Faletau has been at the heart of an impressive Welsh forward effort, especially in the two wins over France and Italy.
But as Wales prepare to depart for Murrayfield today, the Newport Gwent Dragon says he is only operating at 50 per cent.
“I wouldn’t say I am playing well – I’d give myself a five out of 10,” was Faletau’s surprising statement.
“I am just hanging in there and taking each game as it comes.
“I think there is plenty of room for improvement in my game. I just have to keep working hard on all parts of my game.
“My stats are good but I don’t really bother with them too much. They are not always a fair reflection of how things are going.”
Faletau is joined in the back row for Saturday’s clash by Sam Warburton and skipper Ryan Jones as Wales look to keep up the pressure on table-toppers England.
And after facing the likes of Jamie Heaslip and Louis Picamoles in the Championship so far, Faletau is facing a similarly difficult challenge from Scotland’s Johnnie Beattie.
“All that I am concentrating on is Scotland because you cannot afford to look too far ahead in international rugby – there’s no point in even thinking about England until after this weekend,” he added.
“Beattie’s a really good player – athletic and dynamic. He carries well, and he’s quick and powerful.
“I’ve had this throughout the tournament – they are all big guys and there have been some great challenges.
“Louis Picamoles has been outstanding. He is lethal with ball in hand, is so hard to stop and I think Beattie has been the same. He is powerful at carrying and in defence.”
With Warburton returning, Justin Tipuric on the bench and Dan Lydiate still to return from injury, Wales have a number of back row options that are the envy of the other home nations.
And Faletau has hailed the influence of his back-row colleagues.
“Sam and Justin are different types of players and bring different things to the game,” he said.
“Justin plays a bit wider but they are both great at the breakdown. Ryan is doing a great job as captain while his performances have also been outstanding.
“Dan was brilliant last year but Ryan is a real team player who does his job well and everyone responds to that.
“He loves the dirty work and gets stuck in. Whenever there is a ruck he is in there somewhere. Find the ball and you will find Ryan.”
You can follow every minute of this week’s action between Scotland and Wales at www.wru.co.uk/live just prior to kick-off.
