Fantasy Football Week 5: Rankings and Advice for Thursday Night Football

To kick off Week 5 of the fantasy football season, we travel to Houston, Texas, where the Houston Texans will host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football.

Heading into Thursday night, there are a ton of question marks surrounding this game regarding injuries. Most notable is Colts starting quarterback Andrew Luck. Sitting out Week 4, the Colts had hoped Luck would be ready to suit up and play. However, as head coach Chuck Pagano told Indy Sports Central's Mike Chappell, the team is "going to do the smart thing."

Such clarity.

You have to feel a bit of sympathy for the men and women that set the Vegas lines for this game.

So many injuries.

Worst-case scenario, the Colts and Texans may run out of players. So, if you're reading this and going to the game, bring some pads—you may be signed on the spot on thrown out there on the field.

Note: The projections you'll see throughout this column will assume everyone is playing. Be sure to look out leading up to the start of the game.

Big Board

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Thursday Night Big Board

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team
1	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans
2	Arian Foster	RB	Houston Texans
3	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts
4	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts
5	Donte Moncrief	WR	Indianapolis Colts
6	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts
7	Jaelen Strong	WR	Houston Texans
8	Andre Johnson	WR	Indianapolis Colts
9	Keith Mumphery	WR	Houston Texans
10	Coby Fleener	TE	Indianapolis Colts

Injury Report

Weston Kenney/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts

Player		Status
Tyler Varga	RB	Out
Frank Gore	RB	Probable
Dwayne Allen	TE	Probable
Matt Hasselbeck	QB	Questionable
Greg Toler	CB	Probable
Vontae Davis	CB	Questionable
Andrew Luck	QB	Out
Jerrell Freeman	LB	Out

Are the Colts even going to have enough guys to put on the field Thursday night? How devastating would it be if Luck, Hasselbeck and Davis were all out? That would leave recently re-signed quarterback Josh Johnson as the guy to take over under center.

Update: Andrew Luck has been ruled out, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Houston Texans 

Player		Status
Chris Polk	RB	Questionable
Arian Foster	RB	Probable
Jonathan Grimes	RB	Out
Nate Washington	WR	Out
Cecil Shorts III	WR	Out

Although he's not listed on the ESPN injury report, Shorts has been ruled out for Thursday Night Football, according to Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper.

Injury reports courtesy of ESPN.com.

Quarterbacks

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck

Missing Week 4 due to a shoulder injury, there is a chance it could cost Luck Week 5 as well, though that seems unlikely.

Taking Week 4 off could only help Luck, and to boot, the Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 16-13 in overtime.

Through the first quarter of the season, the Houston Texans have allowed 18.5 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, which is tied for sixth-most in the league. This includes a total of seven passing touchdowns and one rushing score.

While it's no rumor that the Colts offensive line is far from elite, Luck has still been trying to get the ball downfield, throwing 18 passes this season of 20 or more yards. To put that in perspective, that ranks Luck eighth among quarterbacks, and that is including his Week 4 absence.

With the extended rest and time to prepare, Luck should bounce back in solid fashion.

Projections: 260 passing yards, 2 TDs; 10 rushing yards

Update: According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Colts will sit Luck. However, backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was in the hospital until 2 a.m. Tuesday "dealing with [a] virus he's still feeling."

Hasselbeck projections: 215 passing yards, 1 TD

Houston Texans: Ryan Mallett

Yikes.

That's one of many words that can be used to describe Mallett's performance through the first quarter of the season.

He's been so poor that he is rated as the 30th-best quarterback in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Remember the narrative that Mallett had a big arm and would be able to deliver the ball to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins?

Yeah, me too.

However, Mallett only has 12 attempts of 20-plus yards, and has only connected on three of those.

So far this season, the Colts have allowed an average of 16.5 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, which is tied for 10th. They've also surrendered six passing touchdowns.

The other troubling stat is Mallett's fantasy points per dropback—just 0.32.

That's horrendous.

So bad, in fact, that it's the lowest points per dropback average among all quarterbacks that have played in all four games this season.

Coming off a Week 4 performance in which he was absolutely dreadful, Mallett gets to take on an division opponent without wide receivers Cecil Shorts III and Nate Washington. This leaves Hopkins, and rookie wide receivers Keith Mumphery, Jaelen Strong and Chandler Worthy to pick up the slack.

The one positive for Mallett is that the Colts' top cornerback, Vontae Davis, may sit this one out.

Thankfully, running back Arian Foster is back.

Mallett belongs—deservedly—on all waiver wires.

Projections: 230 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Running Backs

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts Starter: Frank Gore

While he's been frustrating, did you know that Gore is the RB19 in points-per-reception formats? To be honest, it surprised me.

Through the first four games of the season, the Houston Texans have surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs at 21.8. However, we all know that a lot of damage was done in Week 4 when Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman absolutely decimated them on the ground.

What we like about Frank Gore is that he plays a fair amount of snaps. While he does play a ton, Gore ranks 43rd in terms of fantasy points per snap among all running backs that have played in 25 percent or more their their team's snaps this season.

Gore should see a fair amount of work.

He's an RB2 this week.

Projections: 55 rushing yards, 1 TD; 2 receptions, 15 receiving yards

Houston Texans Starter: Arian Foster

Here's where waiting for Foster to return will pay off.

In his first game back, Foster played in 42 percent of the team's snaps, carrying the ball just eight times for 13 yards and catching three balls for 25 yards.

To be fair, the Texans were getting destroyed, so they were forced to throw.

