QBs
1.Peyton Manning
2.Matt Ryan
3.Andrew Luck
4.Aaron Rodgers
5.Russell Wilson
6.Jay Cutler
7.Philip Rivers
8.Eli Manning
9.Matthew Stafford
10.Nick Foles
11.Ben Roethlisberger
12.Carson Palmer
13.Colin Kaepernick
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14.Tom Brady
15.Kirk Cousins
16.Andy Dalton
17.Joe Flacco
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18.Tony Romo
19.Brian Hoyer
20.Jake Locker
21.Austin Davis
22.Ryan Tannehill
23.Teddy Bridgewater
24.Cam Newton
25.Mike Glennon
When you own Peyton Manning, you just feel like you can win every week. And even though I had a couple of running backs get injured in Week 5 (including Rashad Jennings), I'll still feel confident this week as the Broncos head east to take on the Jets. I'll continue to rank Manning as the #1 fantasy QB until he proves I should do otherwise. He has some tougher matchups ahead on the schedule, but I ain't scared! And if you're a Russel Wilson fan, you shouldn't be scared either. He put up the top score for a QB in Week 5 (Peyton was #2), and I'm high on him again in a home matchup this week against Dallas.
 Carson Palmer was probably the most difficult guy to rank this week. Like Jake Locker, all signs are pointing to him being healthy and starting. Unlike Locker, Palmer could put up top-10 fantasy numbers against that young (read: horrible) Washington secondary. You'll notice in my WR rankings, this has Floyd and Fitzgerald staying relatively high (assuming Carson plays). As a fan though, I'm hoping he sits out just one more week and maybe our defense will get to see Logan Thomas behind center.
To recap my picks from last week, I was down on Andy Dalton, saying the Bengals would likely run the ball 40 times. Well, they probably would have if they were able to get anything going on offense. The Patriots nearly doubled the Bengals in time of possession in this one, and Dalton (and Brady for that matter) both ended up inside the top-12 in Week 5. I still don't think that catch by AJ Green was actually a TD, but whatever. I stand by my pick because the Red Rifle didn't look good on Sunday night, but numbers are what matter in fantasy football and he got them. The guy I was high on also got them, as Eli nearly cracked the top-10 and finished ahead of guys all the ESPN experts had higher than him like Matt Ryan and Colin Kaepernick. I'm going to keep rolling with Eli in my ESPN league, and I'm moving him up even higher this week.
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| Don't look too much into one game, but don't disregard it either |
I'm high on: Tom Brady (ESPN #18, ME #14)
No, I'm not back on the Brady bandwagon. I don't think he and the Patriots have turned everything around after that Sunday night win against the Bengals. But I do think it was positive that he had his first multiple-TD game, and now he plays a Buffalo squad who he has destroyed over his career. Look, it's easy to rank the top-10 QBs this week. In fact, my top-10 is barely any different from ESPN's. But once you get past those guys, it can get dicey. Other than that horrible Monday night game in Kansas City, Brady hasn't thrown a pick in any of his other contests. The offense may have turned a corner, and I like him over other options that the ESPN experts have ranked ahead of him (especially the likes of Romo and Newton, who have much tougher away matchups in my opinion).
I'm down on: Cam Newton (ESPN #19, ME #24)
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Remember when everyone was down on Tom Brady and the TMR made a big deal about how he wasn't even in his top-25 in Week 5? Well, why is no one talking about Cam Newton in the same way? This is a guy that has been a top-5 fantasy QB every year, but so far the Panthers aren't really letting him run in 2014. I'm sure he's still a little injured, so I don't see him using the wheels anytime soon. He's not a guy who throws for 300+ yards in a game (he hasn't done that yet this season, and he did it only once last year). And if it wasn't for a late fumble by Jay Cutler last week that turned into a short field for Cam's game winning TD pass to Greg Olsen, Newton would have had another very mediocre fantasy day. Add all of that to the fact that he's now travelling to Cincinnati, where he'll face a Bengals team that just got embarrassed in primetime. I think they'll do their best impression of the Patriots and bounce back nicely at home after a poor road performance, so Cam should be facing one of the best defenses on their best days (I have them as the #1 fantasy defense this week). No thanks.
