NFL Week 5: Early Game Wrapup

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans

Trent Green - His eggs were scrambled trying to block Travis Johnson, and now he's out indefinitely. This is why you don't put older QBs with concussion problems in a situation where they might have to block. Stupid Dolphins.

Cleo Lemon - 15/27, 151 yards, 1 INT. Hardly impressive, but Lemon has some quality physical tools and knows coach Cam Cameron from back in San Diego. He'll have rookie John Beck breathing down his neck for a bit, but you could do worse than Lemon in a matchup against the dreadful Cleveland secondary in week 6.

Ronnie Brown - 23/114, 5/39, 1 TD. Ronnie Brown has arrived. This was especially impressive against a Houston run D that had been much improved over previous years up until this game. Given his proficiency in the passing game, expect Brown to be a solid RB1 for as long as he stays healthy.

Chris Chambers - 2/19. 2 duds in a row for Chambers, and the switch to Cleo Lemon might spell trouble. Consider him a WR4 until he shows what he can do with his new QB, although his matchup in week 6 against CLE doesn't get much better.

Marty Booker - 5/45. He's more of a possession guy, and Lemon might use him a bit more often. Think Derrick Mason-ish numbers with Lemon at the helm, and he's good for WR depth and a bye-week fill in.

Matt Schaub - 20/34, 294 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 3/6, 1 FL. He had been playing pretty well despite all the injuries around him on offense, but he's still only a weak matchup kinda guy without AJ and Jones. He gets Jacksonville next, so if your starter is on bye and Schaub is your backup, I'd highly consider the WW options for week 6.

Ron Dayne - 16/40, 1/5, 1 TD. So yeah, Ron Dayne is officially worthless. If he can't get it going against Atlanta and Miami, there's no hope for him. Ahman Green appears ready to return, so Ron Dayne should also make a return of his own....to the free agent pool.

Andre Davis - 4/79. Another solid game from a very popular waiver wire pickup. I wouldn't start him versus Jacksonville unless you're completely out of options.

Owen Daniels - 6/96. Still no TD, but Daniels is posting solid yardage and even better PPR numbers with their WRs out. Schaub relies on him as much as anyone and he has emerged as a lower tier TE1.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs

David Garrard - 20/27, 218 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 4/9. Another workman-like game from Garrard who is definitely a quality QB2. His running game was absent this week, but he seems to find the endzone once, puts up solid passing yards, and he usually supplements all of that with some rushing yards as well.

Fred Taylor - 16/51, 1/9. Another blah game from Taylor who's barely a RB3 at this point. He's getting a fairly solid workload, but he's just not doing much with it most weeks. Still, Jacksonville figures to stay with him.

Maurice Jones-Drew - 9/82, 3/30, 1 TD. There he is. He busted out a great 52 yard TD run which highlight his return as a fantasy option.

Dennis Northcutt - 4/73, 1 TD. He seems to have emerged as a go-to target for Garrard of sorts. Given all the injuries and bye week problems in week 6, starting him against Houston isn't a horrible idea.

Damon Huard - 1/30, 196 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT. He left with an injury, but appears ready to go in week 6 despite not returning in week 5. If you've been waiting to use him for some reason, this week against Cincy may be as good as it gets.

Larry Johnson - 9/12, 5/3. Talk about doing nothing with your touches. LJ has posted 1 good game in 5, although if there's a positive here, his schedule has definitely been brutal so far. Buying low is a possibility given your current team situation, but temper your expectations, like I've been saying since before the season.

Dwayne Bowe - 4/70. Another solid game from the rookie who is definitely doing his best Marques Colston impersonation. He's emerged as a solid WR3 despite the poor offense around him.

Tony Gonzalez - 8/100. He's really come alive these past two weeks and he's proving that he still has it despite the crap offense around him. He's a lower tier TE1.

