Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)

by Optimus Staff

Published On: October 3rd, 2025

Well, they’re here – the first week of byes. I didn’t think they’d be quite this rough, either, but here we are. I mean, it’s Week 5, and already we’re talking about Flex players like “Tre Tucker” and “Darius Slayton,” even in shallower leagues. Dig any deeper, and you start seeing true Madden-esque create-a-player names. 

But sentiments like that are for the more fantasy-focused pieces, and while this can kinda be that, it’s not explicitly. This is all about the staff vibes as we head into the weekend. Wait, I’m getting word that Kendrick Bourne just caught another pass. That brings him up to 9,238 on the week, a new career high. 

We promise to turn off injuries while writing this piece every week. So come on in, the vibes are immaculate.

Friday Vibes: NFL Week 5 Storylines and 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Evan Sather:

When our Optimus Fantasy team did our August 30th AMA on the /r/fantasyfootball subreddit, I caught a lot of strays in the form of downvotes for my answer on both Bucky Irving and Chase Brown. All summer long, I hated the ADPs for both of these running backs, believing the fantasy football hivemind was way too high on them. 

How well did this answer age after 4 weeks? The results are mixed.

Despite Bucky Irving currently dealing with injuries, he is sitting at RB9 in PPR leagues. He had RB2 numbers against the Falcons and Jets and RB1 numbers against the Texans and Eagles. Bucky has yet to receive less than 70% of the snaps while healthy and is getting healthy lead-back volume. He has yet to score a rushing touchdown, but has 2 receiving touchdowns this season. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles can be unpredictable with how he wants to run the football. For example, Rachaad White got double-digit carries against the Texans in Week 2, which also included scoring the game-winning touchdown. Due to tendencies like this, I am sticking with my belief that Bucky Irving is an RB2, meaning that he will finish RB13 or lower when the season ends.

Along with Bucky, Chase Brown was also being valued as an RB1 in ADP. He is sitting at RB31 in PPR leagues. Brown still has time to turn things around, but I’m shocked and appalled at how badly he’s playing. Yes, the Bengals’ terrible offensive line is contributing to his lack of success. Even when it was better last year, Brown was not an efficient runner against defenses that were good at stopping the run. Blaming the offensive line is convenient, but it’s time to admit that Chase Brown was vastly overrated before the beginning of this season. Through 4 weeks, Brown has only averaged 4 yards per carry once. In the receiving game, he has totaled more than 20 yards once. Chase Brown has only one rushing touchdown so far this year. He still has a lot of time to turn things around. That being said, given the Bengals’ current performance, I am not counting on it.

Carly Manger:

Has the King lost his crown? My answer, no. It has been a rough few weeks for Derrick Henry (and the Ravens as a whole). Anyone who watches football knows he is a special player. The question is, if we will see him bounce back, and if we do, then how soon? History suggests betting against Henry is a mistake, and with Lamar Jackson out for Week 5, the Ravens may have no choice but to lean on him. His workload should climb as the offense shifts to a more run-heavy approach, and volume alone could bring back some of that fantasy upside. If the offensive line can give him just a little more room to work, we might see Henry remind everyone why he is still the King this week vs. HOU. 

Also, just a reminder, this is how Henry faired last season vs. the Texans:

Lou Brunson:

Man, the injuries are coming fast and furious for us fantasy folks! We had the entire San Francisco offense out on Thursday. We’ve got two more quality RBs out this week in Bucky Irving and Chuba Hubbard. Last week, we lost two dynamic WRs for the year in Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill. We say it every year, so I don’t actually think this year is any worse; however, this year feels worse than ever in terms of injuries.

And welp, it was a fun first month of the season for Chargers fans. Maybe Mekhi Becton can make it back, but now Joe Alt is out for the foreseeable future with a high ankle sprain. So that’s two Pro Bowl-level OTs taken out of the equation, and a G who was supposed to take the middle of the offensive line to the next level. Did you know that Justin Herbert had an average time-to-release of 2.56 seconds (that’s terribly fast, for the record) and was *still* pressured on over 50% of his throws. That’s an absurd combo, and speaks to the dearth of talent remaining on their OL and the quality of the Giants’ DL.

Oddly, if there’s anything that will get Ladd McConkey untracked, it might be this development. Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen have both been great, but Ladd is the only one of the three who can win quickly. It also bodes well for Omarion Hampton in the passing game, as he’ll be the beneficiary of checkdowns galore. Of course, it will help that the Chargers aren’t playing the Giants’ fierce defensive line every week. Still, there’s enough talent among NFL teams, and defensive coaches know this is a weakness to attack, so we can expect scenes like this last Sunday to repeat.

