If you watched last week’s game against Minnesota, the first half was a rough one for Love, but to his credit, he came back in the second half and played very well and made the outcome extremely competitive. I think at the beginning of last week’s game, he was worried about his knee, but then, as he got more comfortable, he found a rhythm. The Rams are the perfect foil for the Packers, as their defense will allow Love to take some shots downfield to Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. At the same time, I think that they’re going to allow Josh Jacobs to run the ball at will, which will open up the play-action passing game even more. I don’t know whether or not Love throws for over 250 yards, but I think he gets three touchdowns this week and has a terrific passing efficiency.
This feels like a get right game for the 49ers, whose offense has been out of sync for most of the season. San Francisco should have its way against Arizona’s zone defense, and Purdy should be able to pick them apart to the tune of about 300 yards and three passing touchdowns. I feel certain that Deebo Samuel is going to score at least one touchdown, and I think there’s a good chance that Aiyuk and/or George Kittle will find the end zone, too.
Call this a hunch but I have a feeling that this divisional game is going to be higher scoring than most people expect. Burrow’s Vegas passing yards total is 255 1/2 passing yards, which tells me that the sportsbooks agree. The Bengals won’t be able to run the ball against Baltimore, so Burrow will need to be aggressive, and I like him to throw 2 touchdowns. People are going to stay away from him thinking that the Ravens defense is impenetrable, but I don’t think it is, and I think Cincinnati has a real shot to win this game.
Joe Flacco: If Richardson is out, Flacco is a MUST start
Trevor Lawrence: Lawrence is this close to finding his footing. His first half against Houston last week was the best he’s played all season.
The Packers have allowed 19 receptions to opposing running backs which is one of the highest numbers in the league. We’ve been wanting Williams to get more PPR production and this is the week that he should. I am also assuming that the Rams are going to be playing from behind for most of this game so Williams is in a great spot for 100+ total yards from scrimmage and a great opportunity for a touchdown.
The Rams have allowed the most rushing yards to opposing teams this season, as well as the third most rushing touchdowns. Last week, Jacobs wasn’t able to get going because the Packers were playing from behind against Minnesota, and there was a lot of Jordan Love late-game garbage time production. Look for that to be reversed in Week 5, as Jacobs gets a 100-yard game and a possibility of multiple touchdowns.
The Raiders have allowed 5.39 yards per carry, which is the worst in the NFL. Additionally, they’ve led up the fifth most receptions to opposing running backs. Denver wants to limit how much they let Bo Nix pass the ball and this feels like a game where they can get a lot of chunk plays in the running attack. Williams is going to have a big day and I think he’s being seriously overlooked. I’ve got him getting about 80 yards and a touchdown.
Jerome Ford: If he can get past the Commanders DL into the open field, he can make some big plays.
De’Von Achane: Tyler Huntley should improve, but Achane hasn’t had the breakout game yet.
Nobody crushes a zone defense like Deebo Samuel. Arizona plays a ton of zone defense and their 77.6% catch rate is the highest percentage in all of the NFL. Moreover, they’re letting up 9.03 yards per target, which is the fourth most in the NFL. Samuel has been very quiet to start the season, but I think that completely changes in Week 5 as he breaks through for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams have allowed big chunk plays to opposing receivers. They have also let up the third-highest yards per target in the league and the second-most receiving touchdowns. What we know about Reed is that he’s got a great synergy with Jordan Love, and I expect that to continue in week five, with Reed getting about five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
This might be one of the most visionary plays that I’ve had in quite some time. The obvious way to think about this game is that Derrick Henry is going to run the ball down Cincinnati’s throat. And while that may happen, I just have a feeling, as I’ve said many times, that the NFL doesn’t work out exactly like you think it will. I think the Bengals and Ravens game is going to be a bit of a shootout, and Lamar is going to have to throw more than you expect him to. Cincinnati plays a ton of man coverage and that is Bateman’s specialty. I just have a feeling that Bateman is going to go like 5 for 70 in a touchdown.
Brian Thomas Jr.: Should feast against the Colts zone coverage
Terry McLaurin: Devours man coverage and his rapport with Daniels seems to be improving each game
I look back to Dallas Goedert’s day against New Orleans where he caught 10 passes for 170 yards when Philadelphia had no other healthy receivers and see a similar outcome for Kelce. With which Rashee Rice out and Xavier Worthy being limited in terms of his route tree Kelce will own the middle of the field and probably get 8 or 9 receptions for 80 or 90 yards and a touchdown.
Bowers underperformed in Week 4 but that’s no reason to avoid playing him in Week 5. Davante Adams will be out once again and if Denver decides to play man coverage Patrick Surtain will be covering Jacobi Meyers. Broncos LBs Divine Diablo and Luke Masterson are very questionable to play which tells me that the Raiders are going to have to scheme a lot of plays for Bowers in the middle of the field. Look for him to have six or seven catches for 70-80 yards.
If he plays, Engram may be one of my favorite plays on the slate. The Colts have allowed an 82.8% catch percentage to opposing tight ends, which is the fourth worst in the league. They’ve also allowed 24 receptions to opposing tight ends, which is the fourth-worst number in the league. On top of that, they’ve allowed two touchdowns to opposing tight ends, which is the worst number in the league. Trevor Lawrence misses Engram desperately, and this is the perfect game for him to return. If, for some reason, Engram doesn’t play, Brenton Strange is absolutely somebody I would start as well.
Tucker Kraft: Luke Musgrave is not fully healthy, and Los Angeles has been awful against opposing tight ends.
Isaiah Likely: Logan Wilson will be covering Mark Andrews, making Likely a sneaky option.
