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Week 5 didn't disappoint, and there were minimal signs of the bad NFL product I alluded to in my last recap. The Falcons had another great comeback, the Cardinals, Giants, and Jaguars had upset wins, and we had a total of 9 one-possession victories. The NFL continues to be unpredictable, and Week 6 has plenty of key matchups in store.
Week 6 Power Rankings
Team to Note
New York Jets (Dropped 7 spots)
The Jets are the only team I'll highlight this week, and I'm mad about it. Firing Robert Saleh was a mistake. The Jets defense has been one of the best in the league since Saleh took the reigns. With all of the inadequacies of the offense, they've done their best and have constantly shut down opposing offenses. In my opinion, Saleh is the main reason this team didn't finish worse than 7-10 in the past two seasons, and the only reason they aren't 0-5 right now. Nate Hackett is no longer functional as an OC in today's NFL, and Saleh was considering turning play calling duties over to Todd Downing (which may still happen) before he was ultimately let go. (Editor's Note: Jordan was right).
I just don't understand how firing Saleh will help the Jets win more games than they are currently on track for. They have a pivotal AFC East matchup this week against the Bills to take first in the division, then they play a slew of high-power offenses a few weeks later in the Texans, Cardinals, Colts, Seahawks, and a healthy Dolphins squad. You need your defense performing at full-tilt in those matchups, and they lose that edge with Saleh gone. Joe Douglas will most likely be canned after this season as well, and the Jets - once again, out-Jetted themselves.
Week 5 Awards
Awards | AFC | NFC |
Offensive MVP | Tank Bigsby | Kirk Cousins |
Defensive MVP | Travon Walker | Deonte Banks |
Special Teams MVP | Ka'imi Fairbairn | Isaiah Simmons |
Trench Tyrant | Alaric Jackson | Brian O'Neill |
Relentless Rookie | Brian Thomas Jr | Tyrone Tracy |
Winners to Note
Deonte Banks
Banks was lockdown for most of the Giants win on Sunday. He went against one of the best receiving trios in the league, and he allowed just 2 receptions on 5 targets for 17 yards. He added 3 pass breakups and an 87.8 coverage grade, as well as a forced fumble which resulted in a Giants TD on the ensuing drive.
Alaric Jackson
Alaric has been the Rams best offensive linemen so far this year, and he put on a clinic against the Packers. He allowed just 1 pressure against 48 pass rushes, and he generated an 85.7 pass block grade, which ranked 5th among all offensive tackles in Week 5.
Tank Bigsby
I'm not ready to say that Tank is better than Travis Etienne, but he has definitely made a case to be the starting RB in Duval. In a must-win game, he popped off for 101 yards and 2 TDs on just 13 carries. Diving deeper into it, he broke an impressive 11 tackles, and amassed 105 yards after contact.
Photo: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire
Fantasy Football
Week 5 Recap
Points | QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex |
Player | Jacoby Brissett | Kareem Hunt | Allen Lazard | Erick All | Rashod Bateman |
Projected | 11.8 | 10.7 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 7.4 |
Actual | 7.4 | 18.7 | 13.4 | 3.0 | 15.8 |
Difference | -4.4 | 8.0 | 6.0 | -3.2 | 8.4 |
Result | Bust | Boom | Boom | Bust | Boom |
Season Totals: 5 Booms / 13 Pushes / 7 Busts
Week 6 Prediction
QB: Spencer Rattler vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (proj. 4.6 points)
At the time of writing this, Spencer hasn't been named the starter yet, but there have been significant rumblings that he has earned the job while Carr is out. I was thinking of splitting this pick between Rattler and Jake Haener, but I'm not here to play it safe; we're gonna be bold this week.
RB: Braelon Allen vs Buffalo Bills (proj. 8.1 points)
The Bills have the worst fantasy defense against RBs, and with a potential change in play calling duties, Braelon should get the ball more than he has all season. Breece Hall has struggled to generate anything in the run game, and Gang Green will have to lean on Braelon to provide a spark there.
WR: Troy Franklin vs Los Angeles Chargers (proj. 3.8 points)
I wasn't kidding when I said we were gonna be bold this week. Troy was a wide open drop away from a 15.5 fantasy point performance in Week 5. He didn't run many routes, but I expect him to be utilized more given his ability to get open frequently.
TE: Chig Okonkwo vs Indianapolis Colts (proj. 5.3 points)
The Colts are one of the worst teams against TEs from a fantasy perspective, and Chig is due to score another one this week. At this point, the TE position is a guessing game on who is gonna score a TD; let's see if I'm right.
Flex: Tank Bigsby vs Chicago Bears (proj. 7.2 points)
Feed Tank should be the Jags gameplan against a stout Bears defense. I expect him to put up another impressive performance in London, and he may get more carries than Etienne this week.
Week 6 Game Predictions
AFC Games
Texans vs Patriots
Colts vs Titans
Chargers vs Broncos
Steelers vs Raiders
Jets vs Bills (MNF)
NFC Games
49ers vs Seahawks (TNF)
Cardinals vs Packers
Buccaneers vs Saints
Lions vs Cowboys
Falcons vs Panthers
Cross Over Games
Jaguars vs Bears (London)
Commanders vs Ravens
Browns vs Eagles
Bengals vs Giants (SNF)
**Bye Week: Chiefs, Dolphins, Rams, Vikings
Record from Week 5: 9-5
Season Record: 43-35
Photo: Brett Davis/Imagn Images
Final Notes
As far as other coaches on the hot seat, we may see Doug Pederson get fired after their two-game London stretch, and keep an eye out for Zac Taylor, Kevin Stefanski, and Dennis Allen to get more attention as we make our way to the mid-point of the season.
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