Week Five gave us a return to normalcy if you will and some things
that continued to leave us scratching our heads. Let’s get
to this week’s recap…Go!
Minnesota @ Green Bay
Sometimes scores can be deceiving. You would think from the score
of this game (42-10, Green Bay) that Aaron
Rodgers went nuts and threw for a bunch of yards and touchdowns.
And, you would be right about the TDs part. But, because the game
got out of hand, Rodgers sat the entire fourth quarter and the
Packers took the air out of the ball in the second half. But,
one person’s trash is another’s treasure…or something like that.
Green Bay’s lead allowed Eddie
Lacy to do some serious work, albeit on only 13 carries. Lacy
has been the victim of some brutal matchups so far this season,
so look for this type of game to be his norm going forward, not
some sort of aberration. Here’s a cool stat for the Vikings: Christian
Ponder completed passes to ten different receivers. Here’s
the problem: Only two went to Cordarrelle
Patterson…for eight yards. Yuck.
Baltimore @ Indianapolis
Nothing stood out like a sore thumb other than Andrew
Luck rushing for a touchdown, which is something he’s prone
to do more than most quarterbacks. It keeps his value sky high
even if he’s not taking T.Y.
Hilton and Reggie
Wayne for the ride as neither found the end zone or topped
100 yards (they did however combine to catch 16 passes). Ahmad
Bradshaw rightfully got nearly twice as many carries as Trent
Richardson for the Colts and Justin
Forsett definitely made the most of his touches, carrying
the ball only six times, but scoring a TD and catching 7 balls
for 55 yards. He’s Baltimore’s best bet moving forward, particularly
with Torrey
Smith in permanent no-impact mode.
Ben Tate's return from a knee injury was
promising, rolling up 123 yards on a ground against the Titans.
Cleveland @ Tennessee
These Browns are fun to watch and because their offensive line
is so good, they’re a good bet for fantasy production week-in
and week-out. This week, that meant Ben Tate (123 yards rushing
upon returning to the lineup), Brian Hoyer (292 yards, 3 TDs),
and Travis Benjamin (2 rec TDs). The obvious omission from the
list of productive Browns would be Jordan Cameron who was supposed
to be the second coming of Rob Gronkowski, but has instead been
relegated to occasional duties. You shouldn’t give up on
Cameron just like you shouldn’t have given up on Justin
Hunter or Kendall Wright after four weeks (146 yards rec., 3 TDs).
Easy to say now, huh? Knowing when to keep a player vs. turning
him loose can be one of the most frustrating parts of fantasy
football. Just hang on to Ben Tate moving forward. If he can stay
healthy ( a big ‘if’), big things are possible.
Pittsburgh @ Jacksonville
Le’Veon Bell is having a fantastic second season running
the football. He’s on pace for over 1,500 yards and is gaining
5.3 yards per carry. The only beef? He has one rushing touchdown
through five games. The Steelers are doing most of their scoring
through the air, which is great for owners of Antonio Brown or
Heath Miller (or even Michael Palmer…Michael Palmer?). The
problem is that Bell could be a truly elite fantasy running back
if he could just get across that goaline more often. In Jacksonville,
it’s time to give Toby Gerhart 30 carries in a game. Seriously.
How can anyone actually know what he can do running the ball when
he gets FOUR carries? Turn him loose. If he flops, he flops…but
at least you know what you’ve got.
