NFL Notebook Dump: Jags Are Still The Jags, Packers In Trouble + More Week 5 Fantasy Notes

Week 5 of the NFL season is officially behind us, and while it's still relatively early, we've quickly blown through nearly 30 percent of the schedule. After outlasting the Cardinals on Sunday, the Eagles still reign as the only undefeated team in the league. Meanwhile, the Texans picked up their first win, adding to the theme of parity across both conferences.

Once again, we'll take a game-by-game approach to breaking down all of the relevant fantasy news and notes from the week that was. Let's dive in.

Giants 27 – Packers 22

The good:

• Not much on the Green Bay side. I felt supremely confident that the Packers would avoid a major letdown for the second straight week, and boy was I wrong. After jumping out to a 17-3 lead, the Packers once again shifted into cruise control and generated very little meaningful offense the rest of the way.
• Aaron Rodgers threw two short touchdowns but, as was the case against New England, he was off-target throwing downfield and made some puzzling decisions.
  • Rodgers has made it a bizarre point to force the ball to Randall Cobb this season. Cobb was targeted 13 times, catching only seven of those for 99 yards

• Despite being banged up, Daniel Jones played within himself and finished an efficient 21-of-27 for 217 yards. Jones also rushed 10 times for 37 yards and was sacked only once on the day.
• Saquon Barkley: 13 carries, 70 yards, TD
  • Three catches, 36 yards

• Darius Slayton: six catches, 79 yards
• Gary Brightwell and Daniel Bellinger both notched rushing TDs for the Giants

The bad:

• A common theme in Packers losses? Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon failing to get their touches
  • Aaron Jones: 13 carries, 63 yards; two catches, 17 yards
  • AJ Dillon: six carries, 34 yards
• Romeo Doubs: 3-29 on five targets
• Allen Lazard: 4-35, TD on eight targets
• Green Bay's defense was once again a major liability against an opponent with very little firepower. After building their 17-3 lead, the Packers allowed consecutive drives of 11, 11 and 15 plays.

Texans 13 – Jaguars 6

The good:

• Dameon Pierce didn't have an overly efficient day, but he ripped off a couple of impressive runs en route to finishing with 99 yards on 26 carries. 
  • Pierce: three catches, 14 yards
  • Pierce ranks as the RB10 in PPR leagues through five weeks

• Nico Collins: four catches, 65 yards
• Marvin Jones: seven catches, 104 yards
• Evan Engram: six catches, 69 yards
• Travis Etienne: 10 carries, 71 yards (long of 30)
  • Three catches, 43 yards 

The bad:

• Woof. On paper, this looked like a great bounceback spot for the Jaguars, who won't find an easier game on their schedule. Instead, Trevor Lawrence imploded for the second straight week, and the Jags' offense failed to score a single touchdown against one of the league's worst defenses. 

• Lawrence finished 25-of-47 for 286 yards and two interceptions
  • His first pick may have been the single worst interception thrown in the NFL this season.
  • After a strong start to the year, Lawrence has committed seven turnovers and almost single-handedly cost the Jaguars each of the last two games.

• Again, on paper this looked like a really good spot for James Robinson, who finished with only 27 yards on 10 carries. Etienne was the far more effective back Sunday, and he out-snapped Robinson 40 to 30
• Zay Jones returned from a one-week absence to catch three passes for 12 yards (eight targets)

Bills 38 – Steelers 3

The good:

• This was a 31-3 game at halftime, and it could've been much worse. Buffalo hit a 98-yard touchdown to Gabe Davis on its first drive and never looked back.

• Josh Allen: 20-of-31, 424 yards, 4 TD, INT
  • Five carries, 42 yards
• Case Keenum finished out the final 10 minutes of the game after Buffalo went up 38-3 early in the fourth quarter
• Gabe Davis: a Randy Moss-esque three catches, 171 yards, 2 TD
  • Davis' second touchdown was an incredibly unique play in which he ripped the ball away from Minkah Fitzpatrick after the two appeared to catch it simultaneously 

• Stefon Diggs: 8-102-1
• Khalil Shakir: 3-75-1
  • The Bills were without Isaiah McKenzie, as well as a couple of other depth pieces at receiver
• James Cook: four carries, 31 yards, including a 24-yard TD in garbage time
• This was a brutal spot for Kenny Pickett to make his first NFL start, but he acquitted himself fairly well, given the circumstances.
  • Pickett finished 34-of-52 for 327 yards and one interception.
• George Pickens: 6-83 on eight targets
• Diontae Johnson: 5-60 on 13 targets
• Chase Claypool: 5-50 on nine targets
• This could be nothing, however: 

The bad:

• The Steelers' running game continues to show very few signs of life. 
• Najee Harris: 11 carries, 20 yards; three catches, 16 yards
• Jaylen Warren: five carries, 24 yards

• Pat Freiermuth caught two passes for 12 yards before departing with concussion symptoms 
• Devin Singletary: six carries, 42 yards; one catch, four yards

Chargers 30 – Browns 28

The good:

• This didn't quite match last season's Week 5 shootout, which produced 40-plus points in the fourth quarter alone, but it rivaled Seahawks-Saints for the best game of the early window.
• There was plenty of fantasy production to go around, as the teams combined for over 900 yards of total offense
• Justin Herbert: 22-of-34, 228 yards, TD
• Mike Williams: 10-134 on 13 targets
• Austin Ekeler: 16 carries, 173 yards, TD
  • Four catches, 26 yards, TD
  • After two monster weeks, Ekeler is now the No. 1 running back in PPR leagues through five weeks (113.7 FP)
• Nick Chubb is second with 111.0 FP
• Joshua Kelley: 10 carries, 49 yards, TD; two catches, 33 yards
• Nick Chubb: 17 carries, 134 yards, 2 TD
• Kareem Hunt: 11 carries, 47 yards, TD
• David Njoku: six catches, 88 yards
  • Njoku is currently the TE8 in PPR leagues
• Amari Cooper: 7 catches, 76 yards, TD

The bad:

• After rolling the dice on a 4th-and-1 from their own 46-yard-line, the Chargers failed to convert and handed Cleveland the ball back with 1:10 remaining. Needing a field goal to win, the Browns only gained 10 yards on five plays, setting up a Cade York 54-yard attempt.
  • York also missed a short field goal earlier in the game

• Jacoby Brissett threw a horrific, Trevor Lawrence-esque interception late in the fourth quarter with Cleveland trailing by two points. 

• All three of Brissett's interceptions this season have come with under three minutes to play in a one-score game. 
• Joshua Palmer: three catches, 24 yards
  • The Chargers were again without Keenan Allen, who apparently disagreed with Brandon Staley's decision to go for the late 4th down

Vikings 29 – Bears 22

The good:

• Much like Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the Vikings jumped out to an early lead against an inferior opponent and looked to be cruising toward an easy win. However, the Bears stormed back in the second half and briefly took the lead before Minnesota went on a 17-play, seven-minute touchdown drive that ate up most of the fourth quarter.
• Chicago was marching into Vikings' territory for a chance to tie before Ihmir Smith-Marsette's fumble sealed their fate.
  • Calling the play a "fumble" might be selling short the effort by Cameron Dantzler to rip the ball out of Smith-Marsette's hands

• Justin Fields went off for 208 yards and one touchdown on 15-of-21 passing
  • Fields also had eight carries for 47 yards and had another long touchdown called back
• Cole Kmet: 4-45
• David Montgomery: 12 carries, 20 yards, TD; four catches, 62 yards
• Velus Jones caught his first career touchdown from Fields
• Kirk Cousins started 17-of-17 en route to racking up 296 yards on 32-of-41 passing. Cousins did throw another interception, but he also had a touchdown to Jalen Reagor
  • Cousins also notched a rushing touchdown
• Justin Jefferson: 12-154; Jefferson nearly got into the endzone, but it ultimately turned into an easy, one-yarder for Dalvin Cook
• Dalvin Cook: 18 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
  • Two receptions, 27 yards

The bad:

• It was another quiet week for Adam Thielen, who had four catches for 27 yards. Through five games, Thielen has found the endzone only once.
• Darnell Mooney: 2-52 on five targets
• Khalil Herbert: four carries, 11 yards
  • After big games against the Texans and Giants while Montgomery was banged up, Herbert played only 14 snaps, compared to 36 for Montgomery

Patriots 29 – Lions 0

The good:

• With Mac Jones sidelined, Bailey Zappe earned his first career NFL victory. Zappe finished 17-of-21 for 188 yards, a TD and an interception
  • The touchdown went to Jakobi Meyers, who accounted for 111 yards on seven catches
• Hunter Henry finally got going, catching four Zappe passes for 54 yards
• Rhamondre Stevenson: 25 carries, 161 yards; two catches, 14 yards
• Damien Harris exited in the first half with a hamstring injury
• Josh Reynolds: six catches, 92 yards 
• Despite failing to score, Detroit still ranks third in the league in total points through five weeks
• The Lions head into a much-needed bye in Week 6 before facing the Cowboys, Dolphins and Packers

