Week 5 was highly entertaining, with a variety of intriguing takeaways. A pair of young running backs were headline-grabbing players for the right reasons. Meanwhile, a pair of AFC teams were dreadful and warranted further examination. Finally, a handful of defenses have become get-right matchups.

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Fantasy Football Week 5 Surprises

The Giants Have More Than One Exciting Rookie Playmaker

Devin Singletary was out in Week 5 with a groin injury, and he might be returning to a backfield committee. Singletary cracked the door open for Tyrone Tracy, and the rookie running back kicked the door off the hinges.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Tracy played 45 snaps and ran 17 routes versus 26 and 12 for Eric Gray. The rookie parlayed his featured role into 18 rush attempts, 129 rushing yards, two targets, one reception and one receiving yard. Tracy’s longest run was 27 yards, so his total wasn’t inflated by a singular long run.

It’s unlikely Tracy’s performance will result in a bell-cow role. Yet, expecting him to split the work with Singletary when the veteran returns from his groin injury is not unreasonable. Furthermore, Brian Daboll could opt to take a hot-hand approach. Tracy is a must-roster player in 10-team leagues or larger.

There’s a New Top Dog in Jacksonville’s Backfield

Tank Bigsby didn’t secure Jacksonville’s backfield for himself. Yet, he tipped the scales in his favor with another excellent effort. The second-year pro had 13 carries, 101 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, one target, one reception and 28 receiving yards against the Colts. Conversely, Travis Etienne had six carries, 17 rushing yards, seven targets, six receptions and 43 scoreless yards.

Nathan Jahnke’s recap was encouraging for Bigbsy’s outlook, though. According to Jahnke, Bigsby pulled away from Etienne after the former got hot. Doug Pederson could ride Jacksonville’s backfield’s hot hand every week. Still, Bigsby has outplayed Etienne this season, and Jacksonville earned their first win of the season on Sunday. Bigsby should be ranked ahead of Etienne for now, and the second-year running back is in the RB2 mix.

Fantasy Football Week 5 Disappointments

Buffalo’s Offense is a Tire Fire

Week 4 might not have been a blip on the radar for the Bills. Josh Allen and Buffalo’s offense struggled mightily against the Texans in Week 5. They were without Khalil Shakir, their top wideout. Nevertheless, Shakir’s absence doesn’t entirely absolve Allen, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Buffalo’s pass-catching options of blame for Allen’s 9 for 30 effort.

Keon Coleman had a 49-yard touchdown reception on a nifty catch-and-run play, but he didn’t secure any of his other four targets. Dalton Kincaid had just two receptions for 34 scoreless yards on six targets, and Mack Hollins had two for 27 on six. Allen missed Hollins on a would-be deep touchdown pass on the opening drive, but the veteran wideout also did a questionable job tracking the ball.

Buffalo’s “everybody eats” mentality has led to starvation in back-to-back weeks. Allen’s rushing and ability to make second-reaction plays with his scrambling will give him a high weekly ceiling, but his floor is arguably the lowest in his career. James Cook is still a bright spot. However, the pass-catching options aren’t trustworthy outside of Shakir, and Kincaid is a defensible starter because of the ugly landscape at tight end. Nevertheless, Kincaid isn’t a must-use starter, either.

The Browns Are Sticking With Their Albatross at Quarterback

Sadly, Jameis Winston isn’t coming to save the fantasy value of Cleveland’s offense.

#Browns Kevin Stefanski “we’re not changing quarterbacks” pic.twitter.com/mKOo6WvtDy

– Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 6, 2024

Deshaun Watson completed 14 of 28 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and took seven sacks against the Commanders in Week 5. Amari Cooper had four receptions for 60 scoreless yards on 10 targets, and no one else on the Browns had even 25 receiving yards. Cleveland’s offense is a fantasy wasteland until Stefanski and the organization pull the plug on Watson. Gamers with Cooper can keep their fingers crossed he is traded to a better situation.

Miscellaneous Note

The Panthers, Bengals, Colts, Jaguars and Raiders Are Get-Right Matchups

A handful of teams have emerged as desirable to see on the schedule for the players on fantasy rosters. The Panthers have permitted 47, 26, 22, 34 and 36 points this year. The Bengals have yielded 41, 24, 33 and 26 points in their previous four games and have a talented offense needed to create a shootout environment.

The Colts and Jaguars combined for 71 points in Week 5, and neither defense has played well lately. Finally, things are spiraling down the drain for the Raiders. They’re shopping Davante Adams, benched Gardner Minshew and have coughed up 22, 23, 36, 16 and 34 points to opponents this year. Their only quality defensive showing was against Watson and the Browns, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.

In the coming weeks, I’ll write about fantasy players to target for their schedule in the fantasy playoffs. Still, these five teams are ideal for streaming or starting players against now and will likely be teams to pick on in the fantasy playoffs. It’s not a bad idea to think ahead.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.