By Carl Setterlund We?ve seen four weeks of football so far and it?s growing clearer and clearer who is for real and who might just be a bust. We?ve already experienced the Willie Parker craze, and we can already take one top rookie running back (JJ Arrington) and throw him back out on the waiver wire. It?s business as usual for most teams. The hapless Baltimore offense is, well, hapless once again. The Detroit Lions are as much of a waste of offensive talent as ever. Mike Vick is still Mike Vick and Shaun Alexander is still Shaun Alexander. There have been a few pleasant surprises (like the New York football Giants) and a couple disappointments (the J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!). Let?s take a closer look at what I?m thinking going into week five. QB Rankings ? Top 10 1. Peyton Manning 2. Donovan McNabb 3. Carson Palmer 4. Daunte Culpepper 5. Marc Bulger 6. Tom Brady 7. Kerry Collins 8. Brett Favre 9. Matt Hasselbeck 10. Eli Manning On the bubble: Drew Bledsoe, Trent Green, Mike Vick, Ben Roethlisberger Despite his early struggles, Peyton Manning really bounced back in week 4 and showed why he should be at #1. McNabb and Palmer both make moves in the poll because of continued stellar play. While I feel obligated to keep Daunte Culpepper in a high position because of his week 3 performance and past MVP-type success, it will be hard for me to keep him ahead of Bulger another week with the type of games he?s been playing. Brady has had it tough so far, but I see greener pastures ahead and I just feel he?s about to bounce back and prove worthy of the #6 position. Collins has been a pleasant surprise, having yet to throw an INT while going against some good defenses. He still needs to develop that trust with his receivers and get his completion percentage up. Brett Favre deserves better than the position Green Bay has put him in. I still see a lot of gun slinging and he should compile more than 30 TDs. Hasselbeck has surprised me this year, I predicted a dip in production but he?s still the same old reliable contributor. Manning has been sensational so far, but his lack of a long resume hinders a large rise in the rankings. However, another effort like week 4 and I think he leapfrogs a few of the older veterans on this list. Quarterback notes: - I wouldn?t give a second thought to Peyton Manning?s early struggles. He?s got weapons galore and has already faced two of the three toughest defenses he will see this year. - Donovan McNabb is a gamer, but at some point you?ve got to believe his injuries will affect his play. - Not only does Daunte Culpepper miss Randy Moss, he misses pro bowl center Matt Birk and number one receiver Nate Burleson - Carson Palmer is a Peyton Manning clone. - Eli Manning is a Carson Palmer clone. - Marc Bulger has too many weapons to put up lackluster numbers. His fourth receiver is Shaun McDonald who is a number two on a lot of teams and his backup running back is Marshall Faulk who could still start somewhere a la Emmitt Smith in his later years. - Kerry Collins is a waste. A productive waste, but he could do so much more than he does with Moss and Porter. Or actually, he can?t because he just doesn?t have it in him. - Aaron Brooks will always be a klutz. - Both Mark Brunell and Steve McNair have been better than advertised. Not that they?re more than average, but still. Small snippet: In deeper leagues, quarterback depth always comes at a premium. The inevitable backup quarterbacks set to start have begun to surface, but who know there would be so many who?ve come on so fast. Kyle Boller was a sexy pick in the preseason to breakout, but I thought the smart choice was to stay away. Even if he hadn?t been injured, Anthony Wright would be threatening for the starting job. Wright is going to be one of the worst, but also most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. I?ve seen him on the waiver wire all over the place, and he is getting absolutely zero love. If you?re league has 15 or more managers, make sure to pick Wright up, right now. He?s never going to crack the top 10 list or even make ?On the bubble?, but he?s worthy of filling in during a bye week for one of your regular starters. I expect Baltimore to right the ship soon and square away some of its offensive struggles. In Arizona, Kurt Warner will be out at least 3 or 4 more weeks leaving the door wide open for Josh McCown to step in. Last year, McCown did so-so, but that was with his #1 receiver out (Anquan Boldin) and with a rookie (Larry Fitzgerald) as the replacement. His weapons are much more seasoned and if he impresses McCown will keep the job. So far, he?s been very impressive, and unless he puts up a couple stinkers in a