Is Mark Andrews back after catching four of his five targets for 55 yards in a shootout win against the Bengals? Or do the Ravens play too many tight ends to trust him again? I don’t know about that one. What about Kyle Pitts? He had a pretty nice game (7-88-0), but we likely would need to see more. There have been lot of up and down performances in fantasy through five weeks and the key is finding the players who at least give you the most (good) consistency. Here’s a look at a few players whose stock is trending in the right direction going into Week 6 and a few players who are not living up their expectations.
STOCK UP
D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears
After a miserable first three games statistically where he was RB41 in fantasy and averaged 1.8 YPC, Swift has turned it around in his last two games. Over the past two weeks he is RB2 in fantasy (MNF pending) and is averaging 23 touches per game. The “announcement” of Roschon Johnson getting an “extended look” ahead of Week 4 seems to have lit a fire in Swift and he’s been on a tear. While Johnson is a bit of a touchdown vulture to Swift (three in his last two games), he’s gained only 51 rushing yards on 17 carries over the last two weeks. Swift’s usage and production in Week’s 4 and 5 should make fantasy managers feel good about him going forward.
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys
Fresh off of a game-winning touchdown catch, Tolbert is feeling good. He caught 7-of-10 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown which currently has him as WR10 in fantasy for Week 5. In three of Tolbert’s last four games he’s either scored a touchdown or caught at least six receptions for 80 yards. In Week 5 he played a season-high 89% of the team’s offensive snaps and looks to be taking the WR2 spot away from Brandin Cooks who’s on IR. Tolbert will have to keep this up as the Cowboys are in need of consistent playmakers outside of CeeDee Lamb. Even prior to this game, Tolbert was in on 74.5% of the snaps, so the Cowboys clearly trust him, he should be considered a solid flex option based on matchups moving forward.
Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers
In a fantasy football world where we are starving for tight ends, Kraft may fit the bill. The second-year tight end has taken a stranglehold on the Packers’ top TE job over his running mate Luke Musgrave. Since Jordan Love’s return from his knee injury, Kraft is TE1 in fantasy football averaging 21.1 fantasy points in his last two games. He’s caught 10-of-14 targets for 141 yards and three touchdowns in that span and has (at least for now) made himself the Packers’ second option in the receiving game behind Jayden Reed. Furthermore, he’s been on the field for 82% of the Packers’ offensive snaps this season (compared to Musgrave’s 39%). If you’re trying to trade for Kraft, it’ll be hard to do so once the manager who has him goes and really digs into the numbers. I’d trade away Mark Andrews for Kraft if given the opportunity.
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STOCK DOWN
Breece Hall, RB, Jets
Last week I had to give Hall a little grace after he rushed for a career-low four yards on 10 carries. While he wasn’t that bad in Week 5, it wasn’t much better. After a game against the Vikings where he had only 12 touches for 37 yards, it’s looking like Hall wasn’t worth his first-round fantasy draft capital. Things can (and I believe will) change for the better in Hall’s case, but the Jets’ offense isn’t consistent enough as a whole to trust anyone. You absolutely are not benching Hall (before that even crosses your mind), but coming in as RB41 in fantasy over the last two weeks isn’t what we signed up for. Braelon Allen has a solid role in the offense, but he’s not yet been effective enough for Hall managers to truly worry. It’s bad, but stay the course because he’s too good to be this bad for long.
De’Von Achane, RB, Dolphins
Achane was a running back taken on the 2-3 (round) turn in most fantasy drafts and his value has taken a hit over the last few weeks. He started out great as he was RB3 after the first three weeks of the season. His drop in production (much like all the Dolphins’ skill players) is directly tied to the absence of Tua Tagovailoa. In two full Tua-less games, Achane has rushed 21 times for 45 yards. In Week 5 he was off to a nice start with 18 yards on three carries, but after he left the game with a concussion, Jaylen Wright and Raheem Mostert led the way. One thing to note is that both had success, combining for 166 yards on 32 carries. Why does this matter? When Achane is able to return, his touches and ceiling may be capped if the Dolphins decide to go back to a running back by committee approach. First things first, let’s get Achane healthy.
Davante Adams, WR, Raiders
For Adams this doesn’t have much to do with his own abilities or talents, but more so just the fact that he’s not actually playing right now. From a season long standpoint you should still feel good about him as he’s already put up a game this season in which he caught 9-of-12 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown. The two points of mild concern are that he’s currently nursing a hamstring injury while being on the trading block. We don’t know exactly when he’ll play again or who he’ll play for, but for now he’s just a sitting duck on your fantasy roster. You also have to factor in that whenever he does switch teams, he’ll need at least another week to catch up to speed. Regardless, whatever team he goes to is likely a quarterback upgrade for him.