Stars of Week 5
QB: Peyton Manning 31-47, 479 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
RB: Arian Foster 23 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs
WR: Demaryius Thomas 8 catches, 226 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Greg Olsen 6 catches, 72 yards, 2 TDs
Two Broncos made their way into the honor roll with herculean efforts against the Cardinals. Peyton Manning shredded the Cards’ D on Sunday. When you throw for 479 yards and 4 TDs, you get a free pass on the 2 INTs. Demaryius Thomas served as Manning’s main tag team partner, going nuclear on the Cards’ secondary. If you had Manning or Thomas this week, you most likely walked away with a W. If you had BOTH Manning and Thomas, you probably clobbered your opponent by 50 plus points. Arian Foster also had himself a game, and this season has played out pretty much as predicted for him – great when healthy, but not always healthy. Much to the dismay of Kelvin Benjamin owners, it was Greg Olsen who found the end zone twice for the Panthers. So far this season, a Panthers’ passing TD has been an Olsen/Benjamin either-or proposition. Sunday’s round went to Olsen.
Week 5 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Drew Brees: 35-57, 371 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
Analysis: Declared by some fantasy analysts, including myself to be the top fantasy QB for 2014, so far Brees has disappointed his owners. Five games in, Brees has yet to play like the fantasy stalwart he has been over the past several years. Time to panic? No, stay the course. His arm still looks fine on tape, and he’ll get things straightened out. He may not finish the season as the top points QB, but he’ll find his way to the top 3 or so. The Saints have a bye this week, but expect Brees to come out firing on the flip side.
- Andre Williams: 20 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Rashad Jennings went down halfway through the Giants-Falcons tilt on Sunday, and Andre Williams stepped in to move the Giants’ run game forward. Williams got the job done, moving the sticks and finding the end zone. Look for Jennings to be out for at least a few weeks, and Williams will serve the bell cow role for the Giants in his absence. If you need an RB, grab Williams. The job will be Jennings’ once he heals up, but Williams will still factor into the picture on a part-time basis, including grabbing some goal line carries.
- Branden Oliver:19 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: With the Chargers’ RB group banged up, Oliver took the next-man-up role and ran with it (pun intended). A major factor in both the passing and running game, Oliver showed his versatility and big play ability against the Jets. Oliver will continue to start while Mathews remains out because of injury. What happens upon Mathews return? Expect Mathews to resume the starting RB duties (until he gets hurt again), but in any event, Oliver‘s the real deal, and will remain a part of the offense in both a rushing and receiving capacity. Teams needing RB help should pick up Oliver, and he has a juicy matchup against the Raiders this week.
- Brian Quick: 5 catches, 87 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Brian Quick had a quiet first two years in the league, but this has turned out to be a breakout season in year three. Quick, the Rams’ primary vertical threat, has emerged as Austin Davis’ favorite target, and the tape shows a guy who’s ready to perform. Quick had nine targets against the Eagles, and also had nine targets in the Rams’ first two games, so expect the ball to continue to come his way. The Rams’ schedule toughens from here on out, so keep expectations in check. You should view Quick as a WR3/flex option, but I would hesitate to go any higher than that. Still, he’s a must own in all leagues.
- Tim Wright: 5 catches, 85 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Part of the package the Patriots received from the Bucs for guard Logan Mankins, tight end Tim Wright finally showcased his skills for the Pats this past Sunday night against the Bengals. Wright was a nifty acquisition for the Patriots, as he showed flashes of his receiving skills in his rookie year last season. Look for Wright to continue to flourish with Tom Brady as his QB and as he continues to gain comfort in the offense. How should you view Wright for fantasy purposes? He’s a high end TE2, and startable weekly in very deep leagues (think 16 team leagues). Good things will continue for Wright as the season goes on.
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: Brian Hoyer, CLE
RB: Ronnie Hillman, DEN (the safe play with Montee Ball out)
RB: Juwan Thompson, DEN (the sneaky upside pick with Ball out)
WR: Odell Beckham, NYG
WR: Justin Hunter, TEN
TE: Luke Willson, SEA
Week 6 Rankings
Quaterbacks
1. Peyton Manning
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Andrew Luck
4. Philip Rivers
5. Russell Wilson
6. Matt Ryan
7. Jay Cutler
8. Matthew Stafford
9. Eli Manning
10. Colin Kaepernick
11. Ben Roethlisberger
12. Nick Foles
13. Carson Palmer
14. Andy Dalton
15. Tony Romo
16. Jake Locker
17. Joe Flacco
18. Tom Brady
19. Cam Newton
20. Brian Hoyer
Running Backs
1. Marshawn Lynch
2. Matt Forte
3. Le'Veon Bell
4. Arian Foster
5. Giovani Bernard
6. Eddie Lacy
7. DeMarco Murray
8. Branden Oliver
9. Andre Williams
10. LeSean McCoy
11. Frank Gore
12. Alfred Morris
13. Andre Ellington
14. Ben Tate
15. Lamar Miller
16. Ahmad Bradshaw
17. C.J. Spiller
18. Justin Forsett
19. Matt Asiata
20. Fred Jackson
21. Zac Stacy
22. Reggie Bush
23. Stevan Ridley
24. Chris Ivory
25. Doug Martin
26. Ronnie Hillman
27. Trent Richardson
28. Bishop Sankey
29. Steven Jackson
30. Darren Sproles
31. Joique Bell
32. Shonn Greene
33. Shane Vereen
34. Jeremy Hill
35. Knowshon Moreno
Wide Receivers
1. Demaryius Thomas
2. Julio Jones
3. Jordy Nelson
4. Antonio Brown
5. Alshon Jeffery
6. Emmanuel Sanders
7. A.J. Green
8. Jeremy Maclin
9. Brandon Marshall
10. Steve Smith
11. Dez Bryant
12. Randall Cobb
13. Golden Tate
14. Michael Floyd
15. Victor Cruz
16. Vincent Jackson
17. Mike Wallace
18. Pierre Garcon
19. DeAndre Hopkins
20. Julian Edelman
21. Percy Harvin
22. Reggie Wayne
23. T.Y. Hilton
24. Roddy White
25. Kelvin Benjamin
26. Keenan Allen
27. Sammy Watkins
28. Andre Johnson
29. DeSean Jackson
30. Brian Quick
31. Wes Welker
32. Rueben Randle
33. Larry Fitzgerald
34. Kendall Wright
35. Terrance Williams
Tight Ends
1. Julius Thomas
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Greg Olsen
4. Martellus Bennett
5. Delanie Walker
6. Antonio Gates
7. Larry Donnell
8. Vernon Davis
9. Owen Daniels
10. Jason Witten
11. Jordan Reed
12. Dwayne Allen
13. Jordan Cameron
14. Zach Ertz
15. Tim Wright