Our Fantrax writers making bold predictions week-to-week are on a roll! For the second week in a row, half of our predictions are paying off for fantasy football managers. Though on the same team, predicting big days from two Detroit Lions, Jamaal Williams and Josh Reynolds, is something Reese Jones and I were confident in for Week 4. They both sit inside the top-10 at their position for the week. Michael Quintero’s call that Romeo Doubs would show out for the second week in a row was solid, too. Doubs was so close to finishing as the WR6 after failing to hold on to a 40-yard, 11.0-point, touchdown pass. Still, he ends up as the WR13.
We continue to fire away with quality bold predictions that will earn you a quantity of fantasy football points. Our 50% or better success rate motivates us all to continue to strive toward perfection as a group. Again, these are usually players you’re on the fence about. We feel good about giving you that extra push with our bold predictions to put them into your lineups.
You’re going to start your studs of course week in and week out. It’s undeniable, though, that you will run into a few lineup decisions that could make or break your week this season. Our team at Fantrax is here to help. These weekly bold predictions are meant to tip the scale in favor of the players below. We believe they have a chance to help win you the week and put up big numbers. The bold predictions won’t always have a 100% success rate but do provide a well-educated guess for the ceiling each player can achieve each week.
Be sure to follow all of these bold predictions and more @Fantrax on Twitter and @fantraxsports on Instagram!
2022 NFL Week 5 Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football
Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots
Bold Prediction: 18 rushes, 90 yards, 2 touchdowns
21.0 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Colin McTamany, @Colin_McT on Twitter
Colin’s Breakdown: All Damien Harris does is score touchdowns. So, to say he’s going to score against the Detroit Lions, who are allowing the most-points per game through four weeks, isn’t too bold. To say he’s going to find the end zone twice? Now we’re talking for fantasy football purposes.
I want to be clear that I think Rhamondre Stevenson is also capable of having a nice Week 5 in addition to my Harris bold prediction performance. The Lions are leading the league in rushing touchdowns allowed (8) to running backs. That’s an average of two per game! The way to beat this team is to simply run the football. Just ask Seattle Seahawks’ running back, Rashaad Penny, who totaled 151 rushing yards and two scores on just 17 carries against them in Week 4.
With Mac Jones recovering from an ankle injury, and Brian Hoyer on the Injured Reserve, it will be fourth-round rookie, Bailey Zappe, under center for the Patriots on Sunday. I imagine Bill Belichick plans to have Zappe hand the ball off to both Harris and Stevenson as much as possible in this one. I’m starting both, as a result, where I can.
In addition to my Week 5 bold prediction, Damien Harris makes my Week 5 Love List for the reasons above as well as his projected use in the red zone.
Robert Woods, WR, Tennessee Titans
Bold Prediction: 8 receptions, 91 yards, 1 touchdown
23.1 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Lauren Auerbach, @lkauerbach on Twitter
Lauren’s Breakdown: Robert Woods isn’t exactly setting the fantasy football world on fire this season so scoring north of 20.0 points is definitely a bold prediction. Woods is starting to heat up over the past couple of weeks. He caught four-of-nine passes for 85 yards in Week 3, and he caught all four of his targets for 30 yards and a touchdown in Week 4. Woods has a prime opportunity to produce this week in a juicy matchup against the Washington Commanders.
The Titans don’t throw the ball a ton, but Woods should still be able to shine. He has a 25.7% target share over the last three games, and he should see a bump in targets this week with Treylon Burks likely out with turf toe. A favorable matchup and an increase in targets?! This is the week to buy into Woods.
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bold Prediction: 7 receptions, 100 yards, 1 touchdown
23.0 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Bradlee Kilgore, @SirBradleeK on Twitter
Bradlee’s Breakdown: The Kenny Pickett era is underway! He showcased the electricity he can bring to the game last week, as he came in as relief for Mitch Trubisky, and immediately provided a spark, scoring two touchdowns on the ground. He also went 10/13 for over 100 yards, having taken (I assume) no first-team snaps the prior week in practice. Those three incompletions happen to be interceptions, but the willingness to throw the deep ball was evident. That’s where George Pickens and my bold prediction for Week 5 will thrive.
Last week, Pickens had six catches for 102 yards. He also had a touchdown called back on him, but this week, I think we see the real thing. Steelers fans are going to get a snapshot of their potential offensive future, with the Bills still nursing several injuries in their secondary. Poyer is back for the Bills, which makes things slightly more difficult, but the Bills are currently 14.0-point favorites, which implies a game script heavily tilted toward the passing game for the Steelers. Lock in Pickens.
Mack Hollins, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Bold Prediction: 8 receptions, 110 yards, 1 touchdown
25.0 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Michael Quintero, @WeekendMike on Twitter
Michael’s Breakdown: Hunter Renfrow is due back in Week 5 after a Week 2 concussion. In his absence, Mack Hollins is second in team targets (15) behind just Davante Adams (23) on the Las Vegas Raiders. Over the last two weeks, he is seeing a fantasy-friendly 20.8% target share. Even with Renfrow back, my bold prediction claims Hollins will remain a big part of this offense on Monday Night Football.
The Kansas City Chiefs are allowing the 12th-most points to opponents this season. Digging a little deeper, they’ve allowed seven passing touchdowns to just two rushing touchdowns to opposing offenses, as well. In order to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs offense, I think Derek Carr is going to be busy through the air. Tom Brady threw 51 times against the Chiefs in Week 4. If Carr follows suit, I like Hollins to pick up chunk plays and find the end zone.
Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
Bold Prediction: 9 receptions, 105 yards, 2 touchdowns
31.5 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Kai Haskins, @HaiKaskins on Twitter
Kai’s Breakdown: I’m giving Elijah Moore another shot at success in Week 5. From my bold prediction, you can clearly see I believe he rises to the occasion this weekend. It’s easy to take Moore’s lack of production from the first four weeks and consider him a bust. However, his value is connected to the return of quarterback, Zach Wilson, who took the field for the first time just last week. Even then, one game is too small of a 2022 sample size to panic, especially considering Corey Davis had the best day commanding a team-high 21% of targets and 32% of air yards. Nobody saw that coming.
Elijah Moore is still playing the most snaps of all Jets wide receivers. Corey Davis nor Garrett Wilson played more than 77% of the snaps in Zach Wilson’s 2022 debut while Moore was out there for 90% of them. Moore is also the league leader in routes run after four weeks. I know, snap count and routes run don’t score you fantasy points. It’s only a matter of time, though, before Moore has a monster day because of his playing time and involvement. Moore has a great shot to do so in Week 5 against a Miami Dolphins team allowing the fifth-most yards and fantasy points to wide receivers through the first four weeks.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills
Bold Prediction: 6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 touchdown
19.5 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Reese Jones, @PotPharma on Twitter
Reese’s Breakdown: The Bills’ third wide receiver option, Isaiah McKenzie, is still in concussion protocol. Buffalo’s speedster is shaping up to be absent in this week’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The WR2, Gabe Davis, is having an up-and-down season so far as he recovers from an ankle injury. That leaves rookie wide receiver, Khalil Shakir, as the healthiest secondary receiving option behind Stefon Diggs.
There is plenty of room for another playmaker in this high-octane Bills offense. Diggs should receive his usual targets, but we should see Shakir highly involved this week, as well. Playing against a shaky Steelers secondary that ranks sixth-worst against fantasy football wide receivers, Shakir could be in store for some rookie highs. My bold prediction is that the rookie Bill breaks out in a big way.
Also make sure to check out our Week 5 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings