Fantasy Football 2011: Week 5 Tuesday Takeaways

To call this NFL season a wacky one would be an understatement. It's downright ludicrous, crazy, insane. Six quarterbacks remain on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing yards mark, New England Patriots WR Wes Welker is on track to catch 144 balls for 2,368(!!!) yards and 16 touchdowns and at his current pace, Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson will catch 28 touchdowns this year.

While offenses have been thriving, defenses have been sieves. However, not to be lost in the mediocrity is Minnesota Vikings DE Jared Allen (pictured). He has 8.5 sacks through five games and is on pace for a 27 sack season (Michael Strahan has the NFL record with 22.5 sacks). So yeah, it's been a ludicrous, crazy, insane season so far.

Wait, you want more proof? The Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills are a combined 13-2, while the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons all have losing records. Ludicrous, crazy, insane.

Every Tuesday The Source takes a look back at the weekend (and Monday night) that was in the NFL. Here are The Source's takeaways from week five.

1) If I were Mercury Morris and the '72 Miami Dolphins, I'd start getting worried about the Green Bay Packers joining my club. With an unstoppable offense and an improving defense, I don't see a loss on the Packers schedule.

2) It's Tim Tebow time in Denver and I couldn't be more excited about it. Tebow may not win many games under-center for the Broncos, but he will put up big fantasy points. In the final three games of last season (games Tebow started), he finished with 15, 17 and 21 fantasy points (standard scoring). Fantasy owners got a taste of what Tebow can do last week when he led the Broncos back against the San Diego Chargers, a game Denver eventually lost 29-24. Tebow finished with 79 yards passing, 38 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing) - that's 12 fantasy points in less than a half. Go get Tebow now!

3) Atlanta QB Matt Ryan needs a new nickname. Matty Ice is melting down late in games and it's led to the Falcons starting 2-3. Much like he did in Sunday night's 25-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Ryan has started games extremely well, but he's finished them poorly. In the five games Ryan has played this year, here are his stats by quarter:

• 1st quarter - 75.7% 290 yards 3 TDs 1 Int
• 2nd quarter - 61.2% 271 yards 1 TD 2 INTs
• 3rd quarter - 53.2% 321 yards 1 TD 1 INTs
• 4th quarter - 58.7% 420 yards 2 TDs 2 INTs

Ryan goes from a 75% passer to a 58% passer over the course of the game. And where is that big play offense with Roddy White and Julio Jones? All of Ryan's seven touchdown passes have come when the Falcons are in the redzone. How about the nickname: Matty Melt Down?

4) I think I'm over my obsession with Cincinnati Bengal wide receivers. I've now moved onto Buffalo Bills WRs. I'm mostly interested in them from a PPR standpoint, but it's also a healthier relationship considering the Bills are 4-1 and none of their WRs have a drug investigation pending (how does Jerome Simpson still get to play?). I was intrigued by the Bills WR group back when David Nelson started getting a ton of targets out of the slot. But then came Naaman Roosevelt and my mind was nearly blown (great name). Roosevelt is a little known WR from the University of Buffalo with shifty moves and good hands. Roosevelt saw a lot of snaps during Sunday's 31-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles and ended the games with 5 catches for 41 yards (on 7 targets). Look for Roosevelt to be on the field more with starting WR Donald Jones expected miss 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury. Roosevelt will stay in the slot, which is a great place to be in Buffalo's offense, and former slot guy Nelson will move outside opposite WR Steve Johnson. If you're in a deep PPR league, Naaman Roosevelt is a name to remember (yaa-man).

5) Speaking of obscure names to remember, the Kansas City Chiefs have a new featured back and his name is Jackie Battle. Battle finished Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts with 119 yards on 19 carries, a game the Chiefs won 28-24. While Battle didn't find the endzone, he did force the Colts defense to focus on the run, which lead to a four touchdown day by QB Matt Cassel. Battle hits holes faster than Thomas Jones and finishes runs stronger than Dexter McCluster, which makes Battle a valuable commodity on fantasy waiver wire this week. Pick-up Battle and consider taking a flier on Cassel and WR Steve Breaston (2 TDs on Sunday) going forward. If Battle continues to run hard and keep defenses honest, this Chiefs offense can be (dare I say) explosive. They were pretty good last year when they had a consistent running game.

