Week 4 had enormous implications for Fantasy Football. Star players suffered injuries, some teams found their rhythm, and there were breakout stars. Nearly a quarter of the season has passed, so there is finally a large enough sample size to make proper judgments. Here are some Fantasy Football lessons to take into Week 5.
Fantasy Football Lessons for Week 5 and beyond
Malik Nabers is Quarterback-Proof
Coming into the season, many people avoided drafting Malik Nabers due to his quarterback situation with the New York Giants. He was seen as a hyper-talented receiver, but Daniel Jones would limit his ceiling. Four weeks into the season, Nabers has put all worries to rest. He is currently the Overall WR1 and leads the league in targets, having nine more than second place. He suffered a concussion at the end of the game against the Cowboys, but the slightly longer ten-day gap means he’s likely to play this Sunday against Seattle.
Nabers is on pace for 221 targets, 1,641 yards, and 13 touchdowns, numbers that would comfortably make him a top-five fantasy wide receiver, and those numbers don’t seem too far-fetched. Rookie wide receivers have a history of performing well in fantasy, and Nabers has been no exception. Nabers might just be saving Daniel Jones’ job, just as he will save countless fantasy managers throughout this season.
Jordan Love Returning Gives the Green Bay Packers Fantasy Relevance
In Weeks two and three, Malik Willis did well to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 2-0 record, but fantasy-wise, the offense suffered. Matt LeFleur changed the offense to feature a more run-heavy approach, which caused the wide receivers to struggle production-wise. But with Jordan Love back, things have changed. Jayden Reed had 139 receiving yards and a touchdown after having 138 receiving yards and two touchdowns in week one, the only other week that Love played. Christian Watson’s injury also thrusts Dontayvion Wicks into a more prominent role. Wicks shone with 78 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 13 targets.
Romeo Doubs can also be a decent flex play with Watson out, but he doesn’t share the same upside as Reed or Wicks. Tucker Kraft is an intriguing streaming option in a year where tight ends have struggled mightily. He has taken over Luke Musgrave’s role as the lead tight end, playing 82% of the snaps compared to Musgrave’s 39%. Kraft caught six of his nine targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in Week 4. The Packers might not have any fantasy superstars, but Love’s return means they have plenty of viable starters.
Don’t trust the Chiefs Offense in Fantasy
The Kansas City Chiefs are the two-time defending Champions, causing many of their players to hold high name value. Patrick Mahomes, in particular, has been the best quarterback for a long time now and was the third QB drafted on average, according to ADP. But the truth is that Mahomes has been a pedestrian fantasy quarterback for the past two seasons. Last season, he was the QB8 despite playing in every game, and he is the QB16 so far this season. Don’t hesitate to bench him just because he’s Patrick Mahomes; there are better streaming options available in most leagues depending on matchups.
Rashee Rice is likely to miss an extended period of time, which, in theory, pushes Xavier Worthy to be the WR1 on the team. But the truth is that is unlikely to be the case; Worthy has an entirely different skill set to Rice; he’s not a like-for-like replacement. Rice was leading the NFL in receptions and got a lot of short receptions, which he occasionally turned into significant gains. That’s not Worthy’s game. He’ll remain as a deep route threat, but it’s unlikely that his volume will increase significantly. The biggest winners in this scenario are Travis Kelce owners. Kelce just had his best game of the season with seven receptions for 89 yards. It’ll be him, not the Kansas City wide receivers, who see the biggest uptick in volume.
Main Image: Jeff Hanisch – USA Today Sports
