Anthony Richardson (hip) is questionable for Week 5 at Jacksonville, and Jonathan Taylor (ankle) has been ruled out. That puts Joe Flacco and Trey Sermon on the radar as sleepers.
We'll get to Sermon below, but let's start with the Colts passing game. Richardson was at practice Friday, but according to The Athletic, Flacco was "taking most, if not all, of the first-team reps."
Flacco came on for Richardson in Week 4 against the Steelers and was 16-of-26 passing for 168 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for 19 Fantasy points. Just like last year for the Browns, Flacco could be a solid replacement option for the Colts and Fantasy managers if needed in Week 5, and I like him as a borderline starter in all leagues.
Jacksonville is No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud have each scored at least 27.5 Fantasy points against the Jaguars in the past two games. Flacco likely won't do that, but 20 Fantasy points is a strong possibility.
With Flacco under center, that helps the outlooks for Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs. Pittman becomes a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and Downs is a high-end No. 3 option and should be considered a sleeper.
Both receivers just had their best game in Week 4 against Pittsburgh with Flacco. Pittman had six catches for 113 yards on nine targets, and Downs had eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. The Jaguars are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, so the matchup is fantastic. There have been six receivers to score at least 12.3 PPR points against Jacksonville this year.
Now, as for the run game, Sermon should get the start, but he'll share touches with Tyler Goodson. Sermon should be considered a low-end No. 2 running back or flex in Week 5, while Goodson is more of a desperation flex.
Goodson only has one catch on the season and no carries. Sermon has at least two carries in every game this year and scored a touchdown in Week 3 against Chicago. After Taylor was hurt against Pittsburgh, Sermon had five carries for 8 yards.
Again, this is a great matchup since the Jaguars are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Four running backs have scored at least 13.6 PPR points against Jacksonville this season, and hopefully Sermon can be a capable fill-in replacement for Taylor.
It's not ideal to be without Taylor and Richardson against the Jaguars. But Flacco can be useful as a replacement quarterback, and his presence is great for Pittman and Downs. And hopefully Sermon can do well enough against Jacksonville that he can be at least a flex option in all leagues.
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Week 5 Sleepers
Week 5 Preview
Sleepers
Sleeper QBs
Lawrence hasn't been a good Fantasy quarterback this season, but this week he has a great matchup against Indianapolis. Lawrence just had his best game of the season in Week 4 at Houston with 18.7 Fantasy points, but he scored 13.3 Fantasy points or less in each of his first three games. This week, he's facing a Colts defense that is No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Malik Willis is the lone quarterback who failed to score at least 21.3 Fantasy points against Indianapolis in four games. And Lawrence has scored at least 21.7 Fantasy points in four of his past five meetings with the Colts.
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The Commanders are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and hopefully Watson can take advantage of this matchup, which might include having David Njoku (ankle) back in action. Watson has scored 15.4 Fantasy points or less in three of four games this season, including just 14.2 points at Las Vegas in Week 4. But he has the chance for a quality performance in Week 5 at Washington, as the Commanders are allowing 25.8 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year. If the Browns can protect Watson this week -- which is hard to do since he's been sacked 19 times -- then he could be a useful starter in all one-quarterback leagues.
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It's tough for Fantasy managers to trust Williams since he's scored 13.5 points or less in three of four games, but this is a favorable matchup against the Panthers. Carolina is No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and three teams have scored at least 20.3 points against this defense. I would only start Williams in deep, one-quarterback leagues in Week 5, but given the matchup, he could surprise us with a top-10 performance at home.
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Sleeper RBs
Brian Robinson Jr. (knee) is "trending in the right way," according to coach Dan Quinn, but this is a situation to monitor heading into Sunday against Cleveland. If Robinson is out then Austin Ekeler becomes a No. 2 running back in all leagues, and Jeremy McNichols would be at least a flex. Ekeler didn't play in Week 4 at Arizona with a concussion, but he scored at least 10.2 PPR points in each of his first three games. And with Ekeler out against the Cardinals, McNichols had eight carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns, along with one catch for 6 yards on one target. McNichols won't have much Fantasy value if Robinson plays, but Ekeler would still be at least a flex option in that scenario. If Robinson is out, then the value for Ekeler and McNichols improves tremendously in all formats. The Browns run defense is tough, but three running backs have scored at least 12.9 PPR points against them this season.
