National Football League

10 fantasy football busts from NFL Week 5

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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While fantasy football Week 5 was full of good performances, there were also a few players who left their owners extremely disappointed. Find out who came out flat on Sunday in our 10 fantasy football busts from NFL Week 5.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) ended up as one of the biggest fantasy football busts of the week despite the Falcons defeating the Broncos 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Week 5 of fantasy football is just about in the books, and it closes out tonight with the Panthers and Bucs in an NFC South Monday Night Football matchup. As is true every week, some players stepped up and carried their team to victory while others were big-time letdowns. To see who were the biggest disappointments of the week, check out the top 10 fantasy football busts from NFL week 5 on the following slides..

If you’re looking for success stories, check out these top 15 fantasy football scoring leaders. However, if you were relying on an of the 10 fantasy football busts on the following slides, you’re probably more in the misery looking for company category. Feel free to vent your frustration with these players in the comments section, and make sure to let us know just how bad things were for you this week.

Each week in our top 10 fantasy football busts, you can find the most disappointing options at each of the main fantasy positions. I highlight the players that had high expectations coming into the week but failed to live up to them. Whether due to injury or ineffectiveness, these players burned their owners badly. You definitely want to avoid using players that end up on this list for your fantasy team.

Make sure to check back later today for our fantasy football sleepers who emerged during Week 5 if these fantasy football busts have left you looking for replacement options. For our full fantasy football weekly coverage make sure to drop a bookmark on our fantasy football hub. You can also check out our new start/sit tool and follow @FansidedFantasy on Twitter to help you avoid next week’s fantasy football busts from sinking your team in Week 6.

While some players stepped up Week 5, there were plenty of fantasy football busts this week too. Check out my top ten starting with a struggling QB who couldn’t take advantage of a seemingly favorable matchup.

Oct 9, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews (52) tackles New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Eli Manning-QB-New York Giants

The Packers defense had been great against the run, but they had struggled badly against the pass coming into their Week 5 matchup with Eli Manning and the Giants. Many expected New York to abandon the run early leaving Eli with plenty of time to tear up the Packers makeshift secondary.

Even in what should have been a good matchup, though, the younger Manning brother couldn’t get things going. Eli ended up completing just 18-of-35 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. He lost a fumble, and he would have been even worse if it wasn’t for a late garbage-time touchdown pass to Odell Beckham.

Manning ended up with just nine fantasy points in standard scoring which means he was behind Paxton Lynch and tied with Charlie Whitehurst who came off the bench for the Browns. Eli has struggled badly in the last four games for New York managing just two touchdown passes and three interceptions.

Next week, he and the Giants return home to face the Ravens before heading to London to take on the Rams before their bye week. Given his recent play, I don’t see him as a QB1 anymore and think he’ll be a tough play until he gets more balance in his backfield and better play from his offensive line. He was definitely the biggest top-QB option who ended up in our fantasy football busts, and he shouldn’t be counted on moving forward.

Sep 29, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) against the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 22-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Hill-RB-Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals got behind big early and had to play catchup which coupled with his injury left Jeremy Hill as one of the biggest fantasy football busts of the week. He didn’t ever really get involved in Dallas and was outplayed by backfield-mate Giovani Bernard. Bernard out-snapped Hill 53-15 which is a bad sign for Hill owners moving forward.

Hill only ended up with four carries for 12 yards against Dallas after getting a total of 38 carries the last two weeks and totaling 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Part of the problem was the game situation after Dallas ran out to an early 21-0 lead, and part of the problem may have been a chest injury that kept him sidelined for part of the week of practice.

Hill’s usage going forward is hard to predict which makes him a high-risk play. He has shown he can be an RB2 or flex option when he’s part of Cincinnati’s gameplan, but he suffered a huge letdown this week. If you have other viable options, try to keep him on your bench this week against the Patriots, but he should return to startable fantasy form in games against the Browns, Washington, Giants, and Bills in the four games after that. Don’t give up on Hill even though he was one of the biggest fantasy football busts of this week, but do look for other options in Week 6.

Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) is tackled by Denver Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward (43) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (25) in the third quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Julio Jones-WR-Atlanta Falcons

Julio Jones was going to have a hard time following last week’s 300-yard receiving effort. He was in a tough matchup against the Broncos, and he continues to yo-yo back and forth between big weeks on our fantasy football scoring leaders list and down weeks our fantasy football busts list.

He ended up with just 29 yards on two catches against Denver although he should have had a couple big plays early. Since Atlanta ended up playing from ahead, they relied on more short passes and plays to Tevin Coleman (who had a monster game). Jones did get six targets, and he’ll remain a WR1 regardless of matchup going forward.

Next week, Jones and the Falcons face another tough road test as they head to Seattle. If you own Jones in season-long formats, he has to be in your starting lineup since he has the potential to go totally bananas. He may not be the best DFS play next week, but he is still an unquestioned WR1 for an Atlanta offense producing at a high level.

Oct 2, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) sits on the bench during the second half of the Buffalo Bills 16-0 win over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Julian Edelman-WR-New England Patriots

Another star receiver who had a quiet day in Week 5 was Julian Edelman. Edelman should have been a great start with Tom Brady back from suspension, but he only ended up with 35 yards and no touchdowns against the Browns on Sunday.

On the bright side for Edelman owners, though, he was targeted ten times and Brady looked as sharp as ever. He still led the team in targets and ended up with five catches which kept his week from being a total bust in PPR leagues.

Given the way he and Brady usually click, I don’t think he’ll be on our list of fantasy football busts often, but he did let owners down this week. Look for him to bounce back at home this week against the Bengals.

