QBs
1.Peyton Manning
2.Aaron Rodgers
3.Drew Brees
4.Andrew Luck
5.Philip Rivers
6.Matthew Stafford
7.Russell Wilson
8.Ben Roethlisberger
9.Eli Manning
10.Matt Ryan
11.Nick Foles
12.Jay Cutler
13.Colin Kaepernick
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14.Tony Romo
15.Cam Newton
16.Joe Flacco
17.Drew Stanton
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18.Alex Smith
19.Mike Glennon
20.Austin Davis
21.Kirk Cousins
22.Andy Dalton
23.Blake Bortles
24.Jake Locker
25.Tom Brady
Aside from Eli's dismantling of the Redskins, Andrew Luck was the top fantasy QB yet again last week. When I looked at the halftime stats, I was feeling good about my pick of being down on him, but then Luck went off in the 3rd quarter and made the Titans pass defense look silly. He appears to be matchup proof, and I won't be ranking him outside of my top-5 anytime soon. The guy I was high on though was Teddy Bridgewater (ESPN #21, ME #16), who I said could end up being this year's Terrelle Pryor (in a good way). He was looking the part before exiting the game in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury, and now he's hit with a "questionable" tag for tonight's game. He did put up some good numbers though, throwing for 317 yards, no picks, and rushing for 27 yards and a TD. He finished as the #14 fantasy QB in Week 4, so if you plugged him in for a bye week fill-in, you couldn't be too disappointed.
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| Eli torched the Skins last Thursday, and I think he'll keep it going against the Falcons this week. |
After the top-15, the list gets ugly quick. Hopefully you have one of those guys as an option, but if not, my top choice at #16 is Joe Flacco...and it gets worse. Maybe you can scoop up a guy like Roethlisberger or Eli, both of whom I like a lot this week. Otherwise, you're rolling the dice with that bottom-10.
I'm high on: Eli Manning (ESPN #13, ME #9)
Speaking of Eli, none of the ESPN experts have him higher than 12th this week, but he finds his way into my top-10 in a home matchup against the Falcons (who, as I mentioned, just gave up over 300 passing yards to Bridgewater). The younger Manning looked awful in Week 1 against the Lions, but his numbers have been trending up ever since. The Giant offense seems to be finding their way with the new system, and I think Eli keeps it rolling in Week 5. I'm not expecting him to have another 5 TD game and he'll likely have a turnover or two, but I think 300 yards and 3 touchdowns will have him cracking the top-10.
I'm down on: Andy Dalton (ESPN #17, ME #22)
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I think this may be the first time I've ever been down on the Red Rifle versus the ESPN experts. Usually I'm the one talking him up, but not this week! If you watched the Monday night game, you saw the Chiefs destroy the Patriots. If you paid attention, you may have noticed that they did a ton of damage on the ground (over 200 rushing yards). Sure, Alex Smith still had 248 passing yards, but his 3 TD passes were all short screens. And the Chiefs did put up a lot of points, but they were often working with a short field after a turnover. The Patriots are still the #1 pass defense through 4 weeks, and they'll be playing in Foxboro with something to prove after a week in which everyone is talking about how they are DONE. The Bengals are coming off their bye, but I think they'll run the ball 40 times in this one and Dalton will end up with very average fantasy numbers.