row, I just can?t see Kurt taking back the starting job. The most intriguing situation is in New York. It appears that Brooks Bollinger is in fact, not Tom Brady. So Vinny Testaverde, all 42 years of him will then take over once he learns Mike Heimerdinger?s offense. It seems that this could be as soon as next weekend. Don?t be fooled by the age, Testaverde is one of those Julio Franco types who just keeps going and going. He is a better start than both Kyle Orton and Gus Frerotte. Remember, if you?re in a deep league or one that feature two QBs, make sure you pick up one of these backups even if you don?t have any use for them. Often you can translate a borderline in a valuable third receiver or second running back if you play it smart. RB Rankings ? Top 10 1. LaDainian Tomlinson 2. Shaun Alexander 3. Edgerrin James 4. Tiki Barber 5. Brian Westbrook 6. Julius Jones 7. Priest Holmes 8. Willis McGahee 9. Corey Dillon 10. Domanick Davis On the bubble: Lamont Jordan, Deuce McAlister, Cadillac Williams, Rudi Johnson So far this season we have been shown that LaDainian Tomlinson is indeed the top running back in the NFL by far and that Shaun Alexander is the most consistent workhorse in the league. Not far behind is yardage machine Edgerrin James who can never quite muster enough touchdowns to join the top two. Tiki Barber is proving that the Brandon Jacobs scare was exaggerated and with the Giants? offense thriving, he should continue to put up big numbers. Westbrook has been a mild surprise, but he has become such a major part of the passing game that he can?t be denied a top five spot. Dallas looks like they are coming through on their side of the bargain and will ride Julius Jones to close to 1,500 yards. You just can?t put Priest Holmes above where he?s at when you know Kansas City is using the 2/3 approach when it comes to playing time. McGahee has been so-so thus far, but I really like his potential for the rest of the year. The touchdowns are there for Corey Dillon, but he needs to start gaining more yards to move up in position. The Houston offense has been terrible, yet I have this feeling about Davis, and he?s been such a horse before that I can?t take him out of the top 10. Running Back notes: - If you took Priest Holmes this year, hoping he was the same Priest Holmes of old, sorry pal, he ain?t in the same league as Shaun Alexander or LT. That said, Holmes is still a good starter in any league and will finish among the top 10 running backs. - I felt it would be wise to stay away from Jamal Lewis, but who knew he would be this bad? Really, he isn?t, but those who predicted a return to his 2,000 yard form were way off. Jump ship now! - Lamont Jordan is who his supporters said he would be coming into the season, a quality starter. - Cadillac Williams hasn?t gained my trust yet, despite his early success. The hamstring worries me and I don?t think he can keep up the pace. - Thomas Jones has flown so under the radar it?s terrible. Production wise he is a top 10 back, and that?s with only playing three weeks so far (from a week four bye) - I think Stephen Davis? early production has been exaggerated because of Jake Delhomme?s struggles. - Warrick Dunn is not only a great guy but also a top-notch back. If he were in a different situation, i.e. without a scrambler at QB and a bruising goal line back, he could be a top 10 back. - Mike Anderson is slowly turning into this year?s Denver 1,000 yard rusher and you can forget about Tatum Bell, all of you who drafted him. - Two thumbs down is my official review of Ahman Green. Console the poor guy who took him in the late teens on draft day. WR Rankings ? Top 10 1. Terrell Owens 2. Randy Moss 3. Chad Johnson 4. Torry Holt 5. Marvin Harrison 6. Darrell Jackson 7. Steve Smith 8. Hines Ward 9. Jimmy Smith 10. Plaxico Burress On the bubble: Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Lloyd, Keenan McCardell I?m not going to get into whether TO is better than Randy as a player, but I think having Donovan McNabb as his quarterback makes Owens the better fantasy player of the two. I think Chad Johnson has really established himself as the next upper echelon guy whereas I think Marvin Harrison is close to exiting that realm. Torry Holt meanwhile is outstanding yet for some reason he never blows you away. After the top five it?s a real scrum. I like the Darrell Jackson-Matt Hasselbeck connection a lot. At the same time I also think Steve Smith has re-established himself as a top producer. Hines Ward might be the best overall receiver in football, but I?m not sure I buy into his offense. Jimmy Smith is again flying under the radar and still performing at a near pro bowl level. The big surprise is Plaxico Burress who is the most physically gifted receiver in the NFL next to Randy Moss. I don?t know if I can put him higher than 10 yet because the Giants may just be on a hot streak. Wide Receiver notes: - If you have a Buffalo receiver, than I pity you. I can?t see either Lee Evans or Eric Moulds being able to put up respectable numbers with their quarterback situation. - Andre Johnson, who has been a huge disappointment, can be had on the cheap right now. And I wouldn?t discourage offering a decent contributor for his services, which should me a lot more valuable soon. - Dallas receivers are the exact opposite of those in Buffalo. Bill Parcells has found a way to revive a lot of players? careers. Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson are both great receivers. - Right now, Travis Taylor is officially Daunte Culpepper?s number one target, if any of you want a cheap, valuable contributor. - One of the biggest surprises is Joey Galloway outperforming Michael Clayton. This is one of those cases where it will probably reverse soon, but ride it out while you can and use the peculiar play to your advantage in trades. - Where has Brandon Stokley gone? I know where. He has switched bodies with Kevin Curtis. - Before the season we expected Laveraneous Coles to benefit from a change of scenery more than Santana Moss, but it has turned out the other way completely. TE Rankings ? Top 5 1. Tony Gonzalez 2. Antonio Gates 3. Jason Witten 4. Jeremy Shockey 5. Randy McMichael Sleepers to watch: LJ Smith is not yet receiving the respect of other top tight ends, but mark my words, by the end of the year, he will be compared alongside Alge Crumpler. Jerramy Stevens and Ben Troupe both appear to be proving breakthrough predictions accurate, while Steve Heiden has surprised. The breakthrough player this week could be Jermaine Wiggins. Notable Kicker of the week: The most valuable kicker thus far has to be Neil Rackers who has already put through 10 field goals, four of which have been from 40 yards or longer. The Cardinals offense is both talented and inept, meaning they can move the ball decently, but stall out before the goal line. Rackers is going to get a ton of field goal attempts this season. Notable Defense of the week: I?m going with two defenses this week. Both Cincinnati and Indianapolis look like they?ve finally put it together. Defensive guru Marvin Lewis finally has his guys meshing and the Indy speed approach has been a huge success. The scary thing is how easy both of their schedules are the rest of the way. Both the Bengals and Colts should be defensive powerhouses this year, as awkward as that sounds. Buy Low: Domanick Davis has been a shadow of what he is capable of so far. With a lackluster first couple weeks and a week three bye to boot, Davis is at the bottom of the fantasy running back pack right now. The owner who has him is probably struggling right now, and could be itching to make moves with his roster. Here?s why you want Davis. Remember he was up against the Steelers and Bills defense in his first two weeks. He?s already had his bye. Half of the Texans? remaining games are against some of the worst run defenses in the NFL, and Davis, the focal point of Houston?s offense, will come up big down the stretch. On that same note, Andre Johnson could be a cheap buy as well. The Texans? offense has hit rock bottom and the only way to go is up. Sell High: In general, my basic rule of thumb is that you should trade away guys who look like they are performing above where they should be. In baseball this year, we saw Derrek Lee perform out of his mind all year. If I had had him, I would have traded him and ended up regretting it. However, these scenarios are very rare. You can turn a guy like Steve Smith or Cadillac Williams into someone who is an upgrade in talent. You also have to be careful when selling high. Getting someone like Tony Gonzalez who is struggling now, but who you are almost certain will snap out of it is a good idea whereas trading for someone with a bleaker outlook like Fred Taylor is not as smart. In summation, we know a lot now that it is week 5. We have enough of a sample size to be able to start judging who is for real. A lot of personal thought comes into the roster moves that you make and I realize a lot of you don?t have the time to do all the research yourself, which is where I come in. My closing note, is to take my advice as advice only and not as what you should think. A lot of fantasy football is about the instincts involved, and I can?t help any of you with that. Make the deals and the moves that you think are best, not just the ones others think are best. We often underestimate our own knowledge and insight.