Jalen Hurts was the QB13 in Week 4, and I predicted he’d finish outside the top 12. Garrett Wilson was the WR75 in standard, the WR64 in half-point per reception (HALF) and the WR60 in point per reception (PPR) in Week 4. Thus, he wasn’t a top-24 wideout in any format last week, as I predicted. However, James Conner wasn’t the RB1 in any formats after I predicted he’d be the RB1 in all formats last week. So, I went 2-1 in Week 4, running my full-season tally to 5-7 (41.7%) on this year’s bold predictions. I’ll attempt to stay hot with three more bold predictions this week.
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Fantasy Football Week 5 Bold Predictions
Dontayvion Wicks is a Top-12 Wide Receiver in All Scoring Formats in Week 5
Dontayvion Wicks is poised for a full-time role because Christian Watson has an ankle injury. However, he might also have less target competition if Romeo Doubs‘ personal matter sidelines him for Sunday’s contest.
I’m projecting Wicks to finish as a top-12 wideout, even if Doubs suits up. I will make this a spicier take and call Wicks a top-six finisher among wide receivers if Doubs is out.
Wicks is the expert consensus ranking (ECR) WR25 in standard ECR, WR26 in HALF and WR28 in PPR, but his underlying data and matchup are tantalizing. According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, among 97 wide receivers with at least 50 routes this year, Wicks is 30th in air-yard share (31.3%), tied for sixth in targets per route run (0.31), tied for sixth in end-zone targets (four) and tied for first in expected fantasy points per route run (0.67).
Again, Wicks’ matchup is also superb. Per Fantasy Points, he’s aligned wide 66.2% of the time this year, and the Rams have faced the second-highest target percentage (51.5%) wide. Finally, the Rams have allowed the sixth-most HALF points per game (30.9) to wide receivers this season.
Erick All is a Top-12 Tight End in at Least HALF and PPR Formats in Week 5
The tight end landscape is putrid this season. However, a rookie tight end appears to be ascending for the Bengals. All had a season-high 60% snap share in Week 4. Many of his snaps were as a blocker. Still, getting on the field is half the battle, and All has earned targets at a high rate.
Among 58 tight ends with at least 25 routes this year, All is first in targets per route run (0.35). He’s caught precisely four passes in three straight games for 32, 22 and 28 receiving yards. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), All has caught all 12 of his targets, with three behind the line of scrimmage, eight short (zero to nine yards downfield) and one medium (10 to 19 yards downfield).
Despite the shallow usage, All has more untapped potential. According to PFF, he had a 7.4-yard average depth of target (aDOT) on 116 career targets in college. Furthermore, All had an 8.7-yard aDOT, 34 targets, 21 receptions, 299 receiving yards, 2.62 Y/RR, three receiving touchdowns and 0.30 targets per route run in seven games in his final college season, with only three routes in his final collegiate game, when he injured his knee. In his final college season, he had six targets behind the line of scrimmage, 15 short, five medium and seven deep (20-plus yards downfield) for four, 10, three and four receptions.
All could tap into more of his potential in a tasty matchup this week. The Ravens have coughed up the second-most HALF points per game (11.8) to tight ends this season. All is an intriguing streamer with the potential to stick on fantasy rosters.
Austin Ekeler is a Top-24 RB in All Scoring Formats in Week 5
Washington’s running backs are trending in opposite directions. Austin Ekeler was out in Week 4 with a concussion but has returned to practice fully. Conversely, Brian Robinson hasn’t practiced this week because of a knee injury. Even if Robinson logs a full practice on Friday, the Commanders could err on the side of caution and shift some of their bruising running back’s workload to his jitterbug complement.
Ekeler had a forgettable final season with the Chargers in 2023, with an ankle injury seemingly sapping his juice. He’s bounced back this season, logging 62, 85 and 57 scrimmage yards on six, 11 and five touches, adding a rushing touchdown.
Ekeler has excelled through the air, hauling in four, three and two receptions, corraling all his targets. However, his 83 rushing yards at 6.4 yards per carry were nothing to sneeze at. In addition, according to Fantasy Points, Ekeler’s 7.7% explosive run percentage is 11th among 65 running backs with at least 10 rush attempts this year. Robinson is 12th at 7.6%. Thus, the threat of Jayden Daniels, Washington’s blocking and the talents of their running backs have allowed the backs to shred defenses for chunk gains. Meanwhile, the Browns have permitted the seventh-highest explosive run percentage (7.5%) this season.
Ekeler can make the most of a limited workload alongside Robinson if the latter can suit up. As a result, I expect him to outperform his RB40, RB38 and RB35 expert consensus rankings in standard, HALF and PPR and finish as a top-24 running back in Week 5. Moreover, he’s a borderline RB1 if Robinson is ruled out.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.