Arizona Cardinals - Hightower will continue to get more touches than Beanie Wells thanks to the pass-first philosophy of the offense, and Wells is becoming a liability as the defense knows what to expect when he's in the game.
Atlanta Falcons - None.
Baltimore Ravens - Rice got the vast majority of touches in week 5, and as the Ravens move towards more of a pass-first offense, Rice will see the field more accordingly. He's thriving in his current role, even with his inconsistent touches, so there's untapped upside if they choose to use him the majority of the time. He certainly has the skills for it.
Buffalo Bills - Lynch is slowly working his way back towards the lead back of the committee, and it seems like despite the impressive start that Fred Jackson had to the season, they prefer Lynch as their lead guy. I think Lynch can be used as an RB2 in the right match ups, but since this offense is far from explosive, you can't use him each week. Jackson is definitely worth hanging onto, though.
Carolina Panthers - Unlike last year, Stewart is arguably more productive with his touches, and could start getting more. Expect close to an even share of carries each week.
Cincinnati Bengals - Caldwell continues to outproduce Coles, and it's annoying that he hasn't passed him on the depth chart yet. He's a reasonable low-end WR3 in the right match ups as is, and he could be an every week option there if he can finally start.
Chicago Bears - Hester is expected to return this week and resume being a WR3 play. Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox will continue splitting snaps opposite Devin Hester.
Cleveland Browns - Derek Anderson will continue to start, and while he was a victim of drops in week 5, it's safe to wonder why at this point. The Browns should continue to see what they have with Brady Quinn...it's obvious that Anderson is not the future of this team. Jamal Lewis is officially back as the primary ball carrier, and Harrison goes back to his situational role.
Dallas Cowboys - Bye week.
Denver Broncos - Knowshon Moreno has officially moved into the starting RB position, but Buckhalter will return in week 6. Moreno is a RB2 regardless as the primary ball carrier in a solid match up against SD this week.
Detroit Lions - Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson will both miss week 6, so plan on alternatives. Dennis Northcutt will take CJ's place and is only a desperation play.
Green Bay Packers - Greg Jennings took to the media about demanding the ball more earlier this week, and I expect the Packers to get the ball to him more in week 6. Chad Clifton's return will be a boost to Rodgers' protection this week.
Houston Texans - Chris Brown continues to get the short yardage work, but after a critical fumble earlier in the season followed by getting stuffed on 4th and 1 last week to tie the game, you have to wonder if the Texans are considering alternatives here.
Indianapolis Colts - Bye week.
Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD went off on the offense today, so expect a heavy dose of him in week 6, and I'm also expecting a big game against a weak STL defense. Mike Sims-Walker: from fantasy gold to fantasy doghouse. Supposedly he stayed out too late getting laid on Saturday night, so he was punished in week 5, along with most of his fantasy owners. This was especially annoying as he was a surprise inactive during the late games, and I am extremely lucky to have Eddie Royal behind him so I could plug someone in. This is not a long term concern, and Sims-Walker has probably learned his lesson. Get him back out there in week 6.
Kansas City Chiefs - Dwayne Bowe looked 100% in week 5 and is safe to use as a WR2 moving forward. If Cassel can build off of his strong week 5 showing, Bowe could flirt with WR1 numbers. The other WR position is a fantasy wasteland.
Miami Dolphins - Bye week.
Minnesota Vikings - Sidney Rice continues to improve as the secondary receiver, and he's actually outproducing Bernard Berrian so far. Both are potential WR3s options, with Rice being a better bet for TDs. Rice is quietly emerging as a very nice NFL WR.
New England Patriots - Moss and Welker continue to miss some practices, but both are fine. If there's a week to get this passing attack back on track, it's this week's match up against the banged up TEN secondary.
New Orleans Saints - Pierre Thomas continues to battle minor injuries as he's battling an ankle problem now. Mike Bell has returned to practice at 100%. I would not be surprised if there is some sort of committee forming here given Thomas' inability to stay healthy, but Thomas is listed as probable for week 6, and I would still roll with him as a RB2.
New York Giants - Eli Manning looked great in limited action in week 5, and while he'll be limited in practice this week, there's no question in my mind that he'll start in week 6 in a battle of the unbeatens against the Saints. Jacobs continues to frustrate owners, but he's getting plenty of touches...enough to be useful. Bradshaw has been wildly productive each Sunday, and he's a solid RB2 for bye week purposes...perhaps even on non-bye week purposes depending on who else you have. I'd rather be using him than guys like Portis and Thomas Jones...
New York Jets - Thomas Jones and Leon Washington continue to split snaps, with Washington looking better. Both are reasonable RB3s, with TJ the better bet for TDs and Washington the better bet for yardage and catches. Braylon Edwards looked right at home and dominated targets...he's a WR2 with upside in NY. Cotchery is out for week 6, so David Clowney will start for him. He's only a desperation play.
Oakland Raiders - Darren McFadden is still out while recovering from his knee injury, and Michael Bush will start and see more carries each week. However, he's only a last ditch RB2 in a horrible match up against PHI this week. Oakland's schedule has been brutal with McFadden out.
Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb looked great in week 5. Westbrook looked pretty solid as well, but split carries with LeSean McCoy. There's a good chance that will continue moving forward given Westbrook's inability to stay healthy, and also McCoy's effectiveness when he's played. Jeremy Maclin took over for Kevin Curtis in week 5...and he's probably taken his job for good. He's a WR3 until he proves otherwise, but he might get a lot of Asomugha in coverage this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Mendenhall is battling an illness that has prevented him for practicing while Willie Parker has returned to practice in full so far this week. Thankfully, Mendenhall returned to practice on Friday and should receive the majority of the carries in week 6. Use him.
San Diego Chargers - LT figures to have benefited from a bye week, but he's still going to split work with Sproles, coming out on passing downs and in the hurry up offense. This will be a solid test of what exactly LT has left...if he can't regain some explosiveness after a week off, it'll be about time to write him off as anything more than a RB3 moving forward. He also has a stern test against DEN's surprising D.
San Francisco 49ers - Bye week.
Seattle Seahawks - Matt Hasselbeck is back, and he carved up a horrible Jacksonville secondary. Arizona provides another positive match up, and he's still a good bye week fill-in. The running game has resumed being worthless. Burleson is apparently for real while Hasselbeck is starting...he's the #5 receiver so far!! Housh is also a WR3.
