A look at the fantasy players who stood out in Week 5 and who may be poised to put up big numbers moving forward.
Week 5 of the NFL season has come and gone, and we have two remaining undefeated teams in the league. One team that everyone and their mother predicted, and another that has seemingly come out of nowhere. The San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots stand alone amongst the pantheon of unbeaten teams, but did they have any standout players this week? Let’s take a look:
DESHAUN WATSON (Houston Texans)
When Deshaun Watson came out of Clemson and entered the NFL draft his coach Dabo Swinney was quoted saying that any team that drafted him would be drafting Michael Jordan.
Dabo may have a lucrative career as a fortune teller in the cards after football is done because Watson has delivered on all of that hype with interest. Watson has consistently proven himself to be one of the premier young quarterbacks in the NFL, and he added another milestone to his growing resume on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Watson posted a perfect QB rating (158.3) and threw 5 TDs for over 400 yards in a game where the Texans put up over 50 total points of offense.
The offensive line issues are well known, but if Houston can keep this kid healthy he’s going to be in the MVP conversation for years to come. He’s just that special.
CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY (Carolina Panthers)
Speaking of MVP’s, can we talk about the year Christian McCaffrey is having? Both in fantasy and real-life McCaffrey is proving himself to be an offensive supernova akin to Todd Gurley from last season.
Run CMC is dominating opposing defenses on both levels, through the air, and on the ground. He’s like UPS, he’ll deliver it how you need it, and he makes house calls on the regular. McCaffrey’s scored 7 TD’s on the year so far (6 rushing/1 receiving) and eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground in three of five contests.
His 237 total yards & 3 TDs this past week marked one of the best performances of his young career, and he’s showing little to no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
ADAM THIELEN (Minnesota Vikings)
As the old adage goes “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”. That was exactly what happened in the case of Adam Thielen on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings all-pro wideout was vocal all week about Minnesota’s issues moving the ball through the air, and Kirk Cousins apologized to him publicly on a radio show.
The result of the griping? 7 Receptions/130 Yds/2 Tds. Not too shabby. Thielen tied his highest target total of the year in this one (8 targets) and made the most of each opportunity against an exploitable New York Giants secondary. He’ll square off against a similarly questionable Philadelphia cornerback group in Week 6.
RUSSELL WILSON (Seattle Seahawks)
I included this man as my main takeaway last week, and I called for his MVP candidacy. This week I’m calling him the odds on favorite for the award after five weeks.
Russell Wilson has been untouchable to start the 2019 season, posting a TD/INT ratio of 14/2 (12 passing/2 rushing Tds), and leading the Seahawks to an early 4-1 record on the year. It may have taken a missed kick to get it done, but Wilson’s efforts in Thursday’s game against the LA Rams spoke volumes about his leadership and ability on and off the field. Seattle was playing in the shadow of losing their long-time owner Paul Allen, and Wilson delivered 4 TDs and a win in his honor.
MICHAEL THOMAS (New Orleans Saints)
The man’s Twitter handle does not lie, when it comes to coverage you “@CantGuardMike”.
In a game that saw Teddy Bridgewater erupt for 4 TD’s in one of his best career performances, Thomas was the catalyst. Bridgewater looked Thomas’ way a staggering 13 times and Mike came away with 11 catches/182 Yds/2 TD’s. That performance was by far Thomas’ best of the young season so far, and it was one that showed that the New Orleans Saints can still dominate even in the absence of Drew Brees.
Thomas will remain a top 5 fantasy WR, and arguably a top 3 NFL WR for the rest of the season.
AARON JONES (Green Bay Packers)
Something tells me Aaron Jones wasn’t too happy about losing at home in Week 4. It could just be an educated guess, but it sure felt like Jones went out on the field against the Dallas Cowboys with something to prove.
He wasted little time imposing his will on the Dallas defense, scoring his first of four rushing TD’s in the first quarter. Ultimately, Jones ended his day with a historic stat line of (26 Touches/182 Yds/4 Tds), matching Jim Taylor, Terdell Middleton and Dorsey Levens for the most TDs in Packers single-game history. Jones has been one of the breakout running backs of the season so far, and in an offensive scheme devoted to a strong rushing attack, he’s been the crown jewel.
Look for his dominance to continue as the Packers take on the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
WILL FULLER V (Houston Texans)
If you’re reading this and you started Will Fuller this week you’re ecstatic. If you’re reading this and you benched him or played against him, you’re probably trying to close the page as quickly as possible.
Yes, this was one of those magical weeks where Will Fuller emerged from his cocoon of 2/3 receptions and sprouted into a fantasy butterfly for owners around the world. The oft-injured Texans deep threat just could not be denied on Sunday afternoon, as Deshaun Watson targeted him an absurd (16) times, and found his mark on 14 of those attempts to the tune of 217 yards/3 TDs.
Now, history will tell us that we can’t expect this kind of production from Fuller every week if anything this could be his one true SELL HIGH period of the year for fantasy purposes, but he balled out and he deserves recognition.
MATT BREIDA (San Francisco 49ers)
We’ve got room for one more, so let’s discuss how impressive the 49ers have looked so far this year.
Kyle Shanahan’s surprising 4-0 squad has been winning games the Kyle Shanahan way, they’re running the ball effectively and they’re playing physical defense. The one name that rises above the others in this team’s backfield to me is Matt Breida. Even with the acquisition of former Shanahan disciple Tevin Coleman, Breida has proven himself to be the best running back on the team every chance that he’s gotten.
Breida showcased all of his talents on Monday Night Football against Cleveland. From an 80+ yard rushing TD on the first play from scrimmage to the two more scores he added later on, Breida was unstoppable on Monday night.
At times it looked like that game was Matt Breida vs the Cleveland Browns, and he was flat out dominant. Put some respect on this man’s name.
MY MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM WEEK 5:
The New Orleans Saints are the best team in the NFL through one month.
I can already hear the Boston sports fans in the comment section on this one. I understand that the Patriots are undefeated, I also understand that they still have Tom Brady under center and have had the historic benefit of playing the AFC East for almost two decades.
The New Orleans Saints were written off as dead under a month ago by plenty of pundits and fans alike when Drew Brees went down with a hand injury. In his place, the Saints entrusted their season to Teddy Bridgewater. Since Brees’ injury, the Saints are 3-0 and 4-1 on the season as a whole. They have proven themselves to be the most resilient team in the league through five weeks, and they’ve done it against the toughest competition.
A hard-luck loss to the LA Rams after Brees’ injury is the lone blight on this Saints team’s record through five weeks of play. While the team waits for their surefire Hall of Fame QB to return they’ve won every single game. They’ve won games against three straight teams with winning records (Seattle/Dallas/Tampa Bay), and they’ve won each of them with a full team effort on both sides of the ball.
New Orleans went to CenturyLink Field and defeated my presumptive MVP favorite Russell Wilson in a game where Wilson had no turnovers and made no mistakes. They defeated an unbeaten Dallas Cowboys team and held them to just ten points in the Superdome, winning with their defense and special teams.
This past week they knocked off a surprisingly feisty Tampa Bay Bucs team on the road and did it behind Teddy Bridgewater’s best performance of his NFL career. The Saints aren’t regressing in the absence of Drew Brees, they’re pulling together and becoming stronger through adversity.
You don’t have to love Teddy Bridgewater, and you don’t have to believe that this team can overcome their playoff curse, but you need to respect the heart they’ve shown over the past three weeks. This is a team that plays hard on each and every down, and they play for the guys lined up next to them. That mentality and that focus make the Saints my personal pick as the best team in the NFL through five weeks.
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