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots

Derek Anderson - 22/43, 287 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 3/7. Not a bad performance at all given the competition. At this point I'm sold that Anderson can be a quality QB2. He had a monster game against Cincy, and he's followed that up with solid efforts each time out since then.

Jamal Lewis - 1/11. He suffered a foot sprain, which could mean he'll be out several weeks. Not that you should have been starting him against NE, anyways.

Jason Wright - 15/59, 4/43. A very solid afternoon for the unheralded backup to Jamal Lewis, especially against a tough NE defense. Miami can't stop anything on the ground except for Ron Dayne, so he's not a bad week 6 guy if you're hurting with injuries and bye weeks.

Braylon Edwards - 6/110. Edwards is proving to be WR1 material. Anderson knows how to get him the ball, and he's not afraid to toss it deep. He's been the 2nd best draft value at WR so far this year.

Kellen Winslow - 4/49, 1 TD, 1 FL. He just keeps putting up great TE numbers, no matter who the competition is, and no matter if he's hurt or not.

Tom Brady - 22/38, 265 yards, 3 TD. His worst game of the season. That's how ridiculous he's been this year.

Sammy Morris - 21/102, 2/9. He shredded the Cleveland defense, although I'm sure owners were hoping for paydirt. He contines to perform like a solid RB2 with Maroney hurt, and it's unclear when Maroney will return.

Randy Moss - 3/46. Cleveland sent everything they had at Moss, so Brady looked elsewhere. Given the upcoming showdown against the Cowboys and TO, expect him to rise to the occasion and produce a great bounceback game.

Donte Stallworth - 4/65, 1/12, 1 TD. He needs to be owned in every league now as he's clearly healthy. He'll probably frustrate you as an inconsistent starter, but he's going to get open with Moss opposite of him, and he still can make things happen after the catch.

Ben Watson - 6/107, 2 TD. Cleveland spent all their time covering Moss, and that left the middle of the field wide-open for Watson to own. Don't expect yardage days like this from him, but he'll have a few explosions throughout the year. He's still a lower tier TE1.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

David Carr - 10/17, 119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2/6. He hurt his back and needed an alignment and pain killers to return, but he did return and helped lead the Panthers to a comeback win. He's not to be touched in anything other than 2 QB leagues.

DeShaun Foster - 19/59. The new Foster, same as the old Foster. He finally earns the majority of the carries, but then does nothing with them. He's a dicey RB3, but should continue getting the majority of the carries for at least another week or two.

Steve Smith - 4/47, 1 TD. Well, at least he scored late in the game to give his fantasy owners a solid performance. With Delhomme out for the year, trying to sell Steve Smith as a WR1 might be a wise idea. Carr just can't get him the ball down the field. Carr turned AJ into a possession receiver in Houston and has a good chance of doing the same to Smith. Don't panick and give him up for Coles, but if you can somehow move him for a stud WR like Moss, Owens, CJ, etc, I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

Drew Brees - 29/47, 252 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT. This has become a serious problem. I thought the Saints would rebound at home after the break, but this team is clearly not very good this year. I wouldn't drop him because they're going to rebound somewhat eventually, but you can't risk starting him anymore.

Reggie Bush - 21/67, 9/52. Solid all-around yardage for Bush, but he struggled with his carries. He still has a lot to learn about running between the tackles, so his vision will likely hold him back from being consistent regarding his rushing yardage, but his presence in the receiving game will make him a consistent all-around yardage producer, and the TDs will come. He's a borderline RB1.

Devery Henderson - 4/101. His random explosion game occured here, but I wouldn't let him near my starting lineup. There's talk that he could lose his starting job to Lance Moore. Yeah, exactly, I don't know who he is either.

Eric Johnson - 5/30. He's dropped to a solid TE2 since this offense isn't going anywhere currently.

New York Jets at New York Giants

Chad Pennington - 21/36, 229 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 2/6. His arm strength has gone from below average to poor, and it's affecting the team's passing game. It's time to drop him, perhaps for Derek Anderson. The calls for Kellen Clemens are getting louder.

