2023 Week 5: Did I really keep him?

This keeper figured it out eventually, maybe yours will too

Welcome back to weekly commentary! I strategically skipped last week so I wouldn't have to write anything positive about Austin Kidd's team, but regretfully I do have some nice stuff to say about one of his players today.

This week, we're going to take a look at how our keeper choices have fared through the first 5 weeks and determine who really got value out of their selections (spoilers: not a lot of us).

Keepers

• TJ Hock’s Pro Skater 
• Devonta Smith (8th round)
• WR26 on the season, he has been quite up and down through 5 weeks, but still someone you're very happy to have at an 8th round value. The fact that he's always capable of hauling in a Hurts deep TD makes him a must start, so I'll call this a solid value.
• Ja'Mario Kart 109.45
• Chris Olave (9th round)
• WR30 so far. He had a great 3 week run to start the season but his usage in the last 2 weeks has been baffling. Just 16 yards on 3 catches isn't going to get it done, and you have to wonder if his current injury has impacted him. It's funny how differently I feel about these first 2 guys considering how close they are in rankings, but Olave feels a lot less stable. Still an ok value
• Diggs Dug 
• Rhamondre Stevenson (4th round)
• The first real disappointment in this review. RB27 is not what you signed up for taking Stevenson with a 4th round pick. He has yet to eclipse 60 yards rushing in a game and has seen his snap share decrease from the 70s, to the 60s, to just 50% this last week. Yuck.
• B ROB1NSZN^2
• Tyreek Hill (3rd round)
• Now we're talking. By far the best keeper value in the league right now, Tyreek is the #1 WR in fantasy and that's a steal in the 3rd round. With peaks of 45 and 34 points you do not want to face this guy ever.
• Praise the Sun 
• Isiah Pacheco (12th round)
• Just at the edge of RB1/RB2 territory, Pacheco is 11th on the season and an amazing value in the 12th round. His work in the receiving game prevents him from putting up total duds when KC can't run the ball, and his string of TDs the last 3 games has been impactful. fantastic value.
• Allen Wake
• Josh Jacobs (3rd round)
• Separated by less than a point from Pacheco through 5 games, Jacobs is RB13 (any guesses who's sandwiched between them?). I would call this an ok value. You got production you would expect out of a second round pick a round later, and he's a consistent leader for your team.
• Lockett League 
• Tyler Lockett (8th round)
• Lockett is only WR48, but that's heavily skewed by him being one of the few players to already have a BYE week. He had one great 2TD performance in week two but has otherwise been a pretty bad start. Hard to call it a bust when it only costs an 8th rounder, but there's also the opportunity cost of using your only keeper pick on someone better. This is a meh pick so far.
• DK King of Swing
• DK Metcalf (4th round)
• Metcalf has been a lot more consistent that Lockett scoring either 10 or 11 points all 4 games so far, but they aren't separated by much in total points. You aren't upset when you start him but nothing that exciting is happening either. If you bet on the Seahawks being a great passing offense so far you're let down. I think this is a bad keeper value.
• Bass Hunter 64
• Justin Fields (12th round)
• Horrible until he wasn't, Fields has put up back to back 30 point weeks after a disgusting start to the year. He may not be great at NFL football but the man puts up fantasy points and he's a fantastic value in the 12th round. One of the best keepers for this year.
• Pollard's Gate III
• Tony Pollard (6th round)
• Pollard sits one spot behind Jacobs at RB14, but was quite a bit less expensive at a round 6 premium. He's slowed down a bit in the Cowboys last two games but this is still a solid return. Good value.
• Kuppheads
• Garret Wilson (12th round)
• WR27 through 5 games, but it feels worse than that. The sky high ceiling we projected with Rodgers is gone, but he's still start-able and that's pretty good for round 12. I'll call this a decent value.
• momo
• Jalen Hurts (4th round)
• Week 1 anomaly aside, Hurts has been basically as promised, standing at QB3 through 5 weeks. He's got great weapons and gets rushing TDs like crazy so there's no reason to think he doesn't keep this up. This is a decent value considering he likely goes in the 3rd if not selected as a keeper.

Pickup of the Week

It wasn't a big week for FAAB spending, but DK King of Swing seems to have gotten a good value with Jaleel McLaughlin. Whether he'll have a big role when Javonte is healthy I'm not sure but it was a clutch pickup that secured a week 5 victory for him.

Shameful Benching of the Week

Pollard's Gate III benching Joe Burrow for Daniel Jones (20 point difference) really should have cost them a win this week, but an untimely injury to Anthony Richardson saved them. Burrow has been pretty bad to start the year, but it's not like Jones is a model of consistency either.