At least we’ll always have the end-of-summer MVP-caliber Justin Herbert. 

sigh 

It was nice while it lasted. 

Nate Polvogt:

The current run of injuries to fantasy managers’ marquee players, coinciding with the start of bye weeks, is brutal. I personally think whoever is writing these NFL scripts needs to be fired. But I digress…

The downside to these injuries piling up is obvious. It puts fantasy managers in precarious positions trying to fill roster spots when pickings are thin at best. Matchups that initially looked like sure-fire wins are now turning into losses, and we end up starting players like Carson Wentz in a panic. It’s the ugly, less-fun side of being a fantasy football manager. 

However, there is a positive side to all this chaos. Maybe it’s the overly optimistic side of me, but I enjoy seeing players who might not usually get the chance to showcase their skills and maybe, just maybe, get a crack at a more robust role for their team. 

Guys like 49ers TE Jake Tonges, who, after 3 years in the league with only one target to his name, is currently a TE2 in PPR formats thanks to an extended George Kittle absence. Or Michael Carter getting an opportunity to be a lead RB again, even if only for a few weeks. 

These players’ moment in the sun won’t last long. IR stints will end, new, shinier players will emerge, and they’ll be a distant memory for most of us. However, it’s fun while it lasts, and maybe a bright spot in what could be a trying weekend for those of us in the fantasy football ecosystem.

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

Well, they’re here – the first week of byes. I didn’t think they’d be quite this rough, either, but here we are. I mean, it’s Week 5, and already we’re talking about Flex players like “Tre Tucker” and “Darius Slayton,” even in shallower leagues. Dig any deeper, and you start seeing true Madden-esque create-a-player names. 

But sentiments like that are for the more fantasy-focused pieces, and while this can kinda be that, it’s not explicitly. This is all about the staff vibes as we head into the weekend. Wait, I’m getting word that Kendrick Bourne just caught another pass. That brings him up to 9,238 on the week, a new career high. 

We promise to turn off injuries while writing this piece every week. So come on in, the vibes are immaculate.

Friday Vibes: NFL Week 5 Storylines and 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Evan Sather:

When our Optimus Fantasy team did our August 30th AMA on the /r/fantasyfootball subreddit, I caught a lot of strays in the form of downvotes for my answer on both Bucky Irving and Chase Brown. All summer long, I hated the ADPs for both of these running backs, believing the fantasy football hivemind was way too high on them. 

How well did this answer age after 4 weeks? The results are mixed.

Despite Bucky Irving currently dealing with injuries, he is sitting at RB9 in PPR leagues. He had RB2 numbers against the Falcons and Jets and RB1 numbers against the Texans and Eagles. Bucky has yet to receive less than 70% of the snaps while healthy and is getting healthy lead-back volume. He has yet to score a rushing touchdown, but has 2 receiving touchdowns this season. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles can be unpredictable with how he wants to run the football. For example, Rachaad White got double-digit carries against the Texans in Week 2, which also included scoring the game-winning touchdown. Due to tendencies like this, I am sticking with my belief that Bucky Irving is an RB2, meaning that he will finish RB13 or lower when the season ends.

Along with Bucky, Chase Brown was also being valued as an RB1 in ADP. He is sitting at RB31 in PPR leagues. Brown still has time to turn things around, but I’m shocked and appalled at how badly he’s playing. Yes, the Bengals’ terrible offensive line is contributing to his lack of success. Even when it was better last year, Brown was not an efficient runner against defenses that were good at stopping the run. Blaming the offensive line is convenient, but it’s time to admit that Chase Brown was vastly overrated before the beginning of this season. Through 4 weeks, Brown has only averaged 4 yards per carry once. In the receiving game, he has totaled more than 20 yards once. Chase Brown has only one rushing touchdown so far this year. He still has a lot of time to turn things around. That being said, given the Bengals’ current performance, I am not counting on it.

Carly Manger:

Has the King lost his crown? My answer, no. It has been a rough few weeks for Derrick Henry (and the Ravens as a whole). Anyone who watches football knows he is a special player. The question is, if we will see him bounce back, and if we do, then how soon? History suggests betting against Henry is a mistake, and with Lamar Jackson out for Week 5, the Ravens may have no choice but to lean on him. His workload should climb as the offense shifts to a more run-heavy approach, and volume alone could bring back some of that fantasy upside. If the offensive line can give him just a little more room to work, we might see Henry remind everyone why he is still the King this week vs. HOU. 

