My Week 5 streamers are a veritable who’s who… of players on Washington and Jacksonville. Truth be told, finding the right streamers is all about exploiting matchups, and the matchups for those two teams jump off the page. Many of their players have relatively low Week 5 startership, so those two games make a lot of sense to target from a streaming standpoint.
As always in my pick-six column, I highlight one player at each position who I believe has great appeal in weekly formats and head-to-head matchups. At the end is a little bonus that will be an added feature going forward. Without further ado, here are my favorite Week 5 streamers at each position.
Week 5 Streamers for Fantasy Football
Quarterback
Alex Smith, Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
I went back and forth between whether to feature Blake Bortles (28 percent active) or Alex Smith (24 percent) in this space. To be perfectly frank, I do not think you can go wrong with either guy. I believe both are fine choices, but I am going to focus on Smith here.
Smith’s 32 pass attempts per game initially gave me pause, but his numbers so far have been very reliant on game script. Smith totaled just 50 throws in two double-digit Washington wins but attempted 46 passes in the one game they have lost. That elevated total figures to be closer to his projected Week 5 workload on Monday night when Washington heads to the Bayou to challenge the New Orleans Saints as a 6.5-point underdog. Despite holding Eli Manning in check last week, the Saints are still a mess in pass coverage. New Orleans has allowed an obscene 9.64 yards per attempt through four weeks. If Smith exceeds 40 attempts as a road dog, expect good things to follow.
Another reason I like Smith here is that New Orleans has actually been quite stout against the run. The Saints have allowed just 2.96 yards per rush to opposing running backs so far this season. I believe they will be able to hold Adrian Peterson at bay and force Smith to beat them. Smith should have the ability to do so against a defense that has recorded just nine sacks and three turnovers this year. I think this game sets up well for Smith and the Washington passing game. The combination of the matchup and likely game flow make Alex Smith one of my favorite Week 5 streamers.
Running Back
T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs
T.J. Yeldon is currently active in just 40 percent of leagues and is still available in nearly a quarter of leagues. If you have him rostered and currently on your bench, plug him in. If he is still available in your league, pick him up now. Seriously, don’t even finish reading this until you add him. Once you add him, you can come back and read the reasons he is an RB1 this week in all formats.
Yeldon has stepped in admirably for the oft-injured Leonard Fournette so far this year. Jacksonville is not afraid to feature Yeldon when Fournette is unavailable. Yeldon averages 15.8 touches per game and is currently the overall RB12 already on the young season. He should have plenty of opportunities to build upon those numbers in the next few weeks, as Fournette reaggravated his hamstring injury and is likely to miss multiple games. In Week 5, Yeldon has massive upside as Jacksonville takes on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Because the Chiefs’ offense is scoring so many points, opponents are often forced to throw against them. This has inflated passing numbers for Kansas City opponents and has hidden the fact that their defense against running backs has been atrocious. They have allowed the seventh-most rushing yards to enemy backs, and have yielded the fourth-highest yards per carry. The Chiefs have also been bludgeoned by running backs in the passing game, an area in which Yeldon excels. Kansas City has allowed the most receiving yards and fifth-most receptions to opposing running backs.
Kansas City has already managed to allow seven(!) different running backs to post top-24 weekly fantasy totals. Opponents have largely used a committee approach against the Chiefs, but that is unlikely to be the case with Fournette out of the picture. I expect Yeldon to surpass 20 touches and 100 total yards in this game with a high probability of finding the end zone against a vulnerable defense playing on a short week. T.J. Yeldon is the gold standard for Week 5 streamers in this matchup.
Wide Receiver
Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Washington’s leading receiver a season ago, Jamison Crowder has taken a back seat in the early stages of 2018. Crowder has just nine catches for 79 yards through three games. Those are hardly numbers to get excited about, especially in this pass-happy era. But the four-year vet should be in line for his best game of the young season in Monday night’s game against New Orleans.
Though New Orleans is susceptible to breakdowns on deep balls, it remains to be seen whether Alex Smith will threaten the Saints in that area. I believe it is much more likely that Smith generates offense on shorter throws. This will benefit Crowder, along with running back Chris Thompson and tight end Jordan Reed. Crowder also mans the slot, which is an area New Orleans has struggled to defend. Sterling Shepard posted an overall WR9 finish last week in PPR leagues (you’re welcome) and Crowder has a chance to follow suit. He is currently active in just 30 percent of leagues, behind 48 other wide receivers. Jamison Crowder should exceed expectations and emerge from Week 5 with starter-level production.
