Immediate fantasy football takeaways from NFL Week 5 Monday Night Football

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-25 on Monday Night Football to close out Week 5.

The Colts started the game with a big lead due to big plays, including a 76-yard touchdown catch and run by Jonathan Taylor and a 42-yard deep pass for a touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr. The Ravens scored a comeback with several highlight plays by Lamar Jackson. The former MVP had a career-high in passing yards, as helped push the game into overtime.

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Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties like offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens

• Jonathan Taylor: 15 carries, 53 yards, 1 TD (3.2 yards after contact per carry), 3 receptions, 116 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
• Mark Andrews: 11 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TD (5 explosive plays)

Add both Latavius Murray and Ty’Son Williams: The Ravens surprisingly activated Le’Veon Bell off the practice squad while leaving Williams inactive last week. They put Bell back on the practice squad this week while Williams regained a role in Baltimore's backfield. It was largely Murray and Williams rotating in and out. Neither player produced much, but the Colts defense has done an excellent job limiting fantasy points. Murray and Williams should produce a lot more against worse defenses.

Add Marlon Mack: When Jonathan Taylor wasn’t scoring touchdowns, the Colts occasionally gave Mack some opportunities to run with the ball, and he was very effective. As more teams deal with injuries in the backfield, Mack's odds of getting traded increase. When that happens, Mack would have a chance to, at least temporarily, be a lead back.

Keep Michael Pittman Jr. in starting lineups: Pittman was in starting lineups in less than 30% of ESPN leagues, but those who kept him on the bench were likely disappointed. He caught six of seven passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. The second-year receiver had a quiet Week 1 but has since been a dependable fantasy receiver. This was his fourth-straight game with six or more catches for 59 or more yards. He scored his first touchdown of the season and more are likely to come. He has a high floor, and his ceiling is getting higher.

Monitor the Sammy Watkins injury: Watkins suffered a hamstring injury late in the first half that kept him out of the game. James Proche was rotating in and out throughout the first half but became a more regular part of the offense after the injury. He only caught two passes in the game. Miles Boykin, who missed the first four weeks of the season, was available tonight but didn’t see an offensive snap. Rashod Bateman should also join the active roster soon. Bateman is the best waiver-wire target of the three, and he should be added to fantasy rosters regardless of Watkins' status.

Avoid the Colts tight ends: Jack Doyle seemed like a waiver-wire target after catching five passes for 64 yards in Week 2. He’s caught one pass in each of the last three games. More recently, Mo Alie-Cox has performed well, securing two touchdowns last week and 50 receiving yards tonight. That likely won’t last in the Colts' three-man tight end rotation. It takes a very talented tight end to be fantasy relevant while running a pass route on half of the team’s pass plays. The Colts tight ends aren’t on that level.