Tank Bigsby’s rise didn’t come out of nowhere. Jags himself said he wanted one starting in the winter. Bigsby was going to take every opportunity to get the job this season. He does, and continues to cash in his carries for further work.
On Sunday, Travis Etienne may have won the starring role. Bigsby again ran around his backfield mates with incredible touchdown runs of 19 and 65 yards, completely outscoring Etienne for the first time. Bigsby outplayed Etienne in this game, coming exclusively in his place in the fourth quarter.
Bigsby, who currently leads the NFL in average rushing yards above expectations, literally did everything possible to seize the Jags’ 1A role. I expect him to bring it in Week 6 against a tough Bears defense, but he’s still more forgiving on the ground than in the air.
5 weeks 5 storylines
The Ravens’ passing outburst is comparable to Mark Andrews’ just 4-of-55. Lamar Jackson threw for the third-most yards and had the fifth-most pass attempts of his career. If ever there was a game where his tight end exploded, this was it. And they did just that, scoring three touchdowns. Two are Isaiah Likely and one is Charlie Kohler. Kohler scored the biggest score of the game with an uncovered 55-yard seam buster. That leaves Andrews outside to consider what is probably the Ravens’ most pass-friendly game script all year. What should I do? Even though the entire industry is in a tailspin, I continue to believe in “pedigree”. Andrews was always in good spirits. I don’t think I’ve dropped him. Do you want to start him? Well, you already know the answer.
Joe Flacco checks in and immediately goes to work Joe Flacco. Sometimes the analysis feels a little too easy. Just as I expected Flacco to come off the bench and immediately shred the Jags’ disappointing pass defense. Ah, we were right. Flacco had the third-most yards since the start of his miraculous comeback in 2023, but it didn’t come cheap. He took a hit in the track meet, scoring checkdown goals with Michael Pittman and Josh Downs, and nearly saved the day with a downfield attack on Alec Pearce in the fourth quarter. Like a holdover from the golden age of Brees/Brady/Manning, Flacco found a rhythm and never lost it. He’s clearly the best bet if the Colts want to maximize their chances of winning in 2024, but considering the overall dismal state of the roster, the developing Anthony Richardson may have that day. Of course it will take a while. That means Pittman and Downs will probably go back into WR2/3 hibernation just as quickly as they emerged.
The Bills’ offense fell apart even further, and the Texans lost. We’re back to the good old days of Josh Allen’s rookie year in Houston, but this time the quarterback wasn’t entirely at fault. Without Khalil Shakir, the Bills’ receiver corps fell apart, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins and Dalton Kincaid all making costly drops. Of course, that’s not the only reason Allen made just 30 percent of his pitches, but it did mess up his shots as he found his rhythm. An undiagnosed second-half concussion didn’t help either. With no rushing scores since Week 1 and only two multi-pass touchdown performances all year, Allen has lost his overall QB1 status. But — and you probably knew it was coming — I know it would be foolhardy to leave him and his rushing threat out of the top five. As with many other places this season, we have had to ride a wave of inconsistency.
Trevor Lawrence finally gets back on track with the best passing effort of his career. Listen, Lawrence was hitting a wide open guy against the Colts. Brian Thomas Jr. had just run through the defense for an 85-yard touchdown. Christian Kirk was unguarded on a 61-yard grab but didn’t score. Still, hitting streaky pass catchers wide open wasn’t the norm for Lawrence from Weeks 1 to 4. Perhaps the opportunity was a little bigger against the Colts, but Lawrence ultimately accepted what the defense gave him and the result gives him hope going forward, especially with Evan Engram looking to rejoin the team. It was an effort to create. That being said, the Bears’ Week 6 matchup foreshadows that they will still keep Lawrence outside of the top 12.
Nico Collins injured his hamstring against the Bills. That was the worst case scenario. What’s the best-case scenario? Collins reportedly ran away with everyday problems. It might be a little hard to believe with a hamstring ailment, but Collins successfully dealt with his calf issue in the same way last season. Collins, who doesn’t rely on speed or explosiveness as much as elite WR1s, may be better suited to navigate the rigors of the NFL without being fully healthy. Fantasy managers should probably expect him to miss at least one game with the non-competitive Pats entering Week 6, but injured reserve seems out of the question. My best bet is that Collins will return for Week 7 against the Packers.
For the latest NFL news, check out Rotoworld’s Player News or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter.
5 more storylines added for Week 5
Tyrone Tracy shows up in Devin Singletary’s absence. Tracy’s 100-yard day on the ground was the first for a Giants running back this season. His 7.2 yards per carry was clearly the most. His numbers weren’t big on 50- or 60-yard runs. He consistently gained seven to eight yards and helped the Giants pull off an upset over the Seahawks. (According to Jaoku Gibbs, “Tracy is the only running back in the NFL to gain positive yards on every run in a game with 15 or more rushing attempts during the 2024 season.”) Singletary I know that he won’t just be banished to the bench. But unlike the situation with Chase Brown and Tank Bigsby (second-year pros in the backfield who clearly want to be commissioners) upon his return, Tracy is an impressive rookie in what was previously a one-back offense. . The 1A guard could change pretty quickly here.