The bad:

• The Lions were able to hang around for most of the first half until Kyle Duggar returned a Jared Goff fumble for a touchdown to put New England up 13-0.
• Detroit failed to convert a 4th-and-1 on its first drive of the game, while Goff tossed an interception on the next drive.
  • Detroit finished the afternoon 0-of-6 on fourth down tries

• Amon-Ra St. Brown played after missing Week 4, but he was limited to just 21 of a possible 66 snaps. St. Brown finished with four catches for 18 yards. He's still the WR10 on the season, despite playing roughly 3.5 games.
• Jamaal Williams: 15 carries, 56 yards
• Craig Reynolds: six carries, 24 yards
• Justin Jackson: three carries, 14 yards
• Nelson Agholor was responsible for Zappe's interception prior to exiting the game with a hamstring injury 

• Kendrick Bourne: one catch, one yard
• T.J. Hockenson: one catch, six yards on four targets

Saints 39 – Seahawks 32

The good:

• Seattle and Detroit have officially separated themselves as the two most-fantasy-friendly defenses in the league. After piling up 48 points last week, Seattle found itself in a familiar shootout in Week 5.
• Geno Smith had another strong day, completing 16-of-25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns.

• Tyler Lockett: 5-104-2
• DK Metcalf: 5-88-1

• Alvin Kamara: 23 carries, 103 yards; six catches, 91 yards
• Taysom Hill stole the show for New Orleans, racking up four touchdowns on the day – three on the ground, and one through the air. Hill also returned three kickoffs and took some snaps at fullback.
  • Hill: 9 carries, 112 yards; 22-yard pass TD to Adam Trautman
  • In leagues where Hill is eligible at tight end, he ranks as the TE7 in PPR formats and the TE3 in standard scoring

The bad:

• Chris Olave had four catches for 54 yards and a controversial touchdown before departing with a concussion.
• Rashaad Penny sustained a fractured fibula and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season

• In steps Kenneth Walker III, a second-round pick out of Michigan State. Walker looked great in relief of Penny, ripping off a 69-yard touchdown and finishing with 88 yards on eight carries.
  • Walker is rostered in less than half of ESPN leagues as of Tuesday morning

Jets 40 – Dolphins 17

The good:

• Very little "good" to report for the Dolphins, who lost Teddy Bridgewater to a possible concussion on their first play of the game.

• The play was ruled a safety due to intentional grounding by Bridgewater
• Third-stringer Skylar Thompson, a seventh-round rookie out of Kansas State, took it from there. Thompson finished 19-of-33 for 166 yards and an interception. He also lost a fumble inside the Dolphins' 20-yard-line.
• Raheem Mostert: 18 carries, 113 yards
• The Jets took advantage of the Dolphins' quarterback situation, which yielded several short fields throughout the day. 
  • All five of the Jets' touchdowns came on the ground
• Breece Hall: 18 carries, 97 yards, TD
  • Two receptions, 100 yards

• Michael Carter: 10 carries, 21 yards, 2 TD
• Braxton Berrios: 15-yard rush TD
• Zach Wilson: 14-of-21, 210 yards, rush TD

The bad:

• Tyreek Hill (7-47) sat out much of the fourth quarter after getting stepped on. He left the stadium in a walking boot.

• Jaylen Waddle: 3-23
• With both Bridgewater and Tua Tagovailoa's status very much in question, the Dolphins may very well have to start Thompson next week against the Vikings
• Chase Edmonds: one carry, one yard; zero catches on two targets
  • Edmonds played only one snap in the second half
• Raheem Mostert has clearly emerged as Miami's top running back

Buccaneers 21 – Falcons 15

The good:

• Tom Brady: 35-of-52, 351 yards, TD
• Leonard Fournette: 14 carries, 56 yards
  • 10 catches, 83 yards, TD
• Mike Evans: 4-81
• Chris Godwin: 6-61
• Marcus Mariota: 14-of-25, 147 yards, TD; seven carries, 61 yards
• Avery Williams (three carries, 11 yards) and Olamide Zaccheaus (2-39-1) accounted for Atlanta's two touchdowns
• The Falcons were without Kyle Pitts, leaving Parker Hesse as the top tight end
  • Hesse (41 snaps) out-snapped MyCole Pruitt (12) and Anthony Firkser (15)

The bad:

• The Bucs very nearly blew this game, and Atlanta would've had a chance to tie – or win – late in the fourth quarter, had it not been for the worst roughing the passer call of the season
• Julio Jones remained inactive for the Bucs
• Russell Gage: two catches, 20 yards on six targets
• Tyler Allgeier: 13 carries, 45 yards
  • Allgeier got the first crack on a 1st-and-goal from the Tampa 10-yard-line but was stopped for a short gain. On the next play, Williams cashed in an eight-yard touchdown run.

