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