All teams during the 2024 National Football League regular season have logged either four or five games to date, and we now have enough of a sample size to either cut bait on fantasy football players not meeting drafting expectations.
Draft charts are changing all of the time, and sometimes it’s a move at another position that trickles down and effects other areas of an offense.
The good news is for the second straight time in Week 5, the injury bug was pretty kind after a brutal first three weekends. Changes won’t result from injuries, and that’s a good thing. And, we’re starting to see some guys start to get over nagging injuries, or get up to speed after shaking off rust from off-field issues in training camp and the preseason.
In other words, it seems like we’re getting some normalcy after a wild ride in the first month.
Atlanta Falcons WR Darnell Mooney
The Atlanta Falcons signed QB Kirk Cousins with the idea that this would be a high-octane offense with plenty of passing and plenty of fireworks. It was a slow go, but now, we’re starting to see the results.
While everyone talks about Cousins, the addition of WR Darnell Mooney flew a little under the radar. We saw glimpses of brilliance in Chicago, particularly in 2021, when he had 81 receptions, 1,055 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. It was a slow go the past couple of seasons with shaky QB play in the Windy City, but that has since changed.
Mooney opened with just a single 15-yard catch and three targets, and fantasy managers were wringing their hands. However, he has managed four straight games with three or more receptions, with at least 56 receiving yards since. However, he was especially good in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, seeing an insane 16 targets with nine receptions, 105 yards, and two scores.
Week 5 was Mooney’s first 100-yard game since he posted 123 yards on Thanksgiving 2021 in Detroit as a member of the Chicago Bears. It was his second straight 100-yard game then, and the only time he has posted triple digits in consecutive games.
He looks like a low-end WR2 or flex fantasy play after Week 5, but we need to see this more frequently. Mooney still has to contend with WR Drake London on the other side, too. But, if Mooney has another huge game in Carolina in Week 6 against the lowly Panthers, he won’t be available off the waiver wire any longer (currently 75% owned) even in the most casual of leagues.
Washington Commanders running backs
The Washington Commanders appear to have found their franchise quarterback as Jayden Daniels has been phenomenal. The solid passing game has opened up a surprising run game.
In Week 5, we saw a three-headed running back monster in the nation’s capital. Jeremy McNichols and Brian Robinson Jr. each had seven carries, and Austin Ekeler ended up with six rushing attempts.
Ekeler was the best yardage producer, averaging 11.2 yards per carry, highlighted by a 50-yard scamper, while also adding two receptions for 30 yards. It’s hard to believe, but he is still just 29 years old. It seems he has been around forever, but he obviously still has plenty left in the tank.
McNichols ran seven times for 44 yards and a score, and he has found the end zone three times in the past two games. The career journeyman spent time with four different organizations before landing with the Commanders.
Brian Robinson Jr. averaged just 2.6 yards per attempt, but he was able to pierce the end zone twice. All three backs did something positive, and fantasy managers will be pulling out their hair trying to figure out who is RB1.
Ekeler has the best history, but he doesn’t have to be the bell cow he was with the Los Angeles Chargers. Robinson has gradually improved each of his seasons since being drafted in 2022. Robinson had some fumbling issues last year, but that hasn’t been an issue this season.
Ekeler and McNichols look like solid RB3 or flex fantasy options in leagues of 12 or more teams, while Robinson is more of a low-end RB2 in most formats, but this is a situation worth watching closely, and it will likely be a hot-hand situation going forward with three capable NFL ball carriers. Knowing when to play any of them might be maddening, however.
New York Giants running backs
Giants RB Devin Singletary started the season in pretty decent shape, racking up 160 rushing yards and two touchdowns in consecutive games at Washington and at Cleveland. However, while the fantasy point totals were nice, he also lost a fumble in each of those games.
In Week 4, Singletary, nicknamed “Motor,” managed to avoid fumbling issues against the Dallas Cowboys, but he averaged just 1.7 yards per carry with 24 yards on 14 totes. And, he picked up a groin injury along the way. Singletary was sidelined by it in Seattle in Week 5, and now he might not get his job back.
Rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. burst onto the scene, rolling up 129 rushing yards on 18 attempts, good for a healthy 7.2 yards per carry. He was targeted twice in the pass game, posting a single 1-yard catch, so it remains to be seen how that aspect of his role will be, but he is an underrated pass catcher.
However, fantasy managers are going to be tripping all over themselves to scoop up Tracy after this huge showing. Don’t quite give up on Singletary just yet, but you’ll want him benched until he can make it through a full game without any setbacks. Groin injuries, particularly for running backs, are tricky.
Meanwhile, Tracy could be a RB3 or flex fantasy option for Sunday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team which allowed at least 20.1 fantasy points to backs in each game this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars running backs
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne managed to find the end zone in each of his first two games, and he had 50 or more rushing yards in three of his first four games. All appeared well, until it was not.
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, Etienne was struggling to kick it into high gear, averaging just 2.8 yards per attempt, good for just 17 yards. He was effective catching the ball out of the backfield, which could simply be his role going forward.
RB Tank Bigsby had 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight-reel score where he broke several tackles while willing himself into the end zone with defenders draped all over him.
Bigsby will be a popular pick-up off the waiver wire, and his bruising running style could be just what Jacksonville needs to turn things around. For fantasy managers, another effective tailback could also help turn fantasy fortunes around. Etienne suffered a shoulder ailment against the Colts, so that could open the door further for Bigsby.