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RBs |
1.Marshawn Lynch
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2.Matt Forte
3.Le'Veon Bell
4.Arian Foster
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5.LeSean McCoy
6.Giovani Bernard
7.Eddie Lacy
8.DeMarco Murray
9.Ben Tate
10.Andre Williams
11.Andre Ellington
12.Frank Gore
13.Branden Oliver
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14.Ahmad Bradshaw
15.Fred Jackson
16.Alfred Morris
17.Lamar Miller
18.Justin Forsett
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19.Chris Ivory
20.CJ Spiller
21.Joique Bell
22.Doug Martin
23.Stevan Ridley
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24.Steven Jackson
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25.Zac Stacy
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26.Ronnie Hillman
27.Shane Vereen
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28.Matt Asiata
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29.Reggie Bush
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30.Jeremy Hill
31.Trent Richardson
32.Knowshon Moreno
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33.Darren Sproles
34.Darren McFadden
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35.Bishop Sankey
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36.Chris Johnson
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37.Shonn Greene
38.Storm Johnson
39.Jerick McKinnon
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40.Lorenzo Taliaferro
41.Carlos Hyde
42.Maurice Jones-Drew
43.C.J. Anderson
44.LeGarrette Blount
45.Isaiah Crowell
46.Toby Gerhart
47.Bobby Rainey
48.Bernard Pierce
49.Alfred Blue
50.Roy Helu
I'll start with the good news, and point out that I had Pierre Thomas higher than any expert I could find on the internet last week (ESPN #37, ME #30 for reference), and he ended up as a top-5 running back. I didn't expect that, but I did say he'd still make a good flex play in Week 5. He's on a bye this week, and Mark Ingram may be back in Week 7. We'll see what happens with that backfield because Khiry Robinson has been good too, so that may have been your last opportunity to get a huge game out of the aging back.
And now for the bad news...
It's now 4 weeks in a row that the running back I've been down on has put up solid fantasy numbers. Take that for what it's worth because it might make sense to bet against my pick for this slot. I mean, I was down on Steven Jackson last week because I said he'd get 50 rushing yards and maybe a touchdown. Well he got that TD, but his yardage continues to be mediocre. I'm still not ranking him too highly, as the Falcons are rotating plenty of other backs into the mix. Speaking of multiple backs, the Baltimore situation continues to be complex. Forsett is the only one that anyone should be ranking with confidence, but Pierce looked good when given the change against Indy too.
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| Sure, I'm down on Asiata this week. But check my track record in this section... |
With Donald Brown knocked out with a concussion against the Jets, Branden Oliver took over and looked good against a great run defense. He was one of the top waiver wire pickups this week, and I like him at Oakland for a spot start in a week that he should have the backfield mostly to himself again. Like Pierre Thomas, Oliver likely had his best game of the year in Week 5. But I do think he could have value over the next 2-3 weeks (and perhaps beyond).
I'm high on: LeSean McCoy (ESPN #11, ME #5) & Ben Tate (ESPN #16, ME #9)
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| I'm playing against Tate this week, and I think he'll go off. |
Maybe I'm getting greedy, but I want to take two guys in this spot because I'm probably going to be wrong about the guy I'm down on below. And I wanted to talk up two players who I think are clear RB1s this week. I realize Shady has had a rough start to the season, but a prime time game against a division rival is just what the doctor ordered. The ESPN experts seem to have no problem ranking Andre Williams in their top-10 in this same game, but they've dropped McCoy down too much for me. He hasn't had a decent game since Week 2, but he has also faced some tough run defenses in that stretch. You know he's going to get 25-30 touches, and I'm going to bet he outperforms the likes of Williams, Gore, and even DeMarco Murray. As for Tate, he got knocked out in Week 1 against this same Steelers team. Now he gets to face them again a week after getting 124 yards on 22 carries in his first game back from injury against Tennessee. The Browns run the ball a TON, and they will feed Tate in this game. I think he easily surpasses 100 total yards again and he'll find the endzone in what could be a big division win for the Brownies.
