The Rundown: Week 5

Oct 07, 2020

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We nearly made it through the first four weeks of the NFL season without a real hitch. Unfortunately, that changed this week with one game canceled and another pushed off from Sunday to Monday due to positive tests. Worse yet, things are not getting better. The Patriots confirmed another positive test and the Raiders had one of their own, putting several games in jeopardy for this week as we enter into the first instance of team bye weeks. Just like last week, these developments could cause disruptions to games, test fantasy benches, and make starting lineup decisions best done with a pencil and not a pen.

Last week’s Rundown featured some solid hits with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mike Davis finishing in the top-12 of their positions with Devin Singletary just outside that range at 14. Perhaps, most notably, was the explosive performance of Robert “Baby Kittle” Tonyan that led to three touchdown receptions on Monday night. Conversely, Jarvis Landry’s fluky touchdown pass helped his Week 4 performance and Austin Hooper put up his first solid game of 2020.

Like last year, this article will leverage the wide array of 4for4’s data library including snaps, touches, targets, fantasy scoring, and red zone information. Lucky for you, this article will put everything in one place in time for those weekly matchup decisions.

Quarterbacks Trending Up

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’m going against convention here given a solid matchup against the Chicago Bears defense, but this offense is clicking. Brady has back-to-back top-eight finishes and remains as efficient as ever. Similar to his time in New England, Brady is spreading the ball around with just 48% of his targets going to wide receivers, a far cry from the Jameis Winston offense that targeted them 61% of the time. The team has thrown for nine of their 12 red zone touchdowns, which helps Brady as he has 11 touchdown passes overall. A short week and a good opposing defense seem like a knock, but Brady has been here before and Chicago has struggled to maintain any semblance of an offensive drive.

Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

Watson’s season has to be seen as a disappointment so far, ranking 16th in fantasy while being a consensus top-five quarterback selection regardless of format. Watson has hovered around 20 points per game and is just missing that breakout performance. His rushing is down, under 15 yards per game, and just three red-zone touchdown passes this season. Jacksonville presents a ripe opportunity as a mediocre pass defense with the potential of a shootout. Watson is also starting to get a feel for his new receiving group with seven different players already in double digits for targets.

Quarterbacks Trending Down

Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers

This is likely the end of the line for Mullens’ chance to either wrestle the starting role from Jimmy Garoppolo or entice the team to trade him into a more favorable situation. A flat Week 4 performance had him finish outside the top-24 with the team’s passing game overall ranked 23rd in fantasy for the season. The wide receiver group is also ranked dead last in the league for fantasy but hopefully, Deebo Samuel’s return helps a bit. Garoppolo is the leader of this offense and Mullens returns to the bench for now.

Nick Foles, Chicago Bears

Speaking of flat performances, Foles did not look sharp in Week 4. Any superflex owners, myself included, thinking he would be an upgrade over Mitch Trubisky have mostly just seen a continuation of up and down play. The Buccaneers have been largely unforgiving as a defense and another week of playing from behind is going to encourage just as much potential for turnover as it does passing volume.