Week 5 Fantasy Football Mailbag: Woody Marks Ranking, Giants Outlook and More
Sam Wallace scans the Fantasy Life Discord to answer their most pressing questions ahead of Week 5.
With four weeks of the fantasy football season in the review mirror, I polled our Fantasy Life Community Discord for their most pressing questions. Here are some of the highlights as well as how they might impact you and your rosters in the coming weeks and months.
Where does Woody Marks rank for the rest of the season?
Despite the Texans going 1-3 over the first month of the season, they may have found something in fourth-round rookie Woody Marks.
With Joe Mixon (ankle) remaining without a timetable to return and Nick Chubb (age) not being what he once was, it's been encouraging to see Marks earn a larger role throughout the early portions of the season.
Marks, an older rookie (24 years old), came in as the RB12 in our Rookie RB Model. After four years at Mississippi State, he transferred to USC for a final season where he tallied:
- 198 rushing attempts
- 1,133 rushing yards
- 9 rushing TDs
- 47 receptions
- 321 receiving yards
He has average athleticism and compares well to someone like Kenneth Gainwell. That might not seem like the most enticing player comp, but after this weekend, we all saw what Gainwell would do when given the opportunity.
All that said, Marks profiles as a low/mid-RB2 with upside. I'd like to see the Texans generate more scoring opportunities as their 16.0 PPG ranks 30th in the league through Week 4. Even so, Marks has been north of 4.0 yards per carry in three straight weeks as his role has increased.
If his usage continues to grow in the rushing attack, and he keeps offering upside in the passing game, he's going to become a must-start option for fantasy managers the rest of the way.
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What's the outlook for the New York Giants?
New York Giants fans certainly have conflicting feelings following Sunday's win over the Chargers. On one hand, rookie Jaxson Dart looks the part of a franchise QB even after just one game. In addition to leading his team to victory, he made his fantasy managers happy as well.
He only threw for 111 yards on 20 passing attempts, but one of those passes did find the endzone. Perhaps more importantly, he rushed 10 times for 54 yards and another score. That's the type of high-floor production that fantasy managers were hoping for when they drafted him.
On the other end of the emotional spectrum is the Malik Nabers injury. The talented wideout suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. That's a massive blow for the Giants and equally as devastating for fantasy managers who spent premium draft capital to acquire him.
In the meantime, more opportunities will come for players like Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton. However, expect a continued heavy dose of Cam Skattebo. The fellow rookie already handled 25 carries for 79 yards, but that could quickly become the norm as the Giants work Dart into a larger passing role.
For this season, I don't mind spending some FAAB on Robinson and Slayton if they are available in my league. In dynasty, I'm probably selling those pieces to managers who either also have Nabers or are looking for a stop-gap option in the meantime.
Is it finally time to give up on Ladd McConkey?
This one … hurts. Ladd McConkey had such an impressive rookie season and looked poised to take another step in Year 2. Then, the Chargers re-signed Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston decided to have a massive Year 3 breakout seemingly out of nowhere.
All of that has led to McConkey, a premium draft pick for managers everywhere, seeing his role dwindle. Over four games, his receptions and receiving yards have both gone down each week and he's been a single-digit fantasy scorer in three consecutive weeks.
I genuinely believe that he's too talented to be this type of player for the rest of the season, but I cannot start him with any confidence at this point. There simply have to be better options out there for you.
I wouldn't be looking to sell, because you won't get much for him, but I would be looking to buy. If there's a manager out there (and there are plenty) who has been burned through four weeks and is looking to quickly turn their season around, I don't mind making a move for him.
In the meantime, if he's on your roster, and you have other options (which shouldn't be too hard at this point), slide McConkey to your bench and wait until he (hopefully) bounces back.
Who are the most valuable RB handcuffs right now?
One of the first names that comes to mind is Justice Hill. The savvy veteran has maintained a steady hold on the RB2 job in Baltimore behind Derrick Henry and offers significant upside in the passing game.
While Henry has struggled with fumbles this season, Hill continues to hang around and make plays. He's topped 40 receiving yards in consecutive games and scored twice in Week 4. If Lamar Jackson (hamstring) misses time, expect Hill to see an increased role as both a change-of-pace option and a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Another player to keep an eye on is Blake Corum. After a supremely disappointing rookie season that saw him total just 207 yards on 58 rushing attempts, he's seen his role steadily increase over the first month of the season. His rush attempts since Week 1 have been 1, 5, 8, and 9.
Perhaps most surprising was that Corum's 13 total opportunities in this past weekend were only a few behind Kyren Williams (17). The game wasn't even a blowout where Corum could come in in the fourth quarter. That's definitely worth keeping an eye on, especially as a Williams manager.
A final name to know is Emanuel Wilson. It's very clear that Josh Jacobs is the RB1 in Green Bay, but Wilson has carved out some nice games in recent weeks. In a 40-40 OT game that ended in a tie, Wilson turned 11 touches into 81 yards. It's true, he won't get to play the Cowboys each week, but the Packers have a solid offense and do a great job of getting their playmakers into open space.
Jacobs' managers would do well to stash Wilson at the end of their bench if they have an extra spot.
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