NFL Predictions Week 5: Fantasy Guide, Odds Projections and Expert Tips

We've had an exciting and unpredictable first month to the 2018 NFL seasons, and Week 5 kicked off in similar fashion.

Sure, you probably expected the New England Patriots to handle a banged-up Indianapolis Colts team at home, but did you expect Josh Gordon to be the guy to catch Tom Brady's 500th career touchdown pass? Did you believe Colts wideout Chester Rogers (eight receptions, 66 yards) would be a viable PPR fantasy sleeper?

Did you believe that Rob Gronkowski would ...well, OK, it's hard to be surprised by anything that guy does on the field anymore. The point is, this NFL season has been a lot of fun because we've had surprises—both on the field and in fantasy—pop up in almost every single game.

We're here to examine the remaining 14 games of Week 5. We'll look at the latest odds and over/under—courtesy of OddsShark—along with some intriguing fantasy tidbits and score predictions for each.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (TEN -5.5, 39.5)

The Buffalo Bills have put one good game together this season, but that game was scary. They ended up thumping the Minnesota Vikings 27-6 in Wisconsin Minnesota. Still, we haven't seen anything resembling that Bills team before or after, and it's hard to see them having success against a Tennessee Titans team that just keeps finding ways to win.

A guy who could have success is Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Bills have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, according to FantasyPros, and that could lead to a solid outing for Mariota and his pass-catchers—like Corey Davis and Dion Lewis.

Score Prediction: Titans 17, Bills 13

Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT -3, 58)

When the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers do battle this Sunday, we'll be getting a matchup of two top-tier passing offenses and two really, really bad defenses. Expect a full-on shootout and a ton of fantasy points scored by receivers.

If you own a pass-catcher on either team—from Julio Jones and Antonio Brown to Vance McDonald and Mohamed Sanu—start him.

Score Prediction: Falcons 38, Steelers 33

Denver Broncos at New York Jets (NYJ -1, 42.5)

Fantasy-wise, there isn't a ton to get excited about in this game. For the Denver Broncos, keep riding Emmanuel Sanders (24 catches, 314 yards this season) who continues to be Case Keenum's target of choice.

The Denver defense could also be a solid play against the New York Jets and mistake-prone rookie quarterback Sam Darnold.

Score Prediction: Broncos 22, Jets 17

Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs (KC -3, 48)

This could be the matchup of the week. The Jacksonville Jaguars bring their vaunted defense into Arrowhead to take on the high-octane offense of the Kansas City Chiefs. Adding some heat to the game is the recent back-and-forth between Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

Hill and Kansas City's other top skill players are still must-starts, even against Jacksonville's defense. If you're looking for a sleeper at quarterback, try Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles in this one.

The Chiefs have allowed an average of 328.5 yards passing per game this season, and Jacksonville will be without running back Leonard Fournette, who is set to miss another game with a hamstring injury.

Score Prediction: Chiefs 27, Jaguars 26

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (GB -1.5, 51)

The Green Bay Packers finally removed quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the injury report. While this doesn't necessarily mean his knee is back to 100 percent, it does mean we should be able to expect a solid performance from Rodgers against the rival Detroit Lions.

Rodgers, though, will again be missing wide receiver Randall Cobb, who has already been ruled out by head coach Mike McCarthy. With the receiving corps at less than 100 percent, expect the Packers to lean more on Aaron Jones and the ground game. Rodgers should still work some of his fantasy magic against an inconsistent Lions defense.

Score Prediction: Packers 27, Lions 24

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (BAL -3, 45.5)

Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale has done his best to ensure his defense doesn't underestimate the Cleveland Browns and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield.

"I already told the defense this—I think Baker Mayfield is this generation's Brett Favre or John Elway, if you will,'' Martindale said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Don't expect the rookie to have a Hall of Fame fantasy performance against the Ravens and their second-ranked defense (275.8 yards per game allowed), however. Instead, it's a good week to put faith in Joe Flacco and his receiving corps. Cleveland has allowed an average of 278.2 yards passing per game (23rd) this season.

