Game Previews: Week 5

By Cory

If you drafted anything like I did, you are probably looking at your roster right now about to have a panic attack, no Ravens or Cowboys and wait – no this can’t be right, no Reggie Bush!?!? Hopefully you were able to stack up on depth at the runningback and wide receiver skill positions, but again, if you drafted like I did you may still be panicking. MJD and Joseph Addai are both still healthy which means Deji Karim and Delone Carter are still yet to pay off and are too unreliable to be started. But while bye weeks may be a time for many to panic, those of us who eat, breathe and sleep fantasy football know that this is our chance to win our leagues. All those fools who auto-drafted or who wait till Sunday morning to set their roster will be met with a rude awakening when they see that Dez Bryant, Tony Romo and Ray Rice won’t be playing and that you already beat them to the punch by grabbing Jacoby Jones and Stevan Ridley. So if your team is plagued by the “Bye Blues,” here are some pointers and tips that should hopefully carry you through to victory. And if your team managed to avoid the bye week bite this week, just remember the wise words of Dwight K. Schrute, "While today it is me, one day we shall all fall."

Eagles at Bills

While this game figures to be a fantasy goldmine, there is little to report that most people don’t already know. Michael Vick is coming off a great performance in a losing effort and his injured hand didn’t seem to slow him down at all. Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson are both healthy and starting, but the number three position is opening up slightly. Since returning, Steve Smith has carved out a progressively bigger role in the Philly passing game with 5 targets last weekend. Jason Avant is still the slot receiver which gives him the edge over Smith, but if you’re really struggling with bye weeks, Smith and Avant could both be considered in deep leagues in what figures to be a shootout game. Fred Jackson has proven me right every week and there is no reason why anyone should consider benching him against a team that surrendered 100 yard performances to an injured and slumping Frank Gore and the rookie Kendall Hunter last weekend.

Saints at Panthers

As we predicted, Jimmy Graham has cemented himself as an elite fantasy tightend due in great part to the physical mismatch he provides for most defenses. Marques Colston is slowly being worked back into action but after a week of practice and recovery, he should be a go. The return of Colston spells some bad news for Robert Meachem and Lance Moore, who should see their targets decrease this weekend. As I said last week and in the podcast, I prefer Lance Moore to Meachem because of the chemistry he has displayed with Drew Brees, but both Meachem and Moore could prove serviceable while Colston gets re-worked into this offense. Jonathan Stewart has gained over 80 yards in his past three games with Cam Newton really opening up the Carolina offense. The Saints are not an easy matchup but neither were the Bears or the Jaguars and J-Stew got it done against them, so if ever there were a time to start Stewart and DeAngello Williams, this is the week. And I would give Stewart the edge because of his role in the receiving game as the Panthers will probably have to throw to keep up with the Saints.

Raiders at Texans

Denarius Moore is making us look smart so far with another quality fantasy outing, but without the touchdown in garbage time, his game would have been very disappointing. Against a tough Houston secondary and with Jacoby Ford figuring to play more of a role in the receiving game, both of these guys should really only be started in deep leagues or on teams ravaged by bye weeks. Michael Bush practiced yesterday, but while he does more than your classic "handcuff," I'm still not comfortable starting him in standard leagues. Andre Johnson underwent "surgery" this week and will likely be out until week 7 meaning that he probably should not be in your lineup this week. Kevin Walter will take over the number one receiver job but he was held without a catch on one target last week and is a very risky play. Jacoby Jones is the option I like in this matchup. The only thing worse than Stanford Routt is the rest of the Oakland secondary, meaning that Jones should have little difficulty getting open. Jones has struggled with drops in the past, but if Pierre Garcon’s Monday night performance is any indication, a speedy and physical receiver doesn’t need many catches to put together a great fantasy day.

Chiefs at Colts

Things in the Chiefs backfield are starting to shape out, but nothing is looking too attractive. The “Poor Man’s DMC,” Dexter McCluster, has been the most valuable but that’s like saying Taylor Hanson is the most successful member of Hanson. Thomas Jones has received more carries but has been ineffective with those carries. McCluster has played a role in the passing game but is yet to display his explosiveness, averaging less than 4 yards per catch. Whatever goal line upside Thomas Jones brought to the table has disappeared with Jackie Battle stepping in as the more effective short yardage back, but none of these guys are too desirable. If I had to rank them, I would go 1) Dexter McCluster, 2) Thomas Jones, 3) An Empty Roster Spot and 4) Jackie Battle. It’s tough to say much about the relationship between Curtis Painter and Pierre Garcon. Garcon had several targets and several drops, only managing to haul in two catches. But those two catches went for 87 yards and 59 yards and two scores. While Painter is in, we like Garcon.

Bengals at Jaguars

It looks like Cedric Benson has managed to avoid suspension for now, which means he should be able to play this week. While this is good news for Benson owners, it is bad news for those of you quick enough to grab Bernard Scott. Scott is very athletic and talented, but will not see nearly enough carries to get into a groove and get some solid production until Ced-Ben serves his suspension. Jermaine Gresham stepped up in a big way last week and made some very athletic grabs to bail out Andy Dalton. Gresham is far from an elite tightend in this system, but he could be serviceable during bye weeks and to owners of Antonio Gates.

