One-Hit Wonders or Here to Stay? Analyzing Week 5 Breakout Players: Bo Nix, Rico Dowdle, Josh Downs, Brock Bowers and More

The fifth week of the NFL season is now in the books, which means it’s time to continue a couple series. In this series, we are identifying fantasy standouts from the previous week of play and then determining if they are here to stay or just a one-hit wonder.

Here’s the story from last week. Check back soon for the panic meter story.

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Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins and Bo Nix are the two quarterbacks I want to discuss this week.

Cousins was electric on Thursday night, throwing for 509 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 42 of his 58 passes and also threw a pick.

First and foremost, we can say not to expect those kinds of numbers from Cousins every week. Even though his passing attempts have risen every week this season, we aren’t going to see Cousins likely ever reach 58 passes in a game again this season. That doesn’t mean Cousins isn’t here to stay as a fantasy standout, and I think he’s more than a one-week wonder.

Since the opener, Cousins has topped 225 passing yards in each game. The touchdowns hadn’t accompanied the yards until week 5, but I think week 5 was the game that was the turning point for the Falcons’ offense. Cousins has enough playmakers around him to succeed, and even with Bijan Robinson in the backfield, I expect Cousins to remain a good fantasy option the remainder of the season.

Cousins was my favorite QB waiver wire target for this week, partly because he looks better with each passing week, but also because his schedule is pretty favorable going forward. Add him if you have been streaming QBs all season and you might not have to worry about the position again.

Nix had his best game as a pro, completing 19-of-27 passes for 206 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. He also rushed for a touchdown.

Those aren’t crazy numbers, but with no turnover the past three weeks, Nix is a decent fantasy option if he can just match his passing numbers from this week. Tacking on his rushing ability, Nix is a better fantasy option than a lot of people think.

While I’m not completely convinced with Nix yet, I’m saying he’s here to stay. He’s likely going to have some ups and downs as a rookie, but in deeper setups, I like the idea of adding Nix for the long haul. His schedule ahead is pretty solid as well.

Running Backs

Tank Bigsby and Rico Dowdle are the backs we are going to discuss this week.

Bigsby rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts in week 5, while adding a 28-yard reception on his lone target. That’s good fantasy production, but what’s most notable from the game he played in is that he was on the field for more snaps than Travis Etienne.

Etienne is supposedly dealing with a shoulder injury, but given how Bigsby has looked on his touches this season, I don’t think Jacksonville is going to suddenly stop getting the ball to him. So I think Bigsby is here to stay.

Now, I’m not saying that he is going to put up these kinds of fantasy performances every week, but I think he will be involved enough to be a flex option in all league types. At the very least, Bigsby should be started until Etienne is completely past any injuries he’s dealing with.

Dowdle rushed for 87 yards on 20 carries and added 27 receiving yards and a score on two catches and targets in week 5. Dowdle played 38 of the team’s 76 offensive snaps, while Ezekiel Elliott got 23 snaps but just six touches.

This is clearly Dowdle’s backfield for the time being, and there’s no reason to expect him not to produce solid numbers on a weekly basis. He might not get 20+ touches every week, but he can make up for a few less touches with a score. 

You still have to be wary of matchups, but I’d be pretty confident starting Dowdle every week right now.

Wide Receivers

Darnell Mooney and Josh Downs are the two wideouts at the top of my list this week.

Mooney was one of the receivers that excelled during Cousins’ monster game. He had 105 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches and 16 targets.

Again, this is a situation in which you shouldn’t expect those kinds of numbers on a weekly basis, but Mooney has absolutely done enough this season to label him as here to stay as a fantasy asset. He has over 50 receiving yards in four straight games now, with at least six targets in each contest. 

Mooney isn’t likely going to be a top-end fantasy finisher every week, but he’s got enough upside that he should be started in a good deal of standard leagues this coming week.

Downs had 69 yards on nine catches and 12 targets in week 5. It was his second straight strong outing, showing he’s back in a groove after missing the first two weeks with an injury.

The problem with Downs’ showings is they came with Joe Flacco and not normal starter Anthony Richardson. With Richardson at QB, Downs had just 22 yards on three catches and five targets in week 3, but that was also Downs’ first game of the season.

With some uncertainty surrounding Downs’ performances, I cannot confidently say he’s here to stay. I need Downs to deliver with Richardson at QB before saying that, so keep an eye on Downs’ numbers whenever Richardson gets back on the field.

Tight Ends

Tucker Kraft and Brock Bowers were the top-two PPR tight ends this week, and they are who we are going to talk about.

After a breakout game in week 4, Kraft did even more in week 5. He had 88 yards and two touchdowns on four catches and five targets. He played 50 of the team’s 59 snaps.

With Romeo Doubs suspended a game and Christian Watson out with an injury, Kraft took advantage of his extra opportunities. Even when those guys return, I expect Kraft to remain involved offensively, so I think he’s here to stay as a fantasy asset. He’s not going to score every week, but even if he can get 4-6 catches and finish around 50 yards, that’s good enough PPR fantasy production at a weak fantasy position. 

I’m all for adding and playing Kraft until there’s a reason not to. Just him playing as many snaps as he does makes him a more appealing fantasy option than a lot of owners are starting right now.

Bowers went for 97 yards and a touchdown on eight catches and 12 targets in week 5. There’s a lot of turmoil in Las Vegas right now between the Davante Adams saga and quarterback controversy, but that kind of performance shows Bowers might be more involved with Adams gone and can produce with either quarterback.

He was coming off a two-catch, 19-yard performance in week 4, and there’s bound to be some more struggles in his rookie season, but again, we’re talking about a weak fantasy TE position, so Bowers is here to stay for me.

I expect Vegas to keep him heavily involved the rest of the season as they start to build toward a brighter future. I expect Bowers to be a big part of that, while still serving as a good fantasy asset this season.