For a massive undertaking like Fantasy Points Data, we need a large team of dedicated and educated charting professionals to ensure that we are able to get statistics posted on the website both accurately and quickly.
While the data-charting process is, by nature, objective, our team will obviously form opinions about what they saw, given we have to watch every play multiple times.
Every week, we’ll select the most notable observations and back them up with the objective data we’ve become known for.
Here are our top observations for 2024 NFL Week 5.
Week 5 Data Charter Observations
1. “Jayden Daniels is one of the best QBs already at mitigating sacks. Terry McLaurin finally gets to flash the type of receiver he is with a consistent QB, separated well against a good secondary and Washington consistently tries to get him open deep, and Daniels isn’t scared to let it fly.”
Commanders’ rookie QB Jayden Daniels is among the most exciting players thus far in the 2024 season and is making a strong case to be in the MVP conversation. Daniels has shown off his rushing ability by trailing only Lamar Jackson in rushing yards with 300 while leading all QBs in touchdowns with 4, but his passing ability has made the biggest difference from years past in Washington. Fans and fantasy owners of WR Terry McLaurin begged for better QB play for years and are now being rewarded as Daniels leads the NFL in catchable target rate at 84.7% while avoiding 14 sacks (3rd most). Now riding a 4-game win streak, Daniels and the Commanders head to Baltimore for perhaps their biggest test yet as they take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
2. “Caleb Williams had a good day statistically, but this was more of an indictment of the Carolina defense rather than Williams picking them apart, guys were running open, and people getting lost in coverage.”
After a slow start in the first three games, the Bears have won back-to-back games with rookie QB Caleb Williams starting to settle into the offense. Albeit against weaker defenses in the Rams and Panthers, Williams improved his completion percentage over expected from -3.8 in the first three games to a respectable 1.5 in the last two games. The veteran presence of WR DJ Moore helped Williams with Moore turning in his best game of the season to the tune 5/105/2. Better days are likely ahead for fellow veteran WR Keenan Allen as Allen continues to be an elite separator with an excellent ASS of 0.250 despite missing time early. The Bears' offense figures to find more success in Week 6 as they fly to London to take on the Jaguars, who have allowed the 2nd most passing yards (1,518) through 5 games.
3. “Breece Hall and Braelon Allen were contacted in the backfield multiple times by unblocked defenders. Some issues with the scheme exist, but also several missed blocks by 3rd string TE Brenden Bates, including back-to-back critical stops on 3rd and 4th down that led to a turnover on downs.”
The Jets stunned the NFL world by firing HC Robert Saleh following a 23-17 loss to the Vikings, dropping their record to 2-3. Among a myriad of offensive problems, the running game with RBs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen is at the forefront as the duo combined to leave the Jets ranking last in the NFL in rushing yards. However, the offensive line deserves nearly all of the blame, considering the Jets rank 4th in yards after contact at 2.71 YACO/ATT and dead last in yards before contact per attempt at 0.52 YBCO/ATT. For context, the Titans rank 31st at 0.94 YBCO/ATT. QB Aaron Rodgers deserves blame as well, as he ranks 20th in passing yards per game (218.6) and an even worse 26th in YPA (6.01), but again, the offensive line is surrendering the 31st time-to-pressure at 2.33 seconds. With defenders seemingly all over the RBs and Rodgers before anything can develop, the Jets have gotten off to an ugly start and will need to figure it out upfront. Even with turmoil hitting early in the season, they still have a chance to take the lead in the AFC East standings with a home game upcoming in Week 6 against the Bills.
4. “This game for San Francisco should be a non-concern. They were plagued by inefficient red zone offense and a deviation in game plan, attacking through the air more than they really ever have. An anomaly of a game that should really cause no concern long term. That said, Deebo Samuel struggled to separate all game against a team that doesn’t have the greatest secondary, I think he is still affected by the calf strain.”
49ers fans might not have the panic button out just yet, but blowing two double-digit fourth-quarter leads to divisional opponents in the last 3 weeks at least raises some concern in San Francisco. Offensively, the 49ers rank 7th in rushing yards per game at 144.0 and 4th in passing yards per game at 274.8, so moving the ball has not been a problem. Despite the success in moving the ball, finishing drives has been a bigger problem as they rank tied for 16th in offensive touchdowns with just 10 scores on the year. One player who has been a bit of an issue is WR Deebo Samuel, who ranks tied for 97th among WRs in ASS at -0.016. While Deebo has never been an elite route runner, a bigger problem is he is only averaging 4.71 YAC per catch this season after averaging 8.75, 9.00, and 10.22 in the previous 3 seasons raising questions over whether or not he is still not 100% healthy from a calf injury he sustained in Week 2. Deebo and the Niners head into a critical three-game stretch in their schedule, where they have a divisional road game against the Seahawks, followed by matchups with the Chiefs and the Cowboys before heading into their bye week.
5. “Zay Flowers was able to torch the Bengals in small spaces and on crossers. The Bengals made a conscious effort to shut down the run game, or at least limit it the best they could. This left a lot of 1v1 matchups for players like Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Both of these receivers routinely ran away from their defenders for chunk plays.”
