It’s hard to believe we’re about to be one-third of the way through the 2022 season. Week 5 brought us our first coaching casualty, as Matt Rhule’s tenure in Carolina has mercifully come to an end. However, Steve Wilks and Ben McAdoo are still around, so hope remains well beyond the horizon. The injuries are continuing to pile up, with more big name RBs heading to the shelf, which could open up some interesting Rumble Rosters.

Before we get to the breakdown, a reminder that Week 6 is presented by Boom Fantasy. Boom is sponsoring a parallel Rumble contest with a $1,000 prize pool! To see the simple steps to get your main contest lineup in the Boom contest, click here.

Week 5 Recap

The big guns balled out again in Week 5, led by an insane showing from Travis Kelce. Prior to last week, Marvin Jones had the record for fewest receiving yards in a 4 TD game, with 93. Kelce crushed (or shrank?) this record by orders of magnitude, putting up a wild stat line of 7/25/4. Yes, he had 4 TDs, and a total of 25 yards. Nonetheless, the massive TD explosion propelled Kelce lineups to top of the leaderboard. While over 30% of lineups played Kelce, only 3% used him in the Hero spot, which was the difference maker for our winner, bballer8575.

There really weren’t many surprises in Week 5, and this winning lineup was all chalk.

Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts dominated the QB scoring and made up three of the top four most played QBs, with Lamar Jackson serving as the one outlier that disappointed.

RB had a bit more variance, but the top five most played RBs, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, and Christian McCaffery, all ended up in the top 11 RBs on the week, with Ekeler leading the way. Leonard Fournette was surprisingly only played in 0.63% of lineups but tied Ekeler for the RB1 spot with 35.90 points – a surprisingly low market share given the obvious smash opportunity. From there, Josh Jacobs, the long-written off Raider, had the game of his life and has looked genuinely impressive, despite Las Vegas’ decision not to pick up his 5th year option. Breece Hall is looking like the real deal for the Jets, and the RB4 on the week could have had an even bigger day had he not been stopped on the 1 yard line on a 79-yard reception and had another touchdown vultured by Michael Carter.

Cooper Kupp was dominant yet again – what else is new. He was played in nearly 54% of lineups and finished as the WR5. While he provides a ridiculously solid floor, his insane ownership makes him a bit of a conundrum. While he smashed, Gabriel Davis ended up the WR1, played in just 0.58% of lineups. Because there are 3 WRs + a Flex, ownership tends to spike a bit higher on WRs, but at this point it’s almost worth considering the risk of going against Kupp with the hope he has a game like he did in Week 3, assuming you have other solid options. Justin Jefferson continued his great resurgence after a slow start, and Devante Adams caught two bombs. Tyler Lockett continues to help Geno cook, possibly the most interesting storyline of the year, while Dyami Brown ended up as the WR6 on the week with a whopping 0.07% ownership. On the flipside, Ja’Marr Chase is firmly entrenched in a sophomore slump. After a solid week one (10/129/1), Chase has disappointed in four straight matchups, only cracking 55 yards once and with only 1 TD during that span. Much of Chase’s struggles have been due to Cincinnati’s inept offensive line, which despite several high profile offseason moves, like the signing of OT La’el Collins, has failed to protect Joe Burrow. Mike Evans also had a disappointing outing, as the Tampa Bay ground game outperformed the passing offense, leading to Fournette’s great week.

Week 5 was the week of Travis Kelce, but then again, when is that not the case? Actually, if you want to get technical, it was the week of Taysom Hill! At a whopping 0.02% ownership, Hill’s 34.08 points actually edged out Travis Kelce’s 33.50. Kelce and Andrews made up over 52% of total TE ownership, unsurprising given the barren wasteland at the position so far this year. Aside from T.J. Hockenson, who came in at just over 10% ownership (and busted yet again), no other TE approached double digits in that department. It’s the Kelce and Andrews show this year, and while it’s not surprising that they’ve been great, it is surprising that there has been no consistency outside of those two.

