Jets TE Tyler Conklin remained heavily involved in the offense in Sunday's win over the Jets, playing the 4th most snaps among non-QB skill-position players on offense. The problem is that TE C.J. Uzomah was among the 3 who played more. Uzomah edged Conklin 41-40 in total snaps and also ran 5 more pass routes. Compare that to Week 4, when Conklin doubled Uzomah's routes and played 26 more snaps in all (with QB Zach Wilson back). One game of the depleted receiving role doesn't make Conklin a "must" drop, but he's also not a "must" hold at a position where many fantasy football lineups are desperate for a decent starting option. Don't expect him to be close to our top 12 at the position for a Week 6 visit to Green Bay. We'll see whether the playing-time alterations become a trend.
Miami WRs lost their starting QB for the 2nd straight game Sunday, when Teddy Bridgewater left after his 1st snap with a concussion and an elbow injury. Tyreek Hill still managed to catch all 7 of his targets for the game, though he gained only 47 yards. Jaylen Waddle caught all 3 of his targets for 23 yards. We'll see What the QB situation is for Week 6 against Minnesota.
After nudging ahead of Chase Edmonds in recent weeks, Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert took over in Sunday's loss to the Jets. He played 46 snaps vs. 13 for Myles Gaskin and 10 for Chase Edmonds. That included running 20 pass routes to 14 combined for Gaskin and Edmonds. Mostert claimed 18 of 23 RB carries for the game, delivering 113 yards and a TD. TE Durham Smythe ran for the team's only other TD. Edmonds logged just 1 carry for 1 yard and caught neither of his 2 targets. Gaskin ran 4 games for 9 yards and ranked 2nd on the team with 5 targets. He caught 3 of those for 24 yards. Edmonds looks cuttable in many fantasy football leagues at this point.
Jets RB Breece Hall rushed 18 times for 97 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Dolphins. Hall added another 100 yards receiving despite seeing just 2 targets. His 2 catches went for 79 and 21 yards. Hall worked clearly ahead of RB Michael Carter once again, though he watched Carter vulture a pair of rushing scores among 10 carries. QB Zach Wilson also ran for a TD from 5 yards out, and WR Braxton Berrios found the end zone from 15 yards out on his only carry. Hall is looking like a weekly fantasy football starter.
Texans WR Brandin Cooks saw just 6 targets and caught 4 balls for 20 yards in Sunday's win over the Texans. The 6 looks did constitute 25% of Davis Mills' 24 attempts for the game. Cooks' biggest issue was Houston going run heavy (31 rushing attempts vs. 25 dropbacks). WR Nico Collins matched Cooks in targets and receptions, gaining 65 yards on his 4 catches. A Week 6 bye will be followed by a visit to the Raiders and then a home date with the Titans.
Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce loved 26 carries in Sunday's win at Jacksonville, turning them into 99 yards and a TD. He also ranked 3rd on the team with 5 targets, catching 3 for 14 yards. Pierce again dominated Rex Burkhead in playing time and continued to lead him in pass routes.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence endured a 2nd straight rough outing in Sunday's loss to the Texans. He completed just 53.2% of his passes and threw 2 INTs, with no TDs. That marks 2 straight games with multiple turnovers after a much stronger start to the year. Lawrence sent 11 targets to WR Marvin Jones, 10 to TE Evan Engram and 8 to WR Zay Jones, who returned after missing Week 4 with an ankle sprain. WR Christian Kirk drew just 3 looks but led Jacksonville pass-catchers in snaps and routes. The Jaguars get a Week 6 rematch with the Colts, who they beat 24-0 in Week 2. Then comes a home date with the Giants.
Browns TE David Njoku delivered his 3rd straight game with at least 5 receptions and more than 70 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. He caught all 6 of his targets for a team-high 88 yards. that followed receiving lines of 9-89-1 and 5-73. Njoku is a weekly TE1 as of now.
Browns WR Amari Cooper rebounded from a disappointing Week 4 to deliver a 7-76-1 receiving line among 12 targets in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. He ate up 35.3% of Cleveland targets for the game. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones ranked 2nd at 7 looks, catching 4 or 50 yards.
Browns RB Nick Chubb topped 100 rushing yards for 4th time this season, with a 17-134-2 rushing line in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. RB Kareem Hunt added a 3rd TD on the ground, to go with 47 yards on 11 carries. He also caught all 3 of his targets but gained just 10 yards.
