Injuries continue to lessen in frequency and intensity, which allows
for discussion to center on performance or lack thereof here at
the Buzz. The landscape is changing from week to week, but we're
here to put that shifting sand into a package and contain it. Off
we go in this recap of Week 5 in fantasy football…
Same ole' Tom: Tom Brady led all quarterbacks
in yardage (406) in his first game back off suspension.
Tom Terrific is Back in the Fold
Tom
Brady returned to the field of play in a big way Sunday (400-plus
passing yards, 3 TDs) as almost everyone predicted that he would.
The primary beneficiaries of his return aside from ecstatic Brady
owners? How about Rob
Gronkowski, James
White, Martellus
Bennett, and Chris
Hogan. Gronkowski and Hogan both recorded 100-plus yard receiving
days. Bennett, who was actually doing well without Brady, had the
best day any tight end has had all season, scoring 24 fantasy points
that included three touchdown receptions. As for White, his outlook
in PPR leagues goes up drastically with Brady as White recorded
4 catches for 63 yards to go along with 26 yards rushing. About
the only Patriot who stands to lose from Brady’s return is LeGarrette
Blount, although Blount did still get 18 touches (only 37 yards).
So, who can you count on moving forward from the Patriots offense?
Brady for sure, but after that, it’s all a matter of how the Patriots
game plan from week to week. Sometimes, they try to establish the
run. Sometimes, they abandon it. All I know is that all the Patriot
starters who have been hiding in the shadows are back in the sunlight.
And that makes fantasy football a more exciting venture to be sure.
The Best Wide Receivers in Week 5 Were…?
Amongst the top ten wide receivers of the week were some guys that
were only in a handful of lineups. Sammie
Coates, Adam
Thielen, and Cameron
Meredith were all off the radar on Sunday morning, especially
Thielen and Meredith. Both were the benefactors of injuries to Stefon
Diggs and Kevin
White. So, who will be the bigger factor moving forward? Considering
Alshon
Jeffery has yet to establish himself and White will be out much
longer than Diggs (if White returns this year at all), Meredith
is definitely the better short-term prospect. Three other wide receivers
who finished in the top ten for the week, but probably were only
in a few lineups here and there included Brandon
LaFell, Tyrell
Williams and Jeremy
Kerley. LaFell has teased before, so I would be hesitant to
get too excited about him. Kerley and Williams on the other hand,
should be rostered by now in every league. These six receivers combined
on Thursday/Sunday for 683 yards and 8 TDs. The most exciting position
in fantasy football also remains the most unpredictable.
Philip Rivers: Cursed in the Real World/Blessed
in the Fantasy World
It’s a debate for another day and a different website, but I believe
Philip
Rivers should be in the Hall of Fame. His career has been more
tragic than any other quarterback in NFL history given how well
he’s played vs. actual wins and losses. But, this is a fantasy football
site. And, you’re reading this article to get fantasy insights,
so let me give you one. Rivers is going to be a fantasy stud for
the rest of this year. He knows that no lead is safe and truth be
told, Melvin
Gordon (3.35 YPC) is not producing at a high level except in
terms of finding the end zone (7 TDs). Tyrell Williams and Travis
Benjamin (both over 110 yards on Sunday) are stretching the
field and rookie Hunter
Henry is proving to be a great underneath threat (211 yards
and 3 TDs the past three weeks). It all adds up to Rivers finishing
this season in the top five in fantasy points among QBs. That is,
if he doesn’t lose his mind first from all the last second losses.
Rookie Running Backs Continue to Shine
It has been so nice to see a player actually live up to the hype.
Ezekiel Elliott was a consensus first-round fantasy pick as a rookie
this season and I will admit that I had my doubts based on all the
recent “can’t miss” RBs who have emerged on the
scene over the last five years and then underperformed. Elliott’s
efficient Sunday (134 yards on only 15 carries) was a performance
reminiscent of days gone by with respect to the running back position
and Elliott is now on pace for 2,005 yards from scrimmage and 16
TDs. That’s pretty salty. Another rookie RB gaining traction
is Jordan Howard in Chicago as he has now recorded 295 yards from
scrimmage since taking over for Jeremy Langford in Week 4. Howard
looks like the real deal and has some very favorable fantasy matchups
around playoff time. If you’re needing help at another position
and you’re thinking of Howard as more of a No.3 RB, trade
your No.2 guy for help and ride Howard going forward. Both rookies
look to be in great shape in keeper/dynasty formats to be sure.
Is Lamar Miller A Bust?
