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SuperFlex & 2QB Rankings for Week 5 (Fantasy Football)

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) walks on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Welcome back FootClan to an already outstanding Week 5 of fantasy football!

It feels like just yesterday we were watching the NFL draft, yet here we are today, watching Kirk Cousins throw for 500+ yards on Thursday night. What more could we possibly ask for?

Now, on to business. In Week 4, we welcomed just Jared Goff to the 2024 QB1 room after posting his first top 12 numbers this season. With the addition of Goff, we have now reached 25 different QB1s through the first quarter of the season:

Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, Anthony Richardson, Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr, Geno Smith, CJ Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray, Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, Malik Willis, Andy Dalton, Justin Fields, Jared Goff.

After a successful Week 4, today we’ll aim to identify three new QBs (ranked outside the Ballers’ top 12) who display QB1 upside in Week 5. To reference the Ballers’ Week 5 QB rankings, be sure to click here!

Player Highlighted Week 4 Ranking Week 4 Finish
Baker Mayfield 16 3
Andy Dalton 17 11
Caleb Williams 20 21

15. Anthony Richardson / Joe Flacco

While divisional games can often throw us unexpected curveballs, you have to be thrilled about this matchup for Anthony Richardson.

Jacksonville has been an absolute train wreck this season. Currently sitting at 0-4, their defense ranks bottom-six in pass attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns allowed, as well as being one of four teams with zero interceptions. They come in 19th in rushing yards allowed to QBs and have officially taken over the reins for last place in PPG to opposing fantasy QBs. That is about as juicy as it gets.

Now let’s address the bad.

Currently taking it “day-by-day,” AR has posted three straight limited practices after suffering an oblique injury in the first quarter of Week 3. We unfortunately won’t know his true status until Sunday, but if he’s available, the moon is the ceiling against this dreadful Jacksonville defense.

Jonathan Taylor has been officially ruled out due to an ankle injury, meaning we are likely to see a healthy dose of backup RB Trey Sermon against the 25th-ranked defense to opposing fantasy RBs. Although it’s easy to view JT’s absence as a negative (assuming Jacksonville will hyper-focus on AR), this may present more passing and rushing opportunities for the most athletically gifted QB the league has ever seen. When it comes to fantasy, that’s all we can ask for. The Colts currently boast PFF’s first-overall-ranked offensive line, which should buy AR plenty of time to scramble, buy time, and make plays via his arm and his legs.

As one of the most hyped fantasy players entering this season, Richardson has been nothing short of a letdown at QB20 so far, but this comes with the territory. He has always been a high-risk, high-reward prospect, and sometimes, in our world of fake football, you have to shoot for the moon. That’s what we’re doing here.

The Colts sit in the middle with a team-implied total of 22, but as +2.5 underdogs, also project to be staging a comeback at the end of this game. Assuming Richardson is available, it’s hard not to buy into his upside given the matchup.

*Side Note: While Richardson’s ceiling often relies on his legs, Joe Flacco entered the game last week and revitalized this Colts passing game with Michael Pittman gaining 113 yards on six receptions and Josh Downs gaining 82 yards on eight receptions.

They are polar opposites as players, but if Richardson is unable to go, I believe Flacco can also hold low-end QB1 upside. Although he doesn’t have anywhere near the same ceiling as Richardson, one could certainly make an argument that as a healthy, accurate QB, he probably holds a higher floor.

I’d be happy with either one as my QB2 this week and would give a boost to the entire WR core if Flacco gets the nod.

18. Trevor Lawrence

As we just mentioned, this season has been not so pretty for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This is a team with no identity, doesn’t excel at anything, and just signed their franchise QB to the second-largest contract in NFL history. Now, let’s not overreact, because every time a QB signs a new contract, it becomes the largest contract in NFL history – but for the time being, it’s not a good look.

Before we begin, I’m going to take a moment here to defend Trevor Lawrence. Just because he may not be the elite prodigy we all hoped for, doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a bad QB.

Let’s not forget his QB8 fantasy finish in 2022. Let’s not forget that he suffered a high-ankle sprain, a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, a knee sprain, and a concussion all in the second half of last season. Let’s not forget the Urban Meyer experience in his rookie year, which alone could have broken the average player. Let’s not forget the first-round pick of RB Travis Etienne (instead of another cornerstone piece) to a last-place, rebuilding team that same season. Let’s not forget the overpays of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and now Gabe Davis – who currently has nine receptions for 121 yards and zero touchdowns through the first four weeks – all while simultaneously pricing themselves out of Calvin Ridley.

