Of course you have fantasy football questions for Week 5 of the NFL season. They probably start with: How many teams actually will be playing on Sunday? Monday? Perhaps Tuesday?
The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause havoc, and fantasy football managers will have to monitor diligently right up until kickoff on Sunday. Hopefully you have scoured the waiver wires and built some quality depth in case you have to go all the way down your bench.
NFL Nation is here to answer the biggest fantasy questions -- provided by ESPN fantasy football analyst Mike Clay -- across the league for Week 5.
Scan through all 32 NFL teams by division, or click here to jump ahead to your team:
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NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Buffalo Bills
Will Buffalo return to a two-headed backfield once Zack Moss returns, or has Devin Singletary claimed feature-back duties?
Singletary has done enough over the past two weeks to reclaim his hold as the Bills' lead back. Still, it's not Sean McDermott's preferable style to rely heavily on one back throughout a game -- so don't expect Moss to be phased out of the game plan entirely. But do expect Moss to take somewhat of a backseat to Singletary as he works his way back. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
Miami Dolphins
Should we throw in the towel on Preston Williams after yet another low-target outing?
It's clear Williams still isn't 100 percent healthy coming off his torn ACL, so it's likely he has a better second half of the season than first half. That being said, Williams should be able to have some success against a banged-up 49ers secondary with DeVante Parker likely to get primary attention. If he doesn't, then yes, it might be time to cut bait if you need the roster spot. -- Cameron Wolfe
New England Patriots
Is Week 4's usage what we can expect from Damien Harris, or will he manage some passing-game work?
The Patriots project to lean more toward James White and Rex Burkhead in obvious passing situations, but that doesn't mean Harris won't factor into the passing game on early downs that might be viewed as more of a traditional time to use run-based personnel. Harris made a one-handed catch in training camp that reflected his dual-threat ability. He is more than just a pure rusher. -- Mike Reiss
New York Jets
Do you expect anyone to benefit from Joe Flacco making the start this weekend?
It's difficult to forecast because Flacco is new to the team, had no training camp and didn't start practicing until this week, save for some scout-team reps. He has no familiarity with any of the pass-catchers. In situations like this, older quarterbacks usually rely on check-down options, so RB Le'Veon Bell (expected to come off injured reserve) could see a healthy amount of touches. -- Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Do you expect any of the team's running backs to emerge as a clear lead back this season?
Mark Ingram II has the best chance to emerge, even though rookie J.K. Dobbins represents the future and Gus Edwards has been the most efficient runner. But it doesn't sound as though the Ravens will get out of this three-back rotation any time soon. This was offensive coordinator Greg Roman's answer on Thursday when asked whether a lead back will emerge: "I think it will be different every week. There definitely could be a focus as the season progresses. How guys are dealing week to week, how their bodies are doing and how everybody matches up with the other team. We have some flexibility there, and I think we're prepared to use it." -- Jamison Hensley
Cincinnati Bengals
Should we be worried about wide receiver Tyler Boyd this weekend with Marlon Humphrey manning the slot for Baltimore?
A little bit, but not enough to think about benching Boyd. If the Bengals are behind and chasing the game, expect Boyd to find spaces underneath a deep Ravens zone coverage. It should be a big day for Boyd. -- Ben Baby
Cleveland Browns
Will D'Ernest Johnson or Dontrell Hilliard be a consistent producer in place of Nick Chubb?
Even after the Chubb injury, the Browns are still going to pound the ball. Kareem Hunt obviously becomes the biggest beneficiary of that as the new primary ball carrier. But Johnson, who rushed for 95 yards Sunday, will continue to get plenty of opportunities as well. Hilliard slots in as the No. 3 back, and as much as Cleveland will run the ball, he's probably not worth the flyer, with Johnson the clear No. 2 behind Hunt. -- Jake Trotter
Pittsburgh Steelers
Do you expect a larger role for rookies Chase Claypool or Anthony McFarland Jr. off the bye?
Not necessarily. The Steelers didn't get to do the normal kind of rookie development they like to do during the bye because word of the postponement came so late in the week. Both WR Claypool and RB McFarland had bigger roles in Week 3 against the Texans, out of necessity and skill. Claypool got more work when Diontae Johnson went out with a concussion, and with Johnson back, Claypool won't have as big a role. McFarland showed game-breaking speed and playmaking ability when he was mixed in, and the Steelers probably will continue similar usage -- about 10-15% of offensive snaps. Neither is ready to be a factor in fantasy yet. -- Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
What went wrong with Brandin Cooks last weekend, and will he bounce back against the Jaguars?
