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ)
I couldn’t pick one, so I went with both Jets’ wide receivers here. For Week 5, Wilson finished as WR74, and Moore finished as WR93 in PPR scoring. This week, the Jets scored 40 points and dominated the Miami Dolphins, but the Jets’ running game is where the fantasy magic happened. Breece Hall (RB – NYJ) and Michael Carter (RB – NYJ) both finished as the top Jets scorers and as RB4 and RB17 on the week. Zach Wilson even finished as QB16, respectable given how badly his receivers performed for fantasy.
The main reason these two made my list this week wasn’t their talent but their opportunity, or lack thereof. Wilson caught 3 passes for 27 yards, and Moore caught 1 for 11. That’s not good, no matter how you slice it. Granted, the play script favored the running game, but you would still expect your top receivers to get involved in the action. Wilson and Moore didn’t earn target this week, which worries me going forward on an already shaky Jets offense. I’m not selling either at a discount, but I’m fine buying at one if possible. I think both will have better weeks than this, but it’s hard to imagine this week’s results helping their value in any way.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, follow him @AndrewHallFF.