6) My Frank Gore apology (take 2): The San Francisco 49ers RB did it again, showing me once more that I was wrong. Two weeks ago, I suggested rookie RB Kendall Hunter should start getting more touches because he had looked more versatile than Gore. Gore responded by ripping off 127 yards and a touchdown two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles and this past weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he rumbled for 125 yards and a score. That's 252 yards and 2 TDs since I ripped him. I guess motivation is born out of the keystrokes of The Source. Look for Gore to have another solid game in week six when he leads the 4-1 Niners into Detroit to face the unbeaten Lions on Sunday (BTW-Niners win this game).

7) The #SuckForLuck sweepstakes is down to two (maybe three) teams: Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts (dark horse: St. Louis Rams).

8) Where has Clay Matthews gone? In five games this season, the Green Bay Packers OLB has just one sack, putting him on pace for 3.5 on the year. Matthews has been a disruptive force since coming into the league, recording 23.5 sacks in his first two seasons. Maybe it's his quad, which has kept him from practicing much of this season, or maybe it's a lack of talent around him. The Packers lost DE Cullen Jenkins in free agency to the Philadelphia Eagles and DE Mike Neal has been sidelined all this season with a bum knee. Or maybe (the most likely case) he's just as good as ever, but now teams are using two blockers on him each play. Despite Matthews having just one sack, the Packers have sacked opposing quarterbacks 12 times this season, good enough for ninth in the league. So to answer the question where has Matthews gone? He's the guy getting double-teamed every play and opening up opportunities for other players.

Fantasy Football 2011: Week 5 Waiver Wire

We've reached the point in the NFL season where bye weeks are now in play and fantasy line-ups need adjustment. This week: the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins have byes - which means no Ray Rice, no Tony Romo and no Dez Bryant. Also, it's likely injuries will impact your line-up this week, especially if you own Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson, who's out 2-3 weeks with a hamstring injury.

The waiver wire is getting pretty thin and finding an every week starter becomes more difficult with each passing week. However, there are some bye week fill-ins worth taking a look at and some guys who could have an impact later in the season.

Ryan Torain, RB, Washington Redskins
Even though the Redskins are off in Week 5, Torain is worth picking up. Torain had 19 carries for 135 yards against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday and looked like best runner in Washington. Torain is worth adding in all league formats, and especially for owners who have Tim Hightower or Roy Helu. But be warned about Torian, he plays for Mike Shanahan. Shanahan has a tendency to keep fantasy owners guessing more than opposing defenses on who will get the most carries from week-to-week. Regardless, add Torain - he's the best of the running free agents.

Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots
After a solid preseason, Ridley got drafted in many leagues as a late-round sleeper. However, after three less than impressive games (where he barely touched the ball), he has a chance to play bigger role in New England's high-powered offense. With Danny Woodhead injured, Ridley took advantage of his first extended playing time of the season and rushed for 97 yards on ten carries and scored his first-career NFL touchdown. BenJarvus Green-Ellis still figures to be the main ball carrier for the Patriots, but Ridley certainly showed what he can do. With that said, Bill Belichick is just like Shanahan in that he keeps fantasy owners guessing on who will get the ball from week-to-week. Ridley is still worth a roster spot, but not a starting spot.

Jacoby Jones, WR, Houston Texans
With Andre Johnson out 2-3 weeks with a hamstring injury, Jones looks to be the most likely candidate to replace him. While it would be crazy to think Jones will match Johnson's offensive production, I think Jones is still a very good addition. If you recall last season when Johnson was out with an injury, Jones had 10 catches for 185 yards in the two games. Jones is a good fill-in WR if you need a bye week replacement, but don't plan on having him on your roster once Johnson is healthy and playing again.

Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
It's becoming more clear each week that Brown is emerging as the Steelers number two WR. He has outplayed Emmanuel Sanders and he has younger legs than Hines Ward. On Sunday vs. Houston, Brown led the Steelers in targets (he also led the Steelers in targets in week 3). Brown had huge preseason so he may not be available in your league. But if he is, he's the WR with the most upside going forward.

Tim Tebow, QB, Denver Broncos (pictured)
Maybe it was the pro-Tebow billboards that swayed me, but it might be time to add Tebow to your fantasy roster. His struggles have been well documented and he may not be a very good NFL quarterback, but he's already proven that he can be a fantasy football stud. In the final three games of last season, Tebow finished with 15, 17 and 21 fantasy points (standard scoring). His ability to run and throw makes him just as valuable as (dare I say) Michael Vick and Cam Newton. Go get him now before it's too late.