The Texans haven't had a game this season in which their top two wide receivers (Cooks and Will Fuller) have had success in the same game. In Week 2, when Cooks had his best game of the season (five catches for 95 yards), Fuller did not have a catch. In Week 4, when Fuller had six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown, Cooks was targeted only three times. Houston's offense has struggled through the first quarter of the season, and whether quarterback Deshaun Watson can find both Fuller and Cooks in the same game might be the difference in Houston getting its first win on Sunday. The Jaguars have allowed 30 or more points in three consecutive games, so if there was a game Watson will be able to throw more to both receivers, it could be this matchup. -- Sarah Barshop
Indianapolis Colts
Should we be worried about consistent production from Mo Alie-Cox after Trey Burton played over him in Week 4?
No. The tight ends have such a big part in the offense that there will be plenty of balls to go around despite Alie-Cox having only one catch on two targets in Week 4 against the Bears. The coaching staff knows Alie-Cox, who has a team-high 194 yards receiving, needs to have a bigger role in the offense going forward no matter if Jack Doyle and Burton are in the lineup. -- Mike Wells
Jacksonville Jaguars
After he played 75% of the snaps on Sunday, has James Robinson upgraded from lead back to primary back?
Absolutely, partly because there really isn't anyone else capable of handling that type of workload. Chris Thompson has been able to do it at times in his career, but he's not a week-in, week-out No. 1 back option. Even when Devine Ozigbo comes off IR he won't eat into Robinson's workload very much. -- Mike DiRocco
Tennessee Titans
Should we avoid starting A.J. Brown in Week 5 off the injury and against Tre'Davious White coverage?
Avoid starting Brown. Although he was listed as a limited participant, it's not a guarantee that he'll be active. If Brown does play, matching up against White is a big-time challenge, especially after missing two games. White usually travels with opposing teams' top wide receivers so it's safe to say he'd draw Brown with Corey Davis being unavailable. -- Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
How much of a role can we expect for running back Phillip Lindsay in his return?
Given how Lindsay has looked in practice this week, his role should look like it did before he suffered his toe injury in the first half of the season opener -- he had eight touches in his 17 snaps in the first half that day. Those 17 snaps were 52% of the Broncos' 33 snaps in the first half of that game. The wild card is how many snaps the Broncos use with both Lindsay and Melvin Gordon in the formation moving forward -- they've shown it only one snap thus far. The Broncos want Lindsay's explosiveness in the run game, so he'll get most of his snaps in that role, with some spot duty at times in the passing game. -- Jeff Legwold
Kansas City Chiefs
Do you expect Clyde Edwards-Helaire's heavy usage to turn into more production with the schedule now lightening up?
If the Chiefs decide to keep feeding him, that's a logical conclusion. But from a fantasy standpoint as well as a football standpoint, the inability of the Chiefs to run the ball when near the goal line continues to be a problem. Edwards-Helaire has 0 yards in eight carries on goal-to-go plays, including 2 yards on two carries in the past two weeks. -- Adam Teicher
Las Vegas Raiders
Can we feel good about any of the Raiders' wide receivers this weekend against the Chiefs' strong pass defense?
No. Oh, you want me to elaborate? Fine. Henry Ruggs III potentially suiting up after missing the past two games with hamstring and knee issues would help as his speed would no doubt open up things underneath. But QB Derek Carr has to have time to let routes develop, and the Raiders' offensive line became a sieve last weekend against the Bills. And with the Chiefs' defense in general, Chris Jones in particular, collapsing pockets, it's hard to see that happening. Especially if the Raiders fall behind early and become one-dimensional. -- Paul Gutierrez
Los Angeles Chargers
How will backfield touches be distributed with Austin Ekeler sidelined?
Joshua Kelley has got to hang on to the ball because he'll be getting a lot of the carries now that Ekeler is out. No Ekeler is a big problem, but Kelley, who fumbled twice in the past two games, should have plenty of support from his now starting quarterback, Justin Herbert. -- Shelley Smith
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
Despite all of the scoring and passing-game volume, why has Michael Gallup struggled for targets and production?
