With a tough week of byes on tap (Lions, Vikings, Bengals, Dolphins), this week’s usage report could offer some attractive streaming options heading into Week 6. Among them is a rookie receiver who could step into a solid role with the Steelers after a strong Week 5 performance, and a veteran tight end who flew under the fantasy radar for nearly the entire offseason.
Here’s a look at some recent performances (both good and bad) that have stood out in recent weeks and how we should approach these players’ situations going forward.
▶ Running Backs
🟢 Kimani Vidal (LAC) vs. Broncos
The Chargers have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this year for all of the wrong reasons. Not only are they off to a 0-5 start, but the offense ranks 30th in points per game (16.8), and Justin Herbert ranks 29th among 30 QBs (min. 100 plays) in EPA per play (-0.132) and adjusted EPA per play (-0.117) this season and is 26th in overall success rate (40.6 percent). There are few reasons to be buying any players on this Chargers’ offense based on where things stand right now, but fantasy managers in need of help at running back may want to consider scooping up Kimani Vidal wherever he may still be available.
Over the last two weeks, Vidal has rushed 13 times for 82 yards and a touchdown while also adding another three receptions for 10 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Vidal’s 27 routes run since Week 4 are three more than Keaton Mitchell has run over that span, but in Week 5’s loss to the Broncos, Vidal ran 13 routes to Mitchell’s 11. Vidal’s overall snap share has steadily increased over each of the last three weeks, while Omarion Hampton‘s has seen a noticeable decline. Below is each running back’s snap share on a per-game basis, per TruMedia.
| Player | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 |
| Omarion Hampton | 57% | 65% | 42% | 32% | 32% |
| Keaton Mitchell | 31% | 24% | 36% | 38% | 33% |
| Kimani Vidal | 8% | 10% | 27% | 37% | 41% |
While this week’s game against the Chiefs’ top-10 run defense doesn’t feel like the week to put Vidal into your lineup, he’s a worthwhile stash ahead of Week 6 in hopes that his role continues to expand in a backfield that has underwhelmed thus far.
🔴 Alvin Kamara (NO) vs. Vikings
After a few years of gaining ground on Alvin Kamara, Father Time appears to have finally caught up to him this season. Kamara, 31, has been among the least efficient backs in the league this season, and is currently sitting on a 28-86-2 rushing line that also includes 13 receptions for 41 scoreless yards on 16 targets. The 11.0 opportunities per game that Kamara has averaged this season is the only thing keeping him semi-fantasy relevant, but with only one PPR performance inside of the top-36 at his position this season, Kamara has been virtually unplayable from a fantasy perspective. His lone high-end performance came in Week 4 against the Falcons, where he scored 22.8 PPR points (RB9), but that was largely due to his two touchdowns.
Kamara is averaging a lousy 3.1 yards per touch this season, and will be difficult to trust in Week 6 despite facing a Giants defense that is allowing the third-highest yards per carry (5.2 YPC). To make matters worse for Kamara and his fantasy managers, in last week’s loss to the Vikings, Kamara’s 28 percent snap share ranked third behind CJ Donaldson (42 percent) and Kendre Miller (30 percent), while Miller led all Saints running backs with 10 rush attempts and managed to find the end zone. Only the most desperate of fantasy managers should be eyeing Kamara as a Week 6 starter.
▶ Wide Receivers
🟢 Germie Bernard (PIT) vs. Colts
With Roman Wilson (finger) landing on injured reserve, rookie Germie Bernard has a chance to become Aaron Rodgers’ preferred target in the short and intermediate parts of the field for at least the next four weeks. Bernard caught 6-of-9 targets for 80 yards in last week’s game against the Colts while leading all Steelers receivers with an impressive 29.5 percent targets per route rate (TPRR). His 92.6 percent snap share narrowly beat out DK Metcalf‘s 90.7 percent snap share, and his 26 routes run were only five fewer than Metcalf.
Rodgers, as he has for the last several seasons, has done most of his work operating in the short and intermediate areas of the field. His 4.7 ADOT on completed passes ranks 26th of 29 QBs (min. 100 dropbacks) this season, and should mesh well with Bernard and his ability to create after the catch. While he faces a Buccaneers defense that has been stout against opposing receivers this season, Bernard should have enough of a PPR scam in him to warrant starting as a WR3/FLEX play with top names like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all on bye weeks.
🔴 Keon Coleman (BUF) vs. Rams
With DJ Moore (shoulder) sidelined, Keon Coleman caught only one pass for seven yards on two targets against the Rams. It’s worth pointing out that Josh Allen only dropped back 28 times — his fewest in any game this season, but Coleman’s lack of production is concerning given Moore’s absence and the fact that it happened in a high-scoring game that went into overtime.
At the time this article was published, Moore had not yet stepped on the practice field this week and is trending toward missing Week 6 against the Raiders if he can’t get on the field in any capacity on Friday. While his absence could once again create an opportunity for Coleman to have a big week, he gets a defense that has allowed the 13th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, but that has also allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game (16.2 PPR/gm) to opposing receivers on the outside. Conversely, the Raiders have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers in the slot (16.1 PPR/gm), which could hint at a big day for Khalil Shakir, who leads all Bills receivers in routes run from the slot (70) this season.
Even if Moore misses a second straight game, Coleman is a risky bet outside of deeper leagues.
▶ Tight Ends
🟢 Tyler Higbee (LAR) vs. Bills
All offseason, Tyler Higbee was an afterthought in fantasy drafts. He was already stuck in a battle for targets with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and second-year tight end Terrance Ferguson was expected to take a second-year leap. Ferguson broke out for 6-54-1 on nine targets in Week 2 against the 49ers, but an ankle injury landed him on injured reserve ahead of Week 4’s game against the Eagles.
Since Week 3, Higbee has quietly turned into one of the top streaming options at his position. His 124 routes run over that span are second most to only Trey McBride, while his 23 targets are good for fifth-most among tight ends. Last week against the Bills, Higbee caught 5-of-6 targets for 83 yards, and he draws a juicy Week 6 matchup against a Cardinals defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. He’s still available in a ton of leagues and is a high-upside TE2 for those in need of a bye week streamer.
🔴 Dalton Kincaid (BUF) vs. Rams
How much longer do we continue to roll out Dalton Kincaid in our fantasy lineups? The first two weeks of the season saw Kincaid living up to the high hopes fantasy managers had this offseason. In his first two games, Kincaid caught 12-of-14 targets for 225 yards and one touchdown. In his last three games combined, Kincaid has posted a 4-52-0 line on eight targets. In Week 5 against the Rams, with DJ Moore (shoulder) sidelined, Kincaid still failed to break through, catching just one pass for seven yards in a game that went to overtime and featured 71 combined points.
Week 6’s game against the Raiders should be a plus matchup for Kincaid. The Raiders have allowed the sixth-most points to opposing tight ends this season, but Kincaid’s involvement coupled with his low route totals is concerning. Among 26 tight ends with at least 60 routes run since Week 3, Kincaid’s 63 routes are tied with Greg Dulcich and Mark Andrews for dead last, and his 11.1 percent TPRR ranks second to last behind only Gunnar Helm (8.1 percent TPRR).
This week’s matchup is practically begging fantasy managers to give Kincaid one more week, but those considering pivoting off of him in Week 6 are more than justified given his underwhelming usage on multiple fronts.
NOTE: Stats and information courtesy of PFF.com, RotoViz.com, ProFootballReference.com, NextGenStats.NFL.com, 4For4.com, FantasyPoints.com and RBSDM.com. All scoring is based on full-PPR leagues.
