The Need for Deep Fantasy Sleepers in Week 5 Fantasy Football: INJURIES!
The Fantasy Football Gods are off to some cruel mischief to begin the 2024 Fantasy Season! In Week 5, Malik Nabers, Khalil Shakir, and Devin Singletary have joined the most extensive early-season injury list fantasy football managers have ever needed to tackle.
As such, many fantasy owners are now scrambling to the Week 5 Waiver Wire, desperate for any semblance of hope to plug into their lineups. Thankfully, a trio of very strong Week 5 Deep Sleepers exist that are available in over 80% of Fantasy Football Leagues.
Let’s dive into the Week 5 Fantasy Football Outlooks of Tyrone Tracy, Curtis Samuel, and Jordan Whittington, and determine which ones are most worthy of your fantasy spot start consideration.
Tyrone Tracy Fantasy Outlook for Week 5
According to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, Tyrone Tracy (13% rostered) is expected to lead the Giants’ backfield in Week 5 vs. the Seahawks:
But just who is Tyrone Tracey, and can you trust him in your fantasy football lineups?
An uber-athletic RB from the 2024 class, Tracy’s 9.78 RAS score ranks 42nd of 1903 RBs all-time:
Tracy is a converted college-WR, who only began learning the nuances of the RB position upon transferring to Purdue. In 2023, Tracy took over a lead role for the Boilermakers, ultimately racking up 132 touches (19 rec) for 847 yards (6.4 YPT) and 8 TDs. He consistently ripped off big plays, while showing tremendous growth in his vision and patience as a runner.
This versatility could make him a dangerous piece for a creative mind like Brian Daboll. Throughout Training Camp, the Giants used Tracy on a ton of short, underneath routes as “an extension of the run game,” and Tracy thrived.
Daboll complimented Tracy early on in camp, noting: “On offense … we put a high premium on intelligent players…Knowing what to do [and] why it’s important. He’s done a really good job in this camp of picking up the information pretty quickly”
This allowed Tracy to earn plenty of work with the first-team. Consequently, he now looks like the main option to lead the Giants RBs in Week 5 touches and production.
Thus far, Tracy has garnered 18 opportunities so far, compared to just 5 for Eric Gray. He hasn’t gotten much going on the ground, with just 29 rush yards on 12 carries (2.42 YPC). Yet, on just four catches, Tracy has racked up 41 receiving yards, averaging over 10 yards per catch. He’s looked electric when given space.
The Seahawks aren’t the most daunting matchup, either, having surrendered the 13th most FPs to RBs. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs just pummeled them for 15+ FPs each last week, while both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson also both topped 10+ FPs in Week 2. They’ve surrendered 420 rushing yards and 4 TDs.
Yet, be wary of some returning defensive lineman for the Seahawks, most notably Leonard Williams. He is a bull in run defense.
The Lions have bludgeoned all their opponents on the ground, so the Seahawks likely aren’t as bad as some of these numbers suggest.
Additionally, the Giants have been a putrid running team so far. They average just 85.3 yards rushing per game, which is 30th in the league – and much of that production has come from QB Daniel Jones. They have just two rushing TDs on the season, too.
With Malik Nabers out, touches will undoubtedly be up for grabs. Yet, the Giants might get blanked on the scoreboard and struggle to pose any type of offensive threat, too. The game-flow could dictate a quick abandonment of the run. While Tracey’s three-down skills should keep him involved as a passer, I do ultimately worry about how effective he can be in an offense devoid of talent, despite a healthy workload projection.
If you’re desperate for an RB fill-in, Tracy is a solid-enough option and strong bet for touches, at least. Yet, if looking for a flex, I prefer looking for WRs. Specifically, the following two:
Curtis Samuel Fantasy Outlook Week 5 Fantasy Football
Indeed, Curtis Samuel’s preseason turf toe injury has stalled his 2024 fantasy season thus far. He has yet to play over 40% of the snaps or routes, and has topped out at 22 yards and 3 targets on the young season.
Deservedly, Samuel has been dropped in most fantasy leagues. He currently sits at 17% ownership on Yahoo. Yet, Khalil Shakir has been ruled out for the Week 5 matchup vs. the Texans, which could open the door for Samuel to finally emerge.
Shakir’s absence vacates a ton of volume and production. Shakir leads the Bills in targets (19), catches (18), yards (230 and touchdowns (2). Additionally, he has played in the slot 73% of the time this season. That gives Samuel a chance to slide right into his role if Shakir is unable to play.
