Week 5 Revenge Games: 8 Players Out to Torch Their Ex-Teams

Oct 08, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 5's revenge story is one we can all relate to. In 2003, the concept of "spam" email was fairly fresh, and one situation caught media attention. A Michigan entrepreneur named Alan Ralsky became known as the "spam king" for sending millions of bulk emails with offers for cut-rate insurance, prescription drugs, vacation giveaways, and the like. As a result, Ralsky gained a reputation across various chat rooms and forums and was labeled as "vermin," "sleaze", and "scum."

When a local paper spotlighted Ralsky's lavish lifestyle, including his 8,000-square-foot home, the masses found the spam king's physical address. In a quest for revenge for all of the spam email they'd received through his business, some of the folks signed Ralsky's address up for junk mail on a number of sites around the internet. This caught on, and eventually, thousands of Internet trolls spread the address across the web. At the peak of the revenge scheme, Ralsky's home received hundreds of pounds of junk mail each day.

In 2009, Ralsky pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud for a penny stock manipulation scheme. He received a 51-month prison sentence as the final revenge. Of course, now, no one even blinks at spam; it's everywhere, but at least we can have some fun with the text spammers.

Revenge is always on the minds of those done dirty, and not all NFL players who changed teams were necessarily wronged, but we have to assume some sort of vengeance lies within.

I outlined what I found from 11 years of data in the article Revenge Games: 11 Years of Data on Fantasy Breakouts vs. Former Teams, and this weekly article dives into who’s seeking retribution each week.

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Before I get into this week's revengers, let’s look at how Week 4 shook out in half-PPR scoring: (hint: it was not great)

Derrick Henry: RB17 (14.9)
Dalton Schultz: TE40 (1.9)
Mack Hollins: WR50 (6.8)
Kalif Raymond: WR93 (1.6)

Week 5 Revenge Seekers

Before I get into this week's guys, I should mention that Michael Pittman Jr. would be in a fantastic revenge game spot in his first year away from the Colts after six seasons, but he is out with a foot injury in Week 5.

Sam Darnold (SEA) vs. 49ers

For those who may not remember, Sam Darnold was a 49er in 2023, backing up Brock Purdy. They will face off this week in Seattle for the first time this season, with San Francisco atop the NFC West at 4-0, and the Seahawks right behind at 3-1. These rivalry contests tend to be fun, and adding a little revenge could add a little extra spice.

J.K. Dobbins (DEN) @ Chargers

In between playing for the Ravens and Broncos, J.K. Dobbins did a one-year stint with the Chargers in 2024. This is another division contest, this time in the AFC West. Dobbins has been functioning as the lead back for Denver with double-digit carries in the last three contests, but has been fairly inefficient, plus the Broncos' game script has not been favorable to the run. Consider Dobbins an RB3 heading into Week 5's game.

Mike Gesicki (CIN) @ Dolphins

He was drafted in the second round (42nd overall) by the Miami Dolphins in 2018 and remained there until the end of the 2022 season. Mike Gesicki returns to Florida this week, coming off back-to-back double-digit outputs. The Bengals pass-catching room is a triage unit right now, so Gesicki could be a nice streaming option.

Mack Hollins (NE) vs. Raiders

He's nursing a calf injury and also likely isn't on fantasy rosters this week, but Mack Hollins is above those listed below. He played for the Raiders in 2022.