Thomas Jones - 13/36, 2/14. He was expected to be a solid RB2 in an offense that was supposed to resemble the Bears, but more efficient. Instead it sucks, and it's dragging Jones down with it. He's a weak RB2 at the current time.

Laveraneous Coles - 8/89. He's been consistent despite Pennington's erratic games, and given he's Pennington's favorite target, he might see a bit of a drop in production if the team moves to Clemens at some point.

Jerricho Cotchery - 4/31. He's been a solid WR3 so far, and he could benefit from a move to Clemens, who can get him the ball further down the field.

Eli Manning - 13/25, 186 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 4/17. Another solid game from Eli who's quitely become a borderline QB1.

Brandon Jacobs - 20/100, 1 TD, 1 FL. He fumbled early, but rebounded in a huge way. He had another 20 yard TD called back, so the fact he unofficially scored twice from 20 yards out is a great sign moving forward. He handled 20 carries just fine and could emerge as a low-end RB1 with enough carries.

Derrick Ward - 13/56, 3/8, 1 TD. Ward was also productive, scoring from 8 yards out and running well. The Giants obviously won't be able to run 35 times (Droughns had 2 carries) each week, so expect those lesser weeks to have a bigger impact on Ward than Jacobs.

Plaxico Burress - 5/124, 1 TD. The TD was a thing of beauty where Burress escaped at least one defender and outran everyone to the endzone. He had a swollen ankle after the ballgame, but should be fine for week 6.

Jeremy Shockey - 2/33, 1 TD. The Giants didn't need to pass a whole lot, but at least Shockey found the endzone to post a quality fantasy afternoon.

Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers

Matt Hasselbeck - 13/27, 116 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT. A horrible afternoon from Hasselbeck, who completely fell out of rhythm with the injury to Branch. If Branch can't return this week, that leaves him with Burleson and Engram as his WRs, and that means you should probably leave him on the bench.

Shaun Alexander - 11/25, 3/7. I said sell high. Ugly game, although he should rebound somewhat versus the Saints next week.

Deion Branch - 2/14. He was on a solid roll since week 1 before spraining his foot. His status for week 6 is in question.

Ben Roethlisberger - 18/22, 206 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. He was incredibly accurate despite not having Ward, and losing Holmes before the game started. The bye week comes at a perfect time for him as this will give Ward and Holmes time to heal from their injuries.

Willie Parker - 28/102. Parker is proving to be a bust this year as Davenport seems to have officially become the preferred option at the goalline. Parker struggled with fumbles last season in the redzone, and apparently the new coaching staff prefers using Davenport down there instead. This is a huge hit to his value. He'll remain a solid yardage contributor and a threat to break a big run, but he's back to being a borderline RB1 instead of a solid one.

Santonio Holmes - 0/0. Holmes hurt his hamstring in pre-game and didn't play. Unfortunately this screwed over almost all of his owners, but he's expected to return after his bye week.

Heath Miller - 4/44, 1 TD. Miller benefitted with Ward and Holmes out by posting a solid fantasy afternoon.

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams

Matt Leinart - 7/13, 100 yards, 1 INT. Leinart gave fantasy owners a relief by breaking his collarbone and making Warner the new starting QB for the rest of the season.

Kurt Warner - 14/28, 190 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3/0, 1 TD. Warner put up a solid fantasy day after Leinart left injured, and he should border on QB1 value for as long as he stays healthy. He's attributed his success to using gloves, allowing him to get a better grip on the ball. He won't be pass crazy like in 2005 under Dennis Green, but he'll be in a solid offense with a better line in front of him, plus Boldin could return this week.

Edgerrin James - 26/88, 1/9. A very disappointing day from James against the STL run D. He still put up solid yardage totals and has remained a workhorse. Warner might allow him more running room as he'll be a more consistent passer than Leinart was.

