MONDAY NIGHT CHUBB

Week 5 fantasy football rankings

Week 5 fantasy football rankings
Photo via:Browns/Facebook

These are my early ranks and I will update them later in the week. Make sure you check the injury report on Sunday for players that have missed practice. Keep in mind, these are PPR rankings, and don't forget to set your lineup for Thursday Night Football. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5FM. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.

@JoshJordan975

@Moneyline975

@JerryBoKnowz

QB

Photo via Kansas City Chiefs/Facebook

1 Patrick Mahomes
2 Lamar Jackson
3 Deshaun Watson
4 Russell Wilson
5 Carson Wentz
6 Matt Ryan
7 Tom Brady
8 Jared Goff
9 Dak Prescott
10 Baker Mayfield
11 Kyler Murray
12 Aaron Rodgers
13 Jameis Winston
14 Philip Rivers
15 Jacoby Brissett
16 Andy Dalton
17 Jimmy Garoppolo
18 Daniel Jones
19 Kirk Cousins
20 Kyle Allen

RB

Photo by Rams/Facebook

1 Christian McCaffrey
2 Alvin Kamara
3 Ezekiel Elliott
4 Dalvin Cook
5 David Johnson
6 Nick Chubb
7 Le'Veon Bell
8 James Conner
9 Mark Ingram
10 Leonard Fournette
11 Derrick Henry
12 Austin Ekeler
13 Joe Mixon
14 Devonta Freeman
15 Todd Gurley
16 Chris Carson
17 LeSean McCoy
18 Aaron Jones
19 Melvin Gordon
20 David Montgomery
21 Wayne Gallman
22 Josh Jacobs
23 James White
24 Phillip Lindsay
25 Darrel Williams
26 Jordan Howard
27 Chris Thompson
28 Jaylen Samuels
29 Royce Freeman
30 Matt Breida
31 Sony Michel
32 Carlos Hyde
33 Tarik Cohen
34 Raheem Mostert
35 Miles Sanders
36 Tarik Cohen

Photo by New Orleans Saints/Facebook

1 Julio Jones
2 Keenan Allen
3 Cooper Kupp
4 DeAndre Hopkins
5 Michael Thomas
6 Chris Godwin
7 Odell Beckham
8 Mike Evans
9 Robert Woods
10 Adam Thielen
11 Larry Fitzgerald
12 Tyler Lockett
13 Julian Edelman
14 Brandin Cooks
15 Tyler Boyd
16 Josh Gordon
17 Sammy Watkins
18 Amari Cooper
19 Allen Robinson
20 Emmanuel Sanders
21 Stefon Diggs
22 JuJu Smith-Schuster
23 Marquise Brown
24 Alshon Jeffery
25 Sterling Shepard
26 Calvin Ridley
27 Courtland Sutton
28 D.J. Chark
29 Will Fuller
30 Demarcus Robinson
31 John Brown
32 Auden Tate
33 D.J. Moore
34 Phillip Dorsett
35 Marquez Valdes-Scantling
36 Jarvis Landry
37 Mecole Hardman
38 Curtis Samuel
39 Robbie Anderson
40 Tyrell Williams

TE

1 Travis Kelce
2 George Kittle
3 Zach Ertz
4 Evan Engram
5 Austin Hooper
6 Mark Andrews
7 Darren Waller
8 Will Dissly
9 Delanie Walker
10 Greg Olsen
11 Jimmy Graham
12 Tyler Eifert
13 Jason Witten
14 Eric Ebron
15 O.J. Howard

Defense

1 Patriots
2 Bears
3 Eagles
4 Titans
5 Vikings
6 Bills
7 Panthers
8 Chargers
9 Saints
10 49ers
11 Steelers
12 Texans
13 Jaguars
14 Chiefs
15 Bengals

Kicker

1 Justin Tucker
2 Greg Zuerlein
3 Will Lutz
4 Harrison Butker
5 Joey Slye
6 Robbie Gould
7 Jake Elliott
8 Ka'imi Fairbairn
9 Zane Gonzalez
10 Brett Maher
11 Jason Myers
12 Mason Crosby
13 Adam Vinatieri
14 Matt Bryant
15 Josh Lambo

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Can top prospect Brice Matthews give Houston a boost? Composite Getty Image.

What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.

Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.

 

Depth finally runs dry

 

It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.

Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.

But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.

The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.

 

Cracks in the pitching core

 

And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.

Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.

But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.

 

Injury handling under fire

 

Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.

No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.

Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.

 

Pressure mounts on Dana Brown

 

All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.

Brown will need to act — and soon.

At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.

*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!

 

There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.

 

A final test before the break

 

Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.

The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.

There's so much more to discuss! 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.

___________________________

*ChatGPT assisted.

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