Week five fantasy chaos arrives with byes looming. The show leans into matchup nuance, yards-before-contact data, and backfield splits to steer starts, warning against cute plays. Kendrick Bourne’s Thursday burst highlights riding hot hands, while Ashton Genty’s breakout reinforces keeping rookies in when run defenses leak yards.

Backs like James Cook, Rashad White, and Kyler Murray surface as anchors amid volatile lineups, with slot-targets and red-zone roles shaping flex calls. The bottom line: lean on real matchup signals, ignore overthinking, and chase the clean paths to upside in week five.

Week 5 fantasy primer emphasizes Justin Fields as a high-ceiling streamer against Dallas, with Fields’ rushing floor fueling expectations. Lions’ David Montgomery and Bengals’ Chase Brown present a split-back scenario in a key Detroit–Cincinnati matchup, while Dalton Kincaid remains in the top-10 tight end conversation despite some volatility. Waiver targets Michael Carter and Rico Dowell are highlighted; Brenton Strange and Darren Waller are noted as solid streaming options. London game notes and Bet MGM boosts pepper the prep, with further injury updates shaping rostering plans.

Brenton Strange's breakout continues for Jacksonville, climbing to a season-high target share and leading the team in receiving yards in two of four games. Lawrence trusts him in a shaky passing attack, and Strange could be this year's Hunter Henry.

Darren Waller returned on Monday night with 16% target share and two end-zone catches on limited routes; his workload should grow as Tyreek Hill's injury creates more pass-volume opportunities for Giants' receiving corps.

Mason Taylor stepped into Jets' No. 2 WR role, drawing seven targets, five catches, and 65 yards. With Garrett Wilson drawing coverage, Taylor offers a sneaky weekly floor in deeper leagues.

Tyreek Hill's involvement may shift if Hill is limited or out, opening opportunities for Jaylen Waddle and other pieces; Dalton Schultz and Isaiah Likely provide late-round TE plays as workloads stabilize for Texans and Ravens.