St. Louis Rams - Marc Bulger came in to clean up Boller's mess and looked pretty good. He's back starting this week against a weak Jacksonville secondary, so he's a decent QB2 this week if you're lacking options. Donnie Avery is a sneaky WR3 this week as well. Also, after 5 weeks of waiting, I think this is the week that Steven Jackson finally scores a TD.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Johnson will start again, but he's looked poor thus far. The running game, thought in the preseason to be a strength, has been a bit of a wasteland as Caddy/Ward split carries behind a defense that can't stop anyone. Antonio Bryant is putting up reasonable numbers, but his knee continues to limit him. He's a risky WR3.
Tennessee Titans - None.
Washington Redskins - Portis again busted in the yardage department, but 2 TDs saved his fantasy day. The current coaching staff remains loyal to him for his years of service, but if Zorn and company are fired, it might not stay that way. I would try to deal him immediately if you can.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Week 6 Waiver Wire
QB:
Matt Hasselbeck - It is highly unlikely that he's available, but I could see someone dropping him after his injury. He's a great bye week fill-in, and can be started in favorable match ups until his next injury. Get him if he's out there.
Matt Stafford - He's worth the stash as a QB2 as long as you don't need him before week 8. Culpepper will likely start in week 6, and then they have their bye in week 7. He was doing a solid job prior to his knee injury, so odds are there's a team out there that could use him as a backup.
Chad Henne - If you're in a deep league, there's not much out there, and you need help at QB, Henne isn't a horrible add. He will be limited in attempts, isn't on the field all the time thanks to the Wildcat, and his surrounding weapons are poor, but he'll likely be efficient with his throws and has plenty of starting experience from college. He's a low end QB2.
RB:
Mike Bell - Bell will return in week 6, but his exact role is unclear. Some believe he'll split time with Pierre Thomas, but Thomas has looked way too good in the two games after returning from a knee injury. Some believe he'll take over short yardage, but Thomas has never struggled there. Thomas also holds the edge in talent. I believe Bell will see the field some as a backup, but he's not a true threat to carries. Regardless of all of this, he needs to be owned as the clear-cut backup on a powerful offense. Pierre Thomas owners especially should keep him on the end of their bench.
Ladell Betts - Portis has not looked good, even in great match ups. Changes are on the horizon for the Redskins, and there's always a chance Betts could pick up a bigger role. Plus, if Portis keeps getting 20 carries a week, he's going to break down again. There's not a lot of upside here given the state of the Redskins offense, but if you don't have a better use for a bench spot, you could speculate here.
Jamaal Charles - Another speculatory pick. Head coach Todd Haley says he's sticking with Larry Johnson and puts most of the blame for his poor performance on his offensive line. While the offensive line is no doubt a problem, LJ simply can't make things happen on his own. Charles is hardly a workhorse back, but he's a good fit into a spread offense and offers far more passing down ability than LJ does. Same opinion on stashing Betts applies to Charles.
WR:
Miles Austin - Austin is worth using your #1 waiver priority on. He carries some risk as he's always been long on talent but short on production, but the Cowboys badly need someone to step up at the receiver position. Roy Williams simply isn't cutting it, and Austin has the size, speed, and leaping ability to be their big play guy. There's a very good chance Crayton will get put into the slot with Austin replacing him out wide. If you need an immediate starting WR, Austin is your guy.
Jeremy Maclin - Maclin is also worth using your #1 waiver priority on. Kevin Curtis is too banged up to make any sort of impact as he continues to have problems with his knees, and he hasn't looked right all season. Maclin is a great fit into the west coast offense as a solid route runner with burner speed and good hands. Jackson will continue to be the #1 receiver on the team, but Maclin will explode for some good games as well, and he's an immediate WR3 candidate for your lineup.
Andre Caldwell - I know I've listed him here before, but he has to be close to replacing Coles in the starting lineup after outperforming him the past couple weeks. He's faster and even more reliable catching the ball at this stage in Coles' career. Once Caldwell overtakes him, he'll be another WR3 candidate.
Donnie Avery - I think I've listed him before as well, but with Marc Bulger expected back under center, he's going to have the same QB he built chemistry with last season. The Rams will undoubtedly be trailing a lot, and he's their best chance at making plays in the passing game. He's a sneaky WR3 against a horrible Jacksonville secondary this weekend, but he's only a match up play at this point.
Josh Morgan - He was probably dropped by a lot of teams after his slow start, but he's coming around with 2 solid fantasy weeks in a row. He'll continue to be limited by the run-first nature of the SF offense, but he's plenty talented and should be their #1 receiver for the rest of the year. He's a great guy to have on the end of your bench.
TE:
None.
Thoughts: WR is obviously very deep this week with a lot of interesting talent, but those are the only guys worth using a waiver position on. Nobody else that I listed at QB or RB (unless you need a QB and Hasselbeck is somehow available) is worth burning a waiver position on. If you can't get one of the WRs, this is a great week to take it easy and move up a few spots while the guys ahead of you use their position.
Matt Hasselbeck - It is highly unlikely that he's available, but I could see someone dropping him after his injury. He's a great bye week fill-in, and can be started in favorable match ups until his next injury. Get him if he's out there.
Matt Stafford - He's worth the stash as a QB2 as long as you don't need him before week 8. Culpepper will likely start in week 6, and then they have their bye in week 7. He was doing a solid job prior to his knee injury, so odds are there's a team out there that could use him as a backup.
Chad Henne - If you're in a deep league, there's not much out there, and you need help at QB, Henne isn't a horrible add. He will be limited in attempts, isn't on the field all the time thanks to the Wildcat, and his surrounding weapons are poor, but he'll likely be efficient with his throws and has plenty of starting experience from college. He's a low end QB2.
RB:
Mike Bell - Bell will return in week 6, but his exact role is unclear. Some believe he'll split time with Pierre Thomas, but Thomas has looked way too good in the two games after returning from a knee injury. Some believe he'll take over short yardage, but Thomas has never struggled there. Thomas also holds the edge in talent. I believe Bell will see the field some as a backup, but he's not a true threat to carries. Regardless of all of this, he needs to be owned as the clear-cut backup on a powerful offense. Pierre Thomas owners especially should keep him on the end of their bench.
Ladell Betts - Portis has not looked good, even in great match ups. Changes are on the horizon for the Redskins, and there's always a chance Betts could pick up a bigger role. Plus, if Portis keeps getting 20 carries a week, he's going to break down again. There's not a lot of upside here given the state of the Redskins offense, but if you don't have a better use for a bench spot, you could speculate here.