Aug 19, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd (15) looks on from the field before the game between the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego won 19-3. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Floyd-WR-Arizona Cardinals

While Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson had monster games against the 49ers on Thursday Night Football, Michael Floyd left his owners with an empty feeling by putting up a great big zero. His pointless and catchless performance definitely earned his way onto our fantasy football busts list.

Floyd was targeted three times by Drew Stanton who started in place of Carson Palmer, but he was unable to pull in any catches at all. According to coach Bruce Arians, Floyd is “pressing too much” in his contract year and is not getting anything done. Even if Palmer returns, I think there are much better options than Floyd at this point in the seaosn.

If things change, Floyd could be a huge producer since he definitely has the talent, but at this point, the Cardinals are locked in on Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson as the keys to their offense. Floyd hasn’t been able to get more than four catches or 65 yards in any game this season, so leave him out of your lineup in Week 6 even against a vulnerable Jets’ secondary.

Oct 9, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) and Green Bay Packers cornerback Quinten Rollins (24) battle for a pass during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Victor Cruz & Sterling Shepard-WR-New York Giants

I couldn’t decide which of these to Giants’ receivers was a bigger disappointment, so I crammed them into one slot in our fantasy football busts from Week 5. The Giants should have been able to move the ball through the air against Green Bay’s hurting secondary, but both Shepard and Cruz put up duds on Sunday Night Football.

Cruz ended up with the lower fantasy point total since he failed to haul in a single catch. He was targeted twice but ended up with nothing to show for it. It was a big disappointment after he had posted at least 50 yards in three straight games and had 16 catches for 245 yards and a touchdown in the first four games of the season. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, there is no need to update those totals after Sunday Night Football.

The night didn’t go much better for rookie Sterling Shepard although he was targeted seven times. He finished with just two catches for 14 yards and has been shut down the last two weeks on the road. After starting the year with three strong fantasy games, he has just six catches for 44 yards total the last two weeks.

The Giants’ offense is struggling to stay balanced and give Eli time to throw. Manning hasn’t been able to step up either (which is why he was in this week’s fantasy football busts as well) leaving Cruz and Shepard as tricky options to trust going into next week’s matchup against Baltimore. While Odell Beckham is a fantasy football starter every week, the rest of this New York offense is a hot mess right now.

Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) celebrates with quarterback Sam Bradford (8) his touchdown against the New York Giants in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Rudolph-TE-Minnesota Vikings

Everything seemed to be pointing to a big week for Kyle Rudolph against the Texans, but he was surprisingly uninvolved. Rudolph was expected to be the team’s go-to option especially with Stefon Diggs sidelined, but he was actually only targeted four times.

Rudolph almost saved his fantasy week with a touchdown but was stopped on the one-yard line late in the Vikings win. He ended up with just two catches for 15 yards and a single fantasy point in standard scoring.

Rudolph will remain a low-end TE1 since he’s such a big part of the Vikings offense and a regular red zone target for Sam Bradford. However, he let owners down this week and lands on our fantasy football busts as a result. He’ll be in a good place to bounce back after the Vikings’ bye week, but if you’re going through a roster crunch you could find other options if you don’t have room for him on your bench in Week 6.

Oct 9, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) defended by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Albert McCLellan (50) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Jones-RB-Washington

Jones had been pretty productive for Washington since a slow start Week 1, but he didn’t get anything going this week against a stingy Baltimore run defense. Baltimore is a matchup to avoid for RB moving forward since they’ve been clamping down on good RB so far this season.

After three weeks with over 60 yards rushing, he only managed 31 yards on 14 carries in Washington’s win this week. He did add 25 more yards on two catches, but a fumble erased any extra fantasy points owners enjoyed from his work as a receiver.

Moving forward, Jones will remain the feature back and his workload will likely be enough to keep him out of our fantasy football busts moving forward. He has struggled against good defenses, though, and will face another one in Week 6 as Washington hosts their division-rival Philadelphia Eagles who will be trying to bounce back from their first loss of the season.

Will Fuller-WR-Houston Texans

Will Fuller was a great fantasy football play in Week 4, but he ended up as one of the biggest fantasy football busts of Week 5 since the Texans ran into the machine that is the Vikings defense. Fuller has big-play potential as he has flashed, but he also is prone to busts like this one.

He ended up with one catch on his six targets for a total of four yards. In standard scoring, that results in a big goose-egg for his fantasy owners. He had a couple of chances for big plays, but ended up with a couple of bad drops which have plagued him throughout his college and NFL career.

Fuller should be able to bounce back next week at home against the Colts in what should be a fun AFC South matchup. Both teams can put up points, so it’ll be fun to see how the Texans deploy Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins to try and keep up with Andrew Luck and the Colts’ offense that seems to always be playing close games.

Oct 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller (26) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (24) during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Lamar Miller-RB-Houston Texans

The biggest letdown of the week was Lamar Miller who earns the “top” spot in our fantasy football busts after his disappointing day against Minnesota. It isn’t shock that he’d have a rough week against the top-tier Vikings defense, but he barely got anything going at all and ultimately gave way to Alfred Blue late in the game.

Miller finished with 20 yards rushing on his eight carries and caught a pass for four more yards. He didn’t get into the end zone and wasn’t even involved in the one drive that ended up with a Houston touchdown.

In each of his first four tames this year, Miller totaled at least 80 rushing yards and has added some solid receiving yards as well. Unfortunately for his owners, he ran into a hot defense this week which landed him on our fantasy football busts list.

Miller is also is still seeking his first touchdown of the season as he and the Texans head into a tasty Week 6 matchup against the Colts defense which has allowed big games to opposing RBs almost every week this season. I see Miller as a buy-low option since he has some good matchups coming down the stretch, and his owners may be frustrated by his lack of TDs and low usage in Week 5.