Samuel has proven plenty productive out of the slot, too. He lined up here on well over half his routes with the Commanders, compiling 126 receptions and 1269 yards the past two years.
The Texans rank 8th in FPs allowed to WRs, including a bottom-10 ranking against the slot specifically. Most recently, Christian Kirk racked up a 12 target, 7 catch, 61 yard & 1 TD effort out of the slot, while Justin Jefferson did a ton of damage too.
This week, offensive Coordinator Joe Brady emphasized his desire to get Samuel rolling, noting: “ Curtis doesn’t have to do anything different right now. … I just got to get him going and I will.”
The Brady-Samuel duo have history together, and was likely a major reason Samuel landed a three-year, $24,000,000 contract to join Buffalo as their “offseason splurge.” In fact, in 2020 with the Panthers, Brady fed Samuel 118 opportunities (2nd most among WRs, with 97 targets and 41 carries. Samuel posted a Top-25 overall fantasy WR season, lining up all over the field and finishing:
-23rd in EPA per target
-21st in yards per route run
-7th in on target catch % (97.4)
-T-30th in yards per target
Prior to his injury in Training Camp, Samuel was looking like THE guy here, too. He was similarly lining up all over the field, and seeing the most looks from Allen.
Brady even said, “He can play any of the positions — play inside, play outside, play in the backfield… The more Curtis Samuels on our football team, the better.”
With Shakir now out, Samuel will be needed to step up. Perhaps his injury was lingering, or maybe Shakir was just playing so well that Samuel had to wait his time. Regardless, he has a huge opportunity to step up in a Week 5 game with a high 47.5 O/U total, suggesting firepower will be needed.
Allen expressed confidence in Samuel,noting:
“We’ve missed on a couple big plays, especially to him,” Allen said. “So, we’d love to get him going and whether or not Khalil is in or out this week … he’ll have an increased role no matter what. So, we’re gonna be calling on his number and he is gonna have to step up, make some plays, which we’ve got no doubt in his ability and the way that he plays the game of football.”
Samuel is my sneaky-favorite WR Sleeper Start of Week 5.
Jordan Whittington Week 5 Fantasy Outlook
It took Jordan Whittington a bit to get going. After Cooper Kupp’s Week 2 injury, many expected Whittington to step right into the slot role and eat. Yet, he played under 40% of the snaps and routes in Week 3, posting a meager 3 targets, 3 receptions, and 28 yards.
However, Whittington’s role greatly expanded in Week 4, and he delivered big. He played on 98% of the snaps and led the team with a 97% route share & 28% target share. Whittington finished with 8 catches, 6 receptions, and 62 yards, doing a ton of work after the catch and making numerous tough contested grabs:
THIS was the “Kupp Lay Up role” we expected!
Whittington is a beastly, fearless blocker, which McVay loves. He ranks 16th in run-blocking among ALL NFL WRs right now! The Rams have also designed Whittington some rushing work, and Whittington had a rushing TD called back in Week 1 too.
OC Mike LaFleur has been pleased with Whittington’s development, and how he’s handled his increased volume: “We’re putting a little bit more on his plate every single week in terms of the run game, the pass game… and he’s handling it well,” said offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. “He’s going to be in this league for a long time.”
In an impressive rookie class, Whittington ranks fifth in yards per route run (2.07), and third among qualified rookies, and 26th overall, in catch rate over expected (10.2%) according to Next Gen Stats.
In just four weeks, Whittington has gone from two snaps to leading the team in targets and receptions. Another big game could be in-store vs. the Packers. This game features the third-highest over/under of Week 5 (48.5), and the Packers have surrendered the 7th most FPs to WRs. At least one WR has posted 14+ Half-PPR FPs against them each week, and Whittington could be next.
At least QB Matthew Stafford now trusts Whittington. We know Stafford is the king-maker of WRs, but earning his trust is not easy. Yet, he was effusive in his praise for Whittington:
“He’s done a really nice job catching and running the last couple weeks,” Stafford said. “But you go out there and earn it. You earn the opportunities. You earn the trust, you earn all of that. And, you know, he’s come in with the right attitude from day one and it’s showing.”
The Rams do have a Bye net week, and I imagine at least one of Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua return, which will likely cap Whittington’s long-term ceiling. As such, I prefer Curtis Samuel if you may need more of a long-term answer at WR. Yet, as a one-week rental, Whittington profiles very favorably as a Week 5 Fantasy Sleeper.