The Jaguars have been a team in need of a rebuild since the day Lawrence arrived, but they instead have been acting like contenders. Where does that leave them? Well, today, they have a middling (at best) offensive line, a questionable WR core, and a defense ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category. They are building their team around Lawrence like he is Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes, but not everyone can be those guys. In fact, as the QB16 on the season, even Mahomes can’t be Mahomes.

Lawrence has admittedly made some head-scratching plays this season, but he’s got a long career ahead of him. I’m not here to make excuses for plays like the interception we saw in Buffalo, but sometimes we’re quick to write off young players who may just need more time. Any of you who have been holding on to Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold should be nodding your head right now.

While I do believe we should be seeing better play from TLaw, I also don’t believe this team has presented a recipe for success, and if this season continues in this direction, GM Trent Baalke’s job should be seriously reconsidered. There is plenty of potential in Jacksonville, but they need to do things right.

Now, I digress.

The Jaguars were this close (pinching fingers emoji) to upsetting the Texans last week but unfortunately crumbled with just 18 seconds remaining, as bad teams often do. In a home divisional matchup this week against the Colts, HC Doug Pedersen has to get this team on the right track, or his future with the team may be reevaluated sooner rather than later.

Despite last week’s loss, this offense did take a step in the right direction. They got back to their basics, finding success on the ground with both Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, as well as hyper-targeting Christian Kirk and getting first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr. involved with 86 yards and a touchdown against a solid Houston secondary.

Their offensive line (currently ranked 25th via PFF) allowed just one pressure, with no sacks or QB hits, and finished the week second overall in pass-block efficiency score. This team has no choice but to build on this performance, and is aiming to repeat this success against a Colts team coming in 30th in PPG allowed to opposing fantasy QBs.

As of Friday afternoon, starting CB Kenny Moore (third overall in PFF’s coverage rating) and DE Kwity Paye have already been ruled out. This should not only allow Lawrence more time in the pocket but also take away one of the best CBs in the league from a team that has already faced significant injuries in their secondary.

While CB Samuel Womack III has been putting up his best statistical season to date, both Kirk and Thomas Jr. match up favorably in their individual projections, specifically with Kirk lining up (almost) exclusively against SCB Chris Lammons, who comes in with a lowly 46.2 coverage grade after being brought up from the practice squad due to CB JuJu Brents being sent to IR. Kirk has seen 12 and 10 targets over the past two weeks and should flirt with double-digit numbers again if the Colts can keep up.

As home favorites (-2.5) with the (tied for) fourth-highest team-implied point total this week at 24.5, there is a lot to like about Lawrence and the Jaguars this week. Despite an O/U of just 46.5, this game is shaping up to present fantasy gold on both sides of the ball.

19. Caleb Williams

Could this finally be the blow up week for Caleb Williams?

We were so excited for him in Week 4 against the Rams, but D’Andre Swift stole the show with 165 all-purpose yards, taking Chicago to 2-2 on the season. Just like last week, this week’s home matchup against Carolina represents an ideal opportunity for Caleb Williams to officially introduce himself to the rest of the NFL.

The Panthers have been gradually improving their defensive fantasy performance, entering the week ranked 27th in PPG to opposing WRs. They have given up at least two touchdown passes in three of the four games they’ve played, as well as two QB1 performances on the season (50%). This could have easily been three QB1 performances if the Chargers opted to even pretend to pass in the second half of their 26-3 romp in Week 2.

All three of the Panthers’ CBs rank between 42nd and 52nd (of 98 qualified players) in coverage this season, leaving plenty of opportunity for Chicago’s elite trio of WRs. Keenan Allen returned last week from a heel injury, playing 68% of snaps, and after apparently the entire offense confronted OC Shane Waldron, we can only hope for an increase of 3WR sets.

The Panthers as a whole have gained momentum since unleashing Andy Dalton, which is another positive (fantasy) reason to believe in Caleb this week. While they are still a bottom-dwelling team, Dalton’s ability to at least keep them alive helps all offensive players on the other side of the ball and gives us an actually entertaining product to watch.

The Panthers lost their best defensive player (DE Derrick Brown) in Week 1, and have been struggling to find their identity under new HC Dave Canales, presenting the perfect opportunity to build on last week’s win and get some confidence in the Bears’ young superstar.

The Bears’ offensive line presents a mismatch against the Panthers’ defensive line, and they enter the week tied for 10th with a team-implied total of 23. We know the Bears want to protect the new face of their franchise, but at some point, they need to let him loose and be the Caleb we saw at USC.

Let those painted fingernails fly, baby.



from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/jYyJZAT
SuperFlex & 2QB Rankings for Week 5 (Fantasy Football) SuperFlex & 2QB Rankings for Week 5 (Fantasy Football) Reviewed by Admin on October 04, 2024 Rating: 5

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