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reminded everyone why he is the reigning MVP with a monster game accounting for 403 yards in a comeback win over the Bengals in Week 5. With the game on the line, Jackson led 3 scoring drives in the 4th quarter throwing for 149 yards and adding another 35 on the ground. WRs Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman were unrecoverable all game with ASS scores of 0.500 and 0.219 (t-3rd and 21st, respectively, among all players in Week 5), leading to an 11/169/1 combined statline. Now riding a 3-game winning streak on the back of an offense averaging 34.7 PPG during that span, the Ravens get the Commanders in Week 6, which has shootout written all over it.
6. “Throughout the game the Bengals struggled with interior pressure, and the Ravens leaned on some pressure looks trying to exploit this. Cincinnati will most likely have to outscore most of their opponents, their secondary has been picked apart, and injuries are piling up. The offense will continue to thrive, but the defense lacks a pass rush as well as good corner play. Expect a lot of Cincy games to be shootouts.”
Despite scoring 30+ in each of the past 3 games, the Bengals have just 1 win to show for it as they now sit at 1-4 and tied for last in the NFL. Since WR Tee Higgins returned in Week 3, QB Joe Burrow ranks top-10 or better in yards (948), YPA (9.15), touchdowns (10), ANY/A (9.07), CPOE (5.2%), ADJ COMP % (79.8%), and CATCH% (85.2%). Yeah, he’s ballin'. The bad news? The Bengals defense on the season is bottom-10 in rushing yards allowed (757), rushing touchdowns allowed (6), missed tackles (45), passing yards allowed (822), and passing touchdowns allowed (8) while surrendering 145 points. Yeah, not ballin. On tap is a road game against the Giants in Week 6 who are coming off a huge upset win over the Seahawks.
7. “Nico Collins is the straw that stirs Houston’s passing game. The drop-off from Nico to whomever they decide to put out there to replace him is massive. He may be one of the most important receivers in the game. The attention he grabs helps to spring others open.”
Texans’ WR Nico Collins is off to an excellent start through 5 games this season, and his latest game saw him give the Texans a 14-3 first-quarter lead on a 67-yard touchdown reception. Collins ranks near or at the top of the league among WRs in receiving yards (567), YPRR (3.63), EZ TGT (7), 1READ targets (36), and HERO catches (3). Unfortunately, the NFL’s leading receiver suffered a hamstring injury that could sideline him for a period of time, leaving teammates Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to fill the void. With Collins out, Diggs and Dell combined for 120 yards on 10 catches, but the Texans failed to score another touchdown settling for 3 field goals, which was just enough to hold off the Bills. The Texans can get away with no Collins in Week 6 against the Patriots, but have 3 games in 11 days in Weeks 7-9, making it imperative for Collins to return during that stretch.
8. “Don't blame Javonte for this anemic offense. He keeps getting robbed of these goal-line TDs, and when you watch the tape, he looks good. Hurdling defenders, swift jump cuts, power through the holes. Every game he seems to get a little bit back, this offense just isn't stretching the field enough to open up run lanes.”
Broncos RB Javonte Williams followed up his best game of the season in Week 4 with an even better game in Week 5, leading the Broncos offense with 101 total yards en route to a 34-18 victory over the Raiders. Williams was effective running the ball totaling 61 yards on just 13 attempts while breaking a beastly 7 tackles and averaging a healthy 2.54 YBCO/ATT. Most importantly, the 4th-year veteran paced the Broncos in receiving with 5 catches for 50 yards, which was his highest total in a game since Week 1 of 2022. Included in this observation is your routine Patrick Surtain note as the CB provided his own offense with a 100-yard pick six to put the first Broncos touchdown of Week 5 on the board. Week 6 brings a matchup with the divisional rival Chargers where points figure to be at a premium since both teams are allowing under 15 points per game.
Bonus Observations
Giants CB Deonte Banks — Banks spent a lot of time on DK Metcalf and did a great job, with sticky coverage and multiple deflections. Great game for the sophomore CB. In 36 snaps in coverage, Banks allowed just 3 catches for 46 yards on Metcalf.
Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright — Wright is FAST. He gets to the second level in a blink and is hard to catch once he’s in the open field. With teammate De’Von Achane leaving early with a concussion, Wright led the backfield in rushing yards with 86. For the season, he ranks 5th in MTF/ATT at 0.28 (minimum 20 carries). If Achane misses time, Wright should be the main beneficiary.
Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby — Bigsby had multiple broken tackles on his 2 TD runs and looked very explosive. All told, Bigsby racked up 101 yards on 13 attempts in Week 5 while fellow RB Travis Etienne picked up a shoulder injury. It is time for Bigsby to take over the lead RB spot as he leads the NFL in explosive run percentage at 18.2% (minimum 20 carries).
Steelers RB Najee Harris — It’s hard to get excited when Najee gets the ball. He traditionally gets stronger as the season wears on, but right now, he doesn’t appear to have any explosiveness. He hits the hole and tries to plow through the defenders and just can’t run away from anyone. Harris ranks 43rd out of 52 qualified RBs in explosive run rate at 2.4% and 42nd in MTF/ATT at 0.10 despite seeing the 7th most carries with 82.