Gallup remains on pace for 1,100 yards, which is essentially the same output the wide receiver had last season. He is the Cowboys' big-play threat so far, averaging 21.2 yards per catch. The Cowboys are willing to take deep shots, but with issues up front early in the season, it's difficult to press the ball down the field. Plus, Amari Cooper is off to a hot start, as is rookie CeeDee Lamb. There has not been disappointment in Gallup's play. He will get his chances. -- Todd Archer
New York Giants
Do you expect the offense to get back on track this weekend against a struggling Dallas defense?
Man, if not now, when? Dallas' defense is allowing 36.5 points per game. Still, you have to cap the Giants' ceiling. It is just not that high with their current personnel and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett admitting this week they're still trying to find their strengths. No wonder they're averaging 11.8 points per game. Maybe they get 20 this weekend, but 30 in a shootout seems unrealistic with this current group. -- Jordan Raanan
Philadelphia Eagles
Why has Zach Ertz's production plummeted, and is there hope for a rebound?
The main reason is that opposing defenses are keying on the tight end hard with other top weapons such as DeSean Jackson, Dallas Goedert and Jalen Reagor absent from the lineup. He also acknowledged that his contract dispute got the better of him a couple times during training camp, and it's fair to wonder whether that has carried over into the season some. While we might have to adjust our expectations for Ertz, I believe there are still productive games ahead for him, especially once the offense returns to better health. -- Tim McManus
Washington Football Team
Could we finally get a breakout week from tight end Logan Thomas (or someone else) with Kyle Allen under center?
I think the more likely scenario is someone else. Hard to see Thomas as a "breakout" kind of player; he's a guy who can help once in a while. But as funny as it sounds, one guy it might help is Terry McLaurin. There have been times each week when the wide receiver appears to be an intended target, is wide open and the ball goes elsewhere or he's missed. It's just going to be hard to do that vs. corner Jalen Ramsey. The hard part is we haven't seen Allen run Washington's offense in a game; he looked shaky in training camp. But basing it on last season: Watch for running backs J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson. Allen ranked sixth in the NFL last season with 117 targets to backs (yes, Christian McCaffrey played into that). -- John Keim
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
Do you expect David Montgomery to continue playing 80% of the snaps, as he has the past two weeks?
I do believe the Bears' plan is to have Montgomery on the field around 80% of the snaps. Unfortunately, Chicago continues to struggle to run the ball effectively. Coach Matt Nagy was furious about the offense's inattention to detail after the Week 5 victory over Tampa Bay. For a team that's 4-1, the Bears don't have many strengths on offense, and those failures include not utilizing Montgomery enough. The Bears drafted Montgomery to be a heavy-volume contributor. They've yet to treat him in that manner. More snaps does not necessarily mean higher fantasy value, in this circumstance. -- Jeff Dickerson
Detroit Lions
What has gone wrong with Marvin Jones Jr., and do you expect better days ahead?
Nothing has gone wrong with Jones, per se. The wide receiver just hasn't had that big-game pop people are used to yet. He has had stretches like this almost every season with the Lions, including the final games he played in before injury in 2019 -- when he didn't have more than five catches for 46 yards in a game. So far this season he has topped 50 yards twice. His targets have been somewhat down, but they are not grossly out of line from the majority of his games in the past. Where he's potentially getting hurt is the emergence of tight end T.J. Hockenson as an all-field threat. Jones will have good games this season. It wouldn't shock me to see him have one in the next couple of weeks. But if you look at the span of his time in Detroit, these statistical stretches are not out of the ordinary. -- Michael Rothstein
Green Bay Packers
Will we be able to count on Robert Tonyan for consistent production once Davante Adams returns?
Yes, especially because the Packers lost rookie tight end Josiah Deguara to a season-ending ACL tear and Jace Sternberger isn't as advanced in the offense. Even though Tonyan's three-touchdown performance against the Falcons was a breakout, this has been building for quite some time. Aaron Rodgers started throwing the ball to Tonyan in key spots in the first three weeks (he had touchdown catches in Weeks 2 and 3), and that should only continue. -- Rob Demovsky
Minnesota Vikings
Will Justin Jefferson make it three consecutive 100-plus-yard games with a struggling Seattle defense on deck?
You betcha. Jefferson is an "instant star," according to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, so you can expect him to receive added attention from Seattle defenders in Week 5 after he followed up his breakout performance versus Tennessee by catching four passes in Houston, each of which went for at least 20 yards. But even that won't stop the rookie, who has a prime opportunity to notch another 100-yard day against a defense that has given up 94 catches and 1,345 yards to wideouts through the first four weeks and is on pace to allow 5,380 yards to receivers this season. -- Courtney Cronin
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
Can we expect a third consecutive six-plus-target game from Olamide Zaccheaus if Julio Jones is out?
