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Disaster Recovery Week 5 - Studs Turned Duds

Welcome to Disaster Recovery, where each week I'll examine why your studs played like duds. This isn't a place to find out why you should have benched a player for somebody on your bench. Disaster Recovery is to examine the guys who you didn't think twice about benching, and deciding if you should be panicking at all about their value moving forward.

The players covered in this column will usually have to be in the RotoBaller top-10 at their respective positions, but it may vary depending on the status of the players each week.

Week 5 saw plenty of studs play like studs, but we did see some surprisingly poor performances from some of this season's best fantasy options.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Week 5 Duds

Todd Gurley (RB, LAR) (#4 RB)

What Happened: Gurley ran 14 times for 43 yards and added two receptions for seven yards in a low-scoring loss to the Seahawks.

How Did It Happen: Gurley came close to scoring a touchdown early in the game, but Earl Thomas swatted the ball out of hands and through the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety. Gurley didn't receive as much volume as he usually does and the Rams offense was finally slowed down after four impressive showings to open the season.

Panic Meter: LowTodd Gurley had 596 total yards and seven total touchdowns in his first four games this season. He was due for a dud at some point. His 16 touches this week was his lowest of the season. Even with Tavon Austin rushing for a touchdown out of the backfield, owners should not be concerned about Gurley's volume moving forward. He's going to get fed. I'm not sure how often he'll be able to replicate what he did over the last two weeks, but numbers closer to the first two weeks of the season are very doable as the season moves along. There's no reason to panic on Todd Gurley.

 

Jordy Nelson (WR, GB) (#2 WR)

What Happened: Nelson caught two of his four targets for 24 yards and a touchdown.

How Did It Happen: Nelson was held out of the final drive due to an injury evaluation, paving the way for Davante Adams to score the game winning touchdown. His four targets are his lowest in almost a year, excluding Week 2 of this season. Even in a bad game, Nelson still managed to save himself from complete disaster by scoring a late game touchdown.

Panic Meter: Low. Similar to Gurley, Nelson was due for a slow game, but the fact that he was held out of the final drive due to an injury gives me a little pause. Nelson missed almost the entirety of the Packers' Week 2 matchup due to a thigh injury and is only two years removed from missing the entire 2015 season. He's a 32 -year-old playing in his 10th NFL season. By no means am I benching a healthy Nelson, but we need to hope that this week's injury is just a minor tweak and nothing that will continue to nag him as the season moves along.

 

Mike Evans (WR, TB) (#1 WR)

What Happened: Evans caught five of his eight targets for 47 yards on Thursday night.

How Did It Happen: Four different Tampa Bay players caught five passes and eight total players had receptions in Week 5. Winston was giving everybody a shot, and Evans found himself sharing the workload with a couple different guys.

Panic Meter: Medium. The good news is that even in a game where DeSean Jackson and Cameron Brate both received nine targets, Evans still managed to get eight passes thrown his way. He's yet to receive less than eight targets in a game this season. He's going to have a nice floor moving forward.

Here's the bad news: Mike Evans is on pace for 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns this season. That's fine for a normal receiver, but not for a guy who was viewed as a consensus first round pick. Evans has failed to eclipse 70 yards in each of his past three games. He hasn't crossed the 100 yard mark or had multiple touchdowns in his last nine games. He's never a bad play due to his high floor and his red zone capabilities, but it doesn't look like he's going to be the dominant WR1 most expected him to be.

 

Carlos Hyde (RB, SF) (#8 RB)

What Happened: Hyde ran eight times for 11 yards and added a reception for seven yards in Week 5.

How Did It Happen: Backup Matt Breida took the bulk of the carries, running 10 times for 49 yards in addition to 22 yards receiving. Hyde was banged up entering the game, but both Hyde and Kyle Shanahan insisted that he was healthy, with Shanahan saying that he chose to ride the hot hand in Week 5.

Panic Meter: Medium. I'm cautiously optimistic on this whole situation. Hyde has ran well for the most part this season. His monster performances in Weeks 2 and 3 show that he can be a RB1 at times. Even as Matt Breida's carries rise, Kyle Shanahan managed his timeshare running backs well in Atlanta, and I find it hard to believe that Hyde wouldn't play the Devonta Freeman role should they split the carries a bit this season. Hyde was the only 49er running back to receive a carry inside the five, and I still believe he'll receive the goal line touches all season long. The only reason the concern here is medium is because games like this have happened to Shanahan's starting running backs in the past. Hyde's upside is still too high for him to be benched in most leagues.

 

More Week 6 Lineup Prep




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