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John Johnson makes four fantasy football bold predictions for Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. Expert predictions for Brock Bowers, Kirk Cousins, D'Andre Swift, and Malachi Fields.
Bold predictions aren't necessarily the most realistic fantasy football takes to delve into, but that doesn't make them any less entertaining. Finding good matchups that lead to spike weeks or down weeks for key players can help with start-sit decisions in many leagues.
Having multiple good players that you think are worth starting and not knowing which ones to put in your lineups is a good problem to have, but it's still a problem. It's common, especially in smaller leagues, to lose games simply by virtue of not knowing who to start each week.
But if we dive deep into matchups, injuries, and usage and efficiency statistics, we might be able to get an idea of who could have a huge fantasy performance in their upcoming game, and make sure they're in our starting lineups. This information can help with DFS bets as well. So let's dive into four more fantasy football bold predictions for Week 5 of 2026!
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Brock Bowers Makes Three Touchdown Grabs
Obviously, you're starting Bowers if you have him on your roster, because he's the best tight end in fantasy football. But when the Raiders take on the New England Patriots in Week 5, we should see a truly monster effort from the elite tight end.
His best career game was in Week 9 last season, when he caught 12 of his 13 targets for 127 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was an elite schematic matchup. The upcoming matchup is elite for a different reason -- the Patriots will be without four of their defensive backs due to injury.
Wow… the #Patriots are ruling out CB Christian Gonzalez, CB Carlton Davis, CB Channing Canada, CB Karon Prunty, WR Mack Hollins, and FB Reggie Gilliam, for Sunday’s matchup against the Raiders, per HC Mike Vrabel. https://t.co/kheH5rem9y
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) October 9, 2026
Both of New England's starting cornerbacks, including their All-Pro Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), are officially out, meaning the only cornerback on their depth chart that has potential to play is Charles Woods (shoulder), who's also dealing with a shoulder injury.
His is just a stinger, and he stated that he was "feeling great" despite the injury. But this is the perfect storm for Bowers to have a gigantic game. For starters, Las Vegas' passing offense has been humming this season. Their starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins, has played very well through four games.
The Brock Bowers element to the Raiders passing attack was so cool. Kubiak deployed him as an X-receiver who can moonlight at TE (45 snaps slot/wide vs 9 inline)
As a defense, treat him like a WR & you're at a disadvantage vs. run. Treat him like a TE & he gets 1-on-1s w/ space https://t.co/UwGY7T4e97
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) September 28, 2026
Kubiak's genius offensive schemes are finally utilizing Bowers to near his full potential. No. 89 already tends to get open with regularity, but he could truly be separating at will, early and often, in Week 5. The Patriots simply don't have any quality defensive backs to cover him with.
Gonzalez is arguably the best CB in the NFL at everything except catching interceptions, and Davis is a quality veteran starter. The Raiders also don't have a ton of pass-catching talent aside from Bowers, and while some of their wideouts have had nice games, Vegas could benefit from a true WR1.
The best pass-catching TE in the NFL against a bunch of backups sounds like a recipe for an explosive effort. Bowers has a real shot at eclipsing his career-high single-game fantasy point total in Week 5.
Kirk Cousins Throws Five Touchdown Passes
In the same vein, Raiders QB Kirk Cousins should have his best game of the season in Week 5. The only thing holding him back from an even better performance will be the lack of pass-catching talent behind Bowers. WR Tre Tucker has been Vegas' WR1 this season, but he's not much of a red zone threat.
He's a speedster that makes big splash plays here and there, but even in Kubiak's excellently schemed offense, he hasn't been consistent. He should catch one touchdown pass this weekend, Bowers a few, and someone else like WR Cody White might grab one.
KIRK COUSINS MAGIC FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!
@KCvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/ADaylXSjLZ— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
Kubiak's QB1 is almost always a top-10 fantasy football quarterback. He's just that good of a play designer and play caller. Cousins still has some juice, with enough arm strength to make the offense function. He's also great at playing within the structure of the offense and just getting the ball where it needs to be.
That's all it takes for great QB play when you have one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the league on your side. The premise of Vegas having such a huge passing day was broken down above -- New England has so little depth in the secondary for Week 5 that they'd likely struggle against anyone.
Kirk Cousins creating out of structure! Look at the old man go https://t.co/8Vr62SGBTZ
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) October 4, 2026
Cousins' ability to improvise also shouldn't be overstated. Maybe he's not the most mobile quarterback in the NFL, but he can do a good job avoiding pressure and keeping tabs on his pass-catchers down the field so he can get the ball to them when he escapes from dirty pockets.
Cousins is already a top-10 QB in fantasy football, yet he's being started in less than 50 percent of leagues. If he's available, he's a priority pickup, and he should be started in all leagues for Week 5 as a sure-fire QB1.
D'Andre Swift Goes Over 30 PPR Fantasy Points
There have been concerns about Swift (hip/knee) getting much of his backfield volume stolen by his backup, RB Kyle Monangai (toe), after the latter rushed 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for four yards in the Bears Week 4 win.
Those aren't a concern for Week 5 now, because Monangai has been ruled out with a toe injury. Swift also came close to having two extra touchdowns this season, once being stopped close to the goal line on a play that was ruled just short, and once fumbling the ball in Week 2 at the one-yard line.
Kyle Monangai With The Walk-In 1-Yard Touchdown 🏈
He Walks Right Into The End Zone. https://t.co/KcX33CROYy
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 4, 2026
Swift's health is a bit of a concern, but the matchup is extremely juicy. The opposing Green Bay Packers have a hilariously bad run defense -- they've allowed 29 points per game to opposing running backs this year, and were obliterated by RB Bijan Robinson in Week 3.
The Packers have had a miserable time keeping opposing tailbacks out of the end zone, having allowed seven rushing scores to opposing RBs so far. Swift could get all the goal-line touches, in which case he's set for a huge game.
Keep an eye on his injury status ahead of game time. If there's any legitimate talk about him being on a pitch count, this might not be the best take.
Malachi Fields Breaks Out With 7+ Catches, 100+ Yards, Receiving Touchdown
There was a time when quarterback Jameis Winston, who currently is the starter for the New York Giants, was the greatest talent elevator in the NFL for wide receivers in fantasy football. He powered WR Jerry Jeudy to average over 17 PPR fantasy points per game from Week 12 to Week 17.
Since then, and before then as well, in fact, Jeudy has never been a fantasy-relevant wide receiver. He's viewed as a major bust -- despite his first-round draft capital, he's failed to be consistently productive for even one full season of his career. Winston is just the biggest gunslinger in the NFL.
Winston. Fields. TD 🔥
AZvsNYG on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/nTWiH6EPPK— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
The big-bodied rookie Fields already has two touchdown catches on the season, and has made several highlight-reel-worthy grabs, including a diving catch down the sideline that was ruled out of bounds.
Out of bounds but still an insane catch by Malachi Fields https://t.co/aV8wAUfBOH
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) September 14, 2026
The talent is clearly there, yet Fields is flying under the radar right now. WR Malik Nabers (knee) is dealing with a nagging shoulder injury that's bothered him on multiple occasions this season and now a knee ailment. There's a chance he could be limited in games or even miss time.
New York will face the Washington Commanders at home in Week 5. They allow over seven yards per pass attempt and an eye-watering 41.0 PPR fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts. We should see Winston have an excellent game with his array of pass-catchers, and the first true breakout game for Fields in his rookie season.
