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Fantasy Football Q&A Mailbag - Week 5

Your weekly fantasy football Q&A mailbag. Mike Dente answers your lineup and start/sit questions from Twitter to help you put together winning rosters for Week 5.

Week 4 of the 2018 NFL Season is in the books, and here is a quick fantasy recap to keep you up to date. Mitchell Trubisky! Six touchdown passes, 43.5 fantasy points, who saw that coming? Meanwhile, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger all finished outside the top 12. Things remained a little more consistent at running back, with Alvin Kamara leading the way and Ezekiel Elliott coming in at number two with 41.1 and 34 points, respectively.

Cooper Kupp's incredible Thursday night performance held up to make him the top receiver of Week 4, while Corey Davis and Taylor Gabriel had breakout games, scoring over 30 fantasy points each. Lastly, Jared Cook continued his dominance, as he compiled over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns to put him at the top of the Week 4 and year-to-date tight end scoring leaders.

With Week 5 quickly approaching, it's time to dig into the RotoBaller Mailbag. I will be answering several of the best questions from Twitter each and every week. Thanks to everyone who sent theirs in for this edition! Before we get to the questions, here is a quick look at all of the upcoming games, as well as the current Vegas spreads and point totals:

  • Indianapolis at New England (-10.0) - Total 51.0
  • Tennessee (-3.5) at Buffalo - Total: 39.0
  • NY Giants at Carolina (-7.0) - Total: 44.5
  • Miami at Cincinnati (-6.5) - Total: 49.5
  • Baltimore (-3.0) at Cleveland - Total: 47.0
  • Green Bay (-1.0) at Detroit(-1.5) - Total: 51.0
  • Jacksonville at Kansas City (-3.0) - Total: 49.0
  • Denver at NY Jets (-1.0) - Total: 42.5
  • Atlanta at Pittsburgh (-3.0) - Total: 57.5
  • Oakland at LA Chargers (-5.0) - Total: 53.5
  • Minnesota at Philadelphia (-3.0) - Total: 45.0
  • LA Rams (-7.0) at Seattle - Total: 50.0
  • Arizona at San Francisco (-4.5) - Total 41.0
  • Dallas at Houston (-3.0) - Total: 45.5
  • Washington at New Orleans (-6.5) - Total: 52.5

 

Week 5 Reader Q&A

Mike's Take:

Kenyan Drake: Drake is averaging 8.1 FPPG (fantasy points per game), which is 43rd among all running backs. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that he had just four touches this past weekend. I remain hopeful that he can get back to the level that he played at last year, but Adam Gase is holding him back more than anything. A 35-year-old Frank Gore has taken 46 percent of Miami's backfield touches, and there are no signs of that changing any time soon. If I'm a Drake owner, I would hold him for now since his value is extremely low. However, with Drake clearly in the doghouse and Gore holding limited upside, one player who I would keep an eye on in deeper leagues is Kalen Ballage

Dalvin Cook: Out of the three backs you mentioned, Cook is the one I trust the most for the rest of the season. Even though Cook said his hamstring "isn't there yet" as of yesterday, he is the clear-cut starter for the Vikings when healthy and he can do it all, including catching passes out of the backfield. It's important to remain patient with Cook by keeping him on your bench until he's fully recovered and ready to resume a full workload. He's got RB1 potential for the second half of the season.

Leonard Fournette: Fournette has to be one of the most frustrating players to own in fantasy this year. He's got the ability and situation to be a top-five fantasy back, but he could be out several weeks after aggravating his hamstring injury on Sunday. T.J. Yeldon has proven to be more than capable when filling in as the starter, as he currently ranks 14th in FPPG despite not being a full-time starter this year. Even when and if Fournette is fully healthy this year, it appears likely Yeldon will still see about 30-35 percent of the team's backfield touches, including most of the receptions. If you can trade Fournette to a top team that can afford to wait out his injury, I would definitely entertain that idea for the right price.

 

Mike's Take:

It depends on a few factors. In typical 12-person leagues, I think you could consider adding Foreman as a bench stash, providing you have a deep enough bench and aren't dropping a fantasy-relevant player for him. Foreman is eligible to return to the lineup in Week 7 and he's someone who could fall into a starting role for the second half of the 2018 season.

Lamar Miller is yet to rush for a touchdown or manage 100 yards on the ground in a single game. He's averaging a mediocre 3.9 YPC, and just 0.60 fantasy points per touch. Sitting at 1-3, the Texans need a spark somewhere and the 22-year-old running back could be it. Will he be the savior to fantasy teams? I doubt it, but he could produce flex-worthy numbers down the stretch.

 

Mike's Take:

For those wondering, he is referring to Chris Conley here. Don't forget that Sammy Watkins got injured early and did not return to the game on Monday night, which could explain the inflated snap count.

Conley is tied for 85th in FPPG, and has just a nine percent target share for the Kansas City offense this year. He's also averaging just over two receptions per game. With Tyreek Hill, Watkins, and Travis Kelce all ahead of him in targets, I don't see a reason to add Conley in many formats, especially with Watkins practicing this week.

 

Mike's Take:

In terms of pure value, I prefer Landry over Michel in PPR formats. Michel should see a lot of touches moving forward, but his upside could be capped with a minimal role in the passing game. Michel has just two receptions in the three games he's played this season, while James White is averaging nearly six per game.

I would like to see more production from Landry, but the one thing that really stands out is his 32 percent target share, which is tied with Julio Jones for the league-lead. He could produce top 10 numbers the rest of the way, but even so, his worst case scenario is WR2 territory. Not too shabby.

 

That's all I have for this week, ladies and gents! To have your questions featured next week on our mailbag, please send them to @1ststopfantasy and/or @RotoBallerNFL with #RotoBallerMailbag. Good luck in your Week 5 matchups!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Baltimore Ravens

Emery Jones to Start Training Camp on NFI List
Von Miller

Signs With Commanders
Alfred Collins

Agrees to Four-Year Rookie Deal
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Rashawn Slater

Likely Practicing During Extension Talks
Stefon Diggs

Trending Towards Being Available Week 1
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Cleveland Browns

Elerson Smith Retires From Football
Justyn Ross

Chiefs Waive Justyn Ross
Tre Harris

Chargers Hope to Get Tre Harris on the Field Soon
Najee Harris

Likely to Begin Training Camp on NFI List
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Darren Waller

Signs $2 Million Deal With Dolphins
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
C.J. Stroud

Working on Speed, Pocket Mobility Entering Year 3
Daiyan Henley

Daiyan Henley Full-Go for Training Camp
Bradley Beal

Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Kurtis Rourke

Starting Training Camp on NFI List
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
Micah Parsons

Not Worried About Extension Talks
Jahdae Barron

Broncos Agree to Terms With Jahdae Barron on Rookie Deal
Tyrone Broden

Seahawks Place Tyrone Broden, Montorie Foster on NFI List
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Landon Jackson

Lands on PUP List
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Ja'Kobe Walter

Produces Big Numbers at Both Ends Against Nuggets
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Ajay Mitchell

Outstanding Against Magic Tuesday
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
VJ Edgecombe

Busy in Las Vegas Summer League Debut
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Dominick Barlow

to Sit Out Rest of Summer League
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
NBA

Oshae Brissett Links Up with Maccabi Tel Aviv
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Charlotte Hornets

Josh Okogie Waived by Hornets
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Junior Colson

Competing for Starting Job
Isaiah Likely

Ravens Looking to Extend Isaiah Likely
Kyle Pitts

Not in Falcons' Long-Term Plans?
Quinshon Judkins

Browns in "No Rush" to Sign Quinshon Judkins to Rookie Deal
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
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