John Frascella is a published sports author and fantasy football analyst with over two decades of experience. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things fantasy football.
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It has become overtly clear that we like things short and sweet in our ever-evolving modern society, so in honor of that – and the fact that I don’t want the format of this column to get stale – this week’s edition will be “one line or less”. One sentence per player or situation, then we move on to the next…this will make your scrolling even easier…
Week 5 Injuries, Replacements & Pickups
Austin Ekeler, Chargers: His injury looked really bad from the get-go, and we’re lookin’ at 4-6 weeks with hamstring and knee injuries.
Replacement #1, Joshua Kelley: Is clearly the best pure rusher remaining on the Chargers’ roster, but he’s had some obvious issues with ball security.
Replacement #2, Justin Jackson (potential pickup): Kelley probably isn’t available on your waiver wire, but Jackson is worth a shot now, especially if the ball keeps slipping out of Kelley’s inexperienced hands.
Nick Chubb, Browns: Mirroring Ekeler’s situation, Chubb’s injury looked like a disaster from the outset; he’s out 6 weeks with an MCL injury.
Replacement #1, Kareem Hunt: Obviously not available on your free agent list; the asking price will be too high for potential trades right now.
Replacement #2, D’Ernest Johnson (potential pickup): Rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski likes the two-back system, and D’Ernest shined with 95 yards on 13 carries, showing some burst and agility.
O.J. Howard, Bucs: Quite possibly done for the season with an Achilles injury.
Benefactor #1, Rob Gronkowski: Yeah, he looks old, but Howard is now out of the picture and WR Chris Godwin may still be sidelined this week.
Benefactor #2, Cameron Brate (potential pickup, only the deepest leagues): Howard went down and Brate immediately caught a touchdown from the legend Tom Brady.
Running Backs
Latavius Murray, Saints: Sean Payton is committing to his two-pronged rushing attack, and “Lat” Murray looks as physical and determined as ever.
Reggie Bonnafon, Panthers: Was promoted from the practice squad and looked sharp, averaging over 5 yards per carry and snagging an easy receiving TD.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Bucs: Finally got an opportunity and showed more toughness than you’d expect; keep an eye on him as a potential bench stash.
Malcolm Brown, Rams: We’ve mentioned him before; he just doesn’t seem to be allowing Darrell Henderson to run away with the Rams’ RB1 job.
Wide Receivers
Tim Patrick, Broncos: 6’4”, 212 pounds – “TP” has outplayed hyped rookie Jerry Jeudy, despite my own personal biases in Jeudy’s favor; Courtland Sutton, who?
Damiere Byrd, Patriots: The young speedster led the Pats in targets (10) as Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham failed at their best Cam Newton impressions.
Isaiah Ford, Dolphins: Seems to have bypassed Preston Williams in Ryan Fitzpatrick’s mind; 10 targets this week (Williams is a ghost).
Darnell Mooney, Bears: The spunky rookie continues to outplay the disappointing Anthony Miller.
Jeff Smith, Jets: Clearly looked like the Jets' second-best option behind steady Jamison Crowder - but be wary after Sam Darnold was ruled out for Sunday and will be replaced by Joe Flacco.
David Moore, Seahawks: You know the deal – only if you are desperate because of byes in a 14-team league.
Keelan Cole, Jaguars: Still in the mix for Minshew’s targets, though he’s clearly behind DJ Chark and the versatile rookie Laviska Shenault.
Kenny Stills, Texans: Just in case Romeo Crennel tells Deshaun Watson to get Kenny more involved.
Week 5 Daily Fantasy Plays
Quarterbacks
Safe: Dak Prescott $7,400 vs. NYG: Dallas is in desperate need of a win, and Dak simply can’t miss right now.
Sleeper: Teddy Bridgewater $5,900 @ ATL: Seems to be getting his rushing legs back underneath him; these Panthers are awfully sneaky right now…
Perfect Storm: Kyler Murray $7,200 @ NYJ: Yeah, ummm… coming off a shaky team performance and playing my lowly Jets?? Scrumptious.
Running Backs
Safe: Derrick Henry $7,000 vs. BUF: Got some extra time off and will be coming in rested and ready to eat.
Sleeper: Antonio Gibson $5,000 vs. LAR: His salary is so low it is fishy, but we can’t ignore the different ways the Washington Football Team is getting the rookie looks right now.
Perfect Storm: Clyde Edwards-Helaire $6,800 vs. LV: Has been steady if unspectacular; this feels like a potential breakout game.
Wide Receivers
Safe: Calvin Ridley $7,500 vs. CAR: Off his worst performance of the season, he’ll bounce back against a shaky secondary.
Sleeper: Jarvis Landry $5,000 vs. IND: Finally looks to be getting his sea legs back; could be on a steady incline right now.
Perfect Storm: Cooper Kupp $6,500 @ WAS: The Giants’ D kept the Rams surprisingly quiet; they’ll bounce back vs. Washington and “CK” will lead the way.
Tight Ends
Safe: George Kittle $6,600 vs. MIA: Back and better than ever.
Sleeper: Logan Thomas $3,500 vs. LAR: Played 93% of the snaps last week but did absolutely nothing; good price to take a shot on, here.
Perfect Storm: Mark Andrews $6,200 vs. CIN: About as safe as they come, across the board.
John Frascella is a published sports author and fantasy football analyst with over two decades of experience. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things fantasy football.