NFL Week 5
Well, week five is off to a stellar start, said no one, anywhere. The Colts narrowly defeated the Broncos 12 to 9 on Thursday night, in what can only be described as uneventful. Matt Ryan looked dreadful, completing 26 for 41 for 251 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Don't let the yardage fool you, as a good chunk of that came on the last drive when Denver was playing a prevent defense. The Colts managed to outlast the hapless Broncos by driving down for a late game-tying field goal to send it to overtime, where the Colts were able to sneak in the go-ahead field goal. Denver subsequently brought the ball all the way down to the Colts 5-yard line, where, reminiscent of Super Bowl XLIX, Russell Wilson AGAIN threw the ball on a play where his team only needed to pick up one yard (RUN THE BALL, PEOPLE!). Of course, he came up short, giving the Colts the victory. If you were holding onto Wilson in your fantasy league, it might be time to move on. I, for one, can't wait to rage drop him on Tuesday.
For anyone who didn't have the displeasure of watching, here's how every drive of the game ended: punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, field goal, interception, punt, field goal, end of half, punt, field goal, MISSED field goal, interception, field goal, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt, interception, field goal, end of regulation, field goal, turnover on downs. Yikes. There have been some bad prime time games this year, but this one takes the cake. This one was so bad, one local Denver TV station felt compelled to apologize to the viewers after the game! “It burns the retinas,” said Broncos' insider Troy Renck. “It was that awful.”
That's not to say week five will be all bad. Although it looks like a lower-scoring week according to the sportsbooks (only one game, Raiders at Chiefs, has a total above 50, according to FanDuel Sportsbook), there are a few games on the slate worth keeping an eye on. For starters, Dallas travels to LA to take on the Rams at 3:25 pm CDT. Cooper Rush has looked more than serviceable in replacement of Dak Prescott, who has been out the past few weeks with a hand injury. Dallas' defense is tough and is going to give the struggling Rams' offense a run for their money. Los Angeles is coming off a bad loss to San Francisco on Monday night. Matt Stafford looks lost behind an offensive line that is getting outplayed left and right. There don't seem to be any playmakers on this offense other than Cooper Kupp and, to a lesser extent, Tyler Higbee, as Stafford is getting pressured non-stop and is looking to get rid of the ball quickly (RIP my fantasy teams with Allen Robinson on them). Can McVay and the Rams bounce back and win one for the home crowd? Tough to say, but they're a -240 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook. ‘Boys +5.5 looks mighty intriguing…
Next up, keep an eye on the Bengals vs. Ravens, which is the Sunday night game. The Ravens are 3.5-point home favorites, and the over is currently 47.5. The Bengals offense has struggled a bit behind a revamped offensive line that isn't performing quite up to expectations. They certainly got it together with a statement win over Miami last week. The Ravens, on the other hand, are winning with their offense. The Ravens defense (in particular, the secondary) is a bit of a sieve, and Lamar Jackson and company are having to make plays to keep up with the defense giving up points. Looks for this one to be a bit of a shootout. Last year in this matchup in December, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for over 500 yards and five (!!!) touchdowns. Cincy has 10 days to prepare for this one, as they played last Thursday night. At +155 on DraftKings Sportsbook, the underdog Bengals look to have some value.
Finally, the Monday Night Football game looks like a real banger. The Raiders and Chiefs square off in what is sure to be a high-scoring affair. The Raiders are 7-point dogs on the road in Kansas City, and the over is currently 51.5, according to Caesars Sportsbook. The Raiders are coming off what was a must-win game, having started the season 0-3 before that. The Chiefs, meanwhile, just had a statement win over Tom Brady's Buccaneers, where Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 41-31 win. Kansas City's offense is firing on all levels, despite the revolving door at wide receiver. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is certainly playing over his skis, having scored five touchdowns (rushing and receiving) in his first four games. This game has shootout written all over it, as Derek Carr and the Raiders will have to throw to keep up with the Chiefs' high-powered offense. My lean is to the over but keep an eye on the player props, which may have value.
That's all for now, but there are several other great games coming up this week in the NFL. Keep an eye on our social media accounts to see what we're looking at, +EV plays and more!