Defensively, the Dallas D stepped up as expected, putting a spotlight on how out of sync the Rams have been this year, both in terms of Matt Stafford’s continued poor play, and the total inability of Cam Akers to get anything going on the ground. Ultimately, outside of Kupp, Tyler Higbee has been the only Ram having a decent season on the offensive side of the ball. New England went vintage Patriots, shutting down the high-powered Lions, and the Hard Knocks honeymoon on Dan Campbell might be souring. San Francisco feasted on Baker Mayfield as expected, while the Denver and Indianapolis defenses were also high performers in Thursday Night’s gross affair.

Rumble Wrinkle

Normally, I love the idea of trying to capitalize on the TNF game. But sometimes the best move is the move you don’t make. Tonight’s Commanders – Bears matchup is just not something that appeals to anyone, fans of these teams included. Carson Wentz had the most Carson Wentz moment ever last week, and Bears continue to employee a high school offensive scheme (that isn’t working). There’s a good chance one of Washington’s WRs has a productive game, but if you’re trying to win Week 6, you need more than a productive outing, you need a dominant performance. In the off chance someone goes wild, you can likely scoop them up off the ALL DAY Marketplace for a reasonable price. The o/u is a measly 37 points, so buyer beware. Like Forrest Gump said, that’s all I have to say about that. 

Week 6 Strategy

One important Week 6 distinction is that it ushers in the bye weeks. Make sure you check your collection to ensure you can field a full roster, and don’t wait too close to kickoff as prices tend to spike as the hype builds. In addition to scheduling considerations, the aforementioned injury bug is something to keep an eye on, and hopefully leverage.

• Rhamondre Stevenson was terrific last week in New England, and with Damien Harris likely nursing a multi-week hamstring injury, this one is worth consideration, especially considering what Austin Ekeler just did to them. Stevenson runs hard and can catch the ball, and will likely be a key focal piece of the offense. New England doesn’t like to run-and-gun but Cleveland has been able to score, thanks largely in part to their dynamic duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, so this game has sneaky upside.
• From there, the Buffalo – Kansas City game will likely be the most anticipated game of the year. Coming on the heels of one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history, these two teams need no introduction. The only cautionary tale is that games with huge amounts of hype often have extremely high ownership, and in the event they bust, could sink your entire roster. We saw that earlier this season with Buffalo and Miami, so keep that in consideration. That said, Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Patrick Mahomes, an Travis Kelce all figure to dominate the ownership leaderboards this week.
• One other game that has some interesting potential is the Seattle – Arizona matchup. I’m still not sold on Geno Smith’s renaissance, but every week it’s getting harder to deny what’s happening. The loss of Rashaad Penny is tough, but Seattle has been letting Geno chuck the ball much more than anticipated, surprising us all with their barnstorming brand of football. Arizona has not looked good, though Kyler, Marquise Brown, and even Zach Ertz have had relatively strong fantasy performances. One of the interesting storylines here is the health of James Conner and the potential opening for Eno Benjamin. Unfortunately for us, neither Benjamin nor Kenneth Walker, Penny’s replacement, have ALL DAY Moments, taking them out of the equation. Still, Kyler should get ample opportunity to put up points, and the Geno/Lockett/Metcalf trifecta has been shockingly effective.

Sleepers and Stacks

As always, we’re avoiding the obvious plays, because where’s the fun in that? 