In Week 4, the Colts surrendered over 100 rushing yards to Jaguars rookie T.J. Yeldon in a game that was close throughout. With the Vegas line giving the Colts two points, this is another game that is projected to be a nail-biter.

The Colts have given up four rushing touchdowns this season and allow an average of 16.3 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

Foster is an RB1 on Thursday night. Get ready for a fun ride!

Projections: 65 rushing yards, 1 TD; 4 receptions, 30 receiving yards

Wide Receivers

George Bridges/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. Hilton

Having yet to find the end zone, Hilton will go up against a Houston defense that has been rather stingy against wide receivers.

Through the first four games of the season, the Texans have given up three touchdowns and an average of 17.3 fantasy points-per-game to opposing wide receivers. That's seventh-best in the league.

However, even though that just made the Texans secondary sounds scary, they've played teams like the Kansas City Chiefs (where those touchdowns came from tight end Travis Kelce), the Carolina Panthers (who essentially don't have a wide receiver), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (with a rookie quarterback) and the Atlanta Falcons (who just ran wild on them).

Don't let the stats scare you. Start Hilton with confidence.

Projections: 6 receptions, 70 receiving yards, 1 TD

Indianapolis Colts: Donte Moncrief

You could make the argument that Moncrief is the No. 1 wide receiver on this team.

However, like Hilton, the fantasy points allowed stat may be a tad misleading.

Moncrief ranks inside the top 12 in terms of snaps in routes at 151, meaning, he runs around quite a bit.

Moncrief is a WR2 in Week 5.

Projections: 5 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 TD

Indianapolis Colts: Andre Johnson

Remember when we were all talking about this being the big revenge game for Johnson?

Not looking like that anymore.

Johnson hasn't caught a pass since September 20th, but they may give him a few more opportunities based solely on the fact that it's his old team.

Johnson will get a couple of catches this week.

Projections: 4 receptions, 40 receiving yards

Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins

I'll make this quick, as it's pretty obvious.

Hopkins is pretty darn good. So good, in fact, that he has received double-digit targets in every game this season.

If Colts cornerback Vontae Davis sits—good lord.

Projections: (with Davis playing) 7 receptions, 90 receiving yards, 1 TD

Houston Texans: Keith Mumphery/Jaelen Strong

These guys are grouped together for a reason. Without knowing who the true No. 2 wide receiver will be, it's worth mentioning just how badly the Colts get annihilated by the No. 2 option.

Through the first four games, No. 2 wide receivers are averaging right around 11 targets, eight receptions, 97 receiving yards and a touchdown per game.

However, none of those No. 2 wide receivers were rookies.

Bear in mind that Mumphery has barely played, and Strong has yet to even see the field.

One thing that is encouraging, though, is that Mumphery had four receptions for 56 yards in Week 4.

These guys are worth a flier.

Combined projections: 8 receptions, 80 yards

Update: With Colts quarterback Andrew Luck out, all Colts wide receivers take a bit of a value hit.

Tight Ends

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts: Dwayne Allen/Coby Fleener

When one guy plays, that guy is good. When both play, both are back-end options.

The Houston Texans are giving up an average 7.5 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, 11th-most in the league.

Because both guys are playing, both are difficult to start.

Combined projections: 6 receptions, 70 receiving yards

Houston Texans Starter: C.J. Fiedorowicz

Fiedorowicz is worth mentioning due to the injuries of wide receivers Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington.

Although rookie wide receivers Keith Mumphery and Jaelen Strong will be playing, the Texans may look to Fiedorowicz as a more trustworthy option, but don't hold your breath.

Projections: 3 receptions, 30 receiving yards

Defense/Special Teams

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts Defense/Special Teams

While the Colts have been an average defensive unit so far this season, they get to handle Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett.

However, they will still need to deal with running back Arian Foster.

You can, however, expect at least one turnover from Mallett, but the Colts only have five sacks this season.

The Colts are a decent streaming defense in Week 5.

Projections: 20 points allowed, 1 INT, 2 sacks

Houston Texans Defense/Special Teams

Led by defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Brian Cushing, the Texans defensive line gets to go up against a Colts offensive line that has left a lot to be desired this season.

While the projections show Andrew Luck being turnover-free, he has been prone to turning the ball over. The Texans should get a decent amount of sacks, though.

The Texans are a middle-of-the-road defensive option this week.

Projections: 24 points allowed, 4 sacks

Best Sleeper Adds

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Keith Mumphery and Jaelen Strong, WR, Houston Texans (Owned percentages: Mumphery (0.2 percent), Strong (1.3 percent) in ESPN Leagues)

As noted previously, it's not readily apparent which guy will be "the guy" in Week 5. You could really make a case for either one. Of course, their production will be limited due to their quarterback's play, but the Colts are terrible against No. 2 wide receivers.

If you ask me, I'd roll the dice on Jaelen Strong.

Start or Sit?

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

I've been getting asked about Gore a fair amount lately. In Week 5, Gore has a decent matchup in a game where the gamescript should be in his favor. While he hasn't been the most consistent start each week, he is the No. 19 running back in points-per-reception leagues. Don't worry about Gore this week.

Verdict: Start

Coby Fleener/Dwayne Allen, TE, Indianapolis Colts

While each guy is worth a start when the other is injured, it's just not the same case when they're both on the field. This is a perfect example of a better real-life football move than a fantasy one.

Look elsewhere.

Verdict: Sit both

All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Fantasy scoring numbers courtesy of ESPN.com.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.