Fantasy Football 2022: Buying or Selling Week 5 Standout Performances

Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season featured several breakout performances from some unexpected sources.

Whether they returned from an injury, capitalized on an opportunity to get more playing time or showed out in their usual role, these players have landed squarely on the fantasy football radar heading into Week 6.

It’s unlikely that all of these breakout stars will be able to stay hot, however. Shrewd fantasy managers should exercise caution when making their waiver claims this week. You'll want to use your priority position or FAB budget to land the players with the best chance to keep putting up big numbers for the remainder of the campaign.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of Week 5’s most notable fantasy outings and whether you should believe the hype moving forward.

Breece Hall was one of the prized running backs in the 2022 draft class, but up until Week 5, the Iowa State product had been off to a tepid start to his career.

After logging only 21 carries while working in a relatively equal timeshare with starter Michael Carter for the first three weeks of the campaign, Hall finally began to emerge in Week 4. He saw a team-high 17 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers, generating 66 yards and his first career rushing touchdown.

With Carter ineffective in that contest—he gained a mere 15 yards on his nine totes—the Jets once again turned to Hall in Week 5. Their faith was rewarded when the rookie went off against the rival Miami Dolphins for 97 yards and a score on 18 carries, plus added 100 yards (and two near-touchdowns) on two catches.

It’s become clear that Hall is the most talented back in Gang Green’s platoon. He’s averaging 1.5 yards more per carry than Carter and has gained 113 more receiving yards than his backfield mate despite having the same number of receptions.

Considering the Jets blasted the Dolphins 40-17 in Hall’s breakout game and are 2-0 in matchups when he is on the field for at least two-thirds of the offensive snaps, the 21-year-old is likely to remain a focal point of their offense going forward.

That volume should result in plenty of big fantasy days for Hall, who finished Week 5 as the fourth-ranked running back in PPR formats. The hype surrounding Hall is for real and well worth buying into.

Buying that Breece Hall will become a fantasy star.

Randall Cobb was once one of the top fantasy wideouts in the game. His 2014 campaign was particularly memorable, as he reeled in 91 of his 127 targets for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns.

While Cobb is no longer the elite wideout he was in his younger days, he showed in Week 5 that he can still provide a spark at the age of 32. The Green Bay Packers veteran had his best outing of the 2022 season against the New York Giants in London, hauling in seven of his 13 targets for 99 yards.

Unfortunately, that breakout performance came in a losing effort to the Giants—a team the Packers were expectedly to soundly beat. It also came in a contest where the rest of Green Bay’s receivers failed to show up.

Outside of Allen Lazard—the only wideout to score against the G-Men—no other Packers receiver saw more than five targets or caught more than three passes in the game. Rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson, who are expected to be the future of this offense, were especially disappointing with a combined 30 yards on four receptions.

Cobb isn't likely to be the only Green Bay pass-catcher to have double-digit targets going forward. Considering he needed that type of volume to hit a season-high 16.9 PPR points—only the 15th most at the position in Week 5—he’s far from becoming a stable fantasy contributor again.

It was nice to see a vintage performance from the aging wideout, but don’t expect these to be a regular occurrence.

Selling that Randall Cobb is fantasy relevant again.

George Pickens was one of the many Pittsburgh Steelers skill-position players who struggled to put up fantasy-relevant numbers with Mitchell Trubisky under center. Since the Steelers elected to bench Trubisky in favor of first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett, the fellow rookie has come on in a big way.

Pickens had his second consecutive eight-target game in Week 5. While he couldn’t breech the 100-yard receiving mark again, he did match his career high with six catches while racking up a team-high 83 yards.

Considering Pickens had only five catches on 12 targets for 65 yards over the first three weeks, it’s impressive progress for the Georgia product. Pickens and Pickett seem to have plenty of rapport, and they could be linking up for big plays for years to come.

Unfortunately, those performances could be sporadic while the Steelers go through growing pains in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. The team has lost four consecutive games after stunning the Cincinnati Bengals in the opener and hit a new low with a 38-3 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Pickens only reached his Week 5 totals due to Pittsburgh dialing up 52 passes in a hopeless comeback effort. Pickett won't have anywhere near that many attempts most weeks, as the squad will likely try to grind out wins with star running back Najee Harris leading the way.

While Pickens could be a decent dart-throw flex play during bye weeks or for desperate managers, he isn't the type of player whom a serious playoff contender should be relying on.

Selling that George Pickens will be a consistent fantasy performer.

The Indianapolis Colts have been desperate to find a suitable partner to complement rising star Michael Pittman Jr. in their receiving corps. The team spent a second-round pick on Alec Pierce in the 2022 draft with the hope that the Cincinnati product could fit the bill.

It appeared that the Colts might have missed on the pick after Pierce came out of the gates extremely slow. The 22-year-old failed to even snag a catch in his first professional game and had only two targets in the contest.

After returning in Week 3 from a one-game injury layoff, Pierce seems to be finding his footing. He had a statement game in Week 4, catching four of his six targets for 80 yards. That outing appears to have boosted Pierce’s confidence and the trust that quarterback Matt Ryan has in the young receiver.

Pierce is coming off his best NFL game yet, catching eight of his team-high nine targets for 81 yards in a Thursday Night Football win over the Denver Broncos. While he did have a fumble, there is every reason to believe the rookie’s role will only continue to grow.

With Pierce finally starting to flourish, managers in need of a high-upside WR3 should put a bid in for him immediately.

Buying that Alec Pierce will emerge as a steady fantasy wideout.

The New Orleans Saints have given up on trying to convert Taysom Hill into a traditional quarterback, but they may only be getting started unlocking how best to use him.

Hill was instrumental in their victory over the rival Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, dicing up the defense for 81 yards and a score on just four carries. While he was quiet for the rest of September, Hill found more paydirt in Week 4 while logging another five totes for 21 yards.

While those were decent showings, the Saints fully unleashed Hill in Week 5. The BYU product dominated the Seattle Seahawks, scoring a total of four touchdowns in the contest. Hill rushed for three of those scores while racking up an eye-popping 112 yards on only nine carries. He also attempted his only pass of the season, which ended up going for a 22-yard touchdown.

According to AH Datalytics’ Jeff Asher, Hill is the only player since the AFL-NFL merger to score at least two rushing touchdowns, throw for at least one touchdown and return a kick in the same game:

Although the coaching staff had Hill learning to be a tight end during the offseason, he’s been getting utilized all over the field in 2022. The dynamic offensive talent recently joked that he “just works here” when asked what position he plays.

Fortunately for fantasy managers, Hill has tight end eligibility and is one of the true standouts in fantasy as a result. Even after missing a contest, the Saints star was the second-highest-scoring tight end in standard-scoring formats heading into Monday Night Football.

Unless that tight end designation is changed, Hill should be rostered in every fantasy league. He has the potential to win weeks with his explosive output and possesses one of the highest ceilings of any player at the tight end position right now.

Buying that Taysom Hill will be a top-performing fantasy tight end.