A QB, RB, WR and TE prepared for great performances in Week 5

Week 4 of NFL action is now behind us, which means it’s time to look forward to Week 5 and not look back to Week 4 and the big miss we had with Devin Singletary.

Okay – I guess since I mentioned it, I need to talk about it. Everything was geared towards a big game from Singletary in Week 4. He had complete control of the Giants backfield. He played a defense that was repeatedly destroyed by opposing running backs. And in the end, Singletary finished the game with 14 carries, a season-low 24 yards. Ouch.

But we carry on because there is no other way but forward, right? Let’s take a look at a player at each skill position who will have a strong fantasy football performance in Week 5 of 2024.

Although Christian Watson was sidelined with an injury early in the team’s loss to Minnesota in Week 4, the rest of the team’s receivers stepped up and allowed Jordan Love to have a very strong performance. After missing two games, Love returned and threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-29 loss. He was substituted three times, but overall Love’s numbers were still very strong for fantasy managers.

Next up, Love goes up against a Rams defense that has struggled mightily against the pass this season. The team managed to hold Caleb Williams to 157 yards rushing last week, but that was more on the Bears than the Rams as Williams was still 17 of 23 in the game. The Bears simply relied more on the running game.

The Rams have just one interception all season and average less than two sacks per game. This is a defense that Love can take advantage of, especially if Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed play like they did in Week 4, when the two combined for three touchdown receptions. Wicks looks like a potential breakout prospect with Watson sidelined while Reed has over 100 receiving yards in both games Love has played.

Last season with the Eagles, D’Andre Swift ran for over 1,000 yards. When he signed with the Bears this offseason, hopes were high that Swift would make a big impact in Chicago this season as the Bears looked to surround rookie QB Caleb Williams with talent.

After the first three games, that wasn’t really the case. Offensive line issues prevented Swift from getting much room, and he didn’t reach 50 scrimmage yards in any of those contests.

But Swift shined in Week 4 against the Rams, racking up 165 scrimmage yards and reaching the end zone for the first time all season. I’m not going to sit here and assume that every problem with the Chicago running game is suddenly fixed, but I am feeling a big sigh of relief at what Swift has accomplished in this contest.

Now he gets a Week 5 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, another defense he can do well against. Carolina has allowed more fantasy points to opposing running backs than any other team, allowing 505 yards and six touchdowns on the ground to the position as well as 18 catches for 129 yards and a score. This is a perfect week for Swift to continue his resurgence.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the unluckiest two-time defending Super Bowl champions of all time. I mean, I guess John Elway retired after the Broncos won two consecutive Super Bowls and the team went 6-10 the next season, but that was a planned retirement – it wasn’t a team that finished the year in opened in good shape and then suffered so many injuries that the team suddenly didn’t even have a No. 1 wide receiver.

The Chiefs need someone to step up against the Saints this week. It could be anyone, but if you’re looking for the most likely candidate, you have to look at freshman Xavier Worthy.

Worthy hasn’t been peppered with goals this season, but he has had good opportunities with 12 goals in the last three games. He has also shown his potential as a big-play player, scoring three touchdowns this season, two as a receiver and one rushing.

There is no one on this Chiefs roster with game-changing speed like Worthy, and this week he gets a Saints defense that has allowed 654 receiving yards at the wide receiver position, the seventh-most in the NFL this season.

Patrick Mahomes will want to work on getting the ball into Worthy’s hands with Rashee Rice sidelined. The Chiefs have some solid receivers like Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster, but Worthy is by far the most talented healthy receiver on this roster. Expect a season-high in targets for the former Texas Longhorn.

This game comes with a pretty big caveat as Evan Engram has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. For him to be one of the top fantasy players this week, he needs to be on the field, which is obvious, I know, but it also bears mentioning.

But if the Jaguars Do I have Engram back, I love this matchup for him as the Jaguars face a Colts team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, giving up 24 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns.

Last year, Engram had the best season of his NFL career as he was targeted 143 times and caught 114 of them for 963 yards and four touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence loves getting the ball to Engram.

And while the Jaguars are a little more complicated this year with the additions of Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr., I don’t think they hurt the production of a healthy Engram too much. Davis has had a few bad weeks in a row, totaling just three catches in the last two games. Thomas has seen his role grow, but there should still be room for Engram to make an impact on the Jaguars’ offense.