Before we get into my favorite Week 5 fantasy football plays, let's take a look back at some of the guys I liked in Week 4.

I'm just trying to set expectations appropriately low.

As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 5 fantasy plays—the guys who (in some combination) …

  • Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
  • Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
  • Must be added if they are on waivers.
  • Possess underappreciated upside.
  • Have advantageous matchups.
  • Should be considered in daily fantasy.
  • Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
  • Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
  • Catch my eye with their player projections.
  • Stand out in our player prop tool.

Some notes.

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and my projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Rankings Accuracy: Last year I was No. 18 in the FantasyPros Accuracy Contest. That was my sixth season with a top-20 finish.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but maybe not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, the Lions, Eagles, Chargers, and Titans are off.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

For the rest of my favorite fantasy football plays for Week 5, sorted by position, see below:

Best TEs for Fantasy Football Week 5

Travis Kelce (Chiefs) vs. Saints

  • Chiefs: -5.5
  • O/U: 42.5
  • TT: 24

Last week, Kelce finally looked like his former self, hitting season-high marks with 7-89-0 receiving on 9 targets. 

I guess all it took for him to break out was for the Chiefs to suffer a string of unfortunate injuries to WRs Rashee Rice (knee) and Hollywood Brown (shoulder, IR), and RB Isiah Pacheco (leg, IR).

Given how thin the Chiefs are now at the skill positions, I expect Kelce's usage moving forward to resemble his Week 4 workload more than what we saw in Weeks 1-3.

  • Week 4: 94% route rate | 28% target rate | 38% target share
  • Weeks 1-3: 85% route rate | 14% target rate | 15% target share

This week the Saints might be without some of their primary TE defenders in LBs Demario Davis (hamstring) and Willie Gay (hand), and FS Tyrann Mathieu (groin).

The Hot Route

Tucker Kraft (Packers -3.5, TT: 25.5) at Rams: Kraft is now far ahead of No. 2 TE Luke Musgrave on the depth chart (76% route rate vs. 33%), and he has been productive with his opportunities to this point in his career (8.5 yards per target). The Rams are No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (66.2%) and missing FS John Johnson (shoulder, IR).

Cole Kmet (Bears -4, TT: 23) vs. Panthers: Kmet disappointed in Week 1 (4 yards on 1 target), but since then he has had a 70% route rate, 21% target rate, and 19% target share, resulting in 17-158-1 receiving. The Panthers are No. 4 in most fantasy points allowed to TEs (10.8).

Mike Gesicki (Bengals +2.5, TT: 24) vs. Ravens: He can't possibly have negative receiving yardage two weeks in a row, can he? Without FS Geno Stone (now with the Bengals), the Ravens this year have used SS Kyle Hamilton as less of a hybrid slot corner/safety and more of a true box enforcer. With Hamilton now serving as the team's primary TE defender, the Ravens are No. 2 in most fantasy points allowed to TEs (11.8) 

Juwan Johnson (Saints +5.5, TT: 18.5) at Chiefs: Starting TE Foster Moreau has a 0% target rate after getting 4 targets in Week 1, and joker TE Taysom Hill (ribs) missed Week 3 and exited Week 4 early with an injury. Enter Johnson, who has a 61% route rate over the past two games and could be a livable desperado option if Hill is out. The Chiefs are No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to TEs (+6.2).

More Fantasy Football Plays for Week 5

Abbreviations

  • Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
  • Against the Spread (ATS)
  • Over/Under (O/U)
  • Team Total (TT)
  • Moneyline (ML)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
  • Expected Points Added (EPA)
  • Success Rate (SR)
  • Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
  • Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
  • AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
  • Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
  • Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
  • Short Down and Distance (SDD)
  • Long Down and Distance (LDD)