The Rundown: Week 5

Oct 04, 2019

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By now, you should know if a fantasy team is contending for a championship or just trying to catch a wave to make the playoffs. As we enter into the middle portion of the fantasy regular season, the focus is more around locking in your lineups as optimally as possible and continuing to be active with trades and the waiver wire in case of injury or a sudden lineup hole. As always, the Thursday preview along with stats to know is already available and this will focus on the rest of the slate including start/sit recommendations.

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Fantasy Rating Key

(5) - Elite option. Must start.
(4) - Strong option. Likely start.
(3) - Good option. Low-end starter to high-end backup.
(2) - Weak option. Possible flex or desperation play.
(1) - Bad option. Bench in nearly all cases.
(0) - Not an option. Injured, bench, or waivers.

Jets @ Eagles

Spread: Eagles -14 | Total: 43.5

With Sam Darnold likely out again, we get to see the worst passing offense face the worst passing defense. The Jets have reached new lows in anemia this season as they rank near the bottom in just about every offensive statistic including average yards per attempt, yards per rush, and points scored per drive. The Eagles, meanwhile, have allowed three different 300-yard passers but no team has managed 100 total rushing yards yet. On offense, Carson Wentz continues to hum regardless of who plays wide receiver with five different players seeing 70% or higher in at least one game this year. Expect more stability as the group gets healthy and they find holes in the Jets defense.

New York Jets

Until Sam Darnold is healthy, this offense is one-dimensional with that dimension being pretty flat. LeVeon Bell is getting the volume but has struggled to do much with it despite seeing eight or more defenders on just an eighth of his runs. The passing game will struggle despite the Eagles’ woes against it as Luke Falk is essentially useless as a facilitator.

Team Trends That Matter

Rank last in first-half pace (31.92 seconds) but 19th in the second half as they largely trail (28.46).
No tight end has scored more than 5.5 PPR points against the Jets this year.
Have only seen two drives enter the red zone in the first three games.

Fantasy Rating and a Stat to Know

QB Luke Falk (0) - Fourth shortest average air yards (6.1) this season
RB LeVeon Bell (4) - On pace for a career-high 107 receptions in 2019
WR Robby Anderson (2) - Has been off the field for just four offensive snaps this season
WR Jamison Crowder (2) - Two-thirds of his PPR points came in Week 1
TE Ryan Griffin (0) - Three different tight ends have caught four or more passes against the Eagles this year

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have looked good on offense partially due to volume as they rank eighth in both pass and rush attempts. It has helped shadow average efficiency. What has worked is their ability to score on offense and that is balanced as well. Against the Jets, the Eagles get a bottom-five defense in the red zone, which should lead to some easy scores. That means some Jordan Howard and a few passing touchdowns as well.

Team Trends That Matter

All four opposing primary running backs have seen at least 13 touches against the Eagles. None surpassed 40 rushing yards.
Week 4 was the first game Jordan Howard out-snapped Miles Sanders.
The only team to allow five different wide receivers to exceed 20 PPR points.

Fantasy Rating and a Stat to Know

QB Carson Wentz (5) - One of seven quarterbacks with 15-plus fantasy points in all four games
RB Miles Sanders (2) - 11 or more touches in all four games this season
RB Jordan Howard (2) - Averaged one PPR point per snap in Week 4
WR Alshon Jeffrey (3) - Has averaged one target per seven snaps in the two healthy games he’s had this year
WR Nelson Agholor (2) - Led wide receivers with 56 snaps in Week 4 and saw just one target
TE Zach Ertz (5) - One of three tight ends with double-digit PPR points in all four games
TE Dallas Goedert (1) - Has seen over 50% snap share in two games. Less than 20% in two others including one missed due to injury