Houston @ Dallas
Both teams stayed true to who they are and the result was a combined
293 yards from Arian Foster and DeMarco Murray. Foster’s
day was perhaps Sunday’s most encouraging fantasy development
as he proved once again that if he feels good, he can deliver
the mail. As for Murray, 31 more carries means that DeMarco is
on pace for 416 carries this season (and yes, 2,144 yards). Hard
to say if the Cowboys should spell him more, but history suggests
“yes” given his rushing style. If you’re a Murray
owner, you like the 31 carries, but you also want to win fantasy
games in December. That’s something to think about. Elsewhere
in this game, Tony Romo was productive for a second week in a
row (324 yards, 2 TDs) while Ryan Fitzpatrick (154 yards, 0 TDs,
1 INT) was not. Is Dallas’s defense for real? They were
supposed to be bad on a legendary scale…
Atlanta @ NY Giants
The Buzz will say it again…get Antone Smith the ball!! Everytime
Smith touches the ball, something big happens. Smith is averaging
11 yards a carry this season and 26 yards a reception. In 2013,
he averaged 29 yards a carry on five carries. I love Steven Jackson-
he is the ultimate between-the-tackles warrior. But, Smith needs
to be more involved. In other news, so much for Roddy White touchdown
“guarantee”. And, so much for Victor Cruz being a
guy you can count on in a weekly lineup. The emergence of Odell
Beckham, Jr. on Sunday mean Cruz’s numbers continue to dip
along with waiver wire hero, Larry Donnell (0 catches). Finally,
here’s hoping Rashad Jennings (knee) gets well soon. He’s
a better option at running back for the Giants than Andre Williams,
although Williams does have a nose for the goaline, so pick him
up this week if he’s available.
St. Louis @ Philadelphia
The Eagles either fall way behind and then rally furiously to
win…or they get way ahead and then almost lose. One thing
that is certain: The Eagles offense continues to struggle. LeSean
McCoy is unable/unwilling to run between the tackles and Zach
Ertz is forced to stay home and pass protect or sit out so someone
else can, limiting his usefulness. Austin Davis put up another
huge stat line for the Rams (375 yards, 3 TDs) and Davis can no
longer be ignored as a low-end QB1 fantasy-wise. I know Kirk Cousins
burned us last week when we anointed him, but Cousins still has
potential and so does Davis. He’s turning Brian Quick into
a guy that should be cracking starting lineups more often than
not and St. Louis into a team that shouldn’t be viewed as
a fantasy wasteland. Stay tuned.
Buffalo @ Detroit
I promise to never open up a game recap with a discussion of kickers
again, but this was the tale of two kickers. Dan Carpenter hit
a 58-yarder to win the game and Alex Henery couldn’t hit
the broad side of a barn. I would expect Detroit to have Matt
Prater on speed dial at this point. As for non-kickers, it was
mostly a troublesome day for fantasy hopefuls in this defensive
struggle. Calvin Johnson was supposed to return to some semblance
of form (didn’t happen), Reggie Bush was supposed to carry
the load for the injured Joique Bell (didn’t happen), and
C.J. Spiller was supposed to be a decent option vs. a team that
stops the running game up the middle (wasn’t the case).
Unless you started Golden Tate or Kyle Orton (surely not Orton,
right?), you were disappointed with the overall results.
Chicago @ Carolina
You have been waiting and watching. Watching Kelvin Benjamin put
up great numbers through four weeks as a rookie. Noting that every
fantasy publication is now calling him an every-week starter.
Then, on Sunday…he only secures 3 of 11 targets for 38 yards
and loses a fumble. Now what? Benjamin owners have the right to
be frustrated. Martellus Bennett owners? Not so much. You’ve
already gotten more from Bennett prior to this past weekend than
anyone could have dreamed, so keep starting him and don’t
complain about one bad game. If it’s PPR gold you’re
looking for, look no further than Matt Forte. TWELVE catches?
105 yards receiving? That’s Marshall Faulk territory. In
case you’re still a young twenty-something or even a teenager,
that’s a big-time compliment. Oh, and Greg Olsen was very
Shannon Sharpe-like in this one (that a big-time compliment, too).
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
Trying to predict the role of Pierre Thomas in the New Orleans
offense is like trying to catch the wind. Thomas was the star
of this game on both sides, as he totaled 112 yards from scrimmage
and 2 TDs, helping the Saints to an overtime win. Drew Brees continues
to struggle, but if your league doesn’t count off for interceptions
(he threw three more of them and is on pace to throw 20 this season),
he came through for you as well. And, it sure was nice to see
Vincent Jackson factor heavily into the Buccaneers offense. V-Jax
has a history of being hot and cold, but the concern this year
so far had been that there was no “hot” to speak of.