Titans 21 – Commanders 17

The good:

• Derrick Henry: 28 carries, 102 yards, 2 TD
  • For the most part, the Commanders did a decent job containing Henry (3.6 YPC), but he punched in a pair of touchdowns and added two catches for 30 yards
  • Henry ranks as the RB6 in PPR leagues behind Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Christian McCaffrey
• Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 2-72

• Carson Wentz: 25-of-38, 359 yards, 2 TD, INT
  • Wentz had another big yardage day and sits as the QB8 on the year. 
• Dyami Brown: two catches, 105 yards, 2 TD

• Terry McLaurin: 5-76. He hasn't scored since Week 1.
• Curtis Samuel: 6-62
  • Samuel hasn't carried the ball in either of the last two games after logging eight carries in Weeks 1 through 3
• Brian Robinson made his season debut and was introduced to 50 Cent's Many Men – far and away the coolest thing to happen in the NFL this season
  • Robinson: nine carries, 22 yards

The bad:

• Productive as Wentz may be, from a fantasy perspective, he threw a brutal interception on the final play of the game as Washington failed to cap off an 18-play drive with a score
  • Wentz threw a pair of incompletions on 1st and 2nd down before the pick

• Robert Woods: 4-37 on eight targets
• Antonio Gibson: three carries, six yards; three catches, 33 yards
  • Gibson (20), Robinson (18) and McKissic (26) split snaps fairly evenly, though Gibson's grasp on a true "starting" role appears to be close to non-existent right now

49ers 37 – Panthers 15

The good:

• Jimmy Garoppolo: 18-of-30, 253 yards, 2 TD
• Jeff Wilson: 17 carries, 120 yards, TD

• Tevin Coleman: eight carries, 23 yards, TD
• Christian McCaffrey: 14 carries, 54 yards, TD
  • Seven receptions, 50 yards
• Shi Smith: 4-69

The bad:

• Not sure if this qualifies as good or bad, but the Panthers may start P.J. Walker in Week 6 against the Rams after Baker Mayfield departed Sunday's game with a high-ankle sprain
  • Mayfield: 20-of-36, 215 yards, INT (pick-six)
  • Walker finished the game going 5-of-6 for 60 yards. He was sacked twice in eight dropbacks.
• DJ Moore: 4-59 on eight targets
• Deebo Samuel found the endzone but caught just two passes for 20 yards (two carries, 12 yards)
• George Kittle: five catches, 47 yards; lost fumble
• Robbie Gould sustained a bruised knee while attempting to make a tackle and could miss time
  • The 49ers will try out kickers this week 
• Nick Bosa suffered a strained groin and is considered questionable for Week 6 against Atlanta
• Emmanuel Moseley suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season

Cowboys 22 – Rams 10

The good:

• Outside of Cooper Kupp being Cooper Kupp (7-125-1), this game was not exactly a fantasy gold mine.
• Matthew Stafford: 28-of-42 for 308 yards, TD, INT
  • Stafford racked up yardage but lost a fumble on the first series of the game that was returned for a touchdown.
  • Stafford is tied with Matt Ryan for the league lead in interceptions (7)

• Tony Pollard: eight carries, 86 yards, 57-yard TD

• Ezekiel Elliott: 22 carries, 78 yards

The bad:

• Cooper Rush only attempted 16 passes on the afternoon. Rush: 10-of-16, 102 yards
• CeeDee Lamb: 5-53
• Michael Gallup: 4-44
• Dalton Schultz returned from injury but did not record a catch on only one target
• Allen Robinson: three catches, 12 yards
  • Good note on Robinson via PFF: His 10.6% targets per route run is the fourth-lowest rate this season for those with at least 100 routes run.
  • The Robinson situation is brutal for fantasy owners, and with Van Jefferson likely returning from IR in Week 8, Robinson's path to a second-half breakout becomes much more complicated
• Tutu Atwell: career-high nine offensive snaps
• Cam Akers: 13 carries, 33 yards
• Darrell Henderson: four catches, 30 yards (no carries)
  • Henderson did not log a carry, but he out-snapped Akers 37 to 20