Jamaal Charles - Another speculatory pick. Head coach Todd Haley says he's sticking with Larry Johnson and puts most of the blame for his poor performance on his offensive line. While the offensive line is no doubt a problem, LJ simply can't make things happen on his own. Charles is hardly a workhorse back, but he's a good fit into a spread offense and offers far more passing down ability than LJ does. Same opinion on stashing Betts applies to Charles.
WR:
Miles Austin - Austin is worth using your #1 waiver priority on. He carries some risk as he's always been long on talent but short on production, but the Cowboys badly need someone to step up at the receiver position. Roy Williams simply isn't cutting it, and Austin has the size, speed, and leaping ability to be their big play guy. There's a very good chance Crayton will get put into the slot with Austin replacing him out wide. If you need an immediate starting WR, Austin is your guy.
Jeremy Maclin - Maclin is also worth using your #1 waiver priority on. Kevin Curtis is too banged up to make any sort of impact as he continues to have problems with his knees, and he hasn't looked right all season. Maclin is a great fit into the west coast offense as a solid route runner with burner speed and good hands. Jackson will continue to be the #1 receiver on the team, but Maclin will explode for some good games as well, and he's an immediate WR3 candidate for your lineup.
Andre Caldwell - I know I've listed him here before, but he has to be close to replacing Coles in the starting lineup after outperforming him the past couple weeks. He's faster and even more reliable catching the ball at this stage in Coles' career. Once Caldwell overtakes him, he'll be another WR3 candidate.
Donnie Avery - I think I've listed him before as well, but with Marc Bulger expected back under center, he's going to have the same QB he built chemistry with last season. The Rams will undoubtedly be trailing a lot, and he's their best chance at making plays in the passing game. He's a sneaky WR3 against a horrible Jacksonville secondary this weekend, but he's only a match up play at this point.
Josh Morgan - He was probably dropped by a lot of teams after his slow start, but he's coming around with 2 solid fantasy weeks in a row. He'll continue to be limited by the run-first nature of the SF offense, but he's plenty talented and should be their #1 receiver for the rest of the year. He's a great guy to have on the end of your bench.
TE:
None.
Thoughts: WR is obviously very deep this week with a lot of interesting talent, but those are the only guys worth using a waiver position on. Nobody else that I listed at QB or RB (unless you need a QB and Hasselbeck is somehow available) is worth burning a waiver position on. If you can't get one of the WRs, this is a great week to take it easy and move up a few spots while the guys ahead of you use their position.
Rant: Braylon Edwards Overturned TD Catch
I was irate at that catch Braylon Edwards made last night that was called a TD on the field, but it was eventually ruled not a TD. At the beginning of the year, the NFL stated that they wanted to have reviews not overturn calls on the field unless there was no doubt the call should be overturned. Out of all the angles they showed last night, it looked like he was probably short when his knee hit, but I didn't see a definitive angle that proved without a doubt that he was. On top of all of that, the refs and announcers completely missed the fact that he wasn't touched until he had slid into the end zone. He jumped for the catch, made it, came down and his knee probably hit when the ball was a bit short of the goal line, but the Dolphins defender didn't touch him until he had slid forward a little and the ball has broken the plane. Maybe I missed something, but after he made the catch, I don't think he was touched until the safety ran over a second later. How the hell does a paid ref, and paid NFL announcers, miss the fact you need to be touched before being considered down?
This is likely something that affected a few fantasy match ups as it cost Braylon Edwards 6 points. Luckily in both leagues I had him, the Ronnie Brown TD later on sealed a win, but you always want more points for tie breaking purposes. The Jets scored on the next play, so it became a moot point within the actual game, but I felt this was an embarrassing call on two different levels.
This is likely something that affected a few fantasy match ups as it cost Braylon Edwards 6 points. Luckily in both leagues I had him, the Ronnie Brown TD later on sealed a win, but you always want more points for tie breaking purposes. The Jets scored on the next play, so it became a moot point within the actual game, but I felt this was an embarrassing call on two different levels.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Buy Low Candidates
I wanted to write this article last week, and I regret it as I wanted to highlight Roddy White as an excellent buy low heading into this past weekend. Unfortunately I didn't get around to it, but now's not a bad time to go through everything. After 4-5 weeks in, you start to realize the trends of the new season, but it's also a great time to capitalize on the mirages of slow starts. I'm going to run through a couple guys, broken down by position, to go after in trade talks. Now when I say buy low, I don't mean send an insulting low offer and try to get them for nothing. Leagues vary with knowledge from league to league, and also from owner to owner within each league. A buy low isn't always a player you can get on the cheap, but it's also a player that someone might be willing to trade after a couple cold games when in normal circumstances he wouldn't think of it. I always suggest coming in a bit low to give yourself some wiggle room, but don't send offers that insult the other owner's intelligence.
QB:
Drew Brees - Brees is the perfect example of someone whom you might be able to land in a trade during a cold streak, when in normal circumstances his owner wouldn't think of trading him. Coming off of 2 straight TD-less weeks, you might find someone who's a bit frustrated with his recent trends, plus another huge bonus is that he is done with his bye week. You'll have to pay full price, most likely, but maybe his owner will consider it.
Tom Brady - Brady has certainly not lived up to the lofty preseason expectations, but he does figure to get better as the season moves along. Outside of Phillip Rivers last year, almost every QB that suffers a torn ACL (McNabb and Palmer come to mind for recent examples) struggle during the 1st half, and then tend to turn it on during the 2nd half. Brady should do the same, so see if you can pry him away for the stretch run.
Matt Cassel - Like I mentioned before, Cassel is playing well given his situation, but he's not doing much to help fantasy teams outside of last week. There's no question owners who drafted him as a borderline QB1 are very down on him so far, so he's a cheaper alternative if you don't have the firepower to land Brees or Brady. The running attack is simply not working for KC, so KC is going to throw it a lot. He's someone who can be a serviceable QB1 starter thanks to volume throwing, and he's someone you can get for cheap. His receivers limit his upside, but he'll get better know that he's a few weeks removed from his knee surgery and is getting to know his offensive system better.
RB:
Matt Forte - Perhaps the bye week will be the time necessary for his owners to get over his solid week 4, and if not, you could try to play up the fact he's not doing much with his touches on the season. I can only imagine things will get better for Forte as the season progresses and the offense falls into its true identity. He's playing way below his talent level, and while the offensive line isn't built to move people off the ball, Cutler will keep extra defenders out of the box, opening up more running lanes for Forte. He should be a reliable RB1 the rest of the way, but he won't come close to his receptions from last year due to Cutler's willingness to throw down the field.
