Your weekly fantasy lookback is here to share in your joy and your sorrows. We’re now past the quarter mark of the regular season and we have an idea of who we should be able to trust, but every week throws up fresh surprises and we’re here to keep you informed on the best, and the worst, of Week 5 fantasy plays!
Heroes
Will Fuller, WR, Texans
When he’s healthy, Fuller has a special connection with DeShaun Watson. This season so far he’s already shown his crazy athleticism against the Saints, and he was fully healthy on Sunday as he took the Falcons D for a ride.
Fuller posted career highs in receptions (14), yards (217) and touchdowns (3), all of which were nearly triple his previous bests. This is the sort of game that only comes along once in a blue moon, so if you banked on the Watson-Fuller connection this week it paid off big for you!
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 14: Will Fuller #15 of the Houston Texans completes a catch in front of Phillip Gaines #28 of the Buffalo Bills in the second half at NRG Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Aaron Jones, RB, Packers
The worry for fantasy fans with the Packers this season has been a running-back committee, with Jamaal Williams eating into Aaron Jones’ opportunities and TD carries. With Williams out this week in the concussion protocol, Jones had the backfield to himself against the Dallas Cowboys, and boy did he make it count.
Jones carried the ball 19 times for 107 yards and had not one, not two, not three, but four touchdown carries! He tied a Packers single-game record for scores with that return, and also chipped in with 75 yards on 7 catches for good measure, just in case the 35-odd points before that weren’t enough for you.
Jones is a true no.1 running back.
Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings
Clearly Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and QB Kirk Cousins read this column. Last week Thielen featured in our Villains section, and we pointed out that his paltry performance was not entirely his fault. This week, he showed what we meant.
Thielen looked back to his old, stat-smashing self this week in a favourable match-up against the New York Giants. He posted a season-high 7 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. That’s more like it.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 29: Adam Thielen #19 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 29, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Villains
Mike Evans, WR, Bucs
Mike Evans was shut out. I repeat; Mike Evans was shut out. This simply does not happen to the big Bucs wideout, who came into the game off the back of consecutive touchdown-scoring games and a solid season.
The emergence of Chris Godwin has allowed the Bucs to use Evans as a decoy at times, and being shadowed by Marshon Lattimore in the Saints secondary doesn’t help, but you were well within your rights to think you could rely on him this week.
Evans might not even be the best fantasy option on his team right now, and he’s now a boom-or-bust proposition each week.
Phillip Rivers, QB, Chargers
Rivers is normally the epitome of consistency at QB, and he’s posted double-digit performances every game so far this year. That’s why it’s so surprising for him to put in a performance as disappointing as he did in Week 5.
In a divisional tilt against the Broncos, the veteran QB threw the ball 32 times for just 211 yards, no Tds and 2 picks. Quarterback needs to be the position that carries your fantasy team, and if you were unlucky enough to roll with Rivers in your lineup this week you’re probably suffering right now.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Redskins
This should go without saying, but you should not be starting anybody from Washington’s offence right now. They’ve fired their coach already and their receiving corps is stocked with names that look like they were picked out of the phonebook.
Most importantly from a fantasy perspective, however, you should ignore the shiny big name of a waning Adrian Peterson and never ever let him near your lineup again.
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