Tight End
Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
Austin Hooper is never high on the Falcons’ totem pole. Hooper has just 15 targets on 145 Matt Ryan pass attempts this season. Calvin Ridley has emerged as a legitimate threat to pair with Julio Jones, and Atlanta still has Mohamed Sanu and two capable pass-catching backs in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. This dynamic usually has Hooper fighting for scraps at the kids’ table. But he is worth considering this week in what should be a Week 5 shootout in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh’s defense is one to target for fantasy purposes, and the tight end position is no exception. The Steelers have been destroyed by tight ends ever since a Week 1 dud by David Njoku. Over their last three games, opposing tight ends have secured 26 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh. There should be plenty of opportunities in a game with a massive 58-point total in Vegas. Hooper is owned in just 64 percent of leagues and being started in just 36 percent. He makes for an ideal Week 5 streamer, especially for owners of Trey Burton or O.J. Howard.
Kicker
Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers v. New York Giants
As always, there are rightfully plenty of streamers to choose from at kicker. I have my eye on Graham Gano of the Carolina Panthers. The veteran has barely been a top-25 kicker to this point in the season and is available in 74 percent of leagues. But I think Gano is set up for a big Week 5 effort against the New York Giants.
The main reason for Gano’s lack of scoring is that Carolina has been quite successful in the red zone. Carolina has scored touchdowns on 70 percent of its red zone possessions. However, the Giants are tied for fourth in defensive red zone touchdown percentage. I also think Carolina will be playing from in front in this game. They will have the luxury of settling for field goals and letting their defense do the heavy lifting against a subpar offense. I think Graham Gano posts his first double-digit scoring game of 2018 and finishes the week as a top-ten kicker.
Defense
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills
The top streaming option for those looking to pick up a defense this week is the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee ranks in the top-eight among defenses in fantasy scoring this season. Yet they are owned in less than half and started in less than a third of Fantrax leagues. The Titans are in a prime spot this week as they travel to Buffalo to face the 1-3 Bills.
Buffalo has scored just 50 points all season long and were shut out last week in Green Bay. Buffalo’s passing game is nonexistent, and that does not figure to improve this week. The Bills have allowed 21 sacks through four weeks, and their quarterbacks have thrown six interceptions. Tennessee should be able to tee off against Josh Allen, and I’m expecting a high number of sacks and turnovers. The Titans are my number-one fantasy defense this week and an obvious Week 5 streaming option. They are still available in 55 percent of leagues.
The Extra Point
What’s a pick-six without an extra point? My editor, the great Doug Anderson (@rotodaddy on Twitter) came up with this idea recently. I think it is genius because it fits the theme and is an added bonus for those who are in deeper or more competitive leagues. When this column becomes a global phenomenon and leads to fame, fortune, and hashtags, I will thank Doug fondly.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Contrary to popular belief, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is an actual NFL player and not the product of a Key & Peele skit. Valdes-Scantling was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft out of USF. He was one of three receivers Green Bay selected in this year’s draft but has separated himself from fellow rookies J’Mon Moore and Equanimous St. Brown (also not products of Key & Peele). Valdes-Scantling has earned more playing time in each game this year and has a huge chance to make an impact in Week 5 when the Packers head to Detroit to face the Lions.
The Packers’ receiving corps is in dire straits heading into their NFC North showdown. Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target Davante Adams suffered a calf injury in Wednesday’s practice and missed Thursday’s session. Leading receiver Geronimo Allison is in the concussion protocol and unlikely to return in time for Sunday’s game. And slot receiver Randall Cobb missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury and has not practiced at all this week. With Cobb out last week, Valdes-Scantling played in a season-high 71.1 percent of offensive snaps. That number only figures to increase with Green Bay’s top three receivers questionable at best to take the field.
Even if Adams suits up, he will be at less than 100 percent and figures to draw Darius Slay in coverage. The circumstances surrounding Adams and the rest of Green Bay’s wideouts should give Valdes-Scantling ample opportunities to win matchups and make plays with his 6’4” frame and 4.37 speed. Owned in just 14 percent of leagues and active in just 2 percent, Marquez Valdes-Scantling makes for an intriguing Week 5 flier for those in deeper leagues.
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.
Ready to amp up your Fantasy Football game even more? Check out The Fantasy Black Book Show, where Joe Pisapia, Scott Bogman, and The Welsh bring the goods every week.