Credit:@NFL
Week Five in the NFL season is already here and now owners get to deal with the inconvenience of bye weeks. This weekend the Saints, Redskins, Falcons, and Broncos will all get a rest and that means there are plenty of good players who won’t be in lineups. With less teams playing this coming Sunday it is harder to find quality sleeper candidates, but you may already have some stashed away on your bench. Here is you list of sleepers for Week Five.
Shane Vereen, RB New York Giants:
It is usually in owner’s best interest to stay away from the Giants backfield, but this week there is a chance for a low profile player to put up some solid numbers. Vereen is known for his work as a third-down back but with injuries to both Orleans Darkwa and Paul Perkins, the veteran running back may have to take the team lead in touches. The New York rushing attack has been nothing short of awful this season, but they get a great matchup this weekend against a Chargers defense that has allowed 163 yards per game to opposing backfields. Giants running backs have combined for a mere 3.2 yards per carry and the only rushing touchdown of the season went to quarterback Eli Manning. After hearing both sides of the argument, don’t expect a huge game from Vereen. The passing down back should see extended action due to the injuries and has a great matchup to possibly find the end zone. Consider Vereen to be a low end flex option with the hope he gets a touchdown in a great matchup even with rookie running back Wayne Gallman lurking.
J.J. Nelson, WR Arizona Cardinals:
Except for Larry Fitzgerald, it is very hard to trust anything in the Cardinals offense nowadays. They are stuck with a running back by committee and they seem to flip-flop which wide receiver is the top target each week. Luckily for anyone who owns Arizona wide receivers, they get a great matchup against an Eagles team that is allowing just over 300 receiving yards each game. The favorite receiver this week besides Larry Fitzgerald should be the speedster J.J. Nelson. Known more for his boom or bust play style (18 catches of 20-plus yards on 58 career receptions), he has a good shot to break away for a long score this week. Last week I predicted Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams to have a solid game against the Eagles defense, and he went on to score a 75-yard touchdown reception. I predict the same outcome for Nelson this weekend against the same mediocre secondary. Throw Nelson in the flex spot and watch for that long touchdown catch.
Kenny Stills, WR Miami Dolphins:
Miami is another offense that owners should probably want nothing to do with. The Dolphins have scored a combined six points over their last two games and no one in the offense is doing anything worth talking about. Quarterback Jay Cutler has not looked great and the run game has been fairly ineffective, so why would anyone want to start a Dolphin this week? The good news is that the offense can only get better and hopefully that starts this week against the Titans. Last year, Kenny Stills scored nine touchdowns and averaged a little over 17 yards per catch making him a great deep threat for the Miami passing attack, and while they haven’t been able to exploit his deep ball skills yet, this may be the week it finally happens. The Titans have given up a whopping 11 receiving touchdowns this season and Stills may be able to increase that number. The fifth year receiver has not been used on deep balls much this season, but something has to change in this offense and it could be the week Jay Cutler finds Stills in the end zone. Consider Stills to have some nice touchdown upside as a flex option this game.
Brian Hoyer, QB San Francisco 49ers:
Frankly, there are some much better quarterback fill-ins out on the waiver wire than Hoyer, but with a great matchup this week, the veteran may be able to provide solid results for those willing to take the risk on starting him. The Indianapolis Colts possess one of the worst secondaries in all of football and have given up nearly 285 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. The 49ers offense has been everything except good this season, but they have faced a solid defense every week so far. This will be the first game where the Kyle Shanahan coached 49ers will face a defense they can actually take full advantage (besides the Rams in Week Three). He isn’t the safest starter but he scored 26 fantasy points against L.A. just two weeks ago and a nice multi-touchdown game looks to be in store against one of the worst defenses in football this weekend.
Latavius Murray, RB Minnesota Vikings:
It is never a good thing when a player gets hurt, but for whoever has been stashing Murray up until this point has gotten very lucky. Explosive rookie running back Dalvin Cook suffered a non-contact knee injury on Sunday and it is now determined that he will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. At the time of this writing the Vikings have made no indication as to who the lead back will be, but all signs point towards Murray getting the bulk of the work. Minnesota signed the former Raider to a nice three-year contract in the offseason and he has been solid when called upon to be a lead back. The situation is also helped by the fact that Jerick McKinnon has been fairly ineffective when being the workhorse back for the Vikings in the past. Murray is available in 80 percent of ESPN leagues and has a favorable matchup against the Bears on Monday. The extra day of rest will also give the veteran more time to rest his sore surgically repaired ankle.