Frank Gore - His ideal buy-low time would have been right after his injury since it was initially reported as a 2 week injury, but now is a good time to inquire. He's the centerpiece of a run-first offense, and while there's some risk here as he's had ankle injuries before, he's always been productive on the field, and the bye week should get him close to 100%. His owner will probably hang on, but you could try to offer a lesser RB and some of your depth to fill one of his lineup weaknesses.
Marion Barber - Barber has been suffering through a quad injury sustained three weeks ago, and it has impacted his performance over the past two. Owners might be getting frustrated, but he is still the centerpiece of this offense, and the bye week should fix his leg. He's going to score plenty when he gets healthy. Try to see if you can land him, especially if you have RB depth and the Barber owner is struggling through his bye week.
WR:
Randy Moss - I will suggest Moss for the exact same reasons as Brady above. As Brady gets better, Moss will get better. Perhaps you can get in before he inevitably has a true breakthrough game.
Greg Jennings - Jennings is my best buy low guy here. He has been hampered a bit by a minor wrist injury, and he's also been held back by the lack of protection for Aaron Rodgers...Rodgers hasn't had the time to get it to him down the field. Outside of a strong week 1, he's been very inconsistent with his targets and his production. With Chad Clifton returning and the re-signing of Mark Tauscher, Rodgers' protection is going to improve. Another bonus is that his bye week is now past him. Try your best to land him.
Dwayne Bowe - Bowe has struggled out of the gates, and he can only go as far as Cassel will allow him to. Cassel has suffered from even worse protection than Rodgers and has been abysmal so far, but he's slowly coming around, and KC's schedule lightens up. Bowe, unlike Jennings above, isn't reliant on the deep ball to post great numbers as he's more like Anquan Boldin. Now Bowe has scored 3 times, which hurts his buy low ability, but his yardage has remained very low. See if you can land him as he has the ability to post low end WR1 numbers.
Eddie Royal - This is a very cautious recommendation, but for the price he'll likely command, it's worth a WR3 shot. He finally posted a solid week 5 after 4 weeks of barf, and the coaching staff indicated that his solid performance was more of a reaction to the game than a preconceived effort to get him the ball, but this is a minor move you could make for your bench with the ability to get back to an every week starter.
Anthony Gonzalez - He's due back after the bye week, and despite the contributions of Garcon and Collie in his absence, Gonzalez should move right back into the middle of a passing attack that is on fire. His bye week is coming up, and then he is on schedule to return after that in week 7. He'd have the ability to post WR2 numbers in the 2nd half for what could be a fraction of the price.
TE:
Greg Olsen - Olsen has obviously struggled out of the gate after big preseason expectations, but you can bet the Bears worked on ways to get him the football during their bye week. Olsen still has a chance to lead this team in receiving, especially from here on out. He's a great talent, and he has a QB who has found his groove since week 1. Expect increased production moving forward, and see if you can land him on the cheap.
QB:
Drew Brees - Brees is the perfect example of someone whom you might be able to land in a trade during a cold streak, when in normal circumstances his owner wouldn't think of trading him. Coming off of 2 straight TD-less weeks, you might find someone who's a bit frustrated with his recent trends, plus another huge bonus is that he is done with his bye week. You'll have to pay full price, most likely, but maybe his owner will consider it.
Tom Brady - Brady has certainly not lived up to the lofty preseason expectations, but he does figure to get better as the season moves along. Outside of Phillip Rivers last year, almost every QB that suffers a torn ACL (McNabb and Palmer come to mind for recent examples) struggle during the 1st half, and then tend to turn it on during the 2nd half. Brady should do the same, so see if you can pry him away for the stretch run.
Matt Cassel - Like I mentioned before, Cassel is playing well given his situation, but he's not doing much to help fantasy teams outside of last week. There's no question owners who drafted him as a borderline QB1 are very down on him so far, so he's a cheaper alternative if you don't have the firepower to land Brees or Brady. The running attack is simply not working for KC, so KC is going to throw it a lot. He's someone who can be a serviceable QB1 starter thanks to volume throwing, and he's someone you can get for cheap. His receivers limit his upside, but he'll get better know that he's a few weeks removed from his knee surgery and is getting to know his offensive system better.
RB:
Matt Forte - Perhaps the bye week will be the time necessary for his owners to get over his solid week 4, and if not, you could try to play up the fact he's not doing much with his touches on the season. I can only imagine things will get better for Forte as the season progresses and the offense falls into its true identity. He's playing way below his talent level, and while the offensive line isn't built to move people off the ball, Cutler will keep extra defenders out of the box, opening up more running lanes for Forte. He should be a reliable RB1 the rest of the way, but he won't come close to his receptions from last year due to Cutler's willingness to throw down the field.
Frank Gore - His ideal buy-low time would have been right after his injury since it was initially reported as a 2 week injury, but now is a good time to inquire. He's the centerpiece of a run-first offense, and while there's some risk here as he's had ankle injuries before, he's always been productive on the field, and the bye week should get him close to 100%. His owner will probably hang on, but you could try to offer a lesser RB and some of your depth to fill one of his lineup weaknesses.
Marion Barber - Barber has been suffering through a quad injury sustained three weeks ago, and it has impacted his performance over the past two. Owners might be getting frustrated, but he is still the centerpiece of this offense, and the bye week should fix his leg. He's going to score plenty when he gets healthy. Try to see if you can land him, especially if you have RB depth and the Barber owner is struggling through his bye week.
WR:
Randy Moss - I will suggest Moss for the exact same reasons as Brady above. As Brady gets better, Moss will get better. Perhaps you can get in before he inevitably has a true breakthrough game.
Greg Jennings - Jennings is my best buy low guy here. He has been hampered a bit by a minor wrist injury, and he's also been held back by the lack of protection for Aaron Rodgers...Rodgers hasn't had the time to get it to him down the field. Outside of a strong week 1, he's been very inconsistent with his targets and his production. With Chad Clifton returning and the re-signing of Mark Tauscher, Rodgers' protection is going to improve. Another bonus is that his bye week is now past him. Try your best to land him.
