Stars of Week 5

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT: 34-47, 380 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs     

RB: David Johnson, ARZ: 27 carries, 157 yards 2 TDs                                                                       

WR: Sammie Coates, PIT: 6 catches, 139 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Martellus Bennett, NE: 6 catches, 67 yards, 3 TDs

Week 5 brought us many standout performances, starting with Ben Roethlisberger against the Jets. Roethlisberger carved up the Jets' struggling defense for 380 yards and 4 TDs. The stats paint an accurate picture of what took place in Pittsburgh this past Sunday. Along the same lines, the 49ers had no answers for David Johnson, who found the end zone twice amongst his 157 yards. Johnson remains the most valuable RB for fantasy purposes, so no surprise here. Next we go to one of my highlighted players from my draft guide – Sammie Coates. Roethlisberger looked for Coates early and often, and the stats could have been even better had Coates not dropped a few passes, including a touchdown in the end zone. We’ll take a closer look at Coates below. Last but not least, any questions about Tom Brady adjusting to new weapon Martellus Bennett should be put to rest. Bennett had himself a game against the Browns, finding the end zone thrice. With Brady’s return, Bennett is a mid-range TE1, so unless you have spectacular talent at the TE spot already, he should be in starting lineups. 

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.

- Brian Hoyer, QB – CHI: 33-43, 397 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs               

Analysis: Brian Hoyer made his way into the Bears’ lineup a few weeks back when Cutler injured his thumb. Hoyer has filled in admirably for Cutler, leading the Bears last week to their only win, and posting symmetrical 300+ yards, 2 TD and 0 INT performances in each of the three games he has started. Also, reports have surfaced that the Bears’ coaching staff has soured on Cutler. So what do the tea leaves tell us? Hoyer will likely remain the starter for the Bears even upon Cutler’s return. The next key question – should you care? Despite Hoyer’s strong performances thus far, I remain deeply skeptical. We’ve seen enough from Hoyer in past seasons to see how this story ends. The extent of Hoyer’s usefulness is as a spot starter against a weak defense, so his value exceeds zero. But not by much – don’t buy any increased hype.

- Jalen Richard, RB – OAK: 8 carries, 31 yards, 0 TDs (6 catches, 66 yards, 0 TDs)

- DeAndre Washington, RB – OAK: 9 carries, 23 yards, 0 TDs (5 catches, 29 yards, 0 TDs)

- Jamize Olawale, RB – OAK: 6 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Now we look at the Raiders’ backfield in the absence of Latavius Murray. What we saw on Sunday against the Chargers is likely to carry over for any additional games with Murray out, and likely upon Murray’s return as well. First, let’s look at the Murray ‘out’ scenario. Washington and Richard will split carries for the most part, with Olewale getting the call in goal line sets. We can count on this type of arrangement moving forward if Murray’s out. Unfortunately, this makes Richard and Washington’s values capped at flex plays in good matchups, and Olewale somewhere below that. Now for the trickier question – what happens upon Murray’s return? One can only speculate until we see it firsthand, but the smart guess is that Murray will retain the majority of the carries, but at a significant split (such as 60/40 between Murray/others). That would drop Murray into low end RB2/flex territory and others unusable. The main takeaway here for Murray owners - keep a close eye on the situation. His value will likely be taking a hit, but hopefully it’s just a small one.

- Tevin Coleman, RB – ATL: 6 carries, 31 yards, 0 TDs (4 catches, 132 yards, 1 TD)

Analysis: To the frustration of Devonta Freeman’s fantasy owners, Tevin Coleman has played a significant role out of the Falcons’ backfield. Coleman has four rushing TDs so far this season, although his primary role has been as a receiving option for the rejuvenated Falcons’ offense. With Julio Jones garnering significant attention from Denver’s coverage scheme, Coleman took full advantage of the situation, which included scampering into the end zone on what turned out to be a 32 yard TD pass. The good news for Freeman and Coleman owners is that both are weekly starting options in fantasy leagues, with Freeman a back end RB1 and Coleman a back end RB2. There’s plenty of offense to be had among the RBs, Julio Jones, etc. so enjoy the ROI on Coleman if he’s on your team, and don’t stress too much if you have Freeman – he’ll continue to produce.