2011 NFL Schedule: Week 5

SUNDAY, OCT. 9  (All Times ET)
Philadelphia at Buffalo  1:00 PM
Kansas City at Indianapolis  1:00 PM
Arizona at Minnesota  1:00 PM
Seattle at NY Giants  1:00 PM
Tennessee at Pittsburgh  1:00 PM
New Orleans at Carolina  1:00 PM
Cincinnati at Jacksonville  1:00 PM
Oakland at Houston  1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at San Francisco  4:05 PM
NY Jets at New England  4:15 PM
San Diego at Denver  4:15 PM
Green Bay at Atlanta  8:20 PM

MONDAY, OCT. 10 
Chicago at Detroit  8:30 PM

Bye: Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Washington, Baltimore

Week 5: Good calls, bad calls

This week I didn’t make my usual list of predictions, instead I opted to let my rankings do the talking. There were some significant missteps on my part, but also some pretty good calls. Here’s a recap of the ‘good calls, bad calls’ of week 5.

Good Calls:

Shaun Hill – QB Detroit
I put Hill in the top 10 (QB #10) expecting him to have a very good game against the St. Louis Rams. Hill did not let me down throwing for 227 yards and 3 TDs. This might be the last we hear from Hill, as Matthew Stafford may be ready to return after the Lions bye in week 8. Hill will almost certainly start against the NY Giants this week in the Meadowlands. But if you haven’t picked him up by now, don’t waste your time.

Brett Favre – QB Minnesota
Not many people had Favre as high as I did in this week’s rankings (QB #11). Favre looked terrible in the first half on Monday night, but showed much more aggressiveness in the second half. Favre finished the night with 264 yards passing and 3 TDs. The arrival of Randy Moss will help Favre tremendously. Moss gives Favre a deep threat, and Moss opens up the middle of the field for Percy Harvin. Favre should now be considered a serviceable fantasy football starting QB each week.

Mark Sanchez – QB NY Jets
After three consecutive weeks of two or more TD passes, Sanchez (QB #17) struggled on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings. Sanchez was held without a TD pass and managed just 191 yards on 44 passing attempts. Sanchez and the Jets travel to Denver this week where they should be able to run the ball against a weak Broncos run defense. Don’t look for Sanchez to be the type of QB to give you multiple TDs each week.

Felix Jones – RB Dallas
Some fantasy football prognosticators continue to put Marion Barber ahead of Jones, but I didn’t. The Cowboys found out this weekend that Jones is a much better runner than Barber and expect Jones to get more of the carries going forward.

Brandon Lloyd – WR Denver
I have told countless number of people to pick-up, or keep Lloyd on their team. After years of knocking around from team-to-team, Lloyd has proven to be a great WR for Denver. His 135 yards and 2 TDs against the Baltimore Ravens should signal to all fantasy football owners that Lloyd is an every week starter. If you're still on the fence about Lloyd, consider this, Orton targeted him 14 times on Sunday. Yes, he's going to be big the rest of the season.    

Bad Calls:

Peyton Manning / Aaron Rodgers / Matt Schaub
I lumped these three guys together because they made up 60% of my top 5 QBs for the week. Together they accounted for one TD (Rodgers 5-yard TD pass to Donald Lee). The trio had good match-ups, but struggled to find the end zone. These guys will all be back in the top 5 again, we’ll call this week an anomaly.

Kyle Orton – QB Denver
A week after I proclaimed Orton a weekly top 10 QB, I put him at #15 because he was facing the Baltimore Ravens. Orton proved me wrong once again throwing for 314 yards and 2 TDs. I promise you, unless Orton has an injury, he will be in my top 10 every week.     

Ryan Mathews – RB San Diego
I have been wrong about Mathews from the day I started prepping my first cheatsheet. Mathews was supposed to be the guy in San Diego when LaDainian Tomlinson left. Five games into the season, and Mathews is still fighting to make a name for himself. I had him ranked in the top 10 (RB #10) this week, but again he failed to produce much. His 59 yards rushing led the team, but his 9 carries were second on the team behind Mike Tolbert (12 carries). I still believe Mathews will display flashes of greatness yet this year, but its taken longer than his fantasy football owners would have hoped.