Chargers WR Mike Williams drew 13 targets in Sunday's win over the Browns. That marked a 38.2% share of Justin Herbert pass attempts. He turned them into 10 catches for 134 yards. Williams' numbers topped his nearest teammates by 7 targets, 6 receptions and 101 yards. WR Keenan Allen remained out with his hamstring injury. That left WR Joshua Palmer to rank 2nd with 6 targets. DeAndre Carter slipped back to 3rd in playing time among Chargers wideouts and drew only 2 looks.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler racked up 173 yards on 16 carries in Sunday's narrow victory at Cleveland. He added 4 catches fore 26 yards, scoring TDs on a run and a reception. That makes 5 TDs over the past 2 games for Ekeler, who even ceded a 5-yard rushing score to RB Joshua Kelley against the Browns. Kelley totaled 49 yards on 10 rushes, plus 33 more on 2 receptions. RB Sony Michel barely played, getting on the field for just 2 snaps.
Bengals TE Tee Higgins aggravated the ankle injury that had him questionable coming into Sunday night's game vs. the Ravens. He's officially questionable to return but barely played in the 2nd quarter. Higgins owners might be left with a goose egg in this one. WR Mike Thomas is filling in for Higgins.
Steelers RB Najee Harris managed just 20 yards on his 11 carries (1.8 per rush) in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Bills. He added 3 receptions for 16 yards (5.3 per catch) among 4 targets. Harris got pulled for the 4th quarter in a game Pittsburgh lost 38-3. Week 6 presents another tough overall matchup with Tampa Bay, though none looks as tough as Buffalo right now.
WR Diontae Johnson drew a team-high 13 targets in QB Kenny Pickett's starting debut Sunday at Buffalo. Pittsburgh attempted a season-high 52 passes in the lopsided loss, but Johnson's looks marked a 25% share. He caught 5 for 60 yards. Chase Claypool followed with 9 targets, catching 5 for 50 yards. Rookie George Pickens led the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (83) while ranking 3rd in targets (8). Pickens' rate of targets per route (16.7%) was actually down from the previous 2 games: 30.8% and 24.1%.
Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett threw for 327 yards, with 0 TDs and an INT in Sunday's loss to the Bills. He completed 34 of 52 attempts while taking 3 sacks in the 38-3 defeat. Pickett threw 8+ targets apiece to George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. He draws another challenging matchup in Week 6 with Tampa Bay, which hit Week 5 ranked 3rd in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA.
After dominating backfield time and work the previous 2 games, Bills RB Devin Singletary saw the gap shrink in Sunday's lopsided win over the Steelers. His 30 snaps were just 4 more than the combined total for Zack Moss (16) and James Cook (10). Singletary carried 6 times for 42 yards, compared with 4 carries for Cook and 1 for Moss. He added just 1 catch for 4 yards on 2 targets, running 20 routes vs. 15 combined for Moss and Cook. According to Pro Football Focus, Singletary has played 76.4% of offensive snaps when the Bills are tied for trailing. That has dipped to 51.4% when Buffalo leads. So it appears we should consider Singletary to be at greater risk of losing time when then Bills enter a game as heavy favorites.
With Dawson Knox out, Quintin Morris worked as the starter and clear leader among Bills TEs in Sunday's win over the Steelers. He played 15 more snaps than #2 Tommy Sweeney and ran 17 more routes. Morris also claimed all 4 TE targets in the game. That's not a fantasy-relevant level of inclusion for most formats. We'll see whether Knox is ready to return for Week 6.
Bills WR Gabriel Davis had a big Sunday, thanks to TD catches of 98 and 62 yards in the win over the Steelers. He added 1 other reception, for a total of 171 yards and 2 TDs among 6 targets. That marked a 19.4% share of Josh Allen pass attempts. (QB Case Keenum then entered to close out the game.) Davis trailed only WR Stefon Diggs in that category, and matched Diggs' playing time. This looks like the level of usage we should expect from a healthy Davis. We'll see how the target share holds up once WR Isaiah McKenzie and TE Dawson Knox return from injuries.
Bills QB Josh Allen racked up 424 passing yards and 4 TDs in Sunday's lopsided home win over the Steelers. He hit WR Gabriel Davis for TDs of 98 and 62 yards. Allen also connected with WR Stefon Diggs and rookie WR Khalil Shakir for scores. Diggs drew 35.5% of Allen's pass attempts for the game as the only Bills player to exceed 6 targets. A potential shootout at Kansas City awaits in Week 6, with Buffalo's bye on the other side.
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