Calvin Ridley has a tasty matchup against the Steelers this week. Photo via Atlanta Falcons/Facebook
Week 5 is almost upon us and I have more sleeper plays for you. Let’s take a peek at how I did last week, and then look ahead to this week’s slate of games. My standard for a good fantasy game is around 100 total yards and/or a TD, and this is for PPR scoring. Of course, the bar is a little lower for TEs.
Week 4 Results
RB
Chris Carson (SEA): No play, he was a late scratch. I write this article on Wednesday or Thursday, so make sure your players are active on Sundays before starting them.
Gio Bernard (CIN): Right, huge game with 2 TDs.
Jordan Howard (CHI): Wrong, how the hell did Trubisky score 6 TDs and Howard was so terrible?
WR
Sterling Sheppard (NYG): Really Right, I pushed him hard, so I hope you took my advice.
Allen Robinson (CHI): Right, I said he would score his 1st TD of the year and he came through.
Emmanuel Sanders (DEN): Wrong, the Broncos are looking like an offense to avoid.
Will Fuller (HOU): Right, he produced even though he got hurt and had to leave the game.
Mike Williams (LAC): Wrong, he’s hard to trust at this point but he's talented and in a good offense. The targets are the issue for him.
TE
Eric Ebron (IND): Right, 5 catches and a TD, you’ll take that.
Trey Burton (CHI): Right, I was on this one and he ended up with over 80 yards and a TD.
Austin Hooper (ATL): Wrong, he’s nothing more than a desperation play now.
QB
Andy Dalton (CIN): Right, he was great.
Matt Ryan (ATL): Right Wow, he was amazing again.
Another great week! 8-4 picking sleepers, oh hell yeah. I'll try and do it again this week. Here we go. These players are in no particular order.
Week 5
RB
T.J. Yeldon (JAX): The Chiefs give up the most points to the RB position this year and Leonard Fournette is out again. Yeldon looks like a great start this week; just make sure he is active on Sunday. He’s been playing through an ankle injury.
Matt Breida (SF): I was a little worried about Breida last week because he played one week after hyperextending his knee. He ended up playing more snaps than any previous game this season. The matchup is fantastic this week, and the game should be close, so fire him up against the Cardinals.
James Conner (PIT): I haven’t been listing Conner as often in this article because he’s become what I would consider a must-start player, but he didn’t do much last week and people may shy away from him. I would start him with confidence against the Falcons because there should be a lot of points scored in this game, and the Falcons struggle against the run. Also, many people drafted Conner as a late-round flyer and probably have other quality RB options, so I’m including him again this week. He should come through with fantasy goodness.
Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry (TEN): Do you have the courage to start a Titans RB? This is a tough one because Henry has been complete garbage this year, but the matchup is in his favor. I think the Titans run the ball a ton this week, so both RBs could produce. Henry is more of a desperation play, but this article is about sleepers, so he might bail you out as a flex with 2 teams on bye this week.
Sony Michel (NE): He should get a lot of carries tonight, and he looks great. Don’t be afraid to use him again.
WR
Calvin Ridley (ATL): Ridley has clearly been incredible the last few weeks, but I like him this week mostly because of his matchup. Everything is not perfect for him because he is still getting fewer targets than Mohamed Sanu, but he’s making the most out of them. Sanu was a little banged up last week, and Julio will receive a ton of attention, so I like Ridley again this week. I’m not expecting multiple TDs, but he should be a solid flex option against the Steelers shaky secondary.
Jordy Nelson (OAK): The Chargers are giving up 44FPTS/G to WRs this year and Jordy has been pretty good as of late. Nelson has scored and caught at least 5 passes in 2 straight games, so he’s very much involved here. Plus, Carr looks to be playing well and that certainly helps. I also like Amari Cooper this week, but you’re probably starting him every week regardless.
Julian Edelman (NE): There is certainly risk starting him this week, but the Colts were torched by the Texans last week, and are dealing with a ton of injuries in the secondary. Edelman should at least post similar numbers to what Keke Coutee did for Houston last week.
Sterling Shepard (NYG): Can he do it again? With Engram still out, I think he can. He should be heavily targeted against the Panthers.
TE
Austin Hooper (ATL): If he doesn’t come through this week, he’s dead to me. The matchup couldn’t be any better with the Steelers giving up over 20FPTS/G to TEs. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. He should only be used if you're really hurting at TE.
George Kittle (SF): I’m not going to lie to you, the matchup is not good. This is a really bad week for TE matchups, but Kittle should get ton of targets, so let’s hope he scores.
QB
Ben Roethlisberger (PIT): I love Big Ben this week and he should put up points in this game against the Falcons. He and Matt Ryan should go off here. I’m only leaving Ryan out of my article this week because he’s an obvious start.
Blake Bortles (JAX): He’s been very good with Fournette out of the lineup.
DEF
If you need a defense this week, I like the Titans. They have a good matchup against the Bills.
That’s all I have for this week. For more fantasy info, make sure you check out my show Moneyline on ESPN 97.5 every Sunday from 10-noon. Jerry Bo and I will get you ready for kickoff and answer any questions you may have. Also, follow us on Twitter.
Good luck in Week 5!
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The Houston Astros have looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous teams in recent weeks, riding a hot streak fueled by dominant starting pitching and a red-hot offense that’s erupted for double-digit runs in four of their last eight games. But behind the current success, there are fair questions about whether this pace is truly sustainable as the grind of the season continues.
Yes, the Astros are winning — and winning big — but context matters. Many of their recent victories have come against struggling clubs like the White Sox and Athletics. Even matchups against the Twins and Guardians, while respectable, don’t exactly represent championship-caliber tests. That soft stretch of the schedule has certainly helped Houston pad its win column, but it may not be the best predictor of long-term performance. Houston will be tested in the upcoming series against the Phillies and Cubs.
On the pitching side, the numbers have been impressive, but how repeatable is it? With Lance McCullers Jr. sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, the Astros are relying on a patchwork rotation that includes unproven arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter. While each has shown flashes, asking them to shoulder the load deep into the summer may be a tall order.
Offensively, Houston is firing on all cylinders. But scoring 10 or more runs every other game simply isn’t sustainable over a 162-game season. Regression is inevitable; the question is how the team responds when the bats cool down or the bullpen is asked to carry more weight.
Amid all this, rookie third baseman Cam Smith continues to shine. Just a few months into his major league career, Smith is producing at a level that suggests he’s not just a key piece of the future — he’s already one of the team’s most valuable players. His batting average sits just a point behind Jose Altuve’s, and his OPS is even higher. If the Astros were forced to choose two players to build around long-term, factoring in youth and contract status, the logical duo might be Smith and breakout pitcher Hunter Brown.
So what about the big picture? Is this team a true World Series contender?
Oddsmakers currently have Houston with the seventh-best odds to win it all, and only the Yankees and Tigers rank higher among American League teams. The core is still there, the experience is undeniable, and if the pitching continues to hold — especially with the anticipated return of Spencer Arrighetti and a healthy McCullers — the Astros have every reason to believe they’ll be in the mix deep into October.
But that’s a big “if.” The ceiling is still high, and with Cam Smith emerging as a star in real time, this team might just have another gear. Whether they can reach it when the competition stiffens, that remains to be seen.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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