NFL Week 5 fantasy football preview, Thursday night: Bears at Commanders

Chicago Bears (0-4) at Washington Commanders (2-2)

Week 4 gave Packers fans a crushing loss at home as Lions fans invaded Lambeau Field during the divisional match-up. Lions got out to a quick early lead and there wasn’t much the Packers could do to get back into it.

Week 4 Game Ball: David Montgomery 32 Rushes, 2 Catches, 141 Total Yards, and 3 Touchdowns

Jahmyr Gibbs owners were scratching their heads all game trying to understand Gibbs’s usage (me being one of them), but Dan Campbell has spoken, and Montgomery is the clear lead back on this team. The guy just runs hard, and that’s the kind of back Dan Campbell wants. He may not continue to get 32 carries every week but look for him to get a majority of the share going forward. 

Thursday night fantasy preview: Week 5 starts

Elite Starts

These are my locked-in starts that you never need to think twice about. Just put them in and watch the magic happen.

Unfortunately, I don’t either team will provide an elite start this week. Inconsistency has played a factor for both teams so far this year. Many people were hoping that Justin Fields would have been here, but we need to see more from him before we can rely on him.

Solid Starts

These are the starts you shouldn’t be nervous about but certainly aren’t locked in for top-tier production.

Justin Fields – Well, we finally got the Justin Fields everyone hoped for when drafting him….kind of. While we hope he can clean up the turnovers, the four touchdowns were nice to have. Everyone would love to see more designed run plays for him as well, but I think we will see more of that as the season unfolds. What we all hope he gets under control are his turnovers. He has seven of them on the year so far. If he can clean those up, he’ll be able to complete more of these drives.

Projection: 220 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, 2 total touchdowns, and 1 interception

DJ Moore – Outside of Week 1, the target share for DJ Moore has been 25%, 30%, and 28%. I understand the Bears aren’t exactly a high-volume passing offense, but I’ll still take those numbers. They finally unleashed him last week with 131 yards and 1 touchdown. I don’t expect him to put up the same numbers in week 5 but look for him to be targeted early and often. Quarterback play has hindered Moore’s fantasy value his whole career, we all just want to see him be featured!

Projection: 8 catches for 98 yards 

Brian Robinson Jr. – It’s become clear that this backfield belongs to Robinson. There was some uncertainty between him and Antonio Gibson at the beginning of the season, but that has been cleared up at this point. Robinson should have had a bigger week 4 if it wasn’t for a slight mishap he had at the goal line. Regardless, it looks like all Washington goal line work should be dedicated to him. He gets a juicy Bears match-up that no one should be worried about.

Projection: 2 catches for 90 all-purpose yards

Terry McLaurin – So far this season, he is averaging 5.25 receptions and 53 yards per game. I see this as a get-right game for Terry. So far, the Bears have given up the 4th most passing yards in the league and the second-most passing touchdowns. Look for Terry to add to his 1 receiving touchdown on the year.

Projection: 7 catches for 90 yards and 1 touchdown

Cole Kmet – When it comes to the tight end position, you could do much worse. Kmet’s first three weeks didn’t turn anyone’s head, but he had a statement game last week with 85 yards and two touchdowns while commanding 28% of the target shares. This production obviously correlates with Justin Fields getting it together. I’m going to bank on Fields showing more progress throughout the season and that should make for a serviceable year for Kmet.

Projection: 5 catches for 58 yards

Flex Worthy Starts 

They are worth a start, but no one is going to blame you if you want to bench them.

Khalil Herbert – Did we finally get the breakout performance we have been waiting for with Herbert. Yes, but I will still temper my expectations. The Bears have come out and said that they really want to get Roschon Johnson involved. Even with that being said, I love the 2.5 catches per game Herbert has been getting so far this season. Adding that catching ability makes a big difference on the bottom line of fantasy production, unless you’re Derrick Henry. I think Herbert will find his way into his first rushing touchdown this season.

Projection: 2 catches, 79 all-purpose yards, and 1 touchdown

Break Glass in Case of Emergency Starts

Starts that will have questionable usage and you are just hoping you can sneak a touchdown out of them. Pick your poison.

• Sam Howell
• Roschon Johnson
• Antonio Gibson
• Darnell Mooney
• Jahan Dotson

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