Fantasy football is no different than life in that you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready. It’s unlikely that Amon-Ra St. Brown plays this week, Jahmyr Gibbs was a late add to the injury report, and the Packers have a pair of fantasy regulars who were cautiously eased back into action last week.
Oh yeah, and you have to decide what to do with Cooper Kupp and Jonathan Taylor, not to mention the pieces attached to them in their 2023 debuts. Did I mention that Tee Higgins has a broken rib or that 10-ish weekly RB/WR starters are on bye this week?
The moral of the story is that the odds are good that the lineup you set last week isn’t an option this week. Let me lend a hand with three players who I like more than you and have no problem counting on them as you piece together your Week 5 lineup.
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Jaylen Warren vs. Baltimore Ravens
Warren has 10 more catches this season than Najee Harris has targets, putting him in a position to thrive against the eighth blitz-heaviest defense in the league. Pittsburgh enters this game as a home underdog, leading to a projected game script that would favor Warren and allow him to post his best fantasy performance this young season.
Avoid Tackle Rate per Touch Leaders
(59%) De'Von Achane
(41%) Jahmyr Gibbs
(40%) Jaylen Warren
(39%) Kenneth Walker
(38%) Chuba Hubbard
(38%) Zach Moss
(37%) Bijan Robinson
(37%) David Montgomery
(36%) Khalil HerbertMost Elusive RBs in the League so far
— Alex Caruso (@AlexCaruso) October 3, 2023
The explosive 24-year-old has a touch gaining more than 15 yards in three straight games, giving you an upside profile that is worth gambling on if you’re in a tough spot.
Rashee Rice at Minnesota Vikings
I’m not ready to say we have a WR1 in Kansas City, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Rice is the hot pickup this week if he isn’t already rostered. The rookie has seen at least five targets in three of four games this season, involvement in a Patrick Mahomes-led offense that would alone have my interest piqued.
But wait, there’s more.
His aDOT is far and away the lowest of the Chief regulars, putting him in a spot to thrive against the blitz-heaviest team in the league. Those short targets should allow him to build a nice fantasy base this week, and let’s not forget that he had “vertical threat” and “proficient ball-tracker” on his report card coming out of SMU.
I’m going Rice in DFS contests this week and have no issue going this direction in an annual league where you’re impacted by byes/health.
Romeo Doubs at the Las Vegas Raiders
If you’re looking at your bench for upside, you want at least one of these boxes checked:
- Downfield role
- Scoring equity
- Volume of targets
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Well, through four weeks, Doubs ranks top 20 in target rate and target shares, not to mention top 12 in unrealized air yards and red-zone targets. That’s a heck of a profile to bring into a game against the worst red zone defense since the beginning of 2021, who also happens to create pressure at the third-lowest rate this season.
Christian Watson expects to be more involved than he was in his Week 4 return to action. Any fantasy projection dip for Doubs that comes from targets lost to Watson could be offset by an increased quality of target due to less defensive attention.