Welcome to The Heat Index!

For those unfamiliar with the column, every Monday during the NFL season, we dig into the players whose performances through Sunday jumped out to us the most. Along with their stats (half-point PPR scoring) and positional rank for the week, we’ll rank their rest-of-season prospects on a scale of ? to ?????. Several familiar names graced the top of the fantasy charts in Week 5, but as usual, there were also a handful of surprises.

• Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire FAAB Advice
• Erickson’s Week 5 Rapid Reactions & Top Performers
• Fantasy Football Panic Meter
• Fantasy Football Week 5 Takeaways: Surprises & Disappointments
• Fantasy Football Rest of Season Rankings

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – SF)

• Stat-line:  18 of 30 passing for 253 yards with two TDs
• QB Rank:  7

Analysis:  It wasn’t a big week for quarterbacks outside of the awesome Josh Allen (QB – BUF), the resurgent Geno Smith (QB – SEA), and a certain TE/QB, who we will address below. As such, Jimmy G’s solid but not spectacular week was good enough to make him a QB1 for the week. The Niners aren’t going to want Garappolo to be airing it out weekly. However, they have one of the most passer-friendly schedules in the league, with only three semi-tough matchups ahead of them (Weeks 8, 12, and 14). Garappolo isn’t a weekly starter, but he’s a capable streamer in the right matchup.

Heat Index:  ??

Wide Receiver

Tyler Lockett (WR – SEA)

• Stat-line:  Five receptions off six targets for 104 yards and two TDs
• WR Rank:  2

Analysis:  The ascension of Geno Smith means his pass-catchers have to be doing alright as well. Enter Tyler Lockett, who most analysts felt would struggle with the change in quarterbacks this season. He hasn’t, though, and has actually been more consistent, scoring in double-digits since Week 1. The Saints’ defense is pretty good. If the Seahawks can air it out against them, they should be fine most weeks, as they have a manageable schedule. Lockett has always been a bit boom-or-bust, but you can feel comfortable with him in your lineup going forward.

Heat Index:  ????

Dyami Brown (WR – WAS)

• Stat-line:  Two receptions off four targets for 105 yards and 2 TDs
• WR Rank:  4

Analysis:  Dyami Brown stepped in for the injured Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS) and hauled in two long touchdowns of 75 and 30 yards. The speedy Brown is a big play waiting to happen, but his usage limits him to the boom-or-bust category when the opportunity is there for him, as he barely saw the field before Dotson was injured. At best, the dynamic Dyami is a high-risk, high-reward streaming option during weeks when one of the Commanders’ top three wideouts is inactive, and the matchup is good.

Heat Index:  ?

Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE)

• Stat-line:  Seven receptions off eight targets for 111 yards and a TD
• WR Rank:  6

Analysis:  Go figure that one of the Patriots’ best offensive games of the season came with their third-string QB under center. No offense to Bailey Zappe (QB – NE), but that’s what happens when you face the Lions’ defense. Meyers had his best game of the season and led the Patriots in targets, receptions, and yards. This performance was no fluke. Meyers had 83 catches in 2021. The problem has been TDs for him, but when he does haul one in like he did today, he can be a top-flight fantasy wide receiver. Meyers isn’t likely to find the endzone often, but his floor is high in PPR leagues. The Patriots have some tough matchups ahead of them, but they also get the Browns and the Jets twice over the next six weeks. You could do worse than Meyers in those matchups.

Heat Index:  ???

Running Back

Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)

• Stat-line:  Eighteen carries for 97 yards and a TD; Two receptions off two targets for 100 yards
• RB Rank:  3

Analysis:  Breece Hall was a hot commodity in the summer, but his stock dropped a bit in August as it started to look like he would split carries with Michael Carter (RB – NYJ). This was the case during Weeks 1 and 2 as Carter was on the field more for the Jets. However, Hall has slowly crept ahead of Carter in the pecking order. On Sunday, he had 20 touches to Carter’s 12. Hall looks like the better runner and is equally dangerous in the passing game. The difference between the two would look even more dramatic this week had Hall not been dragged down on the one-yard line off his 79-yard reception, which Carter punched in. Hall looks like he’s locked in as an RB2 for the rest of the season.

Heat Index:  ?????

Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB – SF)

• Stat-line:  Seventeen carries for 120 yards and a TD; One reception off two targets for 12 yards
• RB Rank:  10

Analysis:  Whoever the RB is for the 49ers has fantasy value, and right now, that’s Jeff Wilson Jr., even though his teammate Tevin Coleman (RB – SF) outscored him in Week 5. Coleman found the endzone twice, but since Week 1, Wilson has scored in double-digits each week, despite not getting many looks in the passing game. Wilson will remain a solid RB2 for the next several weeks until Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF) returns, as Coleman doesn’t figure to cut into his workload.

Heat Index:  ???? until Mitchell returns

Tight End

Taysom Hill (TE – NO)

• Stat-line:  One of one passing for 22 yards and a TD; nine rushes for 112 yards and three TDs
• TE Rank:  1

Analysis: Only the enigma that is Taysom Hill can rank first among Tight Ends in Week 5 without catching a pass. Will he now be reclassified as a running back? Perhaps he should be, as Hill has 21 rushing attempts this season and only one reception in four games. Time will tell, but one thing is sure: Hill can put together a monster fantasy week when healthy. The problem is that it’s hard to know when it will come from week to week. Even so, if he remains a TE in your format, plug him in, as his upside is far above most others at the position. As an RB, though? Not so much until we see more consistency from week to week.

Heat Index:  ???? as a Tight End; ?? as a Running Back