Also, just a reminder, this is how Henry faired last season vs. the Texans:

Lou Brunson:

Man, the injuries are coming fast and furious for us fantasy folks! We had the entire San Francisco offense out on Thursday. We’ve got two more quality RBs out this week in Bucky Irving and Chuba Hubbard. Last week, we lost two dynamic WRs for the year in Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill. We say it every year, so I don’t actually think this year is any worse; however, this year feels worse than ever in terms of injuries.

And welp, it was a fun first month of the season for Chargers fans. Maybe Mekhi Becton can make it back, but now Joe Alt is out for the foreseeable future with a high ankle sprain. So that’s two Pro Bowl-level OTs taken out of the equation, and a G who was supposed to take the middle of the offensive line to the next level. Did you know that Justin Herbert had an average time-to-release of 2.56 seconds (that’s terribly fast, for the record) and was *still* pressured on over 50% of his throws. That’s an absurd combo, and speaks to the dearth of talent remaining on their OL and the quality of the Giants’ DL.

Oddly, if there’s anything that will get Ladd McConkey untracked, it might be this development. Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen have both been great, but Ladd is the only one of the three who can win quickly. It also bodes well for Omarion Hampton in the passing game, as he’ll be the beneficiary of checkdowns galore. Of course, it will help that the Chargers aren’t playing the Giants’ fierce defensive line every week. Still, there’s enough talent among NFL teams, and defensive coaches know this is a weakness to attack, so we can expect scenes like this last Sunday to repeat.

At least we’ll always have the end-of-summer MVP-caliber Justin Herbert. 

sigh 

It was nice while it lasted. 

Nate Polvogt:

The current run of injuries to fantasy managers’ marquee players, coinciding with the start of bye weeks, is brutal. I personally think whoever is writing these NFL scripts needs to be fired. But I digress…

The downside to these injuries piling up is obvious. It puts fantasy managers in precarious positions trying to fill roster spots when pickings are thin at best. Matchups that initially looked like sure-fire wins are now turning into losses, and we end up starting players like Carson Wentz in a panic. It’s the ugly, less-fun side of being a fantasy football manager. 

However, there is a positive side to all this chaos. Maybe it’s the overly optimistic side of me, but I enjoy seeing players who might not usually get the chance to showcase their skills and maybe, just maybe, get a crack at a more robust role for their team. 

Guys like 49ers TE Jake Tonges, who, after 3 years in the league with only one target to his name, is currently a TE2 in PPR formats thanks to an extended George Kittle absence. Or Michael Carter getting an opportunity to be a lead RB again, even if only for a few weeks. 

These players’ moment in the sun won’t last long. IR stints will end, new, shinier players will emerge, and they’ll be a distant memory for most of us. However, it’s fun while it lasts, and maybe a bright spot in what could be a trying weekend for those of us in the fantasy football ecosystem.

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!

Well, they’re here – the first week of byes. I didn’t think they’d be quite this rough, either, but here we are. I mean, it’s Week 5, and already we’re talking about Flex players like “Tre Tucker” and “Darius Slayton,” even in shallower leagues. Dig any deeper, and you start seeing true Madden-esque create-a-player names. 

But sentiments like that are for the more fantasy-focused pieces, and while this can kinda be that, it’s not explicitly. This is all about the staff vibes as we head into the weekend. Wait, I’m getting word that Kendrick Bourne just caught another pass. That brings him up to 9,238 on the week, a new career high. 

We promise to turn off injuries while writing this piece every week. So come on in, the vibes are immaculate.

Friday Vibes: NFL Week 5 Storylines and 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!

Evan Sather:

When our Optimus Fantasy team did our August 30th AMA on the /r/fantasyfootball subreddit, I caught a lot of strays in the form of downvotes for my answer on both Bucky Irving and Chase Brown. All summer long, I hated the ADPs for both of these running backs, believing the fantasy football hivemind was way too high on them. 

How well did this answer age after 4 weeks? The results are mixed.

Despite Bucky Irving currently dealing with injuries, he is sitting at RB9 in PPR leagues. He had RB2 numbers against the Falcons and Jets and RB1 numbers against the Texans and Eagles. Bucky has yet to receive less than 70% of the snaps while healthy and is getting healthy lead-back volume. He has yet to score a rushing touchdown, but has 2 receiving touchdowns this season. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles can be unpredictable with how he wants to run the football. For example, Rachaad White got double-digit carries against the Texans in Week 2, which also included scoring the game-winning touchdown. Due to tendencies like this, I am sticking with my belief that Bucky Irving is an RB2, meaning that he will finish RB13 or lower when the season ends.

