Week 5 Fantasy Sleepers: Melvin Gordon, Ronald Jones, Auden Tate worth starting

Billy Heyen

Week 5 Fantasy Sleepers: Melvin Gordon, Ronald Jones, Auden Tate worth starting image

Whenever you can get a Tate in the headline in both fantasy sleeper/bust articles, you've gotta do it. Golden Tate headlines our bust list in his first game back from suspension, but it's Auden Tate who helps carry our sleepers list this week. The dude looked the part on Monday night and should have an even bigger role than his already substantial one with John Ross out. He's joined by Week 5 sleepers Melvin Gordon (and we use the term loosely for him) and Ronald Jones, who are coming up in a lot of start 'em, sit 'em questions and could finish the week higher than we have them in the Week 5 RB rankings.

Tate isn't the only Cincinnati player on our sleepers list, as we had to include Tyler Eifert in the always tantalizing matchup for tight ends against the Cardinals. They're both joined by the Red Rifle himself, Andy Dalton, coming off a brutal Monday night. We're also crossing our fingers when it comes to matchups with Kirk Cousins because he's had a rough go of it to start the season, but the Giants look beatable for the Minnesota passing game.

WEEK 5 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

We're counting on a couple of strong pass rushes to help those of you streaming defenses this week, and we're taking a shot on two athletic players who have underwhelmed thus far in Will Fuller V and Noah Fant. And for those Dawson Knox truthers out there, we've got you covered.

Our headliners last week batted about .333. Wayne Gallman had a solid, two-TD performance while Daniel Jones was passable but not great. Kyle Allen underwhelmed from a fantasy perspective due to not scoring any touchdowns, but he led the Panthers to another win. Beyond those guys, Troymaine Pope delivered on his universal availability with a touchdown, Dontrelle Inman had a solid day, and the Steelers' defense was dominant.

The Ravens defense was not so good, as they got burned by the Browns. T.J. Hockenson was off to a good start before he tried a reckless hurdle and was knocked out of the game. And Devin Smith was a total zero, not even being targeted despite substantial playing time.

For our Week 5 bust picks, click here.

LISTEN TO THE SN FANTASY WEEK 5 PREVIEW PODCAST BELOW

Week 5 Fantasy Sleepers: Running backs

Ronald Jones, Buccaneers @ Saints (Billy Heyen). Snaps and carries both suggest Jones is finally making this backfield his, and the Saints have allowed a usable 4.3 yards per carry to RBs in 2019. I like Jones to seize full control of the Tampa RB room in this one.

James White, Patriots @ Redskins (Vinnie Iyer). Tom Brady will light up the Redskins all over the field, and White out of the backfield will be a big part. Washington couldn’t cover Wayne Gallman last week.

Melvin Gordon, Chargers vs. Broncos (Matt Lutovsky). Is Gordon really a sleeper? Well, plenty of people are wondering whether they should start him this week, so that's good enough criteria for us. While we don't know for sure how RB touches will be divvied up in the Chargers backfield, it's safe to say both Gordon and Austin Ekeler will get work. Gordon seems more likely to get carries, especially around the goal line, and against a Denver defense allowing 5.1 yards per carry, he can do plenty of damage with half his typical workload from last season.

WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | FD cash | FD GPP | DK cash | DK GPP

Week 5 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Colts @ Chiefs (Heyen). Brissett's thrown at least two touchdowns in all four games this season, and this prime-time meeting with Kansas City should involve plenty of passing. Even if T.Y. Hilton's out again, Brissett should have a solid, if not exceptional, fantasy day.

Andy Dalton, Bengals vs. Cardinals (Iyer). He doesn’t have John Ross or Adriel Jeremiah, but he still has the Tylers and Auden Tate to do plenty enough damage against the still Patrick Peterson-less Cardinals defense.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings @ Giants (Lutovsky). Cousins has been a complete bust this year, but the Giants were roasted by Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, and Jameis Winston in Weeks 1-3, only managing to shut down the completely dysfunctional Redskins' passing game. Cousins still has two upper-tier WRs and a solid receiving back to throw to, and after grumbling about the lack of passing game last week from Adam Thielen, it would make sense for the Vikings to try to let Cousins take advantage of an easy matchup.

WEEK 5:
Top waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts

Week 5 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide receivers

Will Fuller V, Texans vs. Falcons (Heyen). The Falcons and Desmond Trufant were just burned twice by A.J. Brown -- and Fuller is way better than the rookie Brown. There's also been bad luck lately, as Deshaun Watson has missed Fuller on multiple deep balls. Fuller is due.

D.J. Moore, Panthers vs. Jaguars (Iyer). The Jaguars’ pass defense hasn’t been as good as you think, and his big-play ability after the catch can cause problems.

Auden Tate, Bengals vs. Cardinals (Lutovsky). Tate is a trendy DFS pick -- so much so that it worries us. But the targets (16), catches (10), and yards (138) have been solid the past two weeks, and with John Ross III (shoulder) out, Tate could be in line for another day with double-digit targets. Against the Cardinals' No. 23 pass defense, that should result in worthwhile fantasy production.

WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS: Running backWide receiver | Tight end

Week 5 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Tight ends

Tyler Eifert, Bengals vs. Cardinals (Heyen). Your weekly "play the TE against the Cardinals" option is Eifert over C.J. Uzomah. Eifert's been thrown to more, including getting multiple end-zone looks on Monday night, and he should have a great chance to score Sunday.

Dawson Knox, Bills @ Titans (Iyer). He’s their best chance to move the ball downfield against a defense that just got torched by Austin Hooper.

Noah Fant, Broncos @ Chargers (Lutovsky). Fant has between 29 and 37 receiving yards in all four games this year, which isn't overly impressive but at least the rookie has been fairly involved in the Broncos' offense. He scored his first touchdown last week, and the Chargers have had some trouble with TEs this year, allowing three scores to Texans tight ends in Week 3.

MORE WEEK 5 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup builder

Week 5 Fantasy Sleepers: Defenses

San Francisco 49ers vs. Browns (Heyen). The 49ers' strong pass rush should fare well against a Cleveland line that's struggled to protect Baker Mayfield, and if Jarvis Landry is out, that should increase the chances of Mayfield throwing an interception or two, as well.

Tennessee Titans vs. Bills (Iyer). They have been solid for three out of four weeks and now draw a possible Josh Allen-less offense that just committed a lot of turnovers.

Carolina Panthers vs. Jaguars (Lutovsky). The Panthers have posted 17 sacks the past three games and get a home matchup against a rookie QB. Gardner Minshew has impressed so far, but he took four sacks in Week 2 and five sacks in Week 4. Carolina should have a nice floor, and if they can pressure Minshew into a few mistakes, it will also have a high ceiling.

Billy Heyen