Week 5 Fantasy Football position previews
BOSTON -- Week 5 is here and it's time to put together your fantasy football lineup. We just to happen to have the perfect little cheat sheet to help you construct a winning roster.
For all your fantasy football needs, we turn to CBS Sports' Heath Cummings, who is back again with his positional previews for Week 5. Here are all his top plays at the most important spots on your team.
Quarterbacks
It's been a weird fantasy season for quarterbacks, as Cummings notes in his intro.
"Through the first four weeks of the season, Jared Goff, Geno Smith Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz, and Trevor Lawrence all rank as top-12 Fantasy quarterbacks. They're all ahead of Russell Wilson. Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, and Matthew Stafford," Cummings writes. "In a sample size this small, you probably shouldn't make too much of it, especially for the elite quarterbacks who have struggled."
As for his top QB plays in Week 5, Cummings has Buffalo's Josh Allen and his enticing matchup against the Pittsburgh defense in the top spot.
"Allen is the top play on both FanDuel and DraftKings this week. Through four weeks he's the No. 2 quarterback in Fantasy and this week his Bills have the highest implied point total of the week at 30.5," he notes. "The Bills should be the most popular stack in DFS in Week 5."
Baltimore's Lamar Jackson (vs. Cincinnati), Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts (@ Arizona), Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (vs. Las Vegas on Monday Night Football), and L.A.'s Justin Herbert (@ Cleveland) round out his Top 5. Tampa Bay's Tom Brady checks in at No. 6, thanks to his career passer rating of 113.9 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Click here to read Cummings' entire QB preview for Week 5.
Running Backs
New England fans -- there is are a few Patriots worth picking up in fantasy this week! Rhamondre Stevenson doesn't crack Cummings' Top 15, but the fantasy expert is high on what both Stevenson and Damien Harris could do against the Lions and the NFL's bottom-ranked defense on Sunday.
"Whether it's Brian Hoyer or Bailey Zappe under center for the Patriots, their Week 5 matchup against the Lions profiles as one in which Stevenson and Damien Harris could combine for 40 touches, 300 yards, and four scores. Stevenson is cheaper on both sites even though he's played more snaps each of the past two weeks," writes Cummings.
L.A.'s Austin Ekeler (@ Cleveland), Carolina's Christian McCaffrey (vs. San Francisco), New York's Saquan Barkley (@ Green Bay), Tennessee's Derrick Henry (@ Washington), and Cleveland's Nick Chubb (vs. L.A. Chargers) are the top plays at running back for Week 5.
Cummings is also pushing Atlanta rookie Tyler Allgeier as a solid pickup given Cordarrelle Patterson's injury.
"It will be a timeshare, but Allgeier appears most likely to lead the Falcons running backs for as long as Cordarrelle Patterson is out. He had great success in Week 4, producing 104 yards on just 11 touches and played more on third downs than Caleb Huntley," writes Cummings. "Both Huntley and Damien Williams are deep stash options as well."
Click here to read Cummings' full RB preview for Week 5.
Wide Receivers
L.A.'s Cooper Kupp (vs. Dallas), Buffalo's Stefon Diggs (vs. Pittsburgh), Minnesota's Justin Jefferson (vs. Chicago), Miami's Tyreek Hill (@ New York Jets), and Las Vegas' Davante Adams (@ Kansas City on Monday Night Football) are Cummings' top receiver plays this weekend.
He also likes Pittsburgh's George Pickens against Buffalo, after the Steelers rookie had six catches for 102 yards last week against the Jets.
"Pickens' roster rate is a little higher than I generally target in this space, but I just wanted to say he should be universally rostered by Thursday morning," Cummings wrote. "His talent combined with the way Pickett looked downfield in his first game, could lead to a very sudden changing of the guard in Pittsburgh."
Click here to check out Cummings' full WR preview for Week 5.
Tight Ends
Kansas City's Travis Kelce (vs. Las Vegas on Monday Night Football), Baltimore's Mark Andrews (vs. Cincinnati), Detroit's T.J. Hockenson (@ New England), L.A.'s Gerald Everett (@ Cleveland), and Las Vegas' Darren Waller (@ Kanas City on Monday Night Football) round out the Top 5 plays at tight end this week.
Cummings is also big on L.A.'s Tyler Higbee against Dallas, despite the fact that the Rams tight end hasn't scored a touchdown this season.
"He's TE5 on the season and he still hasn't scored a touchdown. This volume (26 receptions on 38 targets) gives him TE1 upside every week," writes Cummings.
Click here to see Cummings' full TE preview for Week 5.