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Joe Mixon (ankle) is out for the second week in a row, but this could be a messy situation for the Texans against the Bills since Dameon Pierce (hamstring) returned to practice Friday and is questionable. I'm expecting Akers to remain the starter, with Dare Ogunbowale working on passing downs, but Pierce will likely get touches as well if he's active. I wouldn't plan on using Pierce unless you're desperate, but Akers should be considered a flex in all leagues, with Ogunbowale also a flex option in PPR. The Bills are beat up defensively and are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs, with five scoring at least 12.5 PPR points against them this season. Buffalo is also No. 1 in most receptions allowed to running backs with 28, which bodes well for Ogunbowale, who just had four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown on four targets against Jacksonville in Week 4.
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Devin Singletary (groin) is doubtful for Week 5 at Seattle, which means Tracy and Eric Gray will likely share touches against the Seahawks. I'm more interested in Tracy, who should be considered a flex option in all leagues, while Gray is a desperation flex in deeper formats. Tracy has 18 combined carries and targets through four games compared to Gray's five. This won't be an easy matchup for Tracy since the Giants are also without their best offensive player in Malik Nabers (concussion). But given the potential workload, Tracy should be a flex option, and hopefully he'll have a prominent role in the passing game, which should be needed to offset the loss of Nabers.
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We're waiting to see what the Chiefs will do with their backfield in Week 5, and it could be messy if Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is activated off the NFI list. Carson Steele and Samaje Perine are also in the mix, although Steele's role could be reduced after he fumbled in Week 4 against the Chargers. That miscue likely opened the door for Hunt, and he should be the lead running back for the Chiefs against the Saints no matter what happens with Edwards-Helaire. Hunt played well against the Chargers with 14 carries for 69 yards and two catches for 16 yards on three targets, and he's worth using as at least a flex against the Saints in the majority of leagues.
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Williams has yet to score a touchdown, but he's coming off one of his better games of the season in Week 4 at the Jets with 16 carries for 77 yards and two catches for 3 yards on three targets. He's now scored at least 10 PPR points in two of his past three games, and Week 5 could be his breakout performance against the Raiders. Las Vegas is No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and five running backs have scored at least 11 PPR points against the Raiders this year. Williams should be considered at least a flex in the majority of leagues in Week 5.
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Zamir White (groin) has been ruled out for Week 5 at Denver, which makes Mattison the lead running back for the Raiders. He was likely trending toward becoming the starter anyway, but now Mattison can run away with the job with a strong performance against the Broncos. We'll see what the Raiders do with Ameer Abdullah or Dylan Laube as backups to Mattison against Denver, but Mattison should get the majority of touches. He just averaged 12 yards per carry in Week 4 against Cleveland, and Mattison also scored a touchdown in each of the first three games, with at least 13.4 PPR points in two of those outings. The Broncos have allowed three running backs this season to score at least 11.5 PPR points, and Mattison should be considered at least a flex option in all leagues.
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I still like Rhamondre Stevenson as the best running back for the Patriots, but Jerod Mayo might decide to give Gibson more work in Week 5 against the Dolphins. On Friday, Mayo said on CBS News Boston that Gibson would start over Stevenson, who has fumbled in each of the first four games. For the second time in three games, Gibson scored at least 10.9 PPR points in Week 4, and he might be worth using as a flex option against the Dolphins. Miami is No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and a running back has scored at least 13.9 PPR points against the Dolphins in every game this season.
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Josh Jacobs should have the chance for a huge game in Week 5 at the Rams, but everyone knows to start him. I like Wilson as a flex, and the Rams have allowed four running backs this season to score at least 16.3 PPR points, with five different running backs scoring touchdowns. Wilson didn't do much in Week 4 against Minnesota with eight carries for 27 yards and no catches on one target, but it's clear he has an established role in tandem with Jacobs. And if that continues, especially in Week 5, Wilson could be a spot starter for Fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
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Sleeper WRs
Malik Nabers (concussion) is out for Week 5 at Seattle, which should mean plenty of targets for Robinson. And I like Darius Slayton as a sleeper as well in deeper leagues. Robinson just had 11 catches for 71 yards on 14 targets in Week 4 against Dallas, and that's his third game this season with at least eight targets and six catches. He's also scored at least 13.1 PPR points in each of his past two games and has just one game this season below 11.8 PPR points. Robinson should be considered a No. 3 PPR receiver for Week 5 at Seattle, and he could get 10 catches in this matchup. For Slayton, he hasn't done much this season with Nabers and Robinson hogging most of the targets from Daniel Jones, and Slayton's best game was Week 4 against Dallas with three catches for 56 yards on four targets. But last season, Slayton had at least 17.2 PPR points in each of his final three games, and he caught a touchdown in each outing. He could be a nice surprise in Week 5 with Nabers out.
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Sutton has at least nine targets in three of four games this season, and he scored at least 13.8 PPR points in each of his past two games against Tampa Bay and the Jets. He should be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues in a plus matchup against Las Vegas in Week 5. The Raiders have already allowed five receivers to score at least 13 PPR points, and Sutton has scored at least 13 PPR points in three of his past four games against Las Vegas.
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I like Whittington and Tutu Atwell as No. 3 Fantasy receivers this week against the Packers. Whittington just had six catches for 62 yards on eight targets at Chicago in Week 4, and Atwell has consecutive games with at least 12.2 PPR points with eight catches for 175 yards on 11 targets over that span. I like Whittington better than Atwell in PPR, but both should be productive this week against the Packers, who have allowed six receivers to score at least 15.4 PPR points in four games this season.
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It's worth taking the chance on Worthy as at least a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues now that Rashee Rice (knee) is hurt. Worthy has yet to eclipse four targets in any game this year, but that's about to change. And despite the low volume, Worthy still has two games this season with at least 16.3 PPR points. He doesn't have an easy matchup in Week 5 against the Saints, but the past three No. 1 receivers against New Orleans (CeeDee Lamb, DeVonta Smith and Drake London) have all scored at least 12.4 PPR points. I'm hopeful Worthy can do better than that as the new top receiver for Patrick Mahomes in Week 5.
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Khalil Shakir (ankle) is out for Week 5 at Houston, which should mean more work for Dalton Kincaid and James Cook. I'm hopeful Samuel and Keon Coleman benefit as well, and Samuel is worth using as a No. 3 PPR receiver in deeper leagues. He hasn't done much this season since his best game is 5.2 PPR points in Week 3 against Jacksonville, but he should take over for Shakir, who has at least five targets in three games in a row and has scored at least 10 PPR points in every outing. Coleman is also worth using as a No. 3 receiver, and he's yet to top 10 PPR points in any game in his rookie campaign. But with Shakir out, Josh Allen should give Coleman and Samuel more chances to make plays, and hopefully one or both can deliver.
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I have Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks as starts in Start 'Em and Sit 'Em for Week 5, and Melton now becomes a flex option in deeper leagues with Christian Watson (ankle) out and Romeo Doubs (personal) doubtful against the Rams, who are No. 10 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Melton only has one catch for 28 yards on the season with three targets, but he'll see a bigger role in Week 5 if Doubs joins Watson on the sideline as expected. Last year, Melton had three games with at least six targets, and he scored at least 12.6 PPR points in two of those outings. Given the matchup, Melton can be considered a No. 3 PPR receiver in deeper formats.
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Sleeper TEs
Conklin is worth using as a low-end starter in Week 5 in a revenge game against the Vikings in London. He has 14 targets in his past two games against the Patriots and Broncos, and he has nine catches for 110 yards over that span. He should continue to be a factor for Aaron Rodgers this week, and Conklin has a favorable matchup in Week 5 at Minnesota. The Vikings have allowed two tight ends in the past three games to score at least 17.3 PPR points, and hopefully Conklin can find the end zone for the first time this year.
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The Ravens are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and I hope All will continue to be a factor for the Bengals. I like him better than Mike Gesicki in Week 5, and All has four targets and four catches in each of his past three games against Kansas City, Washington and Carolina. Now, he's been at 32 receiving yards or less in each contest with no touchdowns, but this could be his best game of the year. Baltimore has allowed a tight end to catch at least five passes in three games in a row, and All could be on the verge of breaking out if Joe Burrow keeps looking in his direction.
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We'll see if Evan Engram (hamstring) can return in Week 5 against the Colts, but if he remains out then consider Strange a low-end starter in all leagues. Indianapolis has allowed a tight end to score at least 16.7 PPR points in each of the past two games against Cole Kmet and Pat Freiermuth, and Strange has scored at least 9.2 PPR points in two of three outings in place of Engram, including one touchdown over that span.
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Defense/Special Teams
Broncos (vs. LV)
Packers (at LAR)
Dolphins (at NE)
Kickers
Will Reichard (vs. NYJ)
Chris Boswell (vs. DAL)
Austin Seibert (vs. CLE)