Miller was considered one of those can’t miss guys this season
and Houston has by and large given him the opportunity to become
a dominant performer with 115 touches through five games. That’s
23 touches a game. Sure, Miller had gained 80-plus yards rushing
in each of his first two games, but he’s still averaging well
below 4 yards a carry and is yet to find the end zone. When the
Texans would rather throw a one-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins for
a TD than give the ball to Miller, that’s telling. Based on
sheer volume, Miller remains a No.2 RB going forward, but as a No.1,
he’s going to break your heart. Dial down expectations and
hope that Brock Osweiler can keep defenses a little more honest
going forward. If not, the Miller you’re seeing is the Miller
you’re going to continue to get.
David Dominates and Larry Keeps Churning
Along
While it’s true that Michael
Floyd owners didn’t have much to cheer about last Thursday (no
fantasy points), the TNF game actually produced big numbers for
two of its stars. Thursday games are getting a reputation for being
offensively challenged due to the short week that precedes them,
but Arizona did a great job of feeding the ball to their two primary
stars with Drew
Stanton filling in at QB for the injured Carson
Palmer. Both David
Johnson and Larry
Fitzgerald scored two touchdowns apiece and Johnson continues
to be a yardage monster having gobbled up 695 yards from scrimmage
thus far this season. At this point, only Ezekiel
Elliott and Le’Veon
Bell would be considered on Johnson’s level and he should remain
the elitist of options for anyone luck enough to own him. If and
when Palmer returns however, remember that he likes to spread the
ball around. As such, understand that Fitzgerald’s production is
going to vary much more from week to week than Johnson’s. Also considering
how Fitzgerald wore down last year in November and December, he
might also be a great sell high candidate.
Is T.Y. Hilton on the Verge of Elite
Status?
The knock on Hilton has always been that he’ll have a big
game and then follow it up with several “quiet” games
that make him the ultimate feast or famine player. Starting him
the week after an “outburst” has generally been discouraged
by those who follow the week to week flow of fantasy football. That’s
why the last three weeks (one touchdown each) have been so encouraging
as Hilton has provided two of his patented high yardage games plus
another in which he at least found the end zone. With stability
at quarterback and Donte Moncrief (injury) not around to steal targets,
Hilton appears to be headed for an elite season at wide receiver,
but Moncrief’s return is the caveat to that. For now, this
new version of T.Y. certainly has the attention of everyone who
has seen his potential in huge, but inconsistent doses in the past.
The Two Good Sides of the Atlanta Offense
So, which dynamic duo for the Atlanta Falcons is going to show up
in the weeks to come? Will it be the pitch and catch lightning in
a bottle that is Matt Ryan and Julio Jones…or the RB monster
that is Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. In Week 5, Matt and Julio
were relatively quiet vs. a tough Denver secondary, but Freeman
and Coleman combined for an insane 286 yards from scrimmage and
2 TDs…against DENVER! It’s rare to say that two RBs
on the same team should be week-in, week-out starters, but Atlanta
appears to be the exception so far. One more tough matchup next
weekend with Seattle awaits, but look for one of the Falcon duos
to produce like they seemingly always do. With Seattle’s defense
mirroring Denver’s, another Freeman-Coleman outburst is the
more likely scenario.
Miami Viced
Adam Gase was supposed to bring balance to the force in Miami, but
instead it's looking like more of the same from Ryan
Tannehill and company after a promising start to the season
on the offensive side of the ball. If you were thinking Tannehill
and Jarvis
Landry were a match made in heaven vs. the Titans defense, you
weren't alone. Instead, we got a second straight week of 15 completions
(or less) for less than 200 yards and 1 TD versus 3 interceptions.
Miami appears to have everything in place to be a fantasy factor
as a team, but the inconsistency is maddening. If you're going to
go with Landry be advised: You're either going to get quiet or noisy.
There doesn't seem to be much in between.
Monday Night Surprises and Confirmations
Here are the final thoughts of the week, courtesy of the NFC South
matchup on Monday night. 48. That's the number of carries that Cameron
Artis-Payne and Jacquizz
Rodgers combined for with Rodgers netting 30 himself. If you
started either guy just hoping for something decent, you bit off
something much better. As for confirmations, Monday night was also
a reminder that Greg
Olsen is the tight end to own in 2016 and Mike
Evans is one of the game's most consistent receivers. Olsen's
181 receiving yards represent how critical he is to the Carolina
offense, whether it's Newton at QB or not. Jameis Winston, meanwhile,
had his attempts dialed back on Monday and that is likely to continue
with the Bucs committing zero turnovers for a change. Sometimes,
what's good for a player's real world value negatively affects his
fantasy value…
That's all for the Buzz in Week 5. I’m really looking forward
to seeing whether or not the WR production falls back into the hands
of the establishment next week. Or, will the insurgents rise to
dominate another day...until then!
