Five weeks of the NFL season are in the books, and with that done, we turn our attention to week six. After all, the NFL never stops, so why should we? Every week, we take a look ahead at that weekend’s matchups and look at something that might happen that we shouldn’t worry too much about. Granted, not all of these come to fruition, but if they do happen, you shouldn’t be too surprised! Let’s dive in!
Things Get Better For the Rams
There’s no greater disappointment in the NFL than the reigning champs sitting at 2-3 with primetime losses to Buffalo and San Francisco on their ledger. The high-flying offense built by Sean McVay and helmed by Matthew Stafford also didn’t envision that they would fail to top 20 points in 80% of games this year and fail to top 10 in 60%. In 2021, they failed to top 20 points 28.5% of the time (including the playoffs) and scored ten or fewer points just once in their 21 games last year. Things aren’t great for them, as not only are the Rams, not scoring points, but only Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee are really the only fantasy-relevant players on the roster when we get down to it. The running backs are terrible, Matthew Stafford is as erratic as ever, Allen Robinson is washed, and the down-roster guys are Ben Skowronek and Malcolm Brown.
But, this week, they take on the Panthers, the NFL cure for what ails you. The only position they don’t give up a bunch of fantasy points to is the tight end, as they are in the top half in fantasy points allowed to quarterback, wide receiver, and running back. There’s also the little matter of the complete house cleaning that took place this week, as the Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule, their defensive coordinator, and Baker Mayfield suffered a high ankle sprain. It will be an interim coach at the top, an interim coach calling the defense, and P.J. Walker on the other side. The Rams need a get-right game, and they’ll get it next week before their bye week and their two-game gauntlet against the Niners and at the Buccaneers.
Kyle Pitts Continues to Struggle
Kyle Pitts didn’t play last week thanks to a hamstring injury, but he will continue to hamstring his managers in week six as he takes on the 49ers’ defense. The 49ers have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this year, but that’s what happens when you play Cole Kmet, Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, and Tommy Tremble. Tyler Higbee had a huge day (10/73) but failed to score and needed 14 targets to finish his good day. The 49ers also finished in the bottom ten in tight end defense last year, and the presence of Fred Warner (and Talanoa Hufanga’s emergence) tell me that this isn’t a fluke. Kyle Pitts, at this point in the season, is the biggest disappointment at tight end. People took him as TE3 overall, hoping for TE2 or TE1 overall upside, and he’s finished as a TE1 just once this season. With the 49ers’ defense on the horizon, it’s looking unlikely that he makes that twice in a row. But, I’m still not worried about Pitts in the places where I have him, as he is one of the most talented receivers in the NFL, tight end or not. It’s just a matter of the Falcons pulling it together.
George Kittle Breaks Out
In the same game as Kyle Pitts above, George Kittle gets to take on the incredibly subpar Falcons’ tight end offense that allowed Cade Otton to finish as a top-twelve tight end last week without a touchdown to his name. While the 49ers haven’t gotten George Kittle going yet (3.67 catches for 33 yards per game in the first five weeks) but the 49ers get one of (if not the) worst tight end defenses in the NFL this week with the Atlanta Falcons. Through five weeks, the Falcons are five-for-five in allowing double-digit fantasy days to tight ends, but they’ve allowed just one touchdown. This doesn’t mean that there’s one small breakdown that leads to a score, this is a pattern of futility from the Falcons. Because of this, George Kittle will remind you exactly why he’s on your fantasy roster after he goes for seven catches, 100 yards, and a touchdown, all while reminding you why you drafted him.