- Sammie Coates, WR – PIT: 6 catches, 139 yards, 2 TDs                                                                   

Analysis: Sammie Coates was a favorite target of mine late in drafts as highlighted in the draft guide, and he has shown significant promise thus far. Coates had his best game of the season against the Jets, comfortably passing the century mark in yards with his six catches and his two TDs. Importantly, Coates was targeted 11 times by Roethlisberger, and now sits at 421 yards through five games this season. With Coates’ talent level and big play ability, and the juggernaut Steelers’ offense in place, look for his role to continue to expand. We’re unusually deep in WRs this season, but nevertheless Coates is this week’s top add for WRs and sits as a WR3/flex option, with a WR2 status certainly achievable.

- Chris Hogan, WR – NE: 4 catches, 114 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: Funny what happens when Tom Brady returns to the Patriots – every Patriot pass catcher’s value skyrockets! Included in this mix is 2016 acquisition Chris Hogan, who caught 4 passes on 5 targets and eclipsed the 100 yard plateau. As we’ve seen over the last fifteen years, Tom Brady enjoys spreading the ball around and getting everyone involved. With the multitude of weapons the Patriots possess, and the aerial first attack they employ with Brady at the helm, Hogan will have plenty of opportunities to post solid weekly outputs. With teams having to account for Gronk, Bennett and Edelman, Hogan will have favorable matchups. While a WR3/flex play is his likely ceiling for this year, that’s worth a roster add if you need a WR and can’t get Sammie Coates. 

- Cameron Meredith, WR - CHI: 9 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Unless you were in a Chicago Bears only fantasy league, chances are that you didn’t start Cameron Meredith this past week. The second year WR has had a quiet career thus far, at least until he faced the Colts. Meredith was targeted by Brian Hoyer a team leading 12 times, comfortably beating out Alshon Jeffery, Zach Miller and Eddie Royal for Hoyer’s attention. Meredith’s a big target at 6 foot 3, and fits the mold of what the Bears like to do in their passing game. Since this was Meredith’s first relevant performance from a fantasy perspective, it’s hard to pin a value on him at this point. If you need a WR, Meredith’s a decent player on which to take a flyer. But at this moment, he’s a wait-and-see player to ensure he’s not just a one hit wonder.

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: Marcus Mariota, TEN

RB: Bilal Powell, NYJ

RB: James White, NE

WR: Jeremy Kerley, SF

WR: Brian Quick, LA

TE: Jacob Tamme, ATL

Week 6 Rankings 

Quarterbacks:

1. Tom Brady, NE (vs CIN)
2. Drew Brees, NO (vs CAR)
3. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at MIA)
4. Cam Newton, CAR (at NO)
5. Carson Palmer, ARZ (vs NYJ)
6. Russell Wilson, SEA (vs ATL)
7. Andrew Luck, IND (at HOU)
8. Aaron Rodgers, GB (vs DAL)
9. Derek Carr, OAK (vs KC)
10. Matthew Stafford, DET (vs LA)
11. Blake Bortles, JAX (at CHI)
12. Marcus Mariota, TEN (vs CLE)
13. Dak Prescott, DAL (at GB)
14. Carson Wentz, PHI (at WAS)
15. Tyrod Taylor, BUF (vs SF)
16. Alex Smith, KC (at OAK)
17. Matt Ryan, ATL (at SEA)
18. Eli Manning, NYG (vs BAL)
19. Brian Hoyer, CHI (vs JAX)
20. Kirk Cousins, WAS (vs PHI)

Running Backs:

1. Le’Veon Bell, PIT (at MIA)
2. David Johnson, ARZ (vs NYJ)
3. DeMarco Murray, TEN (vs CLE)
4. LeSean McCoy, BUF (vs SF)
5. Lamar Miller, HOU (vs IND)
6. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (at GB)
7. Todd Gurley, LA (at DET)
8. Carlos Hyde, SF (at BUF)
9. Mark Ingram, NO (vs CAR)
10. Jordan Howard, CHI (vs JAX)
11. Christine Michael, SEA (vs ATL)
12. Devonta Freeman, ATL (at SEA)
13. Eddie Lacy, GB (vs DAL)
14. LaGarrette Blount, NE (vs CIN)
15. Jonathan Stewart, CAR (at NO)
16. Ryan Mathews, PHI (at WAS)
17. Frank Gore, IND (at HOU)
18. Jamaal Charles, KC (at OAK)
19. Isaiah Crowell, CLE (at TEN)
20. Matt Forte, NYJ (at ARZ)
21. Terrance West, BAL (at NYG)
22. Giovani Bernard, CIN (at NE)
23. Matt Jones, WAS (vs PHI)
24. Tevin Coleman, ATL (at SEA)
25. Jeremy Hill, CIN (at NE)
26. TJ Yeldon, JAX (at CHI)
27. James White, NE (vs CIN)
28. Duke Johnson, CLE (at TEN)
29. Spencer Ware, KC (at OAK)
30. DeAndre Washington, OAK (vs KC)
31. Bilal Powell, NYJ (at ARZ)
32. Chris Ivory, JAX (at CHI)
33. Arian Foster, MIA (vs PIT)
34. Darren Sproles, PHI (at WAS)
35. Jalen Richard, OAK (vs KC)
36. Derrick Henry, TEN (vs CLE)
37. Jay Ajayi, MIA (vs PIT)
38. Justin Forsett, DET (vs LA)
39. Dwayne Washington, DET (vs LA)
40. Fozzy Whitaker, CAR (at NO)