Dwayne Bowe - Bowe has struggled out of the gates, and he can only go as far as Cassel will allow him to. Cassel has suffered from even worse protection than Rodgers and has been abysmal so far, but he's slowly coming around, and KC's schedule lightens up. Bowe, unlike Jennings above, isn't reliant on the deep ball to post great numbers as he's more like Anquan Boldin. Now Bowe has scored 3 times, which hurts his buy low ability, but his yardage has remained very low. See if you can land him as he has the ability to post low end WR1 numbers.
Eddie Royal - This is a very cautious recommendation, but for the price he'll likely command, it's worth a WR3 shot. He finally posted a solid week 5 after 4 weeks of barf, and the coaching staff indicated that his solid performance was more of a reaction to the game than a preconceived effort to get him the ball, but this is a minor move you could make for your bench with the ability to get back to an every week starter.
Anthony Gonzalez - He's due back after the bye week, and despite the contributions of Garcon and Collie in his absence, Gonzalez should move right back into the middle of a passing attack that is on fire. His bye week is coming up, and then he is on schedule to return after that in week 7. He'd have the ability to post WR2 numbers in the 2nd half for what could be a fraction of the price.
TE:
Greg Olsen - Olsen has obviously struggled out of the gate after big preseason expectations, but you can bet the Bears worked on ways to get him the football during their bye week. Olsen still has a chance to lead this team in receiving, especially from here on out. He's a great talent, and he has a QB who has found his groove since week 1. Expect increased production moving forward, and see if you can land him on the cheap.
Week 5 Thoughts
Arizona Cardinals - Talk about bi-polar when it comes to Warner. He lit up Houston in the 1st half, and then sucked in the 2nd half as Houston almost came all the way back. Luckily his 1st half was so good that he put up a great fantasy outing. Fitz turned in a big game, and Boldin put up a solid receiving performance, but hurt his owners by losing a fumble. Wells and Hightower split carries evenly, but neither impressed as Arizona continues to pass as often as they can.
Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan was great again, and I hope you were able to buy low on Roddy White as the window of opportunity slammed shut with his ridiculous performance. Michael Turner looked much better coming out of the bye, putting up his first good game with respect to YPC and also scoring 3 TDs. Gonzalez took a backseat in the high scoring affair this week. This was a very impressive performance against a good defense. Ryan, Turner, White, and Gonzalez are all great options moving forward, but I maintain my concern regarding Michael Turner's workload.
Baltimore Ravens - Flacco has officially become a QB1 as the Ravens have moved from a run-first to a pass-first offense. Flacco struggled in this one, but still tossed a TD thanks to a ridiculous play from Ray Rice on a dump-off pass. Heap managed 7 catches, which was huge for PPR leaguers. Speaking of Ray Rice, he dominated touches in the backfield in this one. He has been one of the most productive RBs in football this year on a per-touch basis, and he's even scored twice despite not being the preferred goal line runner. I apologize to anyone who used McGahee on my "solid bye-week replacement" recommendation from last week...he saw two touches all game. We'll continue to monitor this seemingly inconsistent backfield, but there's no question that Rice is here to stay as a RB2.
Buffalo Bills - Trent Edwards still sucks, and this has dragged Owens down to a WR3 and Evans to a "stay on the bench" WR. In hindsight, we all should have seen this coming from a conservative coach with a conservative QB. Lynch lead the team in both carries and catches, although he only had 4 more than Fred Jackson. Most noteworthy, however, is the fact Lynch was definitely more productive with his touches. Lynch is sneaking his way back into RB2 territory, but with an upcoming game against the Jets, he's got a touch match up ahead.
Carolina Panthers - Carolina tried to run the ball more coming out of the bye week, but they weren't very effective doing it. Delhomme looked blah again. Williams posted a miserable day including a fumble while Jonathan Stewart was more productive per rush and added a TD run. Steve Smith did about as well as expected given his current situation, but he has regressed into a WR2 with the state of this offense. Williams and Stewart are both RB2/3 moving forward and that's it. Williams better not do so little again with his touches or he's going to lose his lead back title of this committee.
Cincinnati Bengals - Palmer started off hot with a big first half in regards to yardage, but then Cincy turned to the ground game as Benson became the first 100 yard runner against Baltimore in quite some time. Palmer then saved his best for last, again, marching his team down the field and throwing the go-ahead TD pass late in the 4th quarter. He posted another solid, but not spectacular fantasy line as he's moving along as a lower-end QB1 right now.
Chicago Bears - Bye week.
Cleveland Browns - Absolute barf. Jamal Lewis came back to wreck Jerome Harrison's day by taking 31 carries and being somewhat productive with them. He's a RB3 in the right match up, but that's about all I can say regarding this offense.
Dallas Cowboys - Romo's pretty productive when his WRs make ridiculous plays for him, as they did in both week 1 and week 5. He looked shaky again, even against KC, but Miles Austin obviously made things happen after the catch. We'll try not to over-react to one big game given he hasn't done much in his career thus far, but Austin has the skills and the opportunity to be the leading receiver for the Cowboys over the rest of the year. Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton aren't doing anything, and Witten is doing a bit more blocking than usual. Someone has to step up, and Austin has the talent to do just that. Barber was again hampered by his quad injury, so once again Choice stepped in and made the most of his touches. This has been the case for two weeks now, so the bye week comes at the perfect time for Barber.
Denver Broncos - They are for real. Orton played the best game of his year as this offense is starting to get comfortable with each other. Marshall has predictably emerged as the top target, using his size and speed to get open and make plays after the catch. The rest of the receivers are still in a rotation, but Eddie Royal finally gave his owners something to cheer about with a 10/90 performance. Until he shows some consistency, and given the coaching staff said his performance was match up-based even, it's not safe to say he's back. Moreno was good with his touches, but a fumble hurt him. Unfortunately he didn't get a crack at the end zone in this one
Detroit Lions - Well, that was about as much as could be expected. Culpepper was solid, and after Calvin left in the first drive with a knee injury, he spread the ball around and also made a play or two with his legs. He'll remain the starter while Stafford recovers, but with Green Bay and their tough secondary up next, he's a low end bye week fill-in. They aren't opening up holes for Kevin Smith, but thanks to his passing game production, he's posting solid weekly yardage totals.
Green Bay Packers - Bye week.
Houston Texans - Schaub posted another monster week thanks to the nature of this offense. With Slaton not providing the same spark on the ground that he provided last year, expect Houston to pass as much as ever this season, which means big things for Schaub in most weeks. It also means big things for AJ, who posted another monster week. He's been more inconsistent than last year, but his numbers are there. Daniels continues to rack up solid yardage as well and seems to be the secondary option for Schaub. Slaton was again ineffective on the ground, but thanks to his receiving yardage, he posted another solid yardage performance.