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RBs |
1.DeMarco Murray
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2.Le'Veon Bell
3.Marshawn Lynch
4.Matt Forte
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5.Rashad Jennings
6.Giovani Bernard
7.LeSean McCoy
8.Jamaal Charles
9.Eddie Lacy
10.Arian Foster
11.Alfred Morris
12.Andre Ellington
13.Zac Stacy
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14.Frank Gore
15.Matt Asiata
16.Montee Ball
17.Doug Martin
18.Reggie Bush
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19.Chris Ivory
20.Khiry Robinson
21.Justin Forsett
22.Ahmad Bradshaw
23.Fred Jackson
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24.Ben Tate
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25.CJ Spiller
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26.Darren Sproles
27.Bishop Sankey
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28.Donald Brown
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29.Trent Richardson
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30.Pierre Thomas
31.Stevan Ridley
32.Steven Jackson
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33.Shane Vereen
34.Jeremy Hill
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35.Jerick McKinnon
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36.Toby Gerhart
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37.Darrin Reaves
38.Lorenzo Taliaferro
39.Isaiah Crowell
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40.Chris Johnson
41.Theo Riddick
42.Shonn Greene
43.Andre Williams
44.LeGarrette Blount
45.Knile Davis
46.Branden Oliver
47.Bobby Rainey
48.Carlos Hyde
49.Roy Helu
50.Denard Robinson
I wasn't able to give you a guy I was high on or down on in Week 1 because I had to do my rankings early. But ever since Week 2, every RB I've been down on has done pretty well. First it was Chris Ivory, then Reggie Bush, and in Week 4 it was Chris Johnson. But even though I was technically wrong, I'm sticking by my pick. Ivory was clearly the lead back against the Lions, out-touching CJ?K 19-8. It wasn't until Johnson broke a 35-yard TD late in the 4th quarter that he had any fantasy points to speak of on the day. Other than that, he had 5 rushes for 9 yards. Not much to get excited about, but of course those points count just like any others.
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| The Ravens backfield is a mess for fantasy owners right now |
I'll continue to rank Ivory higher, and I'm also going to continue to rank Lorenzo Taliaferro higher than Bernard Pierce. I was right about this one, as Pierce was active against the Panthers but the Ravens didn't even play him. Forsett got the start and ran the ball well, but Taliaferro continued to look good himself. All of the ESPN experts had Pierce higher than Taliaferro in their Week 4 rankings, and all of them were dead wrong. This week, I'm not even ranking Pierce because I'm unsure at this point if the Ravens even put him in the game at all. Another guy you'll notice missing from the rankings is Joique Bell, who suffered a concussion against the Jets. I'm assuming he'll be out, which has me ranking Theo Riddick and it has me moving Reggie Bush into my top-20. But let's see where I differ from the ESPN experts in Week 5...
I'm high on: Pierre Thomas (ESPN #37, ME #30)
The ESPN experts are pretty split here as a couple have him around 40 and a couple closer to 30, but I can't find an expert on the entire internet who is as high on Thomas as I am this week. It makes me a little nervous, but whatever. I'm going for it. The Saints fell behind early to Dallas last week, and Pierre Thomas never really got going (but he was still the leader among Saints RBs in snap count). His numbers have been inconsistent so far this season, but his best game came in the only one in the Superdome. They'll be back in New Orleans again this week, and they host Tampa Bay as they look for their first division win. I think the Saints will be leading this game throughout, Thomas will get more snaps, and I don't think Travaris Cadet cuts into his workload as much as he did last week. That should lead to some decent all-purpose yardage, and it makes Thomas a decent Flex play in Week 5.
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 I'm down on: Steven Jackson (ESPN #24, ME #32)
If you're looking for 50 rushing yards and maybe a touchdown, then Jackson is your guy. But realize that his lone score this year came in the home blowout against the Bucs. Aside from that, check out his rushing totals: 52, 46, 54, and 49 yards...and he's not catching balls out of the backfield. I can't see ranking this guy as a low end RB2 with better options like Justin Forsett, Darren Sproles, or now even Bishop Sankey (who is expected to get more carries against the Browns this week). Give me some upside over Jackson, who has looked downright average and whose fantasy production is going to depend on getting into the endzone. I think those other guys have the potential to get close to double-digits on yardage alone.
