Monday Dynasty Roundup, Week 5

Photo: Kirby Lee, USA Today Sports

"The future's in the air, can feel it everywhere," potential CIA operatives The Scorpions once philosophized. In Week 4, the NFL fully leaned into the winds of change with the Jets' 24 - 20 last-second win over the Steelers. The Jets saw Zach Wilson's return and Breece Hall's ascension to the top of the depth chart, with Hall scoring the game-winning touchdown and seeing 23 opportunities to Michael Carter's 12. Hall's 17 rushes were the most by a Jets back since Frank Gore in 2020, and Wilson's pass volume dropped considerably after Joe Flacco averaged 51.66 attempts through the first three games. Hall's usage is exciting, and he is producing as a fringe RB1 on the season, but if the team passing volume drops, all the other offensive options become very volatile. Despite the attention played to Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, Corey Davis leads the team with 261 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This group could quickly become an offense that sees Hall as the only startable player with any comfort level.

The Steelers saw their change with Kenny Pickett taking over at quarterback. The good: Pickett never saw a ball hit the turf. The bad: three incompletions in his 10 for 13 game were all interceptions. But Pickett was able to convert two rushing touchdowns. Pickett's presence allowed George Pickens to break out in his fourth game, becoming the fourth Steelers rookie since 2010 to top that number, joining Chase Claypool, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Martavius Bryant. Pickett also showed rapport with Pat Freiermuth, who became the first Steelers tight end since Jesse James in 2018 to hit 85 receiving yards. If Pickett can scramble just enough to extend drives, he is the best chance to realize value from the team's deep skill talent tree.

The big shootout of the week occurred in Detroit, where the Seahawks' 48-45 win became the 16th-highest total score in NFL history. The Lions' offense has been an early storyline, but they produced without Amon-Ra St. Brown and DAndre Swift in the lineup, with a huge 8-179-2 game from TJ Hockenson. The quarterbacks were dealing, with Jared Goff's 378 passing yards, four touchdowns, and Geno Smith's 369 total yards and three touchdowns were the two highest quarterback games of the week. Both of these offenses bear monitoring as they have offensive skill talent and defenses that will force them to use it each game.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks' offensive reputation coming into the season was a team that could not produce. Consistency will be an issue, but a performance like this forces a reassessment of the ceiling of the pieces in this group, including DK Metcalf's 7-149 line. It is comforting to know Metcalf can still deliver a weekly top receiver performance, the past two weeks, Metcalf's targets have spiked to 11.5 per game after sitting at 6.5 through the first two weeks. The buying window is closed for now. Encouragingly, Rashaad Penny got back on track with 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Penny was the story at the end of 2021, and it is interesting to see he may have found that form again in 2022.

Running backs were the other major story coming out of week four. In a season defined by wide receiver production and disappointments surrounding the backs, running backs struck back hugely. Weeks 1-3 saw 15 100-yard games, and nine running backs recorded 100-yard games in week 4. Josh Jacobs (144), Miles Sanders (132), and Dameon Pierce (131) all set career highs. Saquon Barkley topped 140 yards for the second time this season and fifth in his career, and Jamaal Williams' 108 yards were the second highest of his career. Fantasy players heavily invested in running backs must feel good to see this explosion across the league. Still, in a year when ZeroRB approaches look to be the way to go, many big days were attributed to players who filled in gaps on those types of rosters.

Anyone familiar with The Scorpions knows their other hit: "Rock You Like A Hurricane ."Unfortunately, many are just starting to dig out from the aftereffects of Hurricane Ida through the Gulf Coast. Please do not forget about your friends and family going through difficult times.

Blind Resume

This week’s group is four dual-threat quarterbacks. Can you place this production?

Revenge! A Dish Best Served On The Field

Revenge games of the week look at players or coaches who may be playing for a little bit extra.

Week 4

• Coach Doug Pederson, Jacksonville vs Philadelphia, lost 29-21

Week 5

• WR Julio Jones, Tampa Bay vs Atlanta
• WR Russell Gage, Tampa Bay vs Atlanta
• TE Zach Ertz, Arizona vs Philadelphia

Deep Dynasty Watch List

• QB Bailey Zappe, New England - Zappe took over for Brian Hoyer and performed admirably in an overtime loss to the Packers. If Mac Jones is out for multiple weeks, Zappe could position himself as a player a team is willing to try out in 2023 for a starting job. A deep SuperFlex target.

• RB Caleb Huntley, Atlanta - The Falcons want to rely heavily on the run game, and both Huntley and Tyler Allgeier performed well, with a 10-56-1 line for Huntley and 10-84 for Allgeier. The team has hunted a running back all offseason to free Cordarelle Patterson to serve in a hybrid role and may have found an answer in splitting time between the second-year Huntley and the rookie Allgeier. A deep league streamer who could grow into more.

• TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee - A summer drumbeat followed Okonkwo, but he started the season quietly. In Week 4, he made his presence known with a 3-38-1 line. With Treylon Burks potentially missing time, the Titans need playmakers. If Okonkwo fell to the waiver wire in your league, he becomes an aggressive target in dynasty leagues.

• RB Raheem Mostert, Miami - Mostert has out-carried Chase Edmonds in a two-to-one ratio over the past three weeks and been the more effective back. Mostert is undoubtedly not available on deep dynasty waivers. Still, his age and injury history makes him a cheap target to gain some production at a running back spot if a team needs depth in a win-now situation.

• QB Tyrod Taylor, NY Giants - Daniel Jones's injury needs monitoring, but in deep Superflex leagues, every starting quarterback has value. Taylor would oversee a conservative gameplan if pushed into action, but his rushing floor and upcoming bye weeks make him a must target if Jones misses extended time.

Stats Of The Week