Indianapolis Colts - Manning continues to be on fire. Wayne would have had an even bigger game had he not dropped an easy TD in the end zone at the end of the game. Clark continues to see a ton of targets, and Garcon actually took a back seat to Austin Collie in this one. I think this was because TEN used a decent bit of zone and over-the-top coverage, so the Colts passed plenty to Clark and Collie over the middle. Collie has solid tackle breaking ability. The Colts weren't able to run, but Addai benefited quite a bit from the Colts underneath passing attack, hauling in 10 passes.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Mike Sims-Walker was declared inactive right before the game for violating teams rules, and unfortunately they haven't released exactly what he did wrong. Garrard and the rest of the passing attack sorely missed the downfield element that Sims-Walker gives them, so they struggled mightily against Seattle. Holt posted the best day of the season, but don't think he's back since they had no one else to throw to. Jones-Drew was hit in the backfield quite a bit, but luckily the handful of yards he picked up in the passing game saved it from being an absolute disaster. He probably would have scored, but a reception that he took to the 1 was called back by a stupid illegal formation penalty.
Kansas City Chiefs - Well, for one week this looked like a reasonable offensive attack. Cassel has done pretty well in a real football sense so far despite getting little help, and against a mediocre Dallas defense, he actually posted a solid fantasy day. His line still has him on the run quite a bit. Dwayne Bowe benefited too, although he again posted most of his damage late in the game on the last drive, including the game tying TD. The rushing attack is miserable, and LJ is barely worth owning at this point.
Miami Dolphins - Chad Henne still isn't being asked to do much yet, but his running game is making his life easy. When he was asked to make a play, he hit Ted Ginn on a perfectly thrown play-action bomb. He's definitely a game manager, he's out there less than most quarterbacks thanks to the continued success of the Wildcat, and his receiving targets are among the worst in the league, so it's hard to recommend him as a QB2 despite the solid numbers last night. Still, there are worse options out there. The running game continues to dominate thanks to Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Brown has cemented himself as the top dog in this backfield since week 1, but Williams plays a very important part. Both have shown their all-around games in what makes this the best rushing attack in football through 5 weeks.
Minnesota Vikings - Favre posted another solid game this week, and while Peterson's work load was limited by the game situation, he was plenty productive with his touches, and he scored twice to make his fantasy owners plenty happy. Minnesota keeps humming along, and their defense is creating havoc.
New England Patriots - Once again, Brady looked a bit off. He's overthrowing Moss on big plays when Moss gets open, and he just doesn't look right. His ridiculous preseason performance definitely gave some false hope to all who drafted him as he has struggled to start the year, but expect him to get better. Welker continues to benefit from the situation, hauling in a bunch of passes and scoring this week. Without Fred Taylor, it appears as though Sammy Morris will carry the load of carries each week. Maroney isn't doing anything with his touches, but he's still worth stashing as a RB5 to see what happens.
New Orleans Saints - Bye week.
New York Giants - Eli Manning rewarded all who had the balls to start him by posting ridiculous numbers considering he didn't even play the full first half. Manningham bounced back with a big play TD, and Nicks also scored while Steve Smith was the leading receiver again. Jacobs continues to struggle and took a backseat production-wise to Bradshaw who posted a monster game. Jacobs continues to get his carries, but he's not doing much with them, and this has now become a serious concern. He couldn't even score from inside the 5 on their first drive, and Bradshaw replaced him on 4th down to plunge it in for the first of his two TDs.
New York Jets - Mark Sanchez had his 2nd straight shaky outing, but it was much improved over last week. He's still a decent QB2 that will improve as the season moves along. Edwards arrival gave him a big play threat, and he loved throwing it to him. It was perfect timing, too, as Cotchery did not look 100% last night and was barely targeted. Edwards is a WR3 with WR2 potential for the rest of the season now that he's in a solid offense, and the rushing attack will open up some big plays in the play-action game for him. Thomas Jones looks his age, but he's still the preferred option at the goal line, scoring twice last night. His YPC is way down, and he's a dicey RB2 moving forward who is reliant upon TDs. Leon Washington was more involved and looked great with his touches, but he tends to get himself in trouble sometimes with his dancing. He's a solid RB3.
Oakland Raiders - What's to say? Russell continues to prove his the worst QB in the NFL, and the entire team is suffering. Bush and Fargas split carries, but Bush tossed in a TD to reward those who used him on a bye week. Bush is the great part of this committee, but the fact Fargas is stealing carries on a bad offense severely limits whatever upside he could muster out of this offensive mess.
Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb looked perfectly healthy on his way to carving up the Bucs secondary, and both he and Westbrook took it easy in the 2nd half as the offense wasn't called upon to do much. Jeremy Maclin exploded onto the scene with Curtis' injury, so he'll be a hot add this week. Celek continues to rack up targets and catches. Westbrook scored to save his fantasy day.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Big Ben posted another big day by tossing 3 TDs. The Steelers inexplicably went to the air in the 2nd half despite nursing a lead, so Mendenhall was limited to 17 carries and was a slight disappointment from a fantasy standpoint, although he still generated solid yardage and a TD. The coaching staff acknowledged this mistake, so don't expect it to happen again.
San Diego Chargers - Bye week.
San Francisco 49ers - The whole team sucked this week, but at least Josh Morgan is showing some signs of life. This team will be happy to get Frank Gore back after the bye week.
Seattle Seahawks - Matt Hasselbeck continues to prove me wrong. Given he was playing at home against a bad Jacksonville secondary, I should have recommended him. It's obvious that he still has it and this offense can move the ball in the air when he's healthy. Housh and Burleson are both solid WR3s when Hasselbeck is starting. The running game can be ignored thanks to their horrible offensive line.
St. Louis Rams - Boller sucked it up again, and Bulger actually came in and looked great, although it was with an out-of-hand 31-3 game. He hooked up with Donnie Avery several times, including a TD, providing a glimmer of hope for this offense moving forward. He'll likely end up hurt again, however. Steven Jackson continues to amaze with the yardage he's cranking out behind the most inept offense in football, but he killed his owners by fumbling at the 1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Johnson actually put up solid yardage, but he didn't look that great doing it. He was under constant pressure and isn't very accurate when he has his feet set, much less throwing off of his back foot. 240 yards and 2 TDs looks good, but not when you contrast that with a 52% completion rate, 4.8 YPA, and 3 INTs. Winslow posted a huge game and Bryant looked solid, but they will be limited by Johnson for as long as he's starting. If you can sell high on Winslow after this game and get a proven stud TE on a better offense, go for it.