Chase Brown progressed because Zack Moss injured his ankle. At the beginning of the season, I understood why the Bengals backfield was split. Let Moss handle some of the cannon fodder for carries between the tackles and allow Brown to receive more big-play friendly touches. But we’re now in Week 5, and while Moss hasn’t moved beyond journeyman status, Brown continues to trail him in efficiency metrics and outperform him on the ground. It’s time to make Brown the leader of this committee, especially since Moss has an ankle injury. And this is what remains as a committee. Fantasy managers can’t expect Brown to be a weekly top-24 option. Unless…Moss misses Week 6 and Brown starts against the Giants. Even if Moss thrives against the G-Men, Brown has evolved into superior FLEX status.
Dontavion Wicks delivers one of the biggest fantasy stink bomb performances of 2024. We knew we had to be careful with the Week 4 box score that helped the Packers come back, and that Jordan Love wasn’t going to be set back 60 times in Los Angeles. Wicks’ case still appeared clear with Christian Watson injured and Romeo Douce suspended. Even if Wicks was left with some meat on the bone like he did against the Vikings, he was guaranteed to still have a usable fantasy effort. Well, this time I ended up wasting the entire chicken wing. Love attempted just 26 passes, and Wicks missed nearly every opportunity. Now a certified Dropper™, Wicks engages in battles of wits with himself, the Packers coaching staff, and fantasy managers. With Dowce likely to return in Week 6 against the Cardinals’ erratic defense, Wicks could return to the up-and-down WR3 range.
Deshaun Watson’s play somehow sinks even lower. The Commanders entered Week 5 allowing a league-worst QB rating of 123.3. While admittedly an imperfect metric, it clearly shows that this team is not effectively policing the skies. They were also giving up the third-most QB fantasy points. It was a game where Watson had to turn the tide. Instead, he remains out at sea. His 15 completions and 125 yards passing were both season records, and his 4.5 yards per attempt was the second-lowest. He has yet to surpass 5.5 YPA in his five starts. It’s now brutally clear that Watson is not the best player to lead this offense, even considering the offensive line’s woes. It’s equally clear that the Browns will never recover financially if they bench him. Watson will continue to start. That means they should consider benching Amari Cooper and tempering expectations for David Njoku, who is injured again.
Devon Ashen’s season was further derailed by a concussion. There is not much analysis to present here. For Achane’s managers, the one thing that couldn’t happen happened. He wasn’t producing anymore, but now he’s injured, and Jalen Wright is producing in his place. The good news is he may not miss any game time against the Dolphins due to his Week 6 bye. The concern is that Achan’s workload is no longer as great, as the Dolphins adopted a three-back offense in their final game without Tua Tagovailoa in Week 7. Tua was promised a scheduled return in Week 8. We’ll never know what would have happened if Tua hadn’t fallen. But he did, and Achan is shaping up to be one of the most heartbreaking losses of the 2024 season, including for my fantasy team.
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question
1. Remember when Aaron Rodgers would smile sometimes?
2. Are the 49ers thinking of coming out of the “Sound of Silence” tunnel yet? (link)
3. Has Sean McDermott ever watched a football game end?
Early Waivers Look (players registered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Joe Flacco (@TEN), Derek Carr (vs. TB), Daniel Jones (vs. CIN), Aaron Rodgers (vs. BUF), Andy Dalton (vs. ATL)
RB: Tank Bigsby, Tyrone Tracy, Ty Chandler (defeated), Braylon Allen, Justice Hill, Tyler Allgaier, Jalen Wright (defeated)
WR: Darnell Mooney, Josh Downs, Jordan Whittington, Michael Wilson, Jalen Tolbert, RayRay McLeod, Demario Douglas, Darius Slayton
TE: Cade Otton, Tyler Conklin, Colby Parkinson, Jonnu Smith (bye-bye), Theo Johnson.
DEF: Texans (@NE), Eagles (vs. CLE), Colts (@TEN), Falcons (@CAR), Chargers (@DEN)
This week’s statistics
two. Approximate number of seconds Rhamondre Stephenson sat on the bench before delivering his best fantasy performance since Week 1. Antonio Gibson had no momentum at all between the tackles.
Via Ian Hartitz: “2023 Weeks 1-5 Jets Score: 93. 2024 Weeks 1-5 Jets Score: 93” (link)
Ian Hartitz once again said, “Only three running backs have not averaged more than 4 yards per touch (minimum 50 touches) this season: Zamir White (3.1), Kyren Williams (3.95), and Breece Hall (3.95). 4.0).”
59. This was George Pickens’ snap percentage against the Cowboys. Arthur 👏 Smith 👏 has 👏 logged in 👏
Benjamin Solak on Jets’ lack of explosive play: “According to ESPN, Garrett Wilson’s 101 receiving yards are the second-lowest among pass catchers with at least 20 targets in a game (2006). Davante Adams gained 79 yards on 21 targets in 2015 (his QB was also Aaron Rodgers). ”
Award category
Week 5 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Tank Bigsby, RB D’Andre Swift, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Drake London, WR Darnell Mooney, TE Tucker Craft.
Week 5 All-Bank Judge Team: QB Josh Allen, RB Breece Hall, RB Travis Etienne, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Deebo Samuel, WR Dontaevion Wicks, TE Dalton Kincaid.
Kevin Durant’s Tweet of the Week: “Put Flacco anywhere and he’ll hoop.”
An award that didn’t seem easy: Jalen Tolbert stayed in the game and scored the winning touchdown after taking the soccer ball into…a sensitive area.
Oh, that’s not really in the spirit of the Peanut Punch Awards: TJ Watt is always viciously and viciously punching people who are trying to make fumbles.