Surprise performers topped the week 5 fantasy football charts among wide receivers.
Sammie Coates led all receivers with 25.90 points and he barely is owned in several fantasy leagues. Brandon LaFell, Adam Thielen, Tyrell Williams, Cameron Meredith and Jeremy Kerley also were top-10 options who aren’t mainstays in fantasy football leagues.
That’s a trend that generally emerges as the season progresses in fantasy football. There are regular options who will give you solid points each week, like Antonio Brown, A.J. Green and Julio Jones.
But there’s also those second and third wide receivers on teams who can dominate fantasy for a week. The biggest problem with them is the trust factor. Last year Doug Baldwin burst on the scene late in the year and was a fantasy monster.
But for every Baldwin, there’s a LaFell, who while he generated 18.80 points in week 5, it’s likely he won’t reach double-digits again this year despite being the No. 2 on the Bengals.
There are definitely some swings and misses among wide receivers. Hopefully the week 6 WRs start ’em, sit ’em in fantasy football features more hits than strikeouts.
Start
Sammie Coates vs. Miami Dolphins
Stick with Coates. That’s the message I would utilize if I was smart enough to have grabbed him earlier in the year for my roster. He’s already off the waiver wire in my league, but if he’s on your waiver wire, you should grab him now.
The Steelers square off against the Dolphins this week. And although Miami is a top-half defense against the pass (barely), Miami isn’t afraid to give up the big play. That’s right in Coates’ wheelhouse.
Miami has allowed 18 plays of 20 or more yards through the air this season, ranking eighth from the bottom in that category.
Coates is playing in that Martavis Bryant role for the Steelers, which focused on the big play and touchdowns. The Dolphins also haven’t been a stranger to allowing touchdowns, giving up eight touchdowns to receivers, ranking in the bottom half of the NFL.
Tennessee exploited that defense in week 5 through the end zone, with Marcus Mariota going for three touchdowns through the air. Coates has been targeted 19 times in the last two games. I don’t expect that to be this high again this week, especially with his drops issue.
However, he should garner enough looks that he puts up enough points for fantasy owners to start him.
Jeremy Maclin vs. Oakland Raiders
Maclin hasn’t been worth the price of admission so far this season, but a trip to Oakland is just what the doctor ordered.
His biggest output of the season is 12.20 points against San Diego in week 1. He’s yet to eclipse 80 yards receiving in four games and he’s not being targeted as much as other specialty players.
It’s tough to explain that Alex Smith is averaging more than 40 pass attempts a game and Maclin still isn’t putting up big numbers. That will go down, but against Oakland this week, Maclin should have some opportunities to take the top off the defense.
Oakland has allowed 33 plays of at least 20 or more yards, registering by far the most of any team in the NFL.
Maclin is a big-play threat and, while his production is down, he’s still averaging about nine targets per game. That’s enough volume that he’ll eventually get going.
John Brown vs. New York Jets
Speaking of receivers who will drive you nuts, Brown went for 144 yards receiving in week 4 and then dropped to 11 yards in week 5.
He’s not a high-volume guy generally, but I was optimistic more balls would come his way in week 5 after he caught 10 balls in week 4. That wasn’t in the cards against the 49ers.
But this week, the matchup is ripe for the picking against a reeling New York Jets secondary. The Jets have been awful against the pass.
Thanks to Oakland’s terrible pass defense, the Jets still only rank second-worst in the NFL, but they’re trying to get that No. 1 spot. Teams have gone for eight plays of 40 yards or more, second only to the Raiders.
That plays into Brown’s game and with Carson Palmer likely back, Brown should have a decent return for fantasy owners.
Sit
Sterling Shepard vs. Baltimore Ravens
I’m down on the Ravens in general, but I’m not giving up on their ability to stop the opposition.
Baltimore still owns a a top-three defense against the pass. What’s more important, Baltimore allows 9.1 yards per pass play, the best number in the NFL.
The Giants are struggling on offense and this isn’t a great place for them to get back to moving the chains. Shepard is the No. 2 on the offense, but he’s been lost in the shuffle in the last few weeks going for under five fantasy points combined in the last two weeks.
Shepard was able to generate some solid fantasy totals in the opening three weeks thanks to finding the endzone. The Ravens will make it tough on the Giants to find the end zone consistently in this one, making it difficult for Shepard to garner many points.
Travis Benjamin vs. Denver Broncos
This isn’t only about Denver’s top-flight pass defense. This also has to do with San Diego’s lack of ability to get consistent play from its wide receivers.
One week, it’s Dontrelle Inman. The next, it’s Tyrell Williams. Who knows who it will be in week 6.
Philip Rivers is spreading the ball all around, limiting the ability to find a good wide receiver matchup on a consistent basis. He threw four touchdown passes last week to four different people.
Benjamin has been the best of the group, but he’s still inconsistent. He went for 117 yards in week 5 against a hapless Oakland pass defense. But the previous week, he went for 2.80 fantasy points with 48 yards receiving.
Denver’s defense is tough and I expect San Diego to go more with the run than the pass.
Golden Tate vs. Los Angeles Rams
Are you still holding out hope for Tate? There was a little in me last week still thinking Tate would break out of his major slump.
But that didn’t happen, despite the Lions coaching staff saying they would get Tate more involved. He was more involved in the gameplan against Philadelphia, but he produced very little.
I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he just doesn’t get open. And when he does catch the ball, it’s on little 5-yard passes that he’s unable to do much with.
Marvin Jones is the most consistent option for the Lions. He’s the only specialty player worth starting on a weekly basis for Detroit.
