Week 5 Preview + The Road to Rebuild

Week 5 is here and we are beginning to discern anomalies from trends. Darren Waller music success… anomaly. Darren Waller football success… trend. We’ve got a few situations we are keeping our eyes on, as well as 3 players you should be trading for TODAY. Let’s hit the Detour.

🔮 Traffic Forecast

What can we expect to see in Week 5? Here are a few situations I’ll be monitoring:

🐴 Who’s Taking the Reins of Denver’s RB Room

On Monday night we saw both Broncos tailbacks flash… but who will lead the way going forward:

• RJ Harvey - 33 snaps, 14 carries, 58 yards // 4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD

  • It took 4 weeks and a matchup with the lowly Bengals, but the Broncos finally got Harvey going to the tune of 20 fantasy points. Denver made it a point to get Harvey involved, and with the success, it’s likely his workload will continue to increase.

  • Dynasty Take: As a 25 year old RB, the hope for Harvey was always to get his career of to a quick start. Maybe this will be the week that provides the momentum, but I don’t see Dobbins going away. Year 2 could be when RJ takes the leap, with Dobbins only on a 1 year deal.

     

• JK Dobbins - 36 snaps, 16 carries, 101 yards

  • Leading the RB Room in snaps, Dobbins has been nothing short of efficient averaging nearly 6 yards per carry! His work has been mainly on the ground, with only 5 catches on the season so far. The run volume has been enough to place Dobbins as the #12 RB in fantasy providing 13 ppg, but the lack of receptions has me concerned on whether this is sustainable.

  • Dynasty Take: Dobbins is too talented to be phased out of the offense, but with a lack of passing work, and Harvey’s role continuing to expand, I’d sell Dobbins while you can, and use his current ranking as a selling point.

⚡️ Mad About Ladd?

The Chargers passing game has been great, but the success is coming from a surprising source. Through 4 weeks, here’s the statistical breakdown: 

• Quentin Johnston – 37 targets, 22 catches, 337 yards, 4 touchdowns

  • Johnston leads the team with a 25% target share and 4 touchdowns, with an ADOT of 15.3 yards. He’s averaging 84 yards per game and commanding 38% of red zone targets.

  • Dynasty Take: If you believe in the breakout, the price is only going up. The volume has been spectacular and Keenan won’t be around long term. This breakout seems real, but I’m not going to be buying for a first round pick, which seems to be the selling point.

     

• Keenan Allen – 35 targets, 24 catches, 231 yards, 3 touchdowns

  • The old man still has some juice. His connection with Herbert is very much alive, especially in the red zone where he’s commanding a 43% target share.

  • Dynasty Take: Strictly a one year rental, but take advantage if you can. If you’re not contending move him ASAP. A 2nd rounder would be great for someone who is inching closer to retirement.

     

• Ladd McConkey – 27 targets, 16 catches, 174 yards, 0 touchdowns

  • His target share has slipped from 24.2% last year to 18.9% this year, leading to a very disappointing start. The fact that this offense is humming, leaves me more concerned, as there is no reason to shake things up!

  • Dynasty Take: Ladd is a firm hold for me. He’s too talented to not get it going. Keep in mind he was the WR 37 after 4 weeks last season.

-- Dynasty Detour Tom

🛣️  Road to Rebuild

Some guys to buy now or keep your eyes on through the coming weeks that will have you rounding out a championship roster in no time ⬇️ 

After falling to 0-4 this week, Cam Ward said postgame “If we keep it a buck, we ass”. Depending on where you are in your rebuild, you probably sound a lot like Cam Ward. Here are guys I am all over in leagues where my best days are a year or two ahead.

🔵 TreVeyon Henderson

I know he was shouted out in the trade candidate section last week but I cannot agree enough with Tom’s breakdown. He’s a player I’ve been obsessed with since before the NFL Draft, and even though Vrabel seems comfortable leaving things as a committee, no part of me sees his next five years being anything but productive. Here’s why ⬇️ 

• Pesky Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson are under contract for next year as well, but they will only fend Henderson off so long. He’s the best back on the roster by far.

• Pass protection has been rough, but I think it’s the only thing keeping Henderson off the field right now, and is also a completely understandable learning curve that will come around

• Henderson’s 3-down skillset makes sure he will keep and hold a dominant share of the backfield and remains the focal point of an offense still on the rise

If you’re heading for rebuild with some expiring pieces still to unload, I can think of few other additions I’d like to make besides Henderson. In fact, it’s even better for the tank if he does spend this whole year lying in wait. That’s not a chance I’m taking, though.

🔴 Brian Thomas Jr.

By now you’ve potentially seen the theories surrounding new Jags passing game coordinator, Shane Waldron. Fans have pointed out that the year after he leaves teams wide receivers take a huge leap. After leaving the Rams before the 2021 season, Cooper Kupp has a triple crown season, the most dominant one in history. Then Jaxson Smith-Njigba has a big year after he leaves the Seahawks before 2024, and Rome Odunze gets off to a hot start after he’s fired from the Bears before this year. I think it’s definitely a little reductive, as his offenses had a WR13, WR21, and WR16 in his last years with those teams, respectively. There is no denying that offenses seem to improve, though. Here’s other reasons I’m far from out on Thomas: ⬇️

• We’ve seen the clips of Thomas shying away from contact and abandoning routes, but we’ve also seen the tear he went on last year, and it was evident to me that was no fluke. The talent is there.

• Though not the best supporting cast and offense in the world, his situation is pretty insulated in Jacksonville, only with room to go up

• Like TreVeyon, you could probably wait and watch his value tick down ever so slightly week by week, but the price is low enough now

All it takes is a big week or two for the current panic and corresponding discount to dissipate. You are getting an eventual core piece to a dynasty at the lowest his stock will be in the next 3-4 years.

🟠 Isaiah Bond

Though far from as sure a thing as the first two players, the price currently associated with Bond makes him an immediate buy as well. After an embarrassing combine and off the field issues, Bond went undrafted this year and wasn’t cleared of his charges until late into training camps, making his path to touches really uphill, but there’s light on the horizon ⬇️ 

• Bond was productive for the Longhorns in 2024, and though more one dimensional than eventual first round pick Matthew Golden, he played a sizable role beside him

• Bond’s involvement has already increased every week since Week 1, and now the team’s most productive fantasy WR in Cedric Tillman slides onto IR for the second season in a row leaving more for the taking

• Dillon Gabriel gets the start at QB this week, and has likely practiced with Bond more than any other QB on the roster

Bond may be on waivers, but even if he’s not I don’t mind throwing your latest pick in this next draft at him or getting him as a throw in. Is he a sure thing? Not at all, but he feels like an inevitable riser with potential to become a regular part of an offense, albeit a less than stellar one.

-- Dynasty Detour Ryan

We’re officially in the swing of things, so be sure you follow us for all the must see events and reactions of every week. Follow us @dynastydetour on Instagram and X/Twitter to get our reactions and opinions in between write-ups, as well as email us with any questions at [email protected]. See you out on the road 🚘️.