What did we see in Week 5? Almost everything. We saw the top performance of the season at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. At tight end we saw some guys come out of nowhere for big games while our reliable starters left us wanting more. We also saw one of the most exciting offenses from the first two weeks of the season scuffle in a way it wasn't earlier.
Yes, we saw plenty. Did we learn anything? Let's take a look with Believe It or Not.
You can trust Will Fuller again.
Coming into Week 5, Will Fuller had 14 catches and zero touchdowns for the season. He hadn't reached 70 yards or 11 PPR Fantasy points in a game yet. In Week 5 against the Falcons, he made all of that irrelevant.
This lineup would’ve gotten you a grand total of 14.6 FANTASY POINTS in Week 5 😳
— Fantasy Football Today (@FFToday) October 7, 2019
QB Rivers (4 points)
RB1 McCoy (0.3)
RB2 Gallman (1.4)
WR Evans (0)
WR2 Watkins (0)
TE Olsen (0)
FLEX E. Sanders (1.9)
K Slye (4)
DST Jags (3)
*all players started in at least 60% of CBS leagues
Fuller had the game of his life, and the game of the season as far as Fantasy receivers go. He caught 14 of 16 targets for 217 yards and three touchdowns. He overshadowed DeAndre Hopkins and every other receiver. Fuller's splits with Deshaun Watson were pretty outlandish coming into to 2019, and it looks like the duo is back on the same page. Start him with confidence.
Verdict: Believe it.
Fuller's always going to be a bit hit-and-miss, but he should generally be relied on if you think the Texans need to pass to win. In the next two weeks they face the Chiefs and Colts, so I would assume they'll be passing.
As bad as he'd been to start this year, Fuller scored in four of seven games last year and was even better with Watson in 2018. Early returns from 2019 suggest Watson is spreading the ball around a little bit more, so Fuller could struggle in low-volume games, but there should be few of those on the Texans schedule. As a rule, trust Fuller moving forward. We'll warn you when the exception is coming.
D.J. Chark is a must-start wide receiver.
The matchup against Carolina looked pretty tough. On Sunday, it looked like it didn't matter at all. Chark caught eight of 11 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second 100-year outburst of the season and answered any question as to the No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville.
D.J. Chark leads the NFL at 13.1 yards per target. His teammate Chris Conley is sixth at 11.1.
— Heath Cummings (@heathcummingssr) October 7, 2019
Chark has the trust of Gardner Minshew, who is more than willing to fire the ball downfield. This is a match made in football heaven, and you should never consider benching Chark again.
Verdict: Believe it.
Chark has taken a leap the Fantasy community simply didn't see coming coming. He's averaging more than seven targets per game and better than 13 yards per target. He won't keep up that type of efficiency but it's very clear he's Minshew's favorite receiver. He's only had one game this season with fewer than 17 PPR Fantasy points.
It's difficult to trust him next week against a good Saints defense, but I can't imagine sitting him.
Greg Olsen is droppable.
Olsen did not catch a pass in Week 5. He only caught two passes in Week 4. As well as he started the season, he now has 5 receiving yards in his past two games combined. That's not to the type of production that deserves a spot on your Fantasy roster. This Panthers offense is all about Christian McCaffrey right now, and you legitimately can't trust anyone else.
Verdict: Don't believe it.
Who are you really going to drop Olsen for? Foster Moreau? Darren Fells? Tyler Eifert? The streaming tight ends in Week 5 were mostly terrible and the guys who were good aren't guys we believe in. Olsen caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3, so it's not like Kyle Allen doesn't know who he is. Besides, Olsen gets Tampa Bay in Week 6 and the Bucs have been one of the worst teams in the league against the position. You should hold and start Olsen for at least one more week.
You should be selling Devonta Freeman.
It's been a good couple of weeks for Freeman. In the past two weeks he's caught 13 passes and has 170 total yards. He even scored a touchdown in Week 5. But I'm scared to death.
While the pass volume has been good the past two weeks, Freeman didn't have more than three catches in any of the first three games this season. This team is loaded with pass-catching options, and I don't want to rely on Freeman getting targets. Sell him before this good fortune runs out.
Verdict: Believe it.
I was flat out wrong about this Falcons team before the season. I expected it to be much better defensively. I expected the Falcons would be much better running the ball. As it stands, they're stopping no one and blocking no one. Matt Ryan is on pace for a career-high 710 pass attempts. This is not an offense that profiles as a profitable one for a Fantasy running back, even in PPR.
At the beginning of the year I thought injury was the only risk for Freeman. Now, even if he stays healthy, I'm not sure his value will ever be higher than it currently is.
The league is figuring out Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense.
As quickly as they soared, the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson may be coming back to earth. Jackson threw three interceptions and scored just 13 Fantasy points on Sunday. He's now thrown five interceptions in his past two games and he's averaging just 6.5 yards per pass attempt in his past three. It didn't take long, but it sure doesn't look like Greg Roman's offense is fooling anyone any longer.
Verdict: Don't believe it.
First off, I'd only blame one of Jackson's Week 5 interceptions on him. One actually hit the ground and the other bounced off his intended receiver's helmet. Second, he threw three touchdowns last week, so it's not like this is a trend yet. Finally, he's run for 136 yards in his past two games. As long as he's doing that you can plan on him being great in Fantasy. That's especially true with a Week 6 matchup against the Bengals.