Fantasy football projections, Week 5: Giants-Packers featuring Odell Beckham, Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, more

The Week 5 matchup between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers features a struggling offense facing off against an elite one that should be well-rested coming off of a bye week. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Will the real Odell Beckham Jr. please stand up? That’s what fantasy owners must be asking themselves through four games. He caught three passes for just 23 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. More than that, he’s drawn a significant amount of attention to himself in the media for his emotional outbursts. It’s certainly having an effect on the confidence levels of his fantasy owners. The good news is only one team in the NFL has given up more points to fantasy wide receivers than the Green Bay Packers. It’s time for Beckham to find his first touchdown catch of the season. If he can finally break through in Week 5, Beckham should crush his projected totals.

Perhaps teammate Sterling Shepard can take some of the pressure off of Beckham by doing some damage in the slot. Shepard caught four passes for just 30 yards last week, but he has impressed the Giants’ coaching staff throughout the year. He’s also garnered himself some clout in deeper fantasy leagues. If Beckham is tightly blanketed at Lambeau Field, Shepard will be the biggest beneficiary. He should start in PPR formats this week and is a good bet to outperform expectations.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers took the Packers into their bye week with a bang. In Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, he needed just 15 completions and 205 yards to find four touchdowns. Rodgers is arguably the most complete quarterback in the NFL and he’s been a top-notch fantasy player for years. The Giants are mediocre at best when it comes to defending fantasy passers. Rodgers should be able to use his scrambling ability and his plethora of talented receivers to his advantage. Three touchdowns and a 300-yard plus performance could prove to be the status quo on Sunday night for No. 12.

Wide receiver Jordy Nelson should benefit from his quarterback’s production. Nelson needed some time to get his rhythm back to start the season, and yet he still finds himself with four touchdown catches through three games. He scored twice catching six passes for 101 yards against Detroit. If that’s a sign that he’s found his game, the rest of the NFL better watch out. Fantasy owners could see Nelson explode against New York in Week 5.