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WRs
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1.Antonio Brown
2.Jordy Nelson
3.Calvin Johnson
4.Demaryius Thomas
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5.Julio Jones
6.Dez Bryant
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7.Alshon Jeffery
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8.AJ Green
9.Jeremy Maclin
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10.Randall Cobb
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11.Emmanuel Sanders
12.Victor Cruz
13.Brandon Marshall
14.Steve Smith
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15.Kelvin Benjamin
16.Vincent Jackson
17.Keenan Allen
18.Michael Floyd
19.Roddy White
20.DeAndre Hopkins
21.T.Y. Hilton
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22.Percy Harvin
23.Michael Crabtree
24.Julian Edelman
25.Reggie Wayne
26.Andre Johnson
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27.Pierre Garcon
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28.Brian Quick
29.Brandin Cooks
31.Golden Tate
34.Terrance Williams
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36.Eddie Royal
37.Markus Wheaton
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38.Cordarrelle Patterson
39.Eric Decker
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40.DeSean Jackson
41.Rueben Randle
42.Torrey Smith
43.Malcolm Floyd
44.Andrew Hawkins
45.Kendall Wright
46.Dwayne Bowe
47.Greg Jennings
48.Allen Hurns
49.Anquan Boldin
50.Jordan Matthews
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I don't think I was the only one surprised by the lack of firepower from the Saints offense in Dallas on Sunday night. I was high on Brandin Cooks, making the argument that he deserves to at least be ranked ahead of Marques Colston. And while Colston actually got a couple more fantasy points than Cooks in that game, I'm going to continue to rank the rookie ahead of the veteran. As for the guy I was down on, I was right about Justin Hunter (ESPN #39, ME #47). Some of the ESPN experts continued to rank Hunter as high as 33rd last week, but he's just not living up to his preseason hype right now. Hunter had just 1 catch for 12 yards against a weak Indy secondary, and he'll stay out of my top-50 until he shows me something on the field.
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| Hilton WILL break out this week |
I'm high on: T.Y. Hilton (ESPN #31, ME #21)
He left the game early against Jacksonville the week I was high on him, but he still put up decent numbers. This week I'm going back to the well on T.Y. Hilton. I just don't understand why he's so low in ESPN's rankings! Hilton is about 10th in the league in targets/game (Reggie Wayne is around 20th), and he's much more of an explosive player than the older veteran. His numbers have improved every week so far, and I think the trend continues. I'm looking for him to get near 100 yards and find the endzone at home against Baltimore, especially if Lardarius Webb is inactive again.
I'm down on: Andre Johnson (ESPN #18, ME #26)
I'm all about ranking DeAndre Hopkins in the top-20. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in 3 of his 4 games this season. But I'm having a hard time ranking Johnson so highly because he hasn't hit the 10 point mark yet! I realize he's still getting plenty of looks, but it's time to lower him a bit, guys. I see him as a solid flex, but I think you could consider other options ahead of him for your WR2 slot.
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TEs
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1.Jimmy Graham
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2.Julius Thomas
3.Rob Gronkowski
4.Martellus Bennett
5.Larry Donnell
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6.Greg Olsen
7.Delanie Walker
8.Jordan Cameron
9.Antonio Gates
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10.Travis Kelce
11.Heath Miller
12.Zach Ertz
13.Jason Witten
14.Austin Seferian-Jenkins
15.Dwayne Allen
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| Kelce shouldn't be on the waiver wire in any league anymore |
How many weeks are we going to see a tight end with 3 TDs in a game?!? This time it was Larry Donnell on Thursday night against my Redskins, and apparently he didn't play himself on his own fantasy team (ouch!). I don't know who it'll be this week, but it seems like it's Graham's turn, right? I hope not because I'll be playing against him this week, but we'll see. Either way, I can't move him from the top spot with that home matchup against the Bucs. I really want to move Travis Kelce up after his impressive Monday night game, but he has a tough matchup in San Fran. After this week the Chiefs have a bye, but afterwards he should be well into the top-10 for the rest of the season. If he's somehow still available in your league, go get him RIGHT NOW!
