As of week 5 of this year’s NFL season, we’ve had various no-brainers, upsets, and consistent players as of fantasy points.  With multiple injuries and coaching decisions shaking up millions of fantasy owners this season, it’s hard to keep track of so we’ll break it down for you.

Who would’ve known the running back scene would’ve changed this much?  Certainly not most experts, considering how only 3 of the top-5 projected running backs made the top-5 cut going into week 5, the others going way under the radar.  The two biggest running backs that have shocked the fantasy world have to be Nick Chubb and Saquan Barkley.  These two have been phenomenal these past weeks due to their recent circumstances and have a bright future ahead, Saquan Barkley moving from his predicted 10th place spot, all the way up to number one.  An even bigger surprise is actually Chubb jumping from that predicted 14th spot all the way to number three as of week 5.  With the Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson not even being allowed to practice until November due to allegations, Nick Chubb and the Browns will have a run-heavy offense for weeks to come.  While Saquan’s New York Giants actually have a decent quarterback this year, New York’s big question mark is still at a big question mark from prior weeks and doesn’t appear to be much better in the future.  Having disappointing games from second-year wide-receiver Kadarious Toney, and high market-valued Kenny Golliday has forced most teams to double up on veteran Sterling Shepard.  Unfortunately, because of this, The WR1 has had a brutal ACL injury and doesn’t look promising to return for the rest of the season. This forced all heads to turn on former 1st round pick Saquan Barkley, he will most likely be the key difference maker for New York’s offense until the Receiving Core fixes its issues. 

With not many surprises happening on the top-5 receiver list, the people throwing the ball have possibly the biggest surprises this season. Judging by last year’s stats, nobody expected these great quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson to be so low on this year’s rankings.  Although when you look at the analytics and circumstances, you can truly understand why all this is happening.  These great quarterbacks all have valid excuses for how and why their numbers are so low; it’s all about the teammates. Russell Wilson was recently traded to Denver and has practically no top-tier targets to throw the ball to as of now.

Meanwhile, down in Tampa, Tom Brady and the Bucs are practically cursed this season with the injuries of Chris Godwin and Leonard Fourtnett, alongside the suspension of Mike Evans. It’ll be no surprise to fantasy owners this season if the Buccaneers slowly crumble as the season continues. Good news for Kyler Murray owners though, as his favorite target will return from his six-week hiatus for PED usage.  The Arizona Cardinals will be a powerhouse in the West once again, according to the experts of course.  As of our biggest surprise this year also coming from the NFC West, the red-hot Seahawks are on a mission, led by quarterback Geno Smith who may be an unknown name to most but won’t be for much longer.  Going into week one, nobody was even sure who would answer the Seahawks’ quarterback quest, trading away their franchise QB this offseason.  Most assumed it would be Drew Lock, the new hotshot from Denver but the coaching staff believes they’d found their guy during training camp, shocking the world by beating the team because they had given their franchise’s best quarterback.  Geno Smith is out on a mission and would be a great addition to your fantasy roster through those free-agent pickups.

Using this knowledge, I can assure you that the most unlikely of heroes might just save the day.  But only time will tell if these following weeks will be filled with expected victory or upset and misery.