Stars of Week 5

QB:      Josh McCown, CLE: 36-51, 457 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

RB:      Doug Martin, TB: 24 carries, 123 yards, 2 TDs, 3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD              

WR:     Odell Beckham, NYG: 7 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD          

TE:      Gary Barnidge, CLE: 8 catches, 139 yards, 1 TD            

We’ve got an interesting list for the honor roll this week – one journeyman quarterback, one written-off running back having a revival season, one megastar wide receiver and a tight end no one had heard off until a few weeks ago. Josh McCown had a career game today in leading his team to an impressive road win against the Baltimore Ravens. Doug Martin continued his strong rebound season with touchdowns in both the running and passing game. We’ll take a closer look at both McCown and Martin below. As for Odell Beckham, no need to discuss any further – he’s a stud. We looked at Gary Barnidge a few weeks back, admittedly with a skeptical eye. Well, Barnidge has continued to build upon each prior week’s performance, and now merits low-end TE1 consideration going forward. He appears to be a legit late-bloomer, so keep Barnidge in your lineup if you have him. 

Week 5 Takeaways – A Closer Look 

Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

Josh McCown, QB – CLE: 36-51, 457 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

Analysis: Josh McCown first made it onto the fantasy radar a few years ago when he filled in for the Chicago Bears when Jay Cutler got injured. McCown took his talents to Tampa Bay last season when offered a lucrative contract, only for that experience to turn into a disaster. Cut after last season, McCown landed in Cleveland for a fresh start. Low and behold, McCown has forged his way back into fantasy relevance. Over his last three contests, McCown has thrown for 6 TDs and only 1 INT, while averaging 385 yards per game. Since we’ve seen success from McCown before, we can have some comfort that McCown can keep this up. You should view McCown has a high end QB2, with starting potential based on matchups. The Browns will be behind in many games, so they’ll be throwing quite a bit. But expect uneven performances – there’s a reason that McCown has spent the bulk of his career as a backup. 

Doug Martin, RB – TB: 24 carries, 123 yards, 2 TDs, 3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Doug Martin reportedly looked good in the preseason, and after gathering some intel, I elevated him as one of my sleeper players for this year. So far, Martin has lived up to the preseason hype, sitting comfortably in the top 5 points list for RBs this year. Martin’s return to relevance is legit, with his top performances coming in the last two games. Despite Martin’s hot start, he profiles more as a high end RB2 than as an RB1, but that still makes Martin a must-start moving forward. The Bucs will find themselves down early in games, so there will be times where they will have to abandon the run to try to catch up. The good news there is that Martin will catch passes as well, so all won’t be lost in those situations. If you drafted Martin, enjoy the nice ROI.

Charcandrick West, RB – KC: 7 carries, 31 yards, 0 TDs

Knile Davis, RB – KC: 2 carries, 2 yards, 0 TDs                                        

Analysis: Listing two backup RBs for the Kansas City Chiefs in this space means that Jamaal Charles is in trouble. The reports have indicated that Charles has a torn ACL, meaning that his season is finished. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, a finished season for Charles also means a finished season for the team, as they currently sit at 1-4 after a loss to the lowly Bears. We were treated to a surprise upon Charles’ injury – familiar name Knile Davis turned out not to be the next man up. Instead, let’s welcome Charcandrick West to fantasy relevancy! While it’s fair to expect some level of a timeshare between West and Davis, early indications are that West will be the primary ball carrier for the Chiefs moving forward. So Jamaal Charles owners, and anyone looking to pick up an RB, elevate West ahead of Davis in your waiver priorities. What should you expect from West? Nearly impossible to answer, but you shouldn’t expect anything higher than RB3 status for now. This situation does require monitoring, however, so we’ll be ready to adjust when needed.

Thomas Rawls, RB – SEA: 23 carries, 169 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: I have watched Thomas Rawls since training camp, and let’s just say there’s a reason why Robert Turbin and Christine Michael are no longer with the Seahawks. Rawls passes the eye test, and also passes by defenders trying to tackle him. The undrafted rookie from Central Michigan may well be the heir apparent to Marshawn Lynch, so those of you in dynasty leagues should snag him if available. Rawls runs with power and has a nice burst which allows him to break off long runs. Marshawn Lynch could be back as soon as this week, which would relegate Rawls back to the bench. All Beast Mode owners should handcuff Rawls, and if he’s available in your league, he should be rostered. Rawls should be viewed as an RB2 when he gets starting duties. Even with Seattle’s offensive line woes, Rawls will produce when given the opportunity. Stash him on your bench in games where Lynch starts. 

