Only two of the 25 running backs active in the most ESPN standard leagues for Week 5 perform for AFC East clubs, and both were New England Patriots: Sony Michel and James White. They scored nicely for fantasy managers on Thursday night, combining 41.7 PPR points. Meanwhile, fantasy managers desperate for running back aid mostly ignored other options from the struggling division clubs. In fact, several AFC East running backs showed up on the most dropped list, though that seemed a bit premature. Benching them seemed wiser.
Fast forward to Sunday when momentum changed. New York Jets starter Isaiah Crowell rushed four times for nary a yard in the Week 4 loss at Jacksonville, and over three weeks he gained 69 rushing yards. Bilal Powell, a better receiver, seemed the better option moving forward. On Sunday, Crowell broke the franchise record for rushing yards in a game with a startling 219 of them, including a pair of 50-plus yard rushes in the same game. The last player to do that was Crowell back in 2015. Crowell and Powell (99 rushing yards) embarrassed the Denver Broncos' once-stout defense for 318 rushing yards and Crowell averaged 14.6 yards per rush, the highest total with at least 15 attempts in league history, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
There is, of course, more: Buffalo Bills star LeSean McCoy, a top-10 running back in PPR and non-PPR scoring last season, but broiled in off-field controversy this summer and statistically quiet so far this regular season, finally saw reasonable health and volume. He rushed 24 times for 85 yards, grinding things out, and while his 12.8 PPR points does not wow anyone, it is certainly a start. McCoy had 21 rushing attempts total in his first three games. Fantasy managers gave up on McCoy, the No. 25 overall selection in ESPN ADP, in part due to his age and the underwhelming players around him. Few seemed eager to activate McCoy this week, and he should not be a free agent in leagues.
Finally, we even had a Kenyan Drake sighting. Like Crowell and McCoy, the Miami Dolphins running back, who was supposed to be a safe RB2 option after emerging last season, was also active in less than 30 percent of ESPN standard leagues on Sunday. He produced his best performance of the season, turning 13 touches into 115 yards and a touchdown, good enough to best what Michel and White achieved days earlier. It remains confusing why 35-year-old Frank Gore continues to earn twice as many rushing attempts, but we take our fantasy points where we can. Drake can still help fantasy managers.
How did we not see this coming? Well, fantasy managers should not have dropped any of the aforementioned AFC East running backs, but none was especially intriguing for the week, either. The Bills, Jets and Dolphins entered the week among the bottom eight rushing teams in the league, and none with a great matchup. Perhaps we reassess the Broncos, for that defensive outing was terrible, but my answer to this is we should not feel bad for missing these statistical outings, and should be more patient with parting with slow starters, even when they play with rookie quarterbacks like Sam Darnold and Josh Allen or uninspiring options like Ryan Tannehill.
Where do we go from here? Crowell and Powell are still sharing touches, which is rarely good for fantasy purposes, and it is a bit tough to trust them as certain flex options each week. I would go with Powell first, as I did this week (which was wrong), because he catches twice as many passes and he actually had more rushing attempts Sunday as well. We cannot view what Crowell achieved as sustainable. In PPR formats, we like pass-catching running backs. Still, I cannot imagine either Jet makes my top-25 running backs for Week 6.
With McCoy, he will and, in fact, he nearly did this week. McCoy is hardly too old, not after a season in which only six running backs outscored him in PPR, to provide reliable RB2 value the next two months, even with a quarterback in Allen that lacks the receiving weapons that Darnold does. McCoy caught 50 passes each of the past two seasons. He can add value by doing so again and he will find the end zone, too. Investing in him while you can is wise.
