Back with our weekly fantasy sleepers article, the time has come to dive into picks for this upcoming week five of the NFL season. With offense being the name of the game around the league over the first quarter of the season, nine games alone totaled over 50 points last Sunday, providing appealing options across the board at each position for your team.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
After being named the official starter by Head Coach Anthony Lynn after an impressive first three games in the NFL, Herbert is an intriguing option this week against a Saints defense that has struggled mightily over their last few contests. Tied for the league’s worst touchdown rate percentage at 8.03, Dennis Allen’s group has struggled to keep teams out of the end zone, allowing their first four signal-callers faced to finish the week in the top 14 for quarterbacks with over 20 points scored. Averaging over 300 yards passing per contest on the young season and fresh off a 23 point performance in a hard-fought loss to the Buccaneers last week, Herbert is a strong QB2 option with QB1 upside if the Saints defense continues to struggle on Sunday.
Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers
Expanding his role in the Pittsburgh offense over the past few weeks, Ebron has seen an increase in targets, receptions, and yards over his last three weeks. Heading into a matchup on Sunday with a struggling Eagles defense, Ebron is only owned in 39% of leagues on major fantasy sights. Having zero success at slowing any opposing tight ends down throughout the season, Philadelphia has allowed 26-30 passes to be completed for a whopping 9 yards per target. Fresh off a performance in which they allowed George Kittle to torch them for 15-183-1, the team will once again rely on second-year player Marcus Epps and rookie K’Von Wallace to try and slow Eric down. Currently projected as TE17, he has a high-end upside if Roethlisberger and company get rolling on Sunday.
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks
Leading the Seahawks tight end group through four weeks, Olsen has been solid, recording 14 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown, while finishing at a top 16 tight end in three of four weeks to begin the year. Stellar against tight ends a year ago; the Vikings have quietly started to struggle early on, allowing a 75 percent completion rate and a 14 yard average per catch. Along with this, Minnesota has allowed over 70 receiving yards to the position in their last three games, including a 111-yard performance by Mo Alie-Cox in Week 2. Expected to be keyed in on Tyler Lockett and D.K Metcalf in their Sunday night matchup, Olsen is a streamable TE2 with a high upside.
Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
After a hamstring injury that will force starting running back Austin Ekler to miss time, Jackson is a compelling option for owners. Expected to split time with rookie Joshua Kelly for carries on the ground, Jackson is a better pass-catching option for Steve Steichen’s offense, which should provide ample opportunity for a strong week. With a matchup against the Saints on tap for Monday night, expect the Chargers to struggle running the ball against the league’s sixth-ranked rush defense, opening up the passing game for Jackson to see more snaps this week. A flex option with upside if the Chargers begin to trail early on in the game, jump on Justin at his current RB38 rank as a boom or bust option for Week 5.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
A welcome sight for 49ers fans, Samuel looked healthy in his return following offseason foot surgery, hauling in three passes for 35 yards while rushing for another ten. Expected to receive more of a workload this week after being on the field for just 34 percent of the team’s snaps last Sunday, a Week 5 matchup with the Dolphins should provide the opportunity for a big week in only his second game back. Currently allowing over 200 yards per game to opposing receivers, with the seventh-most fantasy points allowed per game to wideouts, the revamped Dolphins secondary has struggled mightily at points through four weeks. With starting quarterback Jimmy Garropolo also inching closer towards returning this week, start Deebo as a high-end WR4/low end WR5 option for your team.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Chris Gallagher on Twitter @ChrisGally06
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
