Bye Weeks: Jacksonville, Kansas
City, New Orleans, Seattle
Kelvin Benjamin in Wk 5: The Buccaneers
lead the league in touchdowns allowedto wide receivers (9).
Grab a Helmet
Kelvin
Benjamin vs TB: Benjamin was off to another slow start
until pulling in a late game touchdown last week against Atlanta.
After a screaming hot start (21 targets, 13 catches 3 touchdowns),
Benjamin has cooled in the last two (8 targets, 3 catches, 1 touchdown).
He is obviously a much better option if Newton is active Monday
night, but Derrick Anderson has the arm strength and veteran savvy
to keep Benjamin fed. His size advantage is significant against
the smaller Tampa corners, and the Bucs have are a bottom tier defense
against the pass. Look for Benjamin to be a big part of the game
plan as Carolina looks to get its roar back on offense.
Odell
Beckham Jr. @ GB: Beckham again finds himself in the
critical crosshairs of teammates, commentators and the media, and
it’s well deserved. His antics have gotten more attention than his
play, but a closer look at the numbers reveals a very similar stat
line to last year after the first four games. What did he do last
year after a terrible game at Buffalo? Absolutely shredded the 49ers
for 121 yards and a score. Eli and the Giants know this offense
runs best when the ball is funneled to their most explosive playmaker.
With Cruz and rookie Sterling Shepard proving to be viable options,
some target regression is expected, but I look for the Giants to
make it a point to get their best player’s head back in the game.
Green Bay has been susceptible to quick receivers shredding their
secondary (Diggs and Marvin Jones had monster games in Weeks 2 and
3), so this marks a fantastic “get healthy” game for Beckham. Look
for ODB to top the century mark and find the endzone for the first
time in 2016.
Sammie
Coates v. NYJ: With the Jets continuing to play elite
run defense, and the Steelers banged up along the offensive line,
I expect Pittsburgh to go pass heavy on Sunday. Slammin’ Sammie
has been Pittsburgh’s home run threat, averaging a whopping 21.7
yards per reception. New York’s front seven has been dominant, but
their back end has been torched several times this year. They’ve
given up the 12th most fantasy points to receivers, and Vegas seems
to think this one will be a shootout, with the second highest over/under
of the week at 48 points. With the spotlight on Antonio Brown, Coates
could break loose and makes for a great WR3 play that could end
up with WR2 numbers.
Grab Some Pine
Stefon
Diggs @ HOU: Diggs started out blazing hot, securing
two double digit fantasy games during Weeks 1 and 2. But he’s
barely registered on the fantasy radar Weeks 3 and 4 and faces
a solid Houston secondary in Week 5. Minnesota seems determined
to mix in some of their other pass catchers, as Cordarrelle Patterson
and Charles Johnson rose from the dead to combine for 10 targets
and 7 receptions last week against the Giants. Diggs struggled
mightily last year after a strong debut, and he needs to find
ways to produce while being the focal point of defenses. I need
to see more from Diggs before I can trust him as more than an
upside WR3, especially against quality defenses.
Terrelle
Pryor vs NE: Listen, Pryor has been a revelation for
the laughing stock Browns. Even more impressive, Pryor is putting
up decent fantasy numbers and he’s still learning the position!
But let’s pull the hype train into the station for a minute, as
a very surly Patriots team comes to town this week. A Belichick
coached defense is going to feast on a third-string rookie quarterback,
and Pryor’s production is going to pay the price. As the lone
threat on the outside, look for the Pats to neutralize his big
play ability and keep him in check. Pryor has been fantastic,
and will have a few more buzz worthy games, but look elsewhere
this week.
Phillip
Dorsett vs CHI: In the two games since replacing the
injured Donte Moncrief, Dorsett has barely been part of the offense,
tallying a sad 4 receptions on 7 targets. If not for getting ridiculously
open for a 64 yard touchdown late in the 4th quarter against Jacksonville,
there is a good chance Dorsett would have been shut out entirely.
With as much as the Colts throw, it would seem the former Hurricane
would be a big part of the offense, but until this happens he
simply can’t be trusted in any capacity. I know the bye
week crunch is coming, but only faith and potential can point
you in his direction, and the production simply doesn’t
justify it.