We'll see. Quarterback Matt Ryan talked about the importance of spreading the ball around, so that's possible. But more important, the Falcons need to focus on getting the ball into Calvin Ridley's hands coming off a zero-catch outing. Ridley has been plagued by a variety of nagging injuries, but he appeared to have his juice back during Thursday's practice. So before talking about Zaccheaus, Ryan has to focus on getting Ridley involved if a hamstring injury keeps Jones sidelined. -- Vaughn McClure
Carolina Panthers
Should we put Curtis Samuel in our lineups this weekend against a struggling Falcons defense?
No. He's still the fourth option behind Robby Anderson, DJ Moore and running back Mike Davis. You might even see tight end Ian Thomas' role increase against an Atlanta team that has struggled against the tight end. The Falcons have surrendered a league-worst 336 yards and seven touchdowns to that position, and Thomas is coming off a season-best five targets that resulted in two catches and a touchdown. -- David Newton
New Orleans Saints
Will Tre'Quan Smith or Emmanuel Sanders be the preferred fantasy play behind Michael Thomas?
So far their numbers have been strikingly similar (14-186-2 for Smith and 14-182-2 for Sanders). And both of them have improved by the week as their comfort level in the offense and chemistry with quarterback Drew Brees grows. But I'll give the edge to Sanders because our expectations were higher for him to start with. Sanders should get a higher target volume on short and intermediate passes, and their big-play potential is about equal. -- Mike Triplett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Do you expect a consistent role for Tyler Johnson once Chris Godwin (not to mention Justin Watson) returns?
Yes, but how much is unknown at this time. There's only so many guys the Buccaneers can feed the ball to, and coach Bruce Arians said it likely won't be until Thursday when they'll have a better idea on where things stand with Godwin. Still, Johnson played very well against the Bears, and I think he has a lot of traits similar to Godwin's that will really help him flourish in this offense with Tom Brady -- his biggest being the way he competes for the ball and his concentration level on difficult catches. -- Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
Can we feel good about wide receiver Christian Kirk this weekend in a good matchup against the Jets?
I think so. He's another week removed from his groin injury, and the Cardinals are looking for more ways to get the ball moving, so it's expected Kirk will have a larger role in the offense, especially against a Jets team that's allowing 7.43 yards per reception. Coach Kliff Kingsbury was heavily criticized this week for not taking more deep shots, so it's likely he'll dial up a few more than normal. If he does that, then Kirk will likely be one of the receivers Kyler Murray looks to down the field. -- Josh Weinfuss
Los Angeles Rams
Why hasn't Jalen Ramsey shadowed much this season, and will he against Terry McLaurin this weekend?
Among first-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley's goals this season was to put Ramsey in a position to make more plays. And don't forget, before the season Ramsey said he wanted to be considered as more of a defensive back, rather than only a corner. That would account for why he has been shadowing less and moving around more. It's reasonable to think he will be tasked with slowing McLaurin, but you shouldn't count on that being his only assignment Sunday. -- Lindsey Thiry
San Francisco 49ers
How will backfield touches be distributed once Raheem Mostert is back in the fold?
When Mostert returns, it's safe to assume he will go back to a similar workload to what the Niners gave him in the first couple of games. Mostert is clearly the team's most explosive back, and he offers the big-play ability coach Kyle Shanahan covets. He had 19 touches in the opener and 10 in the first half of the second game, which means something around 20 touches per game is what the Niners would like to get him. Jerick McKinnon will still be in the mix, but expect him to get into more of a groove as the primary third-down back when Mostert is healthy. -- Nick Wagoner
Seattle Seahawks
Why has Seattle's defense been so poor against the pass, and do you expect any improvements anytime soon?
It has been a combination of busted coverages, defensive backs getting beaten over the top and not enough pressure up front to make life easier on the secondary. The Seahawks' pass rush might be another season-long issue, but they should get better play on the back end when Jamal Adams and Quinton Dunbar return and that group is at full strength. Even without those two last weekend in Miami, Seattle saw some improvement by allowing only one passing play of over 25 yards after allowing a league-high 13 over the first three games. -- Brady Henderson