Tennessee Titans - 0-5...wow. What a difference a year makes. Their defensive holes are killing this team as it is not built to pass and score a lot of points. Collins looked poor again, and Chris Johnson is being held back by the state of this team. Johnson can be viewed as a RB1/2 moving forward, and Washington is a decent WR3 as their most explosive passing game option, but this has been bad news.
Washington Redskins - Campbell continues to look mediocre and will likely be gone at season's end. Moss suffered from this performance, but at least posted a few catches. Portis saved his day with 2 TDs, but he again wasn't productive with his touches. Nothing much has changed here.
Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan was great again, and I hope you were able to buy low on Roddy White as the window of opportunity slammed shut with his ridiculous performance. Michael Turner looked much better coming out of the bye, putting up his first good game with respect to YPC and also scoring 3 TDs. Gonzalez took a backseat in the high scoring affair this week. This was a very impressive performance against a good defense. Ryan, Turner, White, and Gonzalez are all great options moving forward, but I maintain my concern regarding Michael Turner's workload.
Baltimore Ravens - Flacco has officially become a QB1 as the Ravens have moved from a run-first to a pass-first offense. Flacco struggled in this one, but still tossed a TD thanks to a ridiculous play from Ray Rice on a dump-off pass. Heap managed 7 catches, which was huge for PPR leaguers. Speaking of Ray Rice, he dominated touches in the backfield in this one. He has been one of the most productive RBs in football this year on a per-touch basis, and he's even scored twice despite not being the preferred goal line runner. I apologize to anyone who used McGahee on my "solid bye-week replacement" recommendation from last week...he saw two touches all game. We'll continue to monitor this seemingly inconsistent backfield, but there's no question that Rice is here to stay as a RB2.
Buffalo Bills - Trent Edwards still sucks, and this has dragged Owens down to a WR3 and Evans to a "stay on the bench" WR. In hindsight, we all should have seen this coming from a conservative coach with a conservative QB. Lynch lead the team in both carries and catches, although he only had 4 more than Fred Jackson. Most noteworthy, however, is the fact Lynch was definitely more productive with his touches. Lynch is sneaking his way back into RB2 territory, but with an upcoming game against the Jets, he's got a touch match up ahead.
Carolina Panthers - Carolina tried to run the ball more coming out of the bye week, but they weren't very effective doing it. Delhomme looked blah again. Williams posted a miserable day including a fumble while Jonathan Stewart was more productive per rush and added a TD run. Steve Smith did about as well as expected given his current situation, but he has regressed into a WR2 with the state of this offense. Williams and Stewart are both RB2/3 moving forward and that's it. Williams better not do so little again with his touches or he's going to lose his lead back title of this committee.
Cincinnati Bengals - Palmer started off hot with a big first half in regards to yardage, but then Cincy turned to the ground game as Benson became the first 100 yard runner against Baltimore in quite some time. Palmer then saved his best for last, again, marching his team down the field and throwing the go-ahead TD pass late in the 4th quarter. He posted another solid, but not spectacular fantasy line as he's moving along as a lower-end QB1 right now.
Chicago Bears - Bye week.
Cleveland Browns - Absolute barf. Jamal Lewis came back to wreck Jerome Harrison's day by taking 31 carries and being somewhat productive with them. He's a RB3 in the right match up, but that's about all I can say regarding this offense.
Dallas Cowboys - Romo's pretty productive when his WRs make ridiculous plays for him, as they did in both week 1 and week 5. He looked shaky again, even against KC, but Miles Austin obviously made things happen after the catch. We'll try not to over-react to one big game given he hasn't done much in his career thus far, but Austin has the skills and the opportunity to be the leading receiver for the Cowboys over the rest of the year. Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton aren't doing anything, and Witten is doing a bit more blocking than usual. Someone has to step up, and Austin has the talent to do just that. Barber was again hampered by his quad injury, so once again Choice stepped in and made the most of his touches. This has been the case for two weeks now, so the bye week comes at the perfect time for Barber.
Denver Broncos - They are for real. Orton played the best game of his year as this offense is starting to get comfortable with each other. Marshall has predictably emerged as the top target, using his size and speed to get open and make plays after the catch. The rest of the receivers are still in a rotation, but Eddie Royal finally gave his owners something to cheer about with a 10/90 performance. Until he shows some consistency, and given the coaching staff said his performance was match up-based even, it's not safe to say he's back. Moreno was good with his touches, but a fumble hurt him. Unfortunately he didn't get a crack at the end zone in this one
Detroit Lions - Well, that was about as much as could be expected. Culpepper was solid, and after Calvin left in the first drive with a knee injury, he spread the ball around and also made a play or two with his legs. He'll remain the starter while Stafford recovers, but with Green Bay and their tough secondary up next, he's a low end bye week fill-in. They aren't opening up holes for Kevin Smith, but thanks to his passing game production, he's posting solid weekly yardage totals.
Green Bay Packers - Bye week.
Houston Texans - Schaub posted another monster week thanks to the nature of this offense. With Slaton not providing the same spark on the ground that he provided last year, expect Houston to pass as much as ever this season, which means big things for Schaub in most weeks. It also means big things for AJ, who posted another monster week. He's been more inconsistent than last year, but his numbers are there. Daniels continues to rack up solid yardage as well and seems to be the secondary option for Schaub. Slaton was again ineffective on the ground, but thanks to his receiving yardage, he posted another solid yardage performance.
Indianapolis Colts - Manning continues to be on fire. Wayne would have had an even bigger game had he not dropped an easy TD in the end zone at the end of the game. Clark continues to see a ton of targets, and Garcon actually took a back seat to Austin Collie in this one. I think this was because TEN used a decent bit of zone and over-the-top coverage, so the Colts passed plenty to Clark and Collie over the middle. Collie has solid tackle breaking ability. The Colts weren't able to run, but Addai benefited quite a bit from the Colts underneath passing attack, hauling in 10 passes.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Mike Sims-Walker was declared inactive right before the game for violating teams rules, and unfortunately they haven't released exactly what he did wrong. Garrard and the rest of the passing attack sorely missed the downfield element that Sims-Walker gives them, so they struggled mightily against Seattle. Holt posted the best day of the season, but don't think he's back since they had no one else to throw to. Jones-Drew was hit in the backfield quite a bit, but luckily the handful of yards he picked up in the passing game saved it from being an absolute disaster. He probably would have scored, but a reception that he took to the 1 was called back by a stupid illegal formation penalty.