• Rhamondre Stevenson: We called Stevenson last week, and we’re back on him again this week. Mac Jones’ availability is in question, but even if he is able to play there’s a good chance New England will rely on their running/short passing game, both because of Stevenson’s talent and due to the dearth at WR.
• Dalvin Cook: Might as well keep going back to the well. We called Cook last week too, pointing out that he hadn’t topped 3% ownership and had a smash opportunity. Cook came through, finishing as the RB6 on the week. While their matchup against Miami isn’t close to as juicy as last week’s against Chicago, the Dolphins just got scorched by the Jets backfield, allowing 118 yards on the ground, 112 yards through the air, and 2 TDs. 
• Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown: We’ve been here before, and it’s been hitting of late. Our winner from Week 6 played Marquise Brown, who is quietly having a huge season, at least while DeAndre Hopkins is out. To date, Brown has been targeted 55 times in 5 games, and has 38 grabs for 417 yards and 3 TDs. Kyler has been similarly forgotten, although he has had stretches of downright bad play. Notably, Arizona has been horrendous in the first half, tied for the worst first half offense in the league. If you can stomach slow starts, they’ve had the 4^th best second half offense, largely due to needing late comebacks. Kyler’s rushing floor always makes him intriguing, and the matchup against Seattle’s abysmal defense makes this a solid option.
• Geno Smith and Tyler Lockett/DK Metcalf: See a trend here? If you just don’t believe in Kliff Kingsbury (we don’t), you could opt for the comeback kid himself, Geno Smith. It sounds insane, but over the past three weeks Geno has finished as the QB7, QB2, and QB4. One spike game can happen to anyone, but three in a row could be the beginning of a legitimate trend. We’re not there just yet, but the matchup against Arizona’s secondary is mouthwatering, despite their strong play against the Eagles. Lockett has been the preferred target, but Metcalf offers explosiveness and upside, even if the volume could be lower. 
• Tom Brady and Mike Evans: The Buccaneers passing offense fizzled last week against Atlanta, and the Bucs were bailed out by a horrendous roughing the passer call that might legitimately lead to a rule change, especially in conjunction with what happened to Chris Jones in the Kansas City game. We love spots like this, because everyone has a sour taste in their mouth – part of why we called out Ekeler and Cook in previous weeks as attractive plays. Whenever the field gets burned, expect ownership drop under the “fool me once” premise. Tampa has relied heavily on the run game and Fournette has been great, but Pittsburgh was just eviscerated by Josh Allen, allowing nearly 350 yards through the air in the first half. We doubt Pittsburgh will be that bad again, but if they’re only half as bad, it’s still a feast for Brady and the gang. Evans has the deep ball and red zone potential so we’re going with him here, but Godwin is always a potential pivot. 

Value Buys

Many of the best options might already be priced out of your range, but there’s plenty of Rumble viable players that can be grabbed on the market for affordable prices.

QBs

• Matt Ryan, $7 – Matt Ryan has been really bad this season, and Indianapolis has been weird to start the season. But, they look to be getting Jonathan Taylor back, and Ryan has been developing rapport with Alec Pierce. If Week 6 isn’t a get-right game against the Jags, who shut the Colts out in Week 2, nothing is.
• Kyler Murray, $8 – People are just not big on Murray, who’s low ask is now just $8.

RBs

• Cam Akers, $7 – Akers has been a massive disappointment, let’s not beat around the bush. But the volume is there, Sean McVay is still at the helm, and the Rams are still defending Super Bowl champs. There is legitimate concern that Akers is simply not the player he was before the injury, but Carolina is terrible. It’s almost now-or-never time for Akers.
• Javonte Williams, $10 – This one might seem crazy, but bear with me. This is Javonte’s S1 debut, which is down from a high of $60 before the injury. If you’re thinking long-term and believe Williams has any chance of returning to form, this is about as good a hold as you could have, even if it won’t pay dividends until 2023. 

WRs

• Christian Kirk, $7 – Before Jacksonville’s recent woes, Kirk was sitting at $20. After two consecutive bad games, he’s down near the floor, and still is a solid WR1. Buy low.
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling, $7 – Juju might only be 25 years old, but he looks 38. MVS hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but we saw some evidence in Week 5 that he might be truly emerging as Patrick Mahomes’ #2 offensive weapon through the air, making him a potentially valuable commodity down the line. 

TEs

• Hayden Hurst, $7 – There’s a slew of affordable TEs in this range, but we liked Hurst last week and like him again going forward. He’s been semi-reliable, and could provide insurance to a banged up WR core.
• Dawson Knox, $7 – Knox has missed time and battled injury, but he’s still a major component of Buffalo’s offense. The Bills are going with a full blown air-raid, and we just saw Gabriel Davis’ return from the dead. Monitor Knox’s status for this week, but he could be a hot commodity later in the year.