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Zay Flower and Nico Collins have each burst onto the fantasy football scene during the 2023 NFL season. They have both been elevated to their team's WR1, and their consistent volume has resulted in solid results. Their production has been good enough to make them legitimate fantasy lineup options in most weeks, especially when playing in favorable matchups.
Managers with both Flowers and Collins on their fantasy rosters may be debating which one to plug into their Week 5 starting lineups. The following breakdown will potentially make the decision a bit easier by exploring their output this season so far, as well as their direct matchup this week.
Is Zay Flowers a good pick in fantasy football Week 5?
Zay Flowers entered the 2023 NFL draft as one of the most exciting wide receiver prospects in the class, mostly due to his blazing speed and elite route running for the position. With the Baltimore Ravens shifting their offensive scheme this year, it made sense that they targeted Flowers in the first round. He joined Odell Beckham Jr. to give Lamar Jackson new weapons to work with.
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The Ravens' scheme shift came as a result of replacing Greg Roman with Todd Monken as their offensive coordinator, changing their overall philosophy from a creative running style to a dynamic passing approach. They needed an upgrade to their wide receivers to pull this off, so landing Flowers and Beckham accomplished their goal.
Through four games of the 2023 NFL seaosn, it's the rookie who has really thrived the most in their new passing offense.
As with most rookies, Zay Flowers has been inconsistent in his overall production. He has also flashed a ton of upside, including recording at least eight receptions and 10 targets in two of his games. He has also exceeded 50 total yards in all four of his appearances, trailing only Mark Andrews in the Ravens' overall receiving output.
For the 2023 fantasy football season, Flowers has totaled 24 receptions on 29 targets for 244 yards. He has also chipped in as a rusher at times, earning five carries along the way as the Ravens are clearly committed to getting him as involved as possible in their offensive scheme.
He's averaging a solid 12.5 fantasy points per game, despite failing to score a touchdown through four games. That is likely to change at some point, and when it does, his already strong fantasy averages will only improve. His next chance to do so comes in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and several factors suggest he's in an extremely favorable situation.
While Zay Flowers has been the Ravens' most productive wide receiver this year, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman technically began the season above him on the depth chart.
Both of them have been dealing with injuries and could be out in Week 5, opening the door for Flowers to once again serve a larger role, as he did last week. This is a good for week for him in that situation as the Steelers' passing defense has been beatable.
The Steelers have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. With Flowers as the most established option for Jackson in the passing game this week, he could be in line for a big game. This is even more true considering Andrews may struggle.
The Steelers thrive in defending tight ends, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. This could result in more targets Flowers, and in turn, a bigger fantasy football output.
Also Read: Early Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 5
Is Nico Collins a good pick in fantasy football Week 5?
The Houston Texans desperately needed some of their offensive weapons to step up in a big way this season.
They turned the future of their franchise over to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, and he needs help in his first year, especially considering the relative lack of talent on their roster. Along with rookie wide receiver Tank Dell, who has also been excellent, Nico Collins has stepped up in a big way to give Strou exactly what he's needed.
Collins' contributions have helped Stroud's developlment progress rapidly as he's off to one of the most impressive starts by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. He probably couldn't have done so without reliable weapons, and Collins has played like a true WR1 for the Texans. His impressive averages include 5.5 receptions on eight targets for 107 yards and 0.75 touchdowns per game.
Not only has Nico Collins delivered for the Texans, but he has been an asset in fantasy football. He's shockingly the WR7 overall with two finishes among the top five fantasy football wide receivers in his first four games. This includes two games with at least seven receptions and more than 140 yards, as well as a multi-touchdown performance.
Next up for Collins is a sneaky difficult matchup against the Atlanta Falcons' underrated defense. Among their quietly impressive numbers is allowing just the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. This suggests that Collins could struggle to put up one of his massive performnces, which hasn't necessarily been uncommon for him.
In his two finishes outside of the top five in fantasy football, he ranked as WR24 and WR77, respectively. His past performances give him an impressively high ceiling, while his matchup and relative inconsistencies give him somewhat of a lower floor than many fantasy football managers would prefer.
Managers looking to acquire Flowers or Collins for the rosters should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.
Zay Flowers vs. Nico Collins: Who should I start in Week 5?
According to the Start/Sit Optimizer, Nico Collins makes for a better wide receiver option than Zay Flowers in fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season. Collins edges out Flowers by the narrowest of margins, earning a projection just 0.1 points higher. His past results apparently slightly outweigh Flowers' favorable situation this week.
Despite Flowers having a better matchup this week, as well as more expected volume than Collins, his failure to truly turn in a massive performance this year suggests that managers should limit their expectations. His floor is high in Week 5, but his ceiling is much lower than Collins, who already has two top five finishes in fantasy football.
After weighing all of these factors, and many more, the Optimizer concluded that Collins is just a bit more favorable than Flowers in Week 5 fantasy football lineups.