For the second week in a row, I didn't rank either of Indy's TEs and both found the endzone again! This week, Dwayne Allen rounds out my top-15, but he and Fleener should both continue to get redzone looks. Niles Paul got knocked out against the Giants, and he says he doesn't even remember the hit. There's a chance he plays Monday night against Seattle, but Jordan Reed may also be back from his hamstring injury. If neither can go, it'll be Logan Paulsen getting the start, but I wouldn't count on him for fantasy production. The end result is that I'm not ranking a Redskin tight end this week, and I'd try to find a Sunday option rather than risk it and wait around if you have one of those guys. Speaking of banged-up, I'm leaving Vernon Davis off the list. He hasn't scored more than 3 fantasy points since Week 1, and I think his injuries could keep him out this week anyway.
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You'll notice a long, interesting name in my top-15 this week: Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Someone picked him up in my league (well done, Billy), and I think he makes a nice play against the Saints. With Mike Evans out with a groin injury (likely until after their Week 7 bye), ASJ could get some extra looks in this offense for the next couple of weeks. He played every offensive snap against the Steelers in Week 4, so he should have every opportunity to show what he can do.
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DEF
1.Lions
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2.Chargers
3.Seahawks
4.Bengals
5.Broncos
6.Eagles
7.49ers
8.Browns
9.Packers
10.Patriots
11.Giants
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12.Steelers
13.Texans
14.Panthers
15.Saints
The Texans weren't the #1 fantasy defense in Week 4 (which was my prediction), but they were a top-5 squad. And seriously, did anyone rank the Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs or Giants as the #1 fantasy defense before the games started? No they didn't. So I'll chalk this one up as a win, especially considering Houston finished ahead of other sexy picks like San Diego, Indy, Detroit...and oh yeah, Pittsburgh.
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| You have to like their matchup in Jacksonville this week...or do you??? |
I was down on the Steelers last week (ESPN #4, #11), citing their many key injuries and the fact that they were facing a Bucs team that was embarrassed the week before in Atlanta. I also didn't think this game would be low scoring, saying Pittsburgh would win 31-27. Well, I was close, but the Steelers were a TD short of that score as they lost 27-24 (at least I got Tampa Bay's score right though!). In case you were wondering, out of 26 fantasy defenses playing in Week 4, the Steelers finished...17th. The ESPN experts are STILL high on them this week as they have a nice matchup in Jacksonville, but I'm not buying it. They just have too many injuries on the defensive side of the ball, and I think Blake Bortles will do just fine against them. I still have them exactly 7 spots lower than the experts, but I'll give you someone different this week.
I'm high on: Lions (ESPN #6, ME #1)
But first, I'm going to use this opportunity to call my shot again with my #1 pick, and this week it's the Lions at home against Buffalo. Yes, it's the same Bills team that gave up a ton of fantasy points against Houston's D last week, but now they have a backup QB in there. He could very well be a temporary upgrade from EJ Manuel, but Kyle Orton has only had a handful of NFL starts since 2011 (and those were with the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Broncos). Now with his 4th team in only 3 years, I don't expect Orton to hit the ground running in a hostile road environment against what appears to be one of the best defenses in the league. The Lions have had at least 2 sacks in each of their first 4 games, they've been forcing turnovers, and they find themselves close to a top-5 fantasy defense. They were the #2 fantasy defense in Week 3 at home when they defeated the Packers, holding Aaron Rodgers and company to only 7 points. I think this week they have a great chance to be the top defense, and none of the ESPN experts like them better than 4th...
I'm down on: Cardinals (ESPN #12, ME not ranked)
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| I'll put my money on the guys on the right... |
I don't know about you, but I have a hard time ranking a defense that's playing in Denver against one of the best quarterbacks in the league (ever!). Oh and not to mention, he's had an extra week to prepare. Granted, the Cardinals were also on their bye in Week 4, so they've had the extra time too. But I'm going to side with the QB with the laser rocket arm who has held opposing fantasy defenses to the bottom-5 on average through three games (Colts, Chiefs, Seahawks). If you want to roll with Arizona, be my guest. But I don't think they'll even sack Peyton in this one, and maybe they get a pick or a fumble but I don't see them holding the Broncos to less than 20 points. I don't know how their defense puts up many fantasy points in this one.
That's it for Week 5. Good luck everyone (except you, Carl).
Cheers,
Bart
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