From Doug Martin's three-touchdown game to the Cardinals' blowout of the Lions, to Odell Beckham Jr.'s big night, Week 5 has been quite a ride. But there is still one game left to play that could very well have an impact on your fantasy matchups. What can you expect from Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Antonio Gates and more? Well, you'll just have to read on to find out, as we profile every fantasy releveant player in the Monday Night football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers below.
Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers, 8:30 p.m. ET (Monday) on ESPN
Steelers:
Vick was basically a dropped TD pass away from totaling the same amount of fantasy points as Aaron Rodgers did in Week 4. But you're still likely benching him even a 12-team league this week. What fantasy owners will have to hope for, though, is that Vick has built a better connection with Antonio Brown and the rest of his pass-catchers on a long week.
If your world was closing in on you and you only could do one thing before facing your demise, it would be to start Le'Veon Bell. Against a Chargers defense that, entering Week 5, has allowed the second most fantasy points to opposing running backs, Bell is our consensus ranked RB1.
Last week was the first game this season where Brown was targeted fewer than 11 times. But after 10 days off, you can bet that Vick and co. have worked on whatever kinks there were regarding getting the ball to arguably the best wideout in the league. Fire him up no matter what.
*UPDATE: Bryant will reportedly be out for Monday night's game. Fantasy owners will have to wait at least one more week to unleash him.
Bryant returns from a four-game suspension on Monday night against the
Chargers. Last year, he averaged 21.1 yards per reception on his 26 catches making him one of the most effective deep threats in the NFL. It's tough to predict how much usage he will get in his first game back but fantasy owners can rest easy knowing that Bryant and Vick had a connection in the preseason.
With Vick at the helm last week for the Steelers, Miller caught just one ball. In what could be another run-heavy game for the Pittsburgh offense, the veteran tight end may be doing more blocking than pass-catching for the second straight game. You can find higher upside options than Miller on Monday night, options you hopefully played in the Sunday slate.
Chargers:
Rivers had his best fantasy outing of the young season last week as he shredded the Cleveland defense for 358 yards and three touchdown passes. Heading into Week 5, Rivers leads the NFL in passing yards (1,248) and gets one of his most trustworthy targets back in Antonio Gates. He's our consensus ranked QB6 for the week and needs to be started against a suspect Steelers' secondary.
Gordon has been frustrating from a fantasy standpoint as he leads all rookies in rush yards but has yet to score a touchdown. Still, Gordon is averaging 14 carries per game which is enough volume for fantasy success. He just needs to cash in on his opportunities which could very well happen in front of a national audience on Monday night.
The scrappy pass-catching back has 347 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns already this season. He has just one game so far with fewer than double-digit fantasy points, and both of his scores came in Week 1 which means even when he's not scoring he's getting enough yards to justify starting even in non-PPR formats. He's a great every week flex option should be up to his usual ways on Monday night.
Allen is in the midst of a rebound following a sophomore slump in 2014. He's totaled over 130 receiving yards in two of his four games and has three touchdowns this season. There's absolutely no reason to bench the ninth most-productive fantasy wideout of 2015.
Johnson hadn't practiced all week due to a hamstring strain that forced him to leave the Chargers' Week 4 game. Hopefully fantasy owners prepared to be without Johnson for Week 5 matchups.
Last season's second-highest scoring fantasy tight end will make his 2015 debut after serving a four-game suspension to start the year. He can immediately be plugged into starting lineups as a top 10 option at his position and should see a high volume of targets, especially in the red zone, with Johnson potentially sidelined with an injury.
