Week 5 recap

After five weeks of head-to-head action, Josh Lloyd and Drew Dinkmeyer sit atop the standings, closely followed by Rhett Bauer. We then see a bit of a logjam with only three category wins separating fourth from ninth. As with most fantasy leagues, injuries continue to play a major role in team success. Outside of Nic Claxton, Josh has been able to maintain a relatively healthy squad, with all of his players tallying at least 15 games across the season.

We had a mix of both blowout victories and hard-fought wins this week. Josh and Drew continued their dominance with 7-2 wins, establishing themselves as the teams to beat. As has been the trend across the season, player transactions were limited. The highest successful bid of the week went to Mike Barner who parted with $42 to secure the services of De’Andre Hunter. As with any highly competitive league, streaming is tough in this league, highlighted by the fact people are keeping their cash close to their chests.

Pickups of the week

Only five bids of more than 1% of the $1,000 FAAB budget this week, and no one over 5%, showing that value is drying up on the waiver wire:

• Jaden Ivey, $18, Tuesday to Adam King

• Joe Ingles, $16, Sunday to Alex Rikleen

• Al Horford, $21, Sunday to Adam King

• De’Andre Hunter, $42, Sunday to Mike Barner

• Dario Saric, $11, Sunday to Rhett Bauer

For a full list of the transactions, check HERE

Matchup recaps

Adam King over Noah Rubin, 5-4

After a couple of losses, I was very happy to be back in the winners' circle, albeit thanks to a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assist in the final quarter Sunday. Injuries to Markelle Fultz and Marcus Smart continue to limit my assists and steals production. My Ivey pickup has salvaged something but what his role looks like moving forward remains to be seen. Until I get my guards back on the floor, I’m likely to be chasing assists via the waiver wire.

For Noah, Buddy Hield moving into the starting lineup has been a blessing. The improved play of De’Anthony Melton, as well as a strong week for Jordan Poole, meant he stayed close enough in the guard stats to make it an interesting final day. The loss saw him fall to sixth in the standings, smack bang in the middle of the logjam mentioned earlier.

Rhett Bauer over Alex Barutha, 5-4

Rhett welcomed back a number of pivotal pieces, namely Malcolm Brogdon and Devin Vassell. Add his key elements such as Tyrese Haliburton, Desmond Bane and James Harden, and Rhett looks set in basically all the guard-related categories. With only five blocks for the week, it’s clear to see where his strengths will be moving forward.

Despite a strong week, the injury to LaMelo Ball is going to severely impact what Alex’s team can do. He does have both Trae Young and Fred VanVleet to pick up the slack, both of whom are having productive seasons. Moving forward, he is going to need his role players to step up, those being Bruce Brown, Spencer Dinwiddie and Deni Avdija.

Mike Barner over Dan Titus, 7-2

Mike took care of business this week, thanks largely to the consistent play of Jayson Tatum, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson. Darius Garland is beginning to look a little better after a slow start to the season, while Paolo Banchero has settled into his role nicely. A balanced team on paper, Mike is going to be competitive most weeks, no matter the opposition.

Dan, on the other hand, has had to deal with a few injuries to key players. Both Kevin Durant and Lauri Markkanen have missed time recently, putting him on the back foot from the get-go. Add to that the underwhelming play of guys like Tyus Jones, Benedict Mathurin and OG Anunoby, and it’s clear to see why it’s been an uphill battle thus far.

Josh Lloyd over Alex Rikleen, 7-2

With Nikola Jokic and Tyrese Maxey leading the charge, Josh rolled to his fifth consecutive victory. Eric Gordon continues to turn back the clock on a nightly basis, while Coby White has been arguably the best player in Chicago over the past week. Although a loss is likely to come at some point, it’s hard to see a world in which Josh isn’t battling for the top spot.

After five weeks, Alex’s team has yet to really find its identity. Steph Curry has been amazing, as has Bam Adebayo. However, Devin Booker has had to deal with a couple of injuries, while Pascal Siakam has struggled to find any rhythm. When everything clicks, this could be a dangerous team. If and when that happens remains to be seen but if it does, opponent beware.

Mike Catron over Mitch Casey, 5-4

It’s been a steady start to the season for Mike, thanks in large part to the play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Former teammates Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have been rock solid, complementing guys like John Collins, Deandre Ayton and Franz Wagner. With a nice mix of youth and experience, Mike is looking like a real threat this season, as long as his squad can stay on the court.

Mitch fought right to the end in this one, going down by the narrowest of margins. His squad has been led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Domantas Sabonis, both of whom have started the season on fire. Scottie Barnes began the season red-hot but has slowed of late. Despite this loss, Mitch’s team is still going to be a force to be reckoned with as we progress through the season.

Drew Dinkmeyer over bdub, 7-2

Drew has been able to churn out consistent performances despite a couple of his bigger names struggling somewhat. Jaren Jackson, Nikola Vucevic and Dejounte Murray have all fallen short of the mark when it comes to fantasy production. However, he has been able to offset that with a number of sneaky additions, namely Herb Jones, Max Strus and Bogdan Bogdanovic, as well as the returning Miles Bridges.

bdub, on the other hand, has received solid contributions from his key players, with Alperen Sengun, Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic all living up to expectations. It’s been his fringe talent that has been a bit iffy, with guys like Bilal Coulibaly, Russell Westbrook and Jordan Clarkson fluctuating from one game to the next. Despite the loss, it feels as though bdub’s team has the making of a contender this season.

You can also watch Mitch and Adam discuss this week’s results on YouTube.