Score Prediction: Ravens 26, Browns 24

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers (CAR -6.5, 43.5)

At some point, the New York Giants offense is going to get on track this season. Don't expect it to happen against a Carolina Panthers defense that is allowing a mere 20.0 points per game this season.

If you own Saquon Barkley or Odell Beckham Jr., you have to start them due to their workloads in New York's offense. However, that doesn't mean you have to feel great about doing so.

Score Prediction: Panthers 27, Giants 13

Miami Dolphins at Cincinnati Bengals (CIN -6, 48.5)

This might seem like a great week to start your Cincinnati Bengals pass-catchers, but watch out. Bengals running back Giovani Bernard is out for the foreseeable future with an MCL sprain. With Joe Mixon also out, this leaves the Dolphins looking to stop the pass.

Miami, by the way, is allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, according to FantasyPros.

Score Prediction: Bengals 31, Dolphins 27

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers (LAC -5.5, 52.5)

Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders offense went off to the tune of 45 points last week, but that came against a Browns defense that lost a starting cornerback in Terrance Mitchell. Actually, the Raiders defense scored seven points of those points itself and set up 14 more with takeaways in Cleveland territory.

Don't expect Philip Rivers to make rookie mistakes and set the Raiders up with easy scoring opportunities. This is likely a down week for most Raiders in fantasy, though Amari Cooper and Jared Cook remain solid.

Jon Gruden has made a concerted effort to get Cooper the ball more, and Cook has emerged as one of the top tight ends in fantasy.

Score Prediction: Chargers 33, Raiders 23

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (SF -3.5, 40)

The Arizona Cardinals offense looks more functional with rookie quarterback Josh Rosen at the helm. Unfortunately, there aren't many pass-catching options worth exploring in fantasy aside from Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson—should offensive coordinator Mike McCoy decide to start using him in the passing game, anyway.

If you're looking for a sleeper from this game, try San Francisco 49ers wideout Pierre Garcon, who caught four passes for 52 yards from backup QB C.J. Beathard last week.

Score Prediction: Cardinals 22, 49ers 18

Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (PHI -3, 46.5)

The Vikings will be looking for a bit of revenge on the Philadelphia Eagles after they were embarrassed by the eventual Super Bowl champions in the NFC title game last year. This is likely to lead to a physical grind of a game. Don't expect the same kind of shootout the Vikings were involved in last Thursday night.

Still, if you have a Minnesota pass-catcher like Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs or Kyle Rudolph, go ahead and start him. The Eagles defense is good, but it's ranked a mediocre 18th (271.5 yards per game allowed) against the pass this season.

Score Prediction: Vikings 24, Eagles 23

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (LAR-7.5, 50)

This is likely to be one of the most unsurprising games of the week, as the Los Angeles Rams are on a rampage, and the Seattle Seahawks appear to be doing their best just to tread water.

The only real surprise here will likely be which Seahawks running back gets a worthwhile workload for the week. That's a difficult question to answer, and it's probably best to avoid all of them in fantasy against L.A's stout defensive front.

Score Prediction: Rams 31, Seahawks 23

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans (HOU -3, 45.5)

This Week 5 battle of Texans is an important one. It could essentially end Houston's shot at the playoffs in 2018 or affirm that the Cowboys must be taken seriously. A lot will depend on which version of the Cowboys offense decides to show up.

Dallas should be able to make some plays in the passing game against Houston's 27th-ranked pass defense (288.0 yards per game allowed). While this doesn't necessarily make Dak Prescott a smart fantasy start, it does mean Cole Beasley (four receptions, 53 yards in Week 4) could be a FLEX sleeper.

Score Prediction: Cowboys 28, Texans 24

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints (NO -6, 52.5)

The Washington Redskins are coming off a bye and heading into New Orleans to take on a team that has now won three in a row. There should be plenty of solid fantasy plays on both sides, as the Saints offense has been clicking, but their defense—which has allowed 30.2 points per game—is not.

Of note for Washington, it looks like Adrian Peterson (ankle) will be good to go. He's been moving well in practice, according to Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington.

Score Prediction: Saints 34, Redskins 27