Cardinals at Vikings

Beanie Wells had his breakout performance last week and reminded all his owners why they drafted him. While the Vikings are a slightly tougher matchup, he is still a must-start. While Adrian Peterson has managed to produce even when defenses game plan just to take him out of the game, the Vikings’ passing game looks like a JV team. Percy Harvin is the only other startable receiver in Minnesota. Even though McNabb has been unable to deliver the ball effectively and consistently through the air, Harvin has taken on a much larger role in the running game and has the ability to return kicks for scores.

Seahawks at Giants

You know I’m down on the Seahawks, but if Sidney Rice can continue to perform, he should at least be a serviceable flex option. Tarvaris Jackson has shown some confidence in the physical and speedy Rice, so even if Jackson is an errant quarterback, Rice should hopefully be able to haul in enough passes to post a decent fantasy day. The G-Men backfield has been a relatively even split which means there should be enough love to go around for both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Hakeem Nicks returned last week in a major way and has another solid matchup against the Seahawks this weekend. Mario Manningham had a very disappointing game last weekend getting only one catch and being benched after some bad route running, but it is unlikely that he will lose his starting job to Victor Cruz. While there is enough love in the Giants’ offense to produce two quality runningbacks, Eli Manning cannot support three serviceable wide receivers so Cruz should be avoided this week.

Titans at Steelers

Chris Johnson looks like he may have woken up last weekend with over 100 yards, but I wouldn’t say he is completely out of the woodwork yet. This is a tough matchup against the Steelers, but we still think that Johnson should be started every week. Nate Washington only had 2 catches on four targets last week and he will be seeing a whole lot of Ike Taylor this weekend, while Jared Cook will be seeing an awful lot of Troy Polamalu, making neither particularly attractive starts this weekend. Rashard Mendenhall was held out of practice yesterday with a hamstring injury, but the Steelers are optimistic that he will be able to play Sunday. Even if Mendenhall is a go, he has been struggling lately and will likely start losing carries to Isaac Redman. Redman has been running effectively but is not worth a start unless the injury to Mendenhall proves to be more serious. Antonio Brown continues to lead the receivers in targets because the Pittsburgh line has been unable to give Big Ben enough time to find an open Mike Wallace. Wallace remains an every week starter but Brown is also starting to creep towards that territory.

Buccaneers at 49ers

LeGarrette Blount put together a great game against a pretty porous Colts’ run defense, but he will face off against a much tougher 49ers front 7. Blount is a physical up the gut runner but that style of run will throw him right into the arms of Patrick Willis. Josh Freeman looked excellent against the Colts on MNF both through the air and on the ground. The San Francisco secondary has been pretty vulnerable this season which means this might be another solid matchup for Freeman and a solid opportunity to try plugging in Preston Parker if you’re desperate for a flex option. Frank Gore emerged from last week’s game without an aggravated injury, but he will continue to lose a few carries to Kendall Hunter. Gore does not look like his self this season and is a very risky play moving forward (but a risky RB1 is still a decent RB2 option). Michael Crabtree put together a decent outing against Philly, but he is very inconsistent and is going to be far too dependent on the Stormin’ Mormon Alex Smith (and if anyone forgot or didn’t know, Alex Smith sucks – just to clarify).

Packers at Falcons

Ryan Grant figures to be back this weekend against the Falcons, but even when healthy, Grant has been in a committee with James Starks all season. The Packers ride the hot hand and it looks like Starks is the hot hand, but both of these guys should see enough touches to at least make decent flex options. Donald Driver missed practice after a knee injury suffered last weekend and will likely see limited snaps this weekend. While Driver should not be on your starting roster this weekend, his absence or limited role spells increased production for Jordy Nelson and James Jones. Jermichael Finley had a slow game last weekend, but he was buttressed by double coverage all game which is what allowed the rest of the Packers’ receiving corps to explode. The Packers have said that they will make a point to get Finley more involved this weekend. Julio Jones has posted back to back 100 yard performances and has stepped up to play a big role opposite Roddy White. The Packers’ secondary has looked very vulnerable without Nick Collins which means both White and Jones should be solid options this week.

Bears at Lions

Matt Forte is the center piece of the Bears offense and there is nothing Jay Cutler can do about it. If anything, Cutler has helped solidify the increased role of Forte with his poor quarterback play. Johnny Knox is the number one receiver in this offense, but I don’t love the probability that Cutler can deliver enough well-thrown balls to Knox. The only reason I like Knox in this matchup is because the Lions know the way the Bears play so they will be able to key in on Forte and force the Bears to go outside the box and try and use their receiving corps more often. This is a tough matchup for Jahvid Best but you can’t bench Best because of his potential to have an explosive performance. Calvin Johnson is alright I guess, maybe you can play him if you’re really in a tight squeeze?

Best of luck this weekend!