Put that to rest along with the notion that any Saints wide receiver
is really worth starting week in and week out.
Arizona @ Denver
Well, that was Peyton Manning circa 2013. If you’ve been
waiting for that guy to show up this year, you got your wish on
Sunday and then some. Manning made it a point early and often
to get Demaryius Thomas involved and Thomas proved beyond the
shadow of a doubt that he remains an elite fantasy/real-world
wide receiver to the tune of 8 rec, 226 yards, and 2 TDs. That’s
one heckuva day. At running back, Montee Ball put owners out of
their misery by way of an injury and hopefully won’t be
out too long while Andre Ellington owners were thrilled with his
production, albeit most of it coming on a flukish sort of play.
All in all, Denver gave you your money’s worth with both
Thomases doing huge things and Emmanuel Sanders continuing to
be a PPR gem. As for the Cardinals, Carson Palmer can’t
come back soon enough…
NY Jets @ San Diego
There are ugly days in fantasy football. There are uglier days
than that. And then, there’s the kind of ugly that the Jets
spewed yesterday. Thankfully, I doubt many readers of the Buzz
had many Jets starting for them on Sunday, but if you did (Chris
Ivory could have been in non-PPR leagues), our condolences. This
game might have also birthed a new star as RB Branden Oliver (182
total yards, 2 TDs) tore through the Jets defense like it wasn’t
even there and signaled a likely end to the Donald Brown era.
Even when Ryan Mathews returns, Oliver is likely to maintain some
sort of role given what he has shown the past two weeks. Another
surprise for me was Antonio Gates getting back on the touchdown
train - I will stop predicting a decline for him as the season
wears on ‘cause he’ll likely make me keep eating those
words if I utter them.
Kansas City @ San Francisco
Absolutely nothing stands out in this game from a fantasy standpoint
other than Colin Kaepernick continuing to post the same numbers
week after week - numbers that are great for a backup fantasy
QB, but not really starter material. Michael Crabtree appears
to be dealing with an injury to his foot again. His production
was his worst, yardage-wise since 2011 and that shouldn’t
be the case with Vernon Davis out. None of the receivers on either
team is worth starting right now. One guy who is worthy, is Jamaal
Charles who ran for better than 5 yards a carry Sunday vs. one
of the league’s best run defenses. Charles looks great and
a fantastic middle of the season for him appears imminent if he
can stay healthy. If you’re an owner, don’t be discouraged.
Cincinnati @ New England
Well, I am breaking that no-kicker-lead-in promise quickly because
I must mention that Stephen Gostkowski put up 19 points from the
kicker position on Sunday night in a Patriots rout. The pride
that the Patriots showed vs. the Bengals boosted the prospects
of this team a great deal with Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen
combining for 203 yards on the ground and tight ends Rob Gronkowski
and Tim Wright netting 185 yards and 2 TDs receiving. I don’t
know what to make of the surge other than it will be interesting
to see if the Pats can repeat what we saw on Sunday night when
they go back on the road. For now, start Ridley and Vereen at
home where they play better and start Gronk all the time. Cincinnati
laid an egg in this one, in both the real world and in terms of
fantasy points, but they’ll bounce back.
Seattle @ Washington
Eleven carries…122 yards. Those are pretty terrific rushing
numbers. Until you consider that those numbers represent the rushing
prowess of none other than quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson
added a couple of passing TDs for good measure on the way to his
best QB performance of the year in fantasy football in most scoring
formats. I’m pretty sure Wilson won’t see another
game like that for the rest of the year, but his stock is on the
rise. And, it might be even higher if Percy Harvin had not had
THREE TDs called back due to penalties. I can’t even imagine
what it would have been like to be a Harvin owner counting on
him to win you a game. On the other side of the coin, Cousins
and DeSean Jackson proved that points can be scored against the
Seattle-D. You can’t be afraid to attack as we’ve
said here before.
That’s the Buzz for this week. It was a wild week…but
aren’t they all? Til’ next week…
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