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I'm down on: Matt Asiata (ESPN #19, ME #27)
Aside from the 3-TD game against Atlanta in Week 4, Asiata has looked like a plodder for the most part. McKinnon is slowly getting more involved every week, and the Lions have a solid run defense. I think a touchdown could have him near top-20 this week, but I like too many other options above him.
Of course, I've been wrong in this spot before so.........
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WRs
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1.Demaryius Thomas
2.Julio Jones
3.Jordy Nelson
4.Antonio Brown
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5.Jeremy Maclin
6.Alshon Jeffery
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7.Emmanuel Sanders
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8.Brandon Marshall
9.Randall Cobb
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10.Dez Bryant
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11.Golden Tate
12.Victor Cruz
13.Roddy White
14.Steve Smith, Sr.
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15.Vincent Jackson
16.Percy Harvin
17.Mike Wallace
18.Michael Floyd
19.T.Y. Hilton
20.Brian Quick
21.Reggie Wayne
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22.Julian Edelman
23.Mohamed Sanu
24.Pierre Garcon
25.Kelvin Benjamin
26.DeAndre Hopkins
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27.DeSean Jackson
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28.Kendall Wright
29.Keenan Allen
31.Larry Fitzgerald
34.Terrance Williams
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36.Michael Crabtree
37.James Jones
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38.Eddie Royal
39.Cordarrelle Patterson
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40.Justin Hunter
41.Torrey Smith
42.Andrew Hawkins
43.Eric Decker
44.Allen Hurns
45.Odell Beckham, Jr.
46.Davante Adams
47.Anquan Boldin
48.Greg Jennings
49.Markus Wheaton
50.Louis Murphy
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T.Y. Hilton (ESPN #31, ME #21) continued to get a ton of targets in Week 5, and he would have had a huge day if it weren't for a Reggie Wayne pass interference call taking away a TD for Hilton. He still had 9 catches for 90 yards, finishing inside the top-25 and higher than the ESPN experts had him. I'm also going to continue to rank Andre Johnson lower than the experts. That's the guy I was down on last week (ESPN #18, ME #26), and Ryan Fitzpatrick still can't get him the ball. Andre finished WELL outside of the top-25, and I'm down on him again this week. But I'll give you two other guys here...
I'm high on: Brian Quick (ESPN #28, ME #20)
He's had 9 targets in three of his four games this season. And in the game that he didn't get that many looks, he still found the endzone and had double digit fantasy points. He's nearly a guarantee to get 7 or 8 fantasy points against the 49ers on Monday night, but I think he'll get closer to 14 or 15. He has become the focal point of the Rams offense, and he needs to be considered as a WR2 for now.
 I'm down on: Pierre Garcon (ESPN #15, ME #24)
This isn't just about his poor numbers against Seattle last week. It's about his numbers against the Giants the week before and the Jags two weeks before that. He's had 1 or 2 receptions in three of his five games so far this season, and he's becoming hard to trust as an every-week fantasy player. He does have a good matchup this week in Arizona, but the ESPN experts are way more optimistic than I am with him.
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TEs
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1.Julius Thomas
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2.Rob Gronkowski
3.Antonio Gates
4.Greg Olsen
5.Delanie Walker
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6.Martellus Bennett
7.Jordan Cameron
8.Larry Donnell
9.Dwayne Allen
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10.Jordan Reed
11.Owen Daniels
12.Heath Miller
13.Zach Ertz
14.Jason Witten
15.Jared Cook
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No tight end had 3 TDs in a game in Week 5, but Julius Thomas added 2 more to bring his season total to 7 (you realize he's on pace to score 28 TDs this year, right?...ha!). Travis Kelce had a tough matchup in San Fran but still found the end zone. He's on a bye this week, but he could easily be a top-5 tight end the rest of the year. Vernon Davis didn't play, and I'll continue to leave him out of my top-15 until I see him in action again. However, Jordan Reed looks like he's finally back on track to return for Washington, and I'll most likely be putting him in my own fantasy lineup as he has a nice matchup in Arizona. I usually don't give a tight end that I'm high/down on, but this week is an exception. There are two guys that the experts and I really disagree on. Let's take a look...
