Takeaways from Week 5 as told by the tweets of the Fantasy Stronghold.
I am officially worried about Alshon Jeffery's fantasy future, y'all. The 77 yards he ended with salvaged what was an otherwise frustrating day. Jeffery had just six targets -- behind Cameron Meredith, Eddie Royal and Zach Miller -- and has been deemphasized in the offense. It's especially frustrating when Brian Hoyer has thrown for more that 300 yards in all three of his starts. The yards are there, they're just not going to Jeffery. With no Kevin White and an injured Eddie Royal, you'd think it would be Jeffery's time to shine ... but nope.
While I'm worried about Alshon, I'm starting to feel okay about Brian Hoyer. He's done a good job spreading the ball around and looks like the type of fantasy quarterback who can take advantage of a favorable matchup. With the Jaguars, Packers and Buccaneers as three of Chicago's next four games it's worth having Hoyer on your roster. Now if we can just get him to throw it to Alshon a little bit more.
This is a fantasy warning flare being shot in aid of DeAndre Hopkins. It was great to see Nuk get a touchdown, but that was in the desperate throes of garbage time. Even against lesser defenses than the mighty Vikings, Osweiler hasn't looked great and has struggled to get a consistent connection with Hopkins. You have to believe Hopkins will have some big days, but with fewer targets available and little rapport with his quarterback there is trouble on the fantasy horizon.
Tea-sipping tweet of the week: The Steelers love throwing the ball downfield, which is well suited to Sammie Coates' game. We saw Ben Roethlisberger connect with Coates early and take plenty of shots down the field. However, lest you think Coates is bucking for Martavis Bryant's job in 2017, keep in mind that Coates also dropped several passes -- including a potential touchdown. He's a better option than Markus Wheaton but he's also a player who can only be started in certain matchups. Don't get carried away.
It's hard to completely understand what the Colts are doing ... besides fall behind and let Andrew Luck throw like a madman to catch up again. Frank Gore isn't the player he used to be, but he's better than the Colts seem to give him credit for. In a matchup like the one Indy faced today against the Bears, there should be no reason why Frank Gore shouldn't get more touches to take the pressure off of Andrew Luck. If the Colts defense can improve (stop laughing), maybe it won't mean so many negative game scripts that cheat Gore out of opportunities.
Perriman's path to this point has been slow but as you watch him from week to week, you see his continued development. Right now, the Ravens offense isn't clicking the way many would like which makes it tough to consistently count on anyone in that receiving corps. Simiarly, Green-Beckham hasn't made himself worth a priority waiver claim but as Carson Wentz continues to move the Eagles offense, we're discovering new options. Consider both of these wideouts as long-term follows as either late-season pickups or scouting for next season.
Wait...what?"
- Lamar Miller had eight carries for 20 yards. Something isn't working in this offense.
- Wendell Smallwood played one offensive snap and had zero touches.
- Hunter Henry outsnapped Antonio Gates 41-18. This gap will probably start to close a bit.
And one for the road...
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. His snapchat (marcasg9) is a mixture of fantasy football and shenanigans. He doesn't know if he has it in him to watch both Westworld and Luke Cage tonight. Inevitably, he'll fall asleep in his favorite chair with the television on and eventually drag himself to bed sometime after midnight. If you read all of that, congrats. Follow him on Twitter too.