Wide Receivers:

1. Antonio Brown, PIT (at MIA)
2. Allen Robinson, JAX (at CHI)
3. AJ Green, CIN (at NE)
4. Odell Beckham, NYG (vs BAL)
5. Jordy Nelson, GB (vs DAL)
6. Julio Jones, ATL (at SEA)
7. TY Hilton, IND (at HOU)
8. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (vs IND)
9. Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (at NO)
10. Brandon Marshall, NYJ (at ARZ)
11. Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ (vs NYJ)
12. Brandin Cooks, NO (vs CAR)
13. Marvin Jones, DET (vs LA)
14. Amari Cooper, OAK (vs KC)
15. Jeremy Maclin, KC (at OAK)
16. Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs ATL)
17. Michael Crabtree, OAK (vs KC)
18. Alshon Jeffery, CHI (vs JAC)
19. Julian Edelman, NE (vs CIN)
20. Jarvis Landry, MIA (vs PIT)
21. Jordan Matthews, PHI (at WAS)
22. Randall Cobb, GB (vs DAL)
23. John Brown, ARZ (vs NYJ)
24. Willie Snead, NO (vs CAR)
25. Will Fuller, HOU (vs IND)
26. Sammie Coates, PIT (at MIA)
27. Terrelle Pryor, CLE (at TEN)
28. DeSean Jackson, WAS (vs PHI)
29. Sterling Shepard, NYG (vs BAL)
30. Allen Hurns, JAX (at CHI)
31. Quincy Enunwa, NYJ (at ARZ)
32. Mike Wallace, BAL (at NYG)
33. Devante Parker, MIA (vs PIT)
34. Chris Hogan, NE (vs CIN)
35. Michael Thomas, NO (vs CAR)
36. Tavon Austin, LA (at DET)
37. Cole Beasley, DAL (at GB)
38. Golden Tate, DET (vs LA)
39. Michael Floyd, ARZ (vs NYJ)
40. Robert Woods, BUF (vs SF)

Tight End:

1. Greg Olsen, CAR (at NO)
2. Rob Gronkowsi, NE (vs CIN)
3. Jordan Reed, WAS (vs PHI)
4. Travis Kelce, KC (at OAK)
5. Delanie Walker, TEN (vs CLE)
6. Martellus Bennett, NE (vs CIN)
7. Jimmy Graham, SEA (vs ATL)
8. Zach Ertz, PHI (at WAS)
9. Zach Miller, CHI (vs JAX)
10. Coby Fleener, NO (vs CAR)
11. Dennis Pitta, BAL (at NYG)
12. Julius Thomas, JAX (at CHI)
13. Gary Barnidge, CLE (at TEN)
14. Jason Witten, DAL (at GB)
15. Jacob Tamme, ATL (at SEA)
16. Jesse James, PIT (at MIA)
17. Eric Ebron, DET (vs LA)
18. Dwayne Allen, IND (at HOU)
19. Charles Clay, BUF (vs SF)
20. Richard Rodgers, GB (vs DAL)

Defense/Special Teams:

1. Arizona Cardinals (vs NYJ)
2. Buffalo Bills (vs SF)
3. Seattle Seahawks (vs ATL)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (at MIA)
5. Tennessee Titans (vs CLE)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (at WAS)
7. Houston Texans (vs IND)
8. New England Patriots (vs CIN)
9. Baltimore Ravens (at NYG)
10. Green Bay Packers (vs DAL)
11. Los Angeles Rams (at DET)
12. Chicago Bears (vs JAX)
13. Kansas City Chiefs (at OAK)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (at CHI)
15. Indianapolis Colts (at HOU)