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