The Week 5 matchup between Washington and the Atlanta Falcons features one team looking to build momentum while the other is firing on all cylinders. We've got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 5: Washington-Falcons featuring Pierre Garcon, Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones
We break down the Week 5 matchup between Washington and the Atlanta Falcons.
Washington
Dynamic wide receiver DeSean Jackson is still out with a hamstring injury and tight end Jordan Reed is dealing with the effects of a concussion. With those two top targets out for Washington, the path is clear for Pierre Garçon to be the undisputed No. 1 option for quarterback Kirk Cousins this week against the Falcons. Garçon looked great with the added action last week. He caught seven of eight passes for 55 yards and a game-winning touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. His yards-per-catch average is low this season, so Garçon will be hard-pressed to eclipse the 100-yard mark against Atlanta this week. What he does have going for him is that the targets are going to be there, making him a solid PPR play for the immediate future.
Perhaps the aforementioned Cousins is the only other player on Washington’s roster worth starting in fantasy leagues at the moment. The team’s running game is unpredictable right now and Cousins will be facing a prolific Falcons offense, which means he will be forced to throw the ball a lot in the second half. While that typically doesn’t look good on reality scoreboards, on fantasy scoreboards the points racked up in garbage time count all the same. Those looking to gamble on an average quarterback might want to take a chance on Washington’s starting passer this week.
Atlanta Falcons
Even in today's pass-heavy NFL and even in talking about a dynamic and explosive superstar receiver like Julio Jones, it would've been foolish to assume he would maintain a 2,400-yard pace on the season. After posting three monster games, Jones finally came back down to earth a little bit last week against the Houston Texans. He caught only four passes for a total of 38 yards, marking the first time this season he's caught fewer than nine passes in a game or collected less than 135 yards receiving. That gives you an idea of how dominant Jones has been this year. He should return to form against Washington and is unquestionably the best fantasy wide receiver in the league at the moment.
A big part of his lower numbers last week had to do with the performance of running back Devonta Freeman. Freeman found the end zone three times against the Texans, marking the second game in a row he's gone for a trifecta. Six touchdowns in two games will definitely lock down the starting job in the Falcons' backfield going forward even when teammate Tevin Coleman returns from injury. Freeman's earned his chance and now that he's had not one, but two, breakout performances, back-to-back, and beating up on Washington seems highly likely this week.
SB Nation presents: Week 5 sit/start fantasy football advice