Kansas City Chiefs - Well, for one week this looked like a reasonable offensive attack. Cassel has done pretty well in a real football sense so far despite getting little help, and against a mediocre Dallas defense, he actually posted a solid fantasy day. His line still has him on the run quite a bit. Dwayne Bowe benefited too, although he again posted most of his damage late in the game on the last drive, including the game tying TD. The rushing attack is miserable, and LJ is barely worth owning at this point.
Miami Dolphins - Chad Henne still isn't being asked to do much yet, but his running game is making his life easy. When he was asked to make a play, he hit Ted Ginn on a perfectly thrown play-action bomb. He's definitely a game manager, he's out there less than most quarterbacks thanks to the continued success of the Wildcat, and his receiving targets are among the worst in the league, so it's hard to recommend him as a QB2 despite the solid numbers last night. Still, there are worse options out there. The running game continues to dominate thanks to Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Brown has cemented himself as the top dog in this backfield since week 1, but Williams plays a very important part. Both have shown their all-around games in what makes this the best rushing attack in football through 5 weeks.
Minnesota Vikings - Favre posted another solid game this week, and while Peterson's work load was limited by the game situation, he was plenty productive with his touches, and he scored twice to make his fantasy owners plenty happy. Minnesota keeps humming along, and their defense is creating havoc.
New England Patriots - Once again, Brady looked a bit off. He's overthrowing Moss on big plays when Moss gets open, and he just doesn't look right. His ridiculous preseason performance definitely gave some false hope to all who drafted him as he has struggled to start the year, but expect him to get better. Welker continues to benefit from the situation, hauling in a bunch of passes and scoring this week. Without Fred Taylor, it appears as though Sammy Morris will carry the load of carries each week. Maroney isn't doing anything with his touches, but he's still worth stashing as a RB5 to see what happens.
New Orleans Saints - Bye week.
New York Giants - Eli Manning rewarded all who had the balls to start him by posting ridiculous numbers considering he didn't even play the full first half. Manningham bounced back with a big play TD, and Nicks also scored while Steve Smith was the leading receiver again. Jacobs continues to struggle and took a backseat production-wise to Bradshaw who posted a monster game. Jacobs continues to get his carries, but he's not doing much with them, and this has now become a serious concern. He couldn't even score from inside the 5 on their first drive, and Bradshaw replaced him on 4th down to plunge it in for the first of his two TDs.
New York Jets - Mark Sanchez had his 2nd straight shaky outing, but it was much improved over last week. He's still a decent QB2 that will improve as the season moves along. Edwards arrival gave him a big play threat, and he loved throwing it to him. It was perfect timing, too, as Cotchery did not look 100% last night and was barely targeted. Edwards is a WR3 with WR2 potential for the rest of the season now that he's in a solid offense, and the rushing attack will open up some big plays in the play-action game for him. Thomas Jones looks his age, but he's still the preferred option at the goal line, scoring twice last night. His YPC is way down, and he's a dicey RB2 moving forward who is reliant upon TDs. Leon Washington was more involved and looked great with his touches, but he tends to get himself in trouble sometimes with his dancing. He's a solid RB3.
Oakland Raiders - What's to say? Russell continues to prove his the worst QB in the NFL, and the entire team is suffering. Bush and Fargas split carries, but Bush tossed in a TD to reward those who used him on a bye week. Bush is the great part of this committee, but the fact Fargas is stealing carries on a bad offense severely limits whatever upside he could muster out of this offensive mess.
Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb looked perfectly healthy on his way to carving up the Bucs secondary, and both he and Westbrook took it easy in the 2nd half as the offense wasn't called upon to do much. Jeremy Maclin exploded onto the scene with Curtis' injury, so he'll be a hot add this week. Celek continues to rack up targets and catches. Westbrook scored to save his fantasy day.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Big Ben posted another big day by tossing 3 TDs. The Steelers inexplicably went to the air in the 2nd half despite nursing a lead, so Mendenhall was limited to 17 carries and was a slight disappointment from a fantasy standpoint, although he still generated solid yardage and a TD. The coaching staff acknowledged this mistake, so don't expect it to happen again.
San Diego Chargers - Bye week.
San Francisco 49ers - The whole team sucked this week, but at least Josh Morgan is showing some signs of life. This team will be happy to get Frank Gore back after the bye week.
Seattle Seahawks - Matt Hasselbeck continues to prove me wrong. Given he was playing at home against a bad Jacksonville secondary, I should have recommended him. It's obvious that he still has it and this offense can move the ball in the air when he's healthy. Housh and Burleson are both solid WR3s when Hasselbeck is starting. The running game can be ignored thanks to their horrible offensive line.
St. Louis Rams - Boller sucked it up again, and Bulger actually came in and looked great, although it was with an out-of-hand 31-3 game. He hooked up with Donnie Avery several times, including a TD, providing a glimmer of hope for this offense moving forward. He'll likely end up hurt again, however. Steven Jackson continues to amaze with the yardage he's cranking out behind the most inept offense in football, but he killed his owners by fumbling at the 1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Johnson actually put up solid yardage, but he didn't look that great doing it. He was under constant pressure and isn't very accurate when he has his feet set, much less throwing off of his back foot. 240 yards and 2 TDs looks good, but not when you contrast that with a 52% completion rate, 4.8 YPA, and 3 INTs. Winslow posted a huge game and Bryant looked solid, but they will be limited by Johnson for as long as he's starting. If you can sell high on Winslow after this game and get a proven stud TE on a better offense, go for it.
Tennessee Titans - 0-5...wow. What a difference a year makes. Their defensive holes are killing this team as it is not built to pass and score a lot of points. Collins looked poor again, and Chris Johnson is being held back by the state of this team. Johnson can be viewed as a RB1/2 moving forward, and Washington is a decent WR3 as their most explosive passing game option, but this has been bad news.
Washington Redskins - Campbell continues to look mediocre and will likely be gone at season's end. Moss suffered from this performance, but at least posted a few catches. Portis saved his day with 2 TDs, but he again wasn't productive with his touches. Nothing much has changed here.
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