Willie Snead, WR – NO: 6 catches, 141 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: Brandin Cooks was the guy to own in the New Orleans Saints’ receiving corps entering the season, and that still remains true – despite Cooks’ underwhelming performance so far. While Cooks has disappointed thus far, Willie Snead has solidified himself as the second option in the Saints’ passing attack. Snead led the Saints with 11 targets to go along with his 6 catches and 141 receiving yards. And Snead has not been a one-hit wonder. In five games, he has totaled 22 catches and 381 yards, with improvement coming each game. Snead is knocking on the door of the WR3 level, and if he’s available in your league, pick him up now!

Antonio Gates, TE – SD: 9 catches, 92 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: For those of you who drafted Antonio Gates, you were treated to a high scoring effort in his first game back. And more importantly, Gates looked like the “Gates of old”, and not like “an old Gates”. Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates can connect on TDs in their sleep, so no surprise that the well-oiled machine made an impact from the onset. Gates clearly remains a TE1, and unless you own Gronk, Kelce or Eifert, then Gates is a must start every week. Yes, Gates moves ahead of Jimmy Graham unless/until the Seahawks figure out how to use him. 

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues. 

QB:                  Blake Bortles, JAX

RB:                  David Johnson, ARI

RB:                  Duke Johnson, CLE

WR:                 Tavon Austin, STL

WR:                 Rishard Matthews, MIA

TE:                  Richard Rodgers, GB

Week 6 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers

2. Tom Brady

3. Matt Ryan

4. Carson Palmer

5. Andrew Luck

6. Eli Manning

7. Philip Rivers

8. Drew Brees

9. Russell Wilson

10. Andy Dalton

11. Peyton Manning

12. Blake Bortles

13. Cam Newton

14. Sam Bradford

15. Ryan Tannehill

16. Jay Cutler

17. Joe Flacco

18. Colin Kaepernick

19. Marcus Mariota

20. Teddy Bridgewater

Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Le'Veon Bell

3. Devonta Freeman

4. Matt Forte

5. Arian Foster

6. Eddie Lacy

7. Mark Ingram

8. Marshawn Lynch

9. DeMarco Murray

10. Justin Forsett

11. Dion Lewis

12. Carlos Hyde

13. Karlos Williams

14. Chris Ivory

15. Chris Johnson

16. Giovani Bernard

17. T.J. Yeldon

18. Frank Gore

19. LeGarrette Blount

20. Charcandrick West

21. Jeremy Hill

22. Lamar Miller

23. Melvin Gordon

24. Danny Woodhead

25. Ronnie Hillman

26. Ameer Abdullah

27. Jonathan Stewart

28. C.J. Anderson

29. Rashad Jennings

30. Andre Eillington

31. Duke Johnson Jr.

32. Shane Vereen

33. Antonio andrews

34. Matt Jones

35. Darren Sproles

Wide Receivers

1. Julio Jones

2. Odell Beckham Jr.

3. DeAndre Hopkins

4. Demaryius Thomas

5. A.J. Green

6. Julian Edelman

7. Larry Fitzgerald

8. Emmanuel Sanders

9. Randall Cobb

10. Calvin Johnson

11. Keenan Allen

12. Antonio Brown

13. T.Y. Hilton

14. Brandon Marshall

15. Allen Robinson

16. Jarvis Landry

17. Jeremy Maclin

18. Brandin Cooks

19. Steve Smith Sr.

20. Allen Hurns

21. James Jones

22. Jordan Matthews

23. Willie Snead

24. Eric Decker

25. Golden Tate

26. Donte Moncrief

27. John Brown

28. Kendall Wright

29. Travis Benjamin

30. Sammy Watkins

31. Leonard Hankerson

32. Doug Baldwin

33. Anquan Boldin

34. Pierre Garcon

35. Alshon Jeffery

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski

2. Tyler Eifert

3. Travis Kelce

4. Antonio Gates

5. Greg Olsen

6. Jimmy Graham

7. Martellus Bennett

8. Julius Thomas

9. Gary Barnidge

10. Larry Donnell

11. Delanie Walker

12. Charle Clay

13. Jordan Cameron

14. Richard Rodgers

15. Zach Ertz

Defense

1. Denver

2. Arizona

3. NY Jets

4. Seattle

5. New England

6. Cincinnati

7. Green Bay

8. Buffalo

9. Atlanta

10. Carolina

11. Tennessee

12. Minnesota

13. NY Giants

14. Baltimore

15. Detroit

16. Houston

17. San Francisco

18. Jacksonville

19. Detroit

20. Kansas City