By Tristen Kinne | October 4, 2023
We are four weeks through the NFL season and I am here to give you tips on who to pursue and who to stay away from in Week Five.
Start
1) C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (Quarterback)
Last week, I had C.J. Stroud as a player that people should be picking up in Week Five, I think it is time to start the rookie. Against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers defense, Stroud posted 306 passing yards, two touchdowns, and still has yet to give up an interception in his young NFL career. Besides Brock Purdy and Joshua Dobbs, Stroud is the only quarterback in the NFL to not give up a turnover yet. Stroud is ranked 10th in ESPN point-per-reception (PPR) leagues, and has had three consecutive weeks with 20+ points. In Week Five he is going against Atlanta and is projected 16.4 points, and I can easily see him continuing his hot streak and going for 20 points again in Week Five.
2) Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (Running Back)
Kamara made his return to the field after suspension from a domestic violence incident that took place last year. In Week Four against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kamara had a very interesting start. Although he rushed for 51 yards on 11 attempts, he had 13 receptions for only 33 yards. These statistics may not be the most stellar for non-Fantasy players, but for players in PPR leagues he had a very solid week with 21.4 points. In Week Five, he is facing the New England Patriots, who just came off a horrendous loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Since Kamara was already one of the best running backs in the league before his suspension, I expect his heavy workload to carry over to next Sunday. As of now, he is projected for 18 points next week and I can easily see him getting over the 20-point threshold again.
Bench
1) Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers (Quarterback)
Pickett has had a very tough start to the 2023 season after showing very few positive signs during 2022. The second year player out of Pittsburgh University has the same amount of interceptions as he does touchdowns, with four a piece. Pickett is 20th in the league in passing yards, and is ranked 26th overall in Fantasy for quarterbacks. After going against a Houston Texans defense in Week Four that is not even close to the greatest and only posting 3.46 points, I think he should be placed on every team's bench. In Week Five he is facing a tough Baltimore Ravens defense, and I expect him to have a tough time next Sunday. ESPN has Pickett projected at 16.4 points and I do not see him reaching anywhere near those numbers. If you have the opportunity to drop Pickett in your league and get another quarterback, I would do so.
2) Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions (Running Back)
Going into Week Four against the Packers, I believe a lot of people thought Gibbs would get most of the carries because the other Lions running back David Montgomery had an injured quad. Instead, Montgomery exploded for 121 rushing yards and tagged along 3 touchdowns, giving him a whopping 38.1 Fantasy points. Gibbs had an ugly fantasy week, only getting 9.1 points in PPR leagues. Carries have been hard to come by for the rookie out of Alabama with Montgomery getting the majority of the workload. This trend continued in Week Four with Montgomery getting 32 carries and Gibbs only getting eight. In Week Five, Gibbs is going against a Carolina Panthers defense which has really struggled against the run and he is projected for 12.9 Fantasy points. Personally, until I see Gibbs start to steal more carries from Montgomery, I do not think he is the greatest option to start.
Waiver Pickups
1) Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (Wide Receiver)
The second year wide receiver out of Nevada is continuing to have a very strong 2023 season. The past two weeks, Packers QB Jordan Love has been trying to find Romeo Doubs a ton, with 12 targets in Week Three and 13 targets in Week Four. In three of the first four weeks of the 2023 season he has produced over 18 points. I expect this trend to continue, because last Thursday Love also had wideout Christian Watson back from his hamstring injury, but still kept trying to find Doubs. Doubs is only taken in 33% of ESPN leagues and I expect that to rise a lot heading into Week Five. At the Raiders, he is only projected at 11.1 points, but I can see him easily reaching 15+ for the third time in the season.
2) Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (Quarterback)
The second year stud quarterback from Iowa State is having himself an extremely strong start to the 2023 season. Mr. Irrelevant himself, being the last pick in the 2022 draft, the 49ers found themselves a diamond in the rough in Purdy. Purdy is eighth in the league amongst quarterbacks in passing yards and still has yet to throw an interception. It is hard for a quarterback to not succeed in Kyle Shanahan’s system, and this is why I believe Purdy is a viable fantasy pickup. Purdy is rostered in 74.5% of ESPN fantasy leagues, and if you are having quarterback struggles I would place a claim for Purdy. He is projected at 16.2 points in Week Five going against a powerhouse Dallas Cowboys defense and I see him getting no more than around 15 points. For this reason, I would put him on my bench unless you 100% need a new quarterback.
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