Eagles 20 – Cardinals 17

The good:

• Philly won the time of possession battle, but this was an incredibly even game that featured a number of long drives in the second half.
• The Eagles put together drives of seven, 10 and 17 plays, while Arizona had drives of nine, 10 and 12 plays 
• Jalen Hurts: 26-of-36, 239 yards
  • 15 carries, 61 yards, 2 TD
• Kyler Murray: 28-of-42, 250 yards, TD, INT
  • Four carries, 42 yards
• Eno Benjamin: eight carries, 25 yards, TD
• Miles Sanders: 15 carries, 58 yards
• Dallas Goedert: eight catches, 95 yards
  • Goedert is TE5 in PPR leagues
• DeVonta Smith: 10 catches, 87 yards on 11 targets
• Marquise Brown: 8-78-1
  • Brown is WR5 in PPR leagues behind Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill
• Rondale Moore: seven catches, 68 yards

The bad:

• A.J. Brown: three carries, 32 yards on seven targets
• James Conner: nine carries, 55 yards before exiting with a rib injury
  • The initial belief is that Conner has avoided a serious injury, but he could still miss time in the short term

Ravens 19 – Bengals 17

The good:

• Mark Andrews: eight catches, 89 yards, TD
• Devin Duvernay: 5-54; three carries, 24 yards
• Lamar Jackson: 19-of-32, 174 yards, TD, INT
  • 12 carries, 58 yards
  • This was pretty easily Jackson's worst game of the season, but he still turned in a solid fantasy performance.
  • Jackson was off on several deep balls, including the interception on a pass intended for Demarcus Robinson
  • Jackson also badly missed Tylan Wallace on what would've been a walk-in touchdown on a 4th-and-2

• Joe Burrow: 24-of-35, 217 yards, TD, INT
• Hayden Hurst: 6-53
• Ja'Marr Chase: 7-50 on 12 targets
  • Chase has been fine (WR12 in PPR leagues), but he's a notable step behind his draft-cost peers Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson – each of whom have outpaced Chase by 40-plus fantasy points thus far.

The bad:

• Joe Mixon: 14 carries, 78 yards; three catches, 10 yards
  • Mixon ranks fourth in the NFL in carries (96) but has only one touchdown – rushing or receiving – on the year
• Tee Higgins started the game and played 10 early snaps before leaving due to irritation related to his ankle injury
• This Bengals 4th-and-goal play. The ol' shovel pass to Stanley Morgan.

• Two plays earlier, the Bengals attempted a Cincy Special, which was promptly blown up by Marcus Peters

• J.K. Dobbins: eight carries, 44 yards
• The Ravens were without top receiver Rashod Bateman
• Tyler Boyd: three catches, 32 yards on four targets

Chiefs 30 – Raiders 29

The good:

• The Raiders jumped out to a quick, 14-0 lead and led 17-0 before the Chiefs' offense finally woke up. 
• Josh Jacobs had another huge week, rushing for 154 yards and a score on 21 carries. Jacobs also had five receptions for 39 yards. 
  • Jacobs is now the RB4 in PPR formats and the RB5 in standard leagues
• Davante Adams: three catches, 124 yards, 2 TD

• Patrick Mahomes: 29-of-43, 292 yards, 4 TD
• Travis Kelce was on the receiving end of all four touchdowns
  • Somehow, Kelce finished with only 25 receiving yards (on seven catches) – far and away the fewest of any player to record four TDs in a single game

• On the season, Kelce leads all tight ends in fantasy points with 111.8. Next-highest? Mark Andrews at 91.2
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling: six catches, 90 yards
• Mecole Hardman: four catches, 73 yards
• Derek Carr: 19-of-30, 241 yards, 2 TD

The bad:

• Clyde Edwards-Helaire: nine carries, 15 yards; three catches, 20 yards
• Hunter Renfrow: four catches, 25 yards
• Darren Waller took a page out of the Tee Higgins playbook and exited the game early in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return
• JuJu Smith-Schuster: three catches, 33 yards
  • Smith-Schuster has been targeted exactly eight times in four of the Chiefs' five games, but he's yet to find the endzone
• Davante Adams was ruled out of bounds on a late catch that would've set the Raiders up in field goal range
  • On the ensuing 4th-and-1, Adams and Renfrow ran into each other while breaking on their routes

• After the game, Adams shoved a photographer while leaving the field

• The photographer has apparently pressed charges against Adams. It remains to be seen if the superstar receiver will face any discipline from the team or the NFL.