Larry Fitzgerald - 9/136, 1 TD. A huge day from Fitz, and he finally scored his first TD. It could have been even bigger as he had over 100 yards at halftime. With Warner the new starter, Fitz should be more consistent than with Leinart, but Warner appears to favor Boldin.

Gus Frerotte - 24/43, 262 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT, 1/1. Frerrotte posted a solid fantasy game with Bulger out, but the 3 INTs were annoying. Given he hadn't started in quite some time, I'd attribute that to rust as he's always been a solid backup. He's a solid QB2 with Bulger out.

Brian Leonard - 18/102, 5/33. A very Steven Jackson-ish game, and it's a shame he didn't score. Consider him a solid RB2 worth using in the right matchups while Jackson remains hurt.

Torry Holt - 5/89, 1 TD. As expected, Holt bounced back with a healthy QB behind center, and he produced his first big play hauling in a 34 yard catch. All in all, this is very good news for Holt.

Drew Bennett - 2/32, 1 TD. Bennett could become a decent WR3 option with Bruce out. He needs to be owned in all leagues, and he's a great redzone target.

Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans

Joey Harrington - 16/31, 87 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT. Horrible, and he was relieved by Leftwich later in the game. It's amazing how he crumbles under pressure. Not that this game itself was huge for the Falcons, but it's because Leftwich is picking up the offense and is now a legit threat to take his job. Get rid of him.

Warrick Dunn - 10/27, 2/12. More of the same from Dunn.

Roddy White - 3/55. Not a bad performance given how poorly both QBs played. He's defintely worth a roster spot, and he should be able to get open against the Giants next week. Whether Harrington will have time to get him the ball is another story.

Alge Crumpler - 2/4. Yikes. Crumpler owners have to be praying Leftwich takes over at this point.

Vince Young - 20/33, 157 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 8/27. Young was supposed to outshine the opposing QB, not emulate him. This further proves how Young can't be relied upon as a QB1 despite likely being drafted as such.

LenDale White - 12/32, 1 FL. A very disappointing effort against what had been a bad ATL run D. I still consider him a solid RB3.

Chris Brown - 10/27, 1 TD. Brown's TD came from 3 yards out, so everything that I've read about White being the preferred option near the goalline might not be true.

Brandon Jones - 3/36. Probably the only Titans WR worth keeping an eye on. He shouldn't be anywhere near starting lineups, but could emerge as Young's go-to WR eventually.

Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins

Jon Kitna - 16/29, 106 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 4/3. A very ugly game from Kitna who was due for a clunker one of these weeks. They'll have the bye week to get Calvin Johnson back on the field, and to readjust to defense sitting deep on them.

Kevin Jones - 11/48. Jones got all his carries in the 2nd half, presumably so that Detroit could feature Tatum in an attempt to deal him. KJ appears poised to take the job to himself after the bye. He's a quality buy-low guy who could re-emerge as a RB2 at worst over the rest of the season. Now's a great time to get him.

Roy Williams - 3/36. Kitna struggled, thus so did Roy. Same for all the other WRs, so it's nothing to worry about.

Jason Campbell - 23/29, 248 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2/0. A very efficient game from Campbell...probably his best performance of the season. I remain very high on him and think that he's around to stay as a solid NFL QB, and he's a solid QB2 who should keep improving.

Clinton Portis - 18/72, 2/19, 1 FL. Another solid yardage day from Portis who looked much better in the 2nd half. He's still nothing more than an RB2 and the Skins seem set on limiting his workload. I thought he'd be seeing more carries, especially with Betts not impressing, but that hasn't been the case so far.

Antwaan Randle El - 7/100. All of that came in the first half, but he left injured and didn't return. With Santana Moss likely to return this week, Randle El should return to fantasy benches.

Chris Cooley - 4/26, 1 TD. Cooley continues to disappoint with his yardage totals, but he's scored a few TDs to make up for it. He's having to block more thanks to the injuries to Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas on the offensive line, but as the new offensive line members gel more into the scheme, expect Cooley to pick it up in the 2nd half.