Wide Receiver Depth Chart Analysis: Week 5

October 5, 2018

As we look ahead to Week 5 of the 2018 NFL season, Dan Marcus examines both official and unofficial moves across wide receiver depth charts to help fantasy football owners make informed lineup decisions.

As always, injuries are taking their toll in the NFL. This week, that results in a number of depth chart changes across the league and will be the focus of this article.

Some of my favorite sleepers from this week's depth chart changes include Marquez Valdes-Scantling, David Moore, and Rashard Higgins.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, etc., hit me up on Twitter @DanMarcus3.

Injury Updates

Green Bay

It appears that both Geronimo Allison and Randall Cobb will be out against the Lions, which opens up a lot of snaps and targets in Green Bay. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was the main beneficiary of their absence last week, and will likely be their number two receiver this week behind Davante Adams. Ja’Mon Moore looks like the other possibility for an increased role, though Jimmy Graham should be also take on a bigger role, which could leave Moore little volume.  

Cincinnati

The John Ross dream appears over for the time being due to both poor performance and injury. He didn’t practice Thursday, which doesn’t bode well for him finding the field Sunday. Alex Erickson appears to be the next man up in terms of depth chart, however, he isn’t likely to see a ton of targets with A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon (or Giovani Bernard) and potentially Tyler Kroft all ahead of him in target priority.

Kansas City

Sammy Watkins is banged up and has practiced on only a limited basis this week. When he exited the game in Week 4, Demarcus Robinson benefitted. While Robinson draws both a tough matchup and a likely minimal number of targets, Mahomes does spread the ball enough to view Robinson as a GPP dart or deep-league prayer on the assumption Watkins is out.

Philadelphia

With Alshon Jeffery back and Jordan Matthews carving out a role, the Kamar Aiken experience is over in Philly. This one’s pretty simple.

Miami

When Devante Parker plays, Jakeem Grant’s role in the offense is greatly reduced. Luckily for Grant, Parker hasn’t found himself on the field much this season and it appears he’ll be an observer only yet again in Week 5. In the three weeks with Parker absent, Grant has posted at least a 40 percent snap rate and has flashed big play potential.  

San Francisco

This receiver situation is one of the more difficult to sort out heading into Week 5. It appears that Marquise Goodwin will be ready to go, but Dante Pettis will not. That leaves Goodwin and Pierre Garcon as the likely outside receivers. Pettis’ absence will open up the slot role, making Trent Taylor the primary slot receiver. He’s failed to make any kind of impact even when given marginal opportunity this season, so this isn’t a rush to the waiver wire situation.

Depth Chart Changes

Cleveland  

If Hue Jackson is to be trusted -- which is always a leap of faith -- Antonio Callaway’s role will be decreased after a shaky Week 4 performance. Rashard Higgins has carried a significant snap count through four weeks, even with Callaway in the mix, so it should be expected that he’ll be heavily involved in Week 5. Higgins showed what he was capable of as a more prominent part of the offense in Week 4, hauling in four of his five targets for 61 yards. With a matchup against Baltimore this week, Higgins may not be a reliable option. However, keep an eye on his role as we move towards heavier bye weeks.

Seattle

David Moore was a non-hyped seventh round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but his Playerprofiler page is impressive. His Sparq-x, college dominator rating, and breakout age all stand out, even with the caveat that he achieved them at East Central University. While this isn’t a draft article, it’s worth noting his profile as he outsnapped both Jaron Brown and Brandon Marshall in Week 4. That translated into just two targets -- he converted both into receptions -- but Moore is an intriguing dynasty stash.

Situations to Monitor

Houston

The emergence of Keke Coutee may be on pause as it appears that Will Fuller will play in Week 5. Keep an eye on this as the season progresses, though he has plenty of hype so Coutee isn’t going to fall off anyone’s radar.  

Indianapolis

We’ll see how long T.Y. Hilton is out. If it appears that he’ll be out for Week 6, we’ll examine how things shook out among the Colts receiving core on Thursday against the Patriots.

New England

With Julian Edelman returning, it will be interesting to see how the depth chart appears after the Thursday night game against the Colts in Week 5. Plenty of details coming up in the Week 6 article.

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