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Top Fantasy Football Streaming Options for Week 5
Fantasy owners are likely scrambling for trades or hitting the waiver wire with the potential losses of T.Y. Hilton, Davante Adams, Marlon Mack, Terry McLaurin and Christian Kirk due to injuries in Week 5. However, as we all know, you can’t get too depressed or too confident after just one week. Adding players, researching, and picking up players to stream is a critical part of fantasy success.
Streaming is always a difficult task because most owners must resist the temptation to overreact to the previous week. For example, many owners were burned In Week 4 by highly-ranked players like wide receivers Adam Thielen (2.6 PPR points), JuJu Smith-Schuster (4.5) and running back Marlon Mack (3.9). Depending on the options afforded to you in your league, don’t panic and bench any of the aforementioned players. If you have more underperforming players in your starting lineup or have sustained major injuries, you need to be aggressive. If you stream the right player, it could be the difference between earning a win or falling further behind your league leaders. Here are several players to consider streaming in Week 5.
QUARTERBACKS
Kyler Murray, ARZ (at CIN)
My model has been down on Murray (started in less than 35% of leagues in Week 4) several times this season. That being said, it places him in the top 10 for the first time this season in Week 5 on the road in Cincinnati. Murray has thrown for 300-plus yards in two of his first four career starts and has added respectable numbers on the ground with 114 yards and a score. He will now face a Bengals defense that ranks 24th in the league and is among the leaders in touchdown passes surrendered (eight) through four games. My projections have highlighted this matchup as a prime spot to insert the No. 1 overall pick into all fantasy lineups.
Jacoby Brissett, IND (at KC)
Brissett, started in less than 48% of leagues in Week 4, has made this list previously this season and did not disappoint. In fact, Brissett has thrown for multiple touchdowns in every game this season. This week, he has a primetime matchup against the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs, where game flow could have the double-digit underdogs passing the ball considerably to keep up with Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have been susceptible to the pass through four weeks, allowing the 13th-most yards through the air (258.8) and seven touchdowns through four games. Game script could cause Indianapolis to ditch the running game in the second half, should they fall behind as the experts out in Vegas are predicting. Fantasy owners should stream Brissett with confidence in Week 5.
RUNNING BACKS
Darrell Williams, KC (vs IND)
Williams posted his second straight 15-plus point PPR effort in Week 4 against Detroit. The second-year back, being started in less than 30% of leagues, has produced efficiently in a timeshare with LeSean McCoy since starting RB Damien Williams went down with a knee injury in Week 2. If Damien Williams sits again, Darrell is a solid streaming option on Sunday night against a Colts defense surrendering the eighth-most rushing yards (132.5) through four games.
Chris Thompson, WSH (at NE)
Although the Redskins will be facing the league’s top ranked defense in the New England Patriots, my model still views Thompson as a solid streaming option at the flex position. While being started in less than 46% of leagues, Thompson has posted double-digit scoring efforts in PPR formats in all four games this season. He led his team in targets against the Giants, and should see much more of the same in a game the experts in Vegas list as a 14-point spread. Expect a lot of check downs in Dwayne Haskins’ first career start and for Thompson to be the prime beneficiary.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Mohamed Sanu, ATL (at HOU)
Sanu, currently started in 15% of leagues, has quietly been heavily involved in the Falcons’ passing attack. He has yet to see fewer than six targets in any of his first four outings this season. In Week 4, Sanu hauled in nine of his 12 targets for 91 yards and has now posted double-digit PPR points in three of his first four games. Sanu is a great streaming option in Week 5 against a Houston defense that allowed 31 receptions and 397 yards to the opposing wide receivers of the Chargers and Panthers in the past two weeks.
Keke Coutee, HOU (vs ATL)
In Week 4, WR Kenny Stills was forced to exit with a hamstring injury that has left his Week 5 status in doubt. Fantasy owners should now target Coutee who is owned in less than 12% of leagues. Working from the slot, QB Deshaun Watson should exploit the 24th-ranked Falcons’ pass defense that has given up seven passing touchdowns this year. Atlanta’s secondary has struggled mightily, as shown by Eagles WR Nelson Agholor (8/107/1) in Week 2 and Titans wide receivers A.J. Brown (3/94/1) and Corey Davis (5/91/1) in Week 4. This is the week that the Texans offense finally gets on track.
Courtland Sutton, DEN (at LAC)
Although playing second fiddle to fellow wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, Sutton has produced two 20-plus point PPR outings in half his games this year. The second-year wideout was on the receiving end of two of Joe Flacco’s three touchdown passes in Week 4 against Jacksonville. Sutton, who is being started in less than 23% of leagues, currently ranks as WR15 among all wide receivers in PPR leagues and demands more attention from fantasy owners. He is a solid streaming option in Week 5 against a Chargers defense that ranks 22nd against the pass and has allowed eight touchdown passes through four games.
TIGHT ENDS
Jack Doyle, IND (at KC)
The Chiefs defense has allowed nine different tight ends to produce at least three receptions in four games this season. If Geoff Swaim, Derek Carrier, Nick Boyle, Logan Thomas and James O’Shaughnessy were able to haul in three receptions, imagine what the reliable Doyle could do in Week 5? Doyle saw increased targets (eight) in Week 4 with star WR T.Y. Hilton out with a quad injury. With Hilton’s status in doubt again for Sunday night’s showdown with Kansas City, fantasy owners could be looking at more volume.
KICKERS
Joey Slye, CAR (vs JAX)
Quick, don’t look. Who leads the NFL with the most field goals from 50-plus yards so far in 2019? No, it’s not Greg Zuerlein and it’s not Justin Tucker either. If you knew it was Joey Slye, give yourself a pat on the back. The rookie kicker out of Virginia Tech has been sensational this season going a perfect nine-of-nine on extra points and 10-of-11 on field goals, including four from beyond 50 yards. Started in less than 46% of leagues, Slye should be rostered in all fantasy leagues and be streamed in Week 5 at home against Jacksonville.
D/ST
Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Jets
If Jets QB Sam Darnold is forced to sit for the third straight game (mono), this may be the easiest call of the week. New York would once again be forced to start Luke Falk at quarterback and we agree with the boys out in Vegas who installed the Jets as 14-point road underdogs. The Eagles D/ST (started in less than 10% of leagues) despite ranking as the league’s worst pass defense (323.8 yards per/gm) is already among the most added at the position off waivers this week. Should Darnold be cleared to play, then the model suggests to pivot and roll with the Panthers at home versus Jacksonville. The Panthers (started in less than 13% of leagues) have quietly racked up 14 sacks and four turnovers in the last two weeks against Arizona and Houston.
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