As for the Dolphins, this one remains frustrating, but certainly Drake has more upside than Gore, the league's active leader in rushing yards. Gore averaged more than five yards per rush on Sunday, but one has to believe Drake will soon usurp a greater share of touches. Gore has one 20-yard rush all season, and three receptions. Drake should emerge. Just be careful with this arrangement, as Gore is a universally respected player, and the Dolphins face a difficult December schedule when fantasy managers reach playoffs, against the nemesis Patriots, the Minnesota Vikings on the road and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Second down: Speaking of the Jaguars, their matchup with precocious Patrick Mahomes and the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs featured the top defense versus a quarterback leading the position in fantasy points and having committed nary a turnover through four games. That last part changed Sunday, and losing Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles outscored Mahomes by circumstances, but the second-year passer proved himself. Mahomes topped 300 passing yards for the fourth consecutive week and buoyed his fantasy production -- saved it, really, thanks to the two interceptions -- with a touchdown run. His was not a top-10 quarterback performance for the week, but it reinforced that he is worthy of the top spot at his position in fantasy.
This is fantasy, however, and Bortles trailed the entire game and he ended up with a cool 430 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing score. Garbage time numbers can be clutch! The four interceptions do not excite, but add it up and we gleefully take the 20.6 PPR points, nearly five more than Mahomes. Sunday was not a banner day for quarterbacks, as according to colleague Tristan H. Cockcroft there was no passer in the eight early games with as many as 15 fantasy points by halftime, whereas a normal week would see five such performances. Aaron Rodgers, Case Keenum and Bortles ended up averaging more than 400 passing yards between them in lopsided games in which they had to throw, however.
Third down: Myriad points were expected in the Pittsburgh Steelers-Atlanta Falcons game, but only the home team complied. (By the way, in the eight early games, all the home teams won.) Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner and Antonio Brown each surpassed 20 PPR points, with Conner leading the way with 34.5 of them. Conner's performance was most notable, for he ran over beleaguered Falcons defenders for a startling 120 yards after contact, the second most by any player in a game the past five seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Adrian Peterson produced 129 scrimmage yards after contact in Week 10 of 2015. Conner fantasy investors know that the end is potentially nigh with well-paid starter Le'Veon Bell planning to return after one more game, but this might not necessarily occur. No, I would not trade for Conner, who produced 185 total yards and a pair of touchdowns against Atlanta, but hope for the best. He has established himself.
Opposing running backs continue to embarrass the Falcons, but do not get too cute in Week 6 with the underwhelming Tampa Bay Buccaneers options (Peyton Barber, Ronald Jones) traveling to Atlanta, either. Offensively, quarterback Matt Ryan was no match for Pittsburgh's blitz, which overshadowed a secondary that has struggled this season, and again there was no touchdown dance by awesome wide receiver Julio Jones. Rookie Calvin Ridley totaled 38 receiving yards and no scores. The club welcomed back running back Devonta Freeman from injury, and he shared touches with Tevin Coleman, but I will still rank Freeman as the safe RB2 for the Buccaneers game, and Coleman more like a RB3. The Falcons will aid many fantasy managers this season, and the fact they cannot defend well is only a plus.
Fourth down: Los Angeles Rams wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks suffered concussions in the team's road win at Seattle, but achieved far different statistics along the way. Kupp caught a touchdown pass from Jared Goff and scored 21 PPR points. Cooks did not catch any passes before he left the game. Goff still threw for 321 yards, relying mainly on awesome running back Todd Gurley II in the second half, but the Week 6 game plan at Denver will look different if two of Goff's top three wide receivers cannot play, leaving Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds. Look for updates later in the week. I have been ranking each of the three Rams top wide receivers as top-20 options, but if I had to choose one of them, it would be Kupp.
San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Corey Grant each suffered leg injuries. The 49ers feared that Breida, who entered play third in the NFL in rushing, broke his ankle, but later the team announced the ailment as a sprain. Breida figures to miss some action, leaving Alfred Morris and fullback Kyle Juszczyk to handle things. As for Grant, Adam Schefter reported his injury to be a Lisfranc foot sprain, and that could end his season. Grant might not seem to matter in fantasy, but Leonard Fournette might miss Week 6 and more games with his hamstring injury, solidifying T.J. Yeldon as the starter, with more depth necessary.