Fantasy Football 2018: Best flex players not to miss in Week 5

Some players just aren’t getting the love yet in Fantasy Football 2018 rankings, meaning most owners likely pass them up. We’ve pulled out the best flex players, two receivers and two running backs, not to miss in week 5.

The Los Angeles Chargers running back tandem of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler is on pace to outscore the pairing of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara from a year ago. Ingram and Kamara took the league by storm; Gordon and Ekeler don’t feel like they are having the same impact, possibly because it’s only been a quarter of the season, or maybe because passing offenses are outshining everything.

Either way, the Chargers duo is averaging roughly 40 points per week (depending on league settings), compared with the Saints pair, who put up around 37 a week in 2017.

That’s a long way of saying that Dan got his sly flex pick out of the way last week. We cannot allow Austin Ekeler to be on our flex pick list anymore this season. He’s too good. As for Week 5, we dig even deeper down the list for our top four players. These are your best flex players not to miss in Fantasy Football 2018 for Week 5. Two running backs and two wide receivers you can’t miss.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football 2018 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem’s Top Flex Plays:

Latavius Murray, RB

I am dubious of Dalvin Cook‘s health and playing time. Cook came back last week and destroyed his fantasy owners by barely seeing the field. Murray played pretty much every third down in the first half and then just the entire second half. Cook should see more snaps this week, but how many more? How healthy is he?

Normally, the Philadelphia defense would be a stay away, but the Eagles have only been middle of the road thus far and in the bottom half of the league against the pass. Murray will need to excel in passing situations, and fortunately that is often when he sees the field. He remains a very risky pick, hinging on his usage compared to Cook’s health, but with two surprisingly useful fantasy teams on bye this week, pickings are slimmer than normal.

Duke Johnson, RB

The Cleveland running back getting all the headlines this week is Nick Chubb. The rookie ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a shootout game. However, that is hardly indicative of the Browns’ depth chart and usage. Chubb was only given three carries — he just happened to break long plays. Instead, it was Duke Johnson who appeared to grab a larger load of the offense moving forward.

In the first game with Baker Mayfield as starter, Johnson was finally a factor. He collected six targets and four receptions in the passing game and two more carries on the ground. It was the first game of the season in which he caught more than two balls. This may be the start of the Johnson season we all expected. He won’t overtake Carlos Hyde in terms of usage but should be involved more than any previous game this season.

Dan Salem’s Top Flex Plays:

A quick aside. Ekeler is inexplicably ranked 86th this week, so he’s still a FLEX option until people take him seriously. You dug deep for your two picks, so I will attempt to do the same. Heck, Calvin Ridley barely cracked the top 50 and he’s only one of the 10 best wide receivers going right now. Someone put him as low as 94th, which is just stupid. Now for my picks.

Donte Moncrief, WR

Moncrief had an excellent game against the Jets last week and now faces an even worse defense in Kansas City. Considering the Jaguars have had more high scoring weeks than not, and the Chiefs have given up tons of points, its a safe bet that Jacksonville will have a big offensive day once again. Now that Moncrief has found his way into Blake Bortles arsenal, I expect him to have another solid week of production on the field.

Keke Coutee, WR

In his first game of the season, Coutee received 15 targets in Houston’s passing game. The rookie turned those opportunities into 109 yards receiving. He may not see quite as many targets this week, but consider him a true threat for the Texans’ offense and Deshaun Watson.

Houston now gets the Cowboys, who have barely stopped anyone defensively thus far. Coutee likely flies under the radar for one more week in terms of defensive game plans, so take advantage in a favorable matchup against Dallas. He’s going to get many opportunities this week.