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I'm high on: Jordan Cameron (ESPN #13, ME #7)
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| When did Witten become a top-10 TE again...? |
Cameron saw nearly as many targets in Week 5 as he had in all of his action before Cleveland's Week 4 bye...combined! That tells me that the rest did his shoulder some good, and Brian Hoyer won't be afraid to look his way 8-10 times against the Steelers this week. I think Cameron will get back on track and remind fantasy owners why they used a high pick on him this year.
I'm down on: Jason Witten (ESPN #8, ME #14)
His best game of the season was 5 catches for 61 yards, and I don't see why the ESPN experts all of a sudden have him ranked inside the top-10. Like Cameron, I guess it's only a matter of time before he finds the endzone. But I think the Cowboys will find it hard to even get into the red zone in Seattle, much less the endzone. I could be wrong, but I'd much rather roll with the upside of a lot of guys I have ranked ahead of him.
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DEF
1.Bengals
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2.Chargers
3.Broncos
4.Lions
5.Seahawks
6.49ers
7.Ravens
8.Eagles
9.Patriots
10.Cardinals
11.Bills
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12.Colts
13.Titans
14.Texans
15.Packers
For the second week in a row, I talked up my #1 pick versus the ESPN experts. This time it was the Detroit Lions at home against the Bills. And while they actually lost the game (17-14), their D put up solid fantasy numbers. They weren't the #1 defense, but they were a top-10 squad and finished well ahead of teams like the 49ers, Bengals, and Seahawks (all of whom the ESPN experts ranked ahead of the Lions). I didn't rank the Arizona Cardinals in my top-15, as they traveled to Denver to take on a rested Broncos team. Peyton Manning picked that defense apart, and they didn't quite live up to ESPN's #12 ranking of them. It's pretty simple: don't start a fantasy defense against Peyton Manning.
I'm high on: Colts (ESPN #17, ME #12)
None of the ESPN experts have Indy ranked higher than 14th, so they seemed like a good fantasy defense to feature here. The Colts struggled defensively in their first two games of the year, but that was against up tempo, high scoring offenses (Broncos and Eagles). Since then, they've been a top-5 fantasy defense against the Jags, Titans, and Ravens. Houston has been middle of the road in many categories so far this season, and they've lost two out of their last three games. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been pretty awful, so I would think Indy just needs to focus on stopping Arian Foster and the ground game. If they can do that, I think we'll see another Thursday night blowout featuring Andrew Luck and company. Since the Ravens/Steelers game on 9/11, the losing team on Thursday nights has averaged just 11 points. I'm thinking Colts 34 - Texans 13.
I'm down on: Rams (ESPN #14, ME not ranked)
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I didn't even consider ranking St. Louis this week, which is why I'm putting them here. I guess if I ranked 30 teams, they'd probably be around 23rd or 24th? I don't know, but they definitely aren't on my radar anymore. Maybe during the preseason, but not after 4 games of seeing what they can do against the Vikings, Bucs, Cowboys, and Eagles. They have just one sack on the season (obviously dead last in the NFL) and they've given up 34 points to all of those teams except Tampa Bay. Do I think the 49ers will come to town on Monday night and put up 34? Yeah, probably. Do I think the Rams will actually sack Colin Kaepernick or pick him off? Probably not. If you're streaming a defense this week, forget the Rams and pick up literally anyone else I have in my top-15!
That's it for Week 6. Good luck everyone (except you, Andy).
Cheers,
Bart
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