Week 5 of the fantasy football season featured plenty of notable performances around the NFL, from Kyle Pitts' breakout game in London to Ja'Marr Chase finding the end zone on another long touchdown to Justin Herbert's best fantasy of his career. What should we make of it all? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.
Kyle Pitts comes through against Jets
In what could be called his breakout game, Pitts scored 26.9 PPR fantasy points against the New York Jets in London, dominating a defense that was expected to have one of the league's worst secondaries at season's start, but had performed as one of the best through the first four weeks. That tied for the fifth-best single-game score by a rookie tight end this century, a fact that underscores both the difficulty tight ends face adapting to NFL competition as well as how productive Pitts' performance was. With little else present in the Falcons' passing game -- Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage were inactive -- other than Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson, Pitts stood out in a big way, which makes it a bit of a shame that he now enters his bye week. The good news after that: He's on pace for 194.6 points, which would be a solid final total for a rookie, and has a schedule that plays out in pretty obvious fashion. At Jacksonville in Week 12, Tampa Bay in Week 13 and Detroit in Week 16 are extremely favorable matchups; at New Orleans in Week 9, New England in Week 11 and at Buffalo in Week 17 are rather tough. And in Pitts' defense regarding those challenging matchups, he should only become more acclimated to the offense with each passing week. Pitts might well be a top-five fantasy tight end from this point. -- Cockcroft
Agree on Pitts as a top-five fantasy tight end here, Tristan. After a slow start to the season, when I saw some rookie hesitation in his game, the play speed has really increased the last couple of weeks. And, as we saw in the win over the Jets, Pitts can be schemed -- based on formation and alignment -- to get loose in the route tree. Lot of upside here given his traits as a receiver. -- Bowen
Justin Herbert dominates in win over Browns
Say hello to your top scorer of Week 5 (pending the Sunday and Monday night games)! Herbert's 42.82 fantasy points set a new personal best, and in fact gave him 455.88 through the first 20 starts of his NFL career, the third-most by any quarterback in history behind only Patrick Mahomes' 514.24 and Lamar Jackson's 478.94. Herbert's performance was electric, as he marched his offense downfield with ease multiple times in a high-scoring game, against a Cleveland Browns defense that through four weeks had been tough against his position. Suffice to say, I won't doubt him again, matchups be damned! He'll face the Baltimore Ravens next, with clear QB1 appeal. -- Cockcroft
Ja'Marr Chase continues hot start
He has some kind of chemistry with his quarterback, Joe Burrow, scoring 27.9 PPR fantasy points in Week 5 -- his highest score through his first five NFL games. With it, Chase has now scored at least 13.4 points in each of those five games, joining Randy Moss as the only wide receivers to do that since the merger. He has totaled 98.4 points, which trails only Moss' 104.7 through five games among rookie wide receivers during that same time span. Chase is very much the top dog in the Bengals' passing game, even with productive receivers Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins on the roster, and should be a locked-in weekly WR2 everywhere. Chase's fantasy managers will also love to hear this: The Detroit Lions' defense is up next. -- Cockcroft
Kadarius Toney goes off
Toney had an early exit from the game versus Dallas (ejection), but the rookie continued to show his dynamic ability for the second week in a row. After posting 13.9 PPR points in Week 4 versus the Falcons, Toney checked in with 29.6 points on Sunday. And you can see the electric start/stop speed, plus the sudden burst when he has the ball in his hands. He's a motion/movement player who can be schemed on catch-and-run targets or on manufactured touches. Toney, who has caught 16 of 22 targets over the last two games, has WR3 value in the Week 6 matchup against the Rams defense. -- Bowen
Matt, I agree and think the Giants must recognize his importance to their future. But as someone who follows them closely, I'm curious to see how the target share shakes out once Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton return from injury. Daniel Jones' injury, too, is a bit of a worry, considering the connection they showed across their action together the past two weeks. But I'll play the optimist: I agree with the WR3 path ahead, though he'll lean risk/reward for me. -- Cockcroft
Washington Football Team's defense/special teams isn't getting it done
I don't think a single D/ST could be characterized as more disappointing thus far than Washington's, which through five weeks hasn't exceeded five fantasy points in a game and has a total of four fantasy points. There's plenty of on-paper talent on this roster -- they entered the week with a top-13 IDP scorer at each of the three standard positions -- but as a unit the team has been far too susceptible to blown plays and big passes. A scary stat: Washington has allowed a league-high five touchdowns on passes that traveled at least 20 yards downfield this season. That looks like the kind of defense you'd love to have your big-play wide receivers facing week over week. -- Cockcroft
Tristan, we've hit on the poor play from the Washington defense a couple times already this season. And we saw more deep-ball throws over the top of the secondary in the loss to the Saints, including some very questionable coverage design and play execution on an end-of-half Hail Mary touchdown throw. With upcoming matchups versus Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes over the next two weeks, you have to sit this defense on the bench. -- Bowen
Quick Hitters
Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: His 37.74 fantasy points paced all players through the completion of the 1 p.m. ET games, and were the third-most he has scored in 306 career games. He has been particularly productive against the Miami Dolphins, with three of his eight best single-game scores coming against them while averaging 20.1 points against them since the beginning of the 2007 season. -- Cockcroft
Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: His 36.5 PPR fantasy points matched his career high, but more importantly, they erased the memory of a quiet Week 4, which might've had some of his managers worried his September was a fluke. Williams remains a go-to guy for Herbert in this offense, getting lots of looks on the perimeter, something that shouldn't change in the coming weeks. Consider him a high-end WR2, with a very real chance at WR1 rest-of-year value. -- Cockcroft
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: I was down on Robinson after the first two weeks of the season given his limited volume and the overall lack of a run-game element in the Jacksonville offense. However, Robinson has now recorded at least 15 carries and 20 or more PPR points in his last three games. He's rolling, and with a rookie quarterback, I expect the volume to continue here. Robinson will be a lower-tier RB1 in my non-PPR ranks with a Week 6 matchup versus the Miami defense. -- Bowen
Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers: In his first pro start, Lance was inconsistent throwing the football. The pressure from Arizona has to be discussed here, and I think that impacted the rookie. He played frenetically at times, and his ball placement was up and down. Now, Lance did display his dual-threat ability on designed carries, finishing with 89 yards on the ground (16 carries) including the rushing yardage he added on scramble attempts. However, with the 49ers heading into the bye, let's keep an eye on the quarterback position. If Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy when the 49ers return to action in Week 7, I could see Kyle Shanahan going back to the veteran. -- Bowen
Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings: I'm renowned for my anti-understudy approach to drafting running backs, but Mattison is, frankly, the only one in the league who truly meets the term's definition -- the backup who, in the event of the starter getting hurt, slides right in with near-identical usage and production. He scored 26.3 PPR fantasy points, second-most among running backs from the 1 p.m. ET games, and now has 23.1 or more in each of his past three starts in place of an injured Dalvin Cook. The Vikings' offensive scheme simply fits two runners well, and in future pinch-hit chances, I'd expect more of the same. But, as I always warn, do not take the Cook-Mattison starter-understudy arrangement as a template for every backfield. It's not as common as you think, and you'll fare just as well focusing on starter-capable running backs at the draft table. -- Cockcroft
Antonio Brown, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brown dropped a season-high 31.4 PPR points on the Miami defense, highlighted by a 62-yard touchdown reception on a schemed crosser versus man coverage. Given his ball tracking/separation ability on vertical throws (which is still among the best in the league), plus a Tom Brady-led passing offense in Tampa that will create opportunities on in-breakers and crossers, Brown will remain an upside WR3 in a favorable matchup versus the Eagles' secondary in Week 6. -- Bowen
Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins: It's fitting that we're in the month of Halloween, because his performance had all the makings of a fantasy nightmare. After being dropped in 12.4% of ESPN leagues during the past week, fourth-highest among running backs, Gaskin exploded for 31.9 PPR fantasy points -- the most at the position from the 1 p.m. ET games and two points shy of his personal best (33.9, Week 16 of 2020). He was started in 13.1% of ESPN leagues, an unsurprising number after he had scored just 0.3 PPR fantasy points in Week 4. Unfortunately, Gaskin shouldn't be expected to repeat the performance, considering most of it came on receiving plays and Gaskin's rushing usage has dwindled in recent weeks. That said, he does have favorable matchups in each of the next two weeks, against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons, and could be a viable flex play. -- Cockcroft
Chase Claypool, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: With an upcoming Week 5 matchup against a Seattle defense that has lacked zone-coverage discipline this season, I like Claypool as a lower-tier WR2/Flex. On Sunday, Claypool racked up 24.0 PPR points (on just five receptions). That gives Claypool (who missed the Week 4 matchup against Green Bay), a total of 42.2 points in his last two games played. We know the wide receiver has one-on-one vertical-stretch ability outside of the numbers, and the Steelers will also deploy him inside to attack zone schemes. -- Bowen
Davis Mills, QB, Houston Texans: Just 0.1% of managers in ESPN leagues started the rookie quarterback, but his 24.68 fantasy points wound up third-best at his position from the 1 p.m. ET games. He became only the 38th rookie quarterback with a 300-yard, three-touchdown passing day since the merger, and looked legitimately in command against a typically strong New England Patriots defense. It's probably one of those "hey, how about that" games, but it should lock him in as the starter, and he's leading an offense that'll often be in passing situations. Maybe there's some QB2, matchups-oriented potential in leagues that need that. -- Cockcroft
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears: Given the Bears' pass-game structure with Fields at quarterback, we need to see more designed rushes for the rookie until he can be viewed as a deep-league starter or streaming option. In his last two starts, Fields has rushed for a total of just 15 yards on six carries. -- Bowen
Jonnu Smith, TE, New England Patriots: I loved the idea of Smith in Josh McDaniels' offensive system as a movement tight end after New England signed the veteran this offseason. Stretch the seams, create matchups, see the ball on catch-and-run targets and more. However, through five weeks, Smith has scored 10 or more PPR points only once. That's a problem for a New England offense that lacks juice and explosive-play ability. -- Bowen
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Woods, who had a total of 12 targets in his last two games, lit up the Seahawks' single-high and two-deep zone schemes on Thursday, posting a season high 27.0 PPR points (on 12 of 14 targets). Looking at the targets here -- plus the route structure that created open middle-of-the-field windows for quarterback Matthew Stafford -- Woods will be elevated as a WR2 for me, with an upcoming Week 6 matchup against the Giants. -- Bowen