It is hard to believe, but we have just about completed a quarter of the season already. Passing offenses are putting up video game numbers each and every week. The days of a quarterback being considered elite for reaching 4,000 yards or 30 touchdown passes are officially a thing of the past. Those numbers are commonplace in today’s NFL. For those who are streaming quarterbacks each week, matchups are of primary importance. Here are some of the matchups I am looking to attack at the quarterback position. These are my Week 5 quarterback sleepers.
Week 5 Quarterback Sleepers
Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Only in 2018 can a quarterback throw for 465 yards and 5 touchdowns and have it not be the best fantasy performance of the week. Still, Jared Goff’s Week 4 effort was incredibly impressive. Goff improved by leaps and bounds from 2016 to 2017 and has taken his game to another level this year. Goff has 1,406 passing yards and 11 touchdowns through a quarter of the season. What stands out too is Goff’s tremendous efficiency. Goff has accumulated those lofty statistics over just 134 pass attempts. Goff has posted top-15 finishes in each week despite the Rams never having to play catchup or force the issue. Next up for Goff and the Rams is a Week 5 date in Seattle.
While Goff should be a no-brainer start at this point, you may look at the numbers and think Seattle is a matchup to fear. They rank in the top-five in both average passing yards allowed per game and interceptions forced. However, we have to put those numbers in perspective. Seattle has faced Case Keenum, Mitchell Trubisky, Dak Prescott, and Josh Rosen thus far. Hardly a Murderers’ Row of fantasy quarterbacks. (Trubisky’s Week 4 game notwithstanding.) Seattle is in for a rude awakening when the Rams come into town. The Seahawks are also without ball-hawking safety Earl Thomas after he broke his leg. If you are worried about Goff’s Week 5 matchup, you have little to fear. Plug him in and enjoy another top-ten fantasy performance.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs
Blake Bortles has been extremely hit or miss thus far in 2018. He has alternated good fantasy games with bad ones through four weeks. The former third overall NFL Draft pick has shown an extremely high ceiling as of late. Bortles has posted top-10 weekly fantasy finishes in two of his last three games and has accounted for over 400 yards of total offense both times. Last week he threw for 388 yards and two scores against the New York Jets. Bortles also ran for an additional 28 yards. He hopes to build on that momentum heading into a great matchup this week on the road in Kansas City.
The Kansas City Chiefs slowed down Case Keenum on Monday night but are still a favorable matchup for opposing passing games. The Chiefs allow an average of 343 passing yards to enemy signal callers. I think Kansas City is in for a bit of a letdown following a big divisional road win. The Chiefs are hosting Jacksonville on a short week and also may be looking ahead to next week’s game with New England. I think this is a prime spot for Blake Bortles to put up some huge numbers. I think he is right on the QB1/QB2 fringe in Week 5.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
Derek Carr is on pace to break the NFL record for most passing yards in a season and is currently 18th among quarterbacks in fantasy points. If that stat does not epitomize football in 2018, I don’t know what does. There are a couple of reasons for the juxtaposition in Carr’s numbers. First, Carr has thrown just six touchdown passes through four games. He has also thrown a league-high seven interceptions. The other factor that has hindered Carr’s fantasy production is his lack of rushing output. Carr literally has zero rushing yards on the season. The one-dimensional quarterback will look to build on last week’s top-five fantasy finish when he heads to Los Angeles to face the Chargers.
The Chargers have been a middling fantasy matchup for opposing quarterbacks so far in 2018. They have held Josh Allen and C.J. Beathard in check, but have given up top-six finishes to both Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff. I think it is safe to say that Carr falls somewhere in the middle of that quarterback spectrum. As such, I think he will put forth a decent performance this week. He may not post another 437-yard, four touchdown game, but I think Derek Carr is in line for a very serviceable Week 5 fantasy finish.
Alex Smith, Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Alex Smith has not gotten off to a great fantasy start in 2018. Smith has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game and has accounted for just four touchdowns through three games. It is fair to wonder how much of last season’s success was a result of the talent surrounding Smith in Kansas City. But Smith does have an extremely favorable matchup this week when he leads Washington into New Orleans to do battle with the Saints.
New Orleans had been a joke of a pass defense early on before tightening up in last week’s victory against the New York Giants. I think the Saints’ success was more a result of Eli Manning’s unwillingness to attack downfield as opposed to any improve New Orleans made schematically. I still think the Saints have holes that can be exploited. Smith may not be the best quarterback to try to take advantage, but I do expect him to challenge the Saints downfield at least a little bit. Washington will have to put up plenty of points in this game, and I believe Smith is in for a huge day. Alex Smith makes for an ideal Week 5 quarterback sleeper.
All our Week 4 Sleepers: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends
Mick Ciallela has been writing for FantraxHQ since July 2017. He has also written for Bleacher Report. He is a lifelong sports fan and has been an avid fantasy sports player for many years. Mick was the Overall Champion of both the 2016 Football Challenge – Roto and 2017 Play 3 Football contests hosted by CDM Sports. MIck was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York and currently resides in New London, Connecticut.
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