Throughout this past week, fantasy football has been a train ride. We have had so many players this week breakout for stunning performances while some star players had a terrible week or got hurt. Even though all of this is still going on, some of our sports reporters are still taking a deep dive into week 5 of the NFL in fantasy football.

 

Best Overall Player:

Adam: D.K. Metcalf WR SEA

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf had an outstanding day this past week as he received most of the targets from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russel Wilson late in the game. Metcalf had 6 catches, with 2 of those being big late-game catches, for 93 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. If Metcalf can put up big numbers like he is every week, I believe Metcalf can be an elite receiver for fantasy football owners.

Mac: Chase Claypool WR PIT 

Woah, this week really had a lot of breakout candidates. A lot of big booms this week in fantasy. Chase Claypool led all players in the entire league with forty-two points. With former breakout rookie Diontae Johson going down in the first with an injury, that made the Steelers offensive wide open for a breakout superstar spot at wide receiver. Claypool went crazy of the Philadelphia Eagles struggling defense because of the great connection he had with two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger. The two connected on seven out of the eleven throws to Chase for one hundred and ten yards with three receiving touchdowns. Claypool also ran for a touchdown on three carries for six yards. 

 

Louis: Adam Thielen WR MIN

What a game Adam Thielen had for the Vikings on Sunday night! He has been one of the best receivers in the league so far this season and he proved that in a loss against the Seahawks. Thielen had 2 touchdowns along with 80 yards on 9 catches. He had 29.3 fantasy points which are his third week above 25 points. This Minnesota wide receiver has proved his value week in and week out and although the team lost, Thielen has been a bright spot so far.

 

Best Underrated Player:

Adam: Todd Gurley II RB ATL 

Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley II has not had an ideal season after leaving the Los Angeles Rams for the Falcons, but he finally had the breakout game that everyone was looking for. He had 14 carries for 121 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown. He also had 4 catches for 36 receiving yards showing that he can keep up with the dual-threat type of running back that every team in the NFL wants. 

Mac: Mike Davis RB CAR 

With Christian Mccaffrey being hurt, the Panthers needed a new identity for their offense. It’s easy to look past Mike Davis because of his inconsistent time with the Chicago Bears, but if he is not picked up in your league already, it’s about time. Davis had only inclined his points every week besides falling one point sort of twenty-three which he had the week before. This week against the Atlanta Falcons he had eighty-nine on sixteen carries with a touchdown. He also connected with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater nine times for sixty yards and a touchdown. Davis earned fantasy owners twenty-nine points which are a season-high for him. 

 

Louis: Marquise Brown WR BAL

Marquise Brown and the Ravens had an outstanding game against the Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Brown had 6 catches and 77 yards and a touchdown in an absolute beatdown of the Bengals, 27-3. Brown has been pretty inconsistent so far this season and I expect him to keep performing as he has been with the upcoming matchups. The Ravens play the Eagles, Steelers, Colts, and Patriots for the next 4 games. Those teams all have solid defenses so it will be tough to get Brown the touches that he usually has.

 

Boom of the Week 

Adam: Travis Kelce TE KC

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has only had 1 breakout performance this year, and he was due for another one. Kelce had an amazing game as he had 8 receptions for 108 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown. If Kelce can keep up with the consistency bar for tight ends in fantasy football this year, I believe that he could be the top tight end at the end of the year.

Mac: Travis Fulgham WR PHI 

A very injured Eagles wide receiver core which means anyone in the league can get playing time if they were to get signed. Fulgham had a flash of what was to come a week ago with 13 points. Well, he doubled that. Fulgham had 31 points on 10 receptions, 152 yards, two-touchdown games. I believe this is just a boom for this week so that does not necessarily mean you need to pick him up but if you’re needing a wide receiver he could be a good option. 

 

Louis: DK Metcalf WR SEA

DK Metcalf had an unbelievable performance against the Vikings on Sunday night. He was a huge factor in the game-winning drive and ended the night with 6 catches, 93 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Right now, Metcalf has solidified himself as the primary receiver in Seattle instead of Lockett. Metcalf is one of the best up and coming talents in the entire NFL and he’s been showing why lately.

 

Busts of the Week:

Adam: 49ers Defense/Special Teams

I never thought a defense for fantasy football would make it on this list, but the performance from the 49ers defense was absurd. You cannot give up that many points to a team like the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers defense might need to be benched or even released at this point in time. Fantasy owners, if you have the 49ers defense, release them or bench automatically after this week.

Mac: Jimmy Garoppolo QB SF

Man oh man that sucks. Can’t win a Superbowl without Brady being on the roster apparently means you can’t beat Fitzmagic and the Miami Dolphins. The dude threw for 77 yards on 7 completions out of 17 throws. He also threw 2 interceptions. The defending NFC champion 49ers are struggling this year and Garoppolo was benched for C.J freaking Beathard, time to cut Jimmy G before it’s too late. 

 

Louis: Amari Cooper WR DAL

Cooper had a very underwhelming game against the Giants on Sunday and part of that is due to the Dak Prescott injury. Dak was performing like a veteran QB all season and that injury will really hurt Cooper’s production going forward. Amari Cooper only had 2 catches for 23 yards in a Dallas win against the Giants. Try to trade Cooper as soon as possible, because, without Dak, his production should take a big decline. 

 

Players to Start:

Adam: Mike Davis RB CAR

If you do not believe in the Davis train yet, you better hop on now because it’s not turning back. Mike Davis has stepped in for the injured Christian McCaffery and is performing on a level that no one has expected him to perform at. Davis is averaging 15 carries for around 70 rushing yards but is also getting his fair share of catches as he’s averaging just over 5 catches for 50 receiving yards and about 2 total touchdowns. Expect Davis to get his fair share of reps in the next couple of weeks with McCaffery coming back.

Mac: Jamison Crowder WR NYJ 

Crowder has started to emerge as a bright star in the dumpster fire that is the New York Jets. When Crowder is healthy, his season-low has been 17 points and he has played in three games this season. Last week he earned fantasy owners 25 points because of his 8 catch, 116 yard game also while hauling in a touchdown. 

Louis: Robert Tonyan TE GB

Robert Tonyan has been quite the surprise for Green Bay this year. He already has 5 touchdown catches in the 4 games that the packers have played and averages 15.1 fantasy points. Tonyan has a top 3 quarterback in the league in Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to him which has been a huge help for the number 4 fantasy tight end so far this year. It would be foolish to sit a player that has been so productive already.

 

Players to Move to the Bench:

Adam: Kenyan Drake RB ARZ

I believe that Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake can make a comeback but not right now. He has averaged very low fantasy numbers this past couple of weeks due to Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray taking most of the carries from him on read-option plays. If I had Drake on my team, keep him on the bench until he starts to produce at a high level again.

Mac: Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB KC 

A lot of room to disagree with this statement. He has been way overhyped through the start of the season and I still believe that he is overhyped. Edwards-Helaire had a season-low this week with eleven fantasy points. He ran for 40 yards on 10 carries and connected with Patrick Mahomes for 3 catches on 40 yards. It’s time to bench E.H and watch him degrees while he’s on your bench.  

 

Louis: Miles Sanders RB PHI

Miles Sanders is coming off of a big performance against Pittsburgh, having a 74-yard touchdown run during that game, but his productions minus the breakout run was minimal. If you take away that big run Sanders only had 10 carries for 6 yards rushing and a touchdown. He will be facing a stellar defense in Baltimore, which is not an ideal matchup for Sanders’ fantasy owners. Although Miles Sanders is the number 16 fantasy back, do not expect a big game from him this upcoming week.