Week 5 Fantasy Football Must-Starts: "Jameson Williams is about to go off"

Life comes at you fast. The NFL season comes at you faster. It’s already Week 5. Now that we are officially rounding the quarter pole, it’s time to make some adjustments. Everyone lock in; Here comes the audible at the line of scrimmage.

Smashes and Stashes will now be independent cheat codes with the esteemed Geoff Ulrich fortifying your benches with the sharpest stashes. I was absolutely floored with the gems he uncovered for Week 5.

I will be here pounding the smash button until we parade our championship in the group chat. Just a little more dialed in. Our goal is the same - to dominate. This week and beyond.

Let’s bring any newcomers up to speed on exactly what we are doing here. “Smashes” are players that I expect to out-perform their season projections in Week 5. We want these guys in our lineups, even as flexes. It’s not about giving out lay-ups, we are making the hard decisions on players that have you crashing out. You know the rules. We don’t blink, we don’t flinch, and we certainly don’t panic. We push these players into every possible lineup.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Smashes

Justin Fields QB, New York Jets

One of the toughest things to do is learning to separate a player’s value in the fantasy space from his success at winning actual football games in the NFL. The Jets (0-4) are one three teams yet to earn a victory, but Fields’ 20.2 FPPG average (0.5 ppr) has provided massive returns considering his preseason ADP.

To provide context, the gap between Fields’ FPPG and the current overall QB3 (a guy named Patrick Mahomes) is a mere 2.2 points. With the Dallas defense on deck, it’s very likely Fields narrows that gap while leapfrogging guys like Jalen Hurts into the Top 5.

The Cowboys defense is like creatine for opposing quarterbacks. They will rapidly swell up the statline, and then the numbers will revert back to their previous state in their absence.

This is the week to maximize Fields' value.

Per Fantasy Life’s latest defense vs. position data, opposing QB’s have decimated Dallas for 28.2 FPPG on average - the highest mark amongst all 32 teams. They are responsible for a 12 point fantasy boost (another league-high). Can you see the vision now? This is a prime smash-spot for Justin Fields.

The Jets QB is only starting in 57.8% of leagues. Matthew Freedman has Fields as his QB5 this week, which is a rock-solid signal to start treating him like a player with a top-tier ceiling in the right matchup.

Quentin Johnston WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Keenan Allen, Tre Harris, Marcus Allen; it doesn’t matter who you bring in, it’s breakout season for Quentin Johnston. What’s happening in LA with the former Hornfrog is more than a hot start. Johnston has emerged as the downfield threat that has unlocked a new element to the Chargers passing game.

Can you say WR1? If you can’t, the numbers will do it for you. QJ’s 337 receiving yards through four games ranks third league-wide trailing only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He leads all Chargers wideouts in utilization score (85), target share (25%), and touchdowns (4). His consistency (7+ targets and 70+ receiving yards in all four games) is only leading to more balls from Justin Herbert. In Week 4, Johnston saw a season-high 13 targets that led to 8 receptions, 98 yards, and a touchdown.

QJ is a rocket about to blast off and there is nothing the Washington Commanders defense can do to stop him.

Simply put - this unit is in shambles. Last week, Michael Penix Jr. carved up the Commanders for 313 yards while completing 76% of his passes. Yes, the same Penix Jr. that was shut out by the Carolina Panthers the previous week.

The concerning outing marked the third consecutive week the Commanders defense fell outside of the Top 20 in dropback EPA allowed. During Weeks 2-4, Dan Quinn’s defense has ranked 22nd, 24th, and 31st.

Explosive plays? The Commanders secondary has surrendered more explosive pass plays (20+ yards) than all but six teams. Johnston alone has seven receptions of 20+ yards, which puts him only one behind the league leaders (Nacau & Smith-Njigba).

Meet me at the smash button. We’re not going to miss this one.

Jameson Williams WR, Detroit Lions

Not every smash is going to come with a comfortable floor. You know the rules - we don’t blink. Everything from matchup to gamescript whispers in my ear that Jameson Williams is about to go off. Let’s look at some indicators that have me ready to flip the smash-switch on a WR with only 10 receptions through four games.

The opportunities are coming for Williams. He plays in arguably the most high-powered offense in the league. Under new OC John Morton, the Lions rank first in EPA/Pass (.30) and completion percentage (73.3%), and second to only the Ravens in passing TD’s (9). The Lions’ home-run threat is still the ADoT leader (20.5) while seeing the field for 90% of snaps.

Williams has the unique ability to turn a few targets into a huge fantasy performance. In Detroit’s Week 2 demolition of Chicago, he flipped four looks into 17.8 FP (2-108-1). Last week, Jamo saw a season-high 8 targets in a comfortable 24-point win at Cleveland. It should be a similar ride usage-wise as the Lions’ run all over the Bengals defense.

The most likely outcome is the Bengals getting mauled upfront and desperately throwing bodies at the line of scrimmage, opening up Williams’ chances of blowing the top off the secondary. Cincinnati succumbed to 14 explosive pass plays through four games, more than all but three teams. The perfect set up for a Jamo smash.

Woody (Jo'quavious) Marks RB, Houston Texans

Maan, I am old enough to remember when fantasy managers feared the Ravens’ defense. I would never think of starting a running back against Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the great late Tony Siragusa (RIP). It’s a new era of Ravens’ football, and this version is 1-3 while allowing seven rushing touchdowns through four games. That’s tied with the Titans for most in the NFL.

When the Texans take on the Ravens, our two favorite fantasy football dynamics will collide. We get an emerging rookie running back with increasing volume against a defense battling injuries, fatigue, and morale after a shocking 1-3 start.

Marks checks in as RB30 in our consensus rest of the season rankings, mainly due to the ghost of Joe Mixon still looming. Don’t let that deter you from making him your flex or RB2. The Ravens allow the most points (30.2) to opposing RB’s this year. Our expert rankers slot the versatile rookie as high as RB21 for Week 5, with Dwain McFarland highlighting Mark’s emergence in this week’s Utilization Report deep dive.

Haters will say Marks is a short-term solution, but don’t forget where you are at. This is Smashland, home of the one week fix. Let Marks take you to the winners circle.