Thursday Night Preview-Week 5

Week 5 of the NFL presents to us the best matchup since opening week, as the Seattle Seahawks will host the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Stadium this Thursday Night, in what is sure to be one of the most fantasy-star-laden matchups of the week. 

You have two startable QBs, AT LEAST 4 legit WRs, flex plays or better at RB, and at least one defense you would consider (if your league still does defenses, of course). And kickers…well who the heck cares about kickers. Get them out of your fantasy leagues, no one wants to lose because some rando kicker drops a 20 burger on their head. 

Let’s start with the dueling QBs. Matt Stafford will look to take advantage of the underwhelming Seattle defense, something we have not been able to say about the Seahawks for quite some time now. Pete Carrol has always built a strong defense and gone from there, and this year, it just doesn’t appear to be the case. As such, the Seahwaks come into this matchup 2-2, and not looking nearly as powerful as they have in years past. On the flip side, their opponents, the Rams, come to town sporting a 3-1 record, but are coming off a loss to division rival Arizona where they were thoroughly dismantled. So, the Rams will look to use this as a “get-right” game, and the Seahawks will do their best to not let that happen. What I expect, and what I hope for… SHOOTOUT! 

Stafford should have a field day and continue to find his new favorite target, Cooper Kupp, who should be a lock in every single lineup where you have him. The bigger question this year has been Robert Woods. What in the FUDGE is going on with him? Sean McVay came out Wednesday and said it starts with him, he needs to call plays where Woods is more involved. In 3 seasons with Jared Goff, Woods averaged 132 targets, but through 4 games of Matt Stafford he has 25 total targets. That’s a decrease of about 2 targets per game, on average. For a guy who feasts on yards after catch, he needs the ball in his hands to be successful. The other thing standing in his way is the emergence of rookie Van Jefferson, who is turning into a nice little boom or bust flex play for fantasy owners in deeper leagues. He is certainly eating into some of the deeper routes Woods might usually have run, AND you still have the Desean Jackson threat to take any play to the house. All of this together is making Woods a tougher and tougher play each week, until you see him consistently producing. However, in this juicy matchup with a Seattle defense on the ropes, I would be confident playing Woods in all formats and think he is a prime candidate to find the endzone at some point. Any time TD play in DK SportsBook? Oh heck yeah, gimme those odds (+110, I’d hit that for 50 bucks and cash out a handsome $105). 

On the other side, you’ve got Lockett and DK Metcalf, who are simply locks in your lineup every week. Lockett has been the up and down boom or bust guy again this year, but his upside is too valuable to ever leave on your bench, so you’re stuck riding him, but you knew that when you drafted him, so deal with it. DK has been more level and consistent this season, yet to pop for that massive game, and I doubt this will be the one he breaks loose in, as he is the prime candidate for the Jalen Ramsey shadow. 

As for the runners, Darrel Henderson resumed his role as the lead back last week and looked solid, posting north of 14 fantasy points, while Sony Michel was relegated to his backup role and looked less than forgettable, losing a costly fumble and hardly seeing the ball again. Hendy is the only one I trust in the LA backfield at the moment. Play Sony at your own MASSIVE risk. 

For Seattle, Chris Carson is shaping up to be a true game time decision. He didn’t practice Wednesday and is said to be dealing with a neck injury, which is not something you want to play around with or take lightly. And the Seahawks should know that. They also have shown a lack of commitment to Carson all year, like we talked about on the podcast on Monday… They barely wanted to sign him, brought him back, and have been looking for someone else to carry the torch ever since. Enter Alex Collins. Collins looked great to end the season in 2020, and has slowly seen his role increase week over week in 2021. Highlighted by a 10 carry 44 yard plus a TD performance last week. He is primed and ready to go should Carson not be able to play, and even if he does, I would look for a much more even split of the carries going forward. Collins is a player I would sub into my lineup, certainly if Carson sits, and maybe even if he doesn’t. Definitely a situation to monitor as we head towards gametime on Thursday Night. 

The TEs in this matchup have been forgettable, but Higbee is still on the field for nearly 100% of offensive snaps, so if you’re hurting for a TE he’s probably not the worst play out there. The thing is, he’s yet to do anything impressive and is truly TD dependent. For Seattle, Gerald Everett is a Questionable tag as we head into the game, but even if he plays I don’t want to try him against the speedy and athletic LBs and DBs in LA. There are better options for sure. 

It also occurs to me that I never mentioned Russell Wilson…and that’s because if you drafted him he is a start in your lineup every single week. And if he isn’t then you should be trading him. Simple as that. You start him in every matchup, regardless of who it is. There’s your advice on Wilson… free of charge! 

So that pretty much wraps it up for viable fantasy players, but be sure to tune in to the best Thursday Night game in a while to see this tight division matchup shake out, as the winner could position themselves as the main threat to the Cardinals as they still seem poised to run away with the NFC West. 

And one other reminder, don’t forget to move your players out of your flex spots! As always, Stay Fluid, Stay Loose.