Along with Bucky, Chase Brown was also being valued as an RB1 in ADP. He is sitting at RB31 in PPR leagues. Brown still has time to turn things around, but I’m shocked and appalled at how badly he’s playing. Yes, the Bengals’ terrible offensive line is contributing to his lack of success. Even when it was better last year, Brown was not an efficient runner against defenses that were good at stopping the run. Blaming the offensive line is convenient, but it’s time to admit that Chase Brown was vastly overrated before the beginning of this season. Through 4 weeks, Brown has only averaged 4 yards per carry once. In the receiving game, he has totaled more than 20 yards once. Chase Brown has only one rushing touchdown so far this year. He still has a lot of time to turn things around. That being said, given the Bengals’ current performance, I am not counting on it.

Carly Manger:

Has the King lost his crown? My answer, no. It has been a rough few weeks for Derrick Henry (and the Ravens as a whole). Anyone who watches football knows he is a special player. The question is, if we will see him bounce back, and if we do, then how soon? History suggests betting against Henry is a mistake, and with Lamar Jackson out for Week 5, the Ravens may have no choice but to lean on him. His workload should climb as the offense shifts to a more run-heavy approach, and volume alone could bring back some of that fantasy upside. If the offensive line can give him just a little more room to work, we might see Henry remind everyone why he is still the King this week vs. HOU. 

Also, just a reminder, this is how Henry faired last season vs. the Texans:

Lou Brunson:

Man, the injuries are coming fast and furious for us fantasy folks! We had the entire San Francisco offense out on Thursday. We’ve got two more quality RBs out this week in Bucky Irving and Chuba Hubbard. Last week, we lost two dynamic WRs for the year in Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill. We say it every year, so I don’t actually think this year is any worse; however, this year feels worse than ever in terms of injuries.

And welp, it was a fun first month of the season for Chargers fans. Maybe Mekhi Becton can make it back, but now Joe Alt is out for the foreseeable future with a high ankle sprain. So that’s two Pro Bowl-level OTs taken out of the equation, and a G who was supposed to take the middle of the offensive line to the next level. Did you know that Justin Herbert had an average time-to-release of 2.56 seconds (that’s terribly fast, for the record) and was *still* pressured on over 50% of his throws. That’s an absurd combo, and speaks to the dearth of talent remaining on their OL and the quality of the Giants’ DL.

Oddly, if there’s anything that will get Ladd McConkey untracked, it might be this development. Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen have both been great, but Ladd is the only one of the three who can win quickly. It also bodes well for Omarion Hampton in the passing game, as he’ll be the beneficiary of checkdowns galore. Of course, it will help that the Chargers aren’t playing the Giants’ fierce defensive line every week. Still, there’s enough talent among NFL teams, and defensive coaches know this is a weakness to attack, so we can expect scenes like this last Sunday to repeat.

At least we’ll always have the end-of-summer MVP-caliber Justin Herbert. 

sigh 

It was nice while it lasted. 

Nate Polvogt:

The current run of injuries to fantasy managers’ marquee players, coinciding with the start of bye weeks, is brutal. I personally think whoever is writing these NFL scripts needs to be fired. But I digress…

The downside to these injuries piling up is obvious. It puts fantasy managers in precarious positions trying to fill roster spots when pickings are thin at best. Matchups that initially looked like sure-fire wins are now turning into losses, and we end up starting players like Carson Wentz in a panic. It’s the ugly, less-fun side of being a fantasy football manager. 

However, there is a positive side to all this chaos. Maybe it’s the overly optimistic side of me, but I enjoy seeing players who might not usually get the chance to showcase their skills and maybe, just maybe, get a crack at a more robust role for their team. 

Guys like 49ers TE Jake Tonges, who, after 3 years in the league with only one target to his name, is currently a TE2 in PPR formats thanks to an extended George Kittle absence. Or Michael Carter getting an opportunity to be a lead RB again, even if only for a few weeks. 

These players’ moment in the sun won’t last long. IR stints will end, new, shinier players will emerge, and they’ll be a distant memory for most of us. However, it’s fun while it lasts, and maybe a bright spot in what could be a trying weekend for those of us in the fantasy football ecosystem.

For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!
By Published On: October 3rd, 2025

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