The first quarter of the season is in the books. It’s almost sad how much more faster the fantasy season seemingly gets every new season. You can’t even catch your breath by the time your next big star goes down with injury or a bevy of stud teams are on a bye.
No Jaguars , which means no Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson, or TJ Yeldon. No Saints, which means no Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, Brandin Cooks, or Michael Thomas. No Seahawks, which means no defense, Jimmy Graham, Russell Wilson or Doug Baldwin. And no Chiefs, which means no Spencer Ware, Jamaal Charles, Travis Kelce or even Alex Smith to use in a spot start.
We sure have our work cut out for us this week.
Expert of the Week: Finally. Yours truly took home the honors, primarily based on the strengths of my sits. Ryan Fitzpatrick added three more interceptions to his unreal total, while Eli Manning couldn’t even muster a touchdown against the Vikings. Jeremy Maclin wast the “best” of the sits, 12 points was near the bottom of wide receiver category. Dwayne Allen’s two receptions for 20 yards probably didn’t help you too much, either.
On to Week 5:
Dunton:
Starts:
QB-Derek Carr-The Raiders offense is clicking right now and this weekend they welcome the Chargers and their porous defense to the black hole. Carr is a great replacement QB for those with Drew Brees on a bye this week, but I think he deserves a look as a regular week starter at this point.
RB-CJ Anderson-The Broncos either have a banged up QB or a rookie QB starting this week. Both bode well for CJ to run the ball and let the Broncos DEF do their thing.
WR-Julian Edelman takes on the Browns and guess who’s back? That’s right, Brady enters into the Patriots lives again. Enough said.
Sits:
QB-Cam Newton– yeah yeah he is under Concussion protocol so no fooling. The thing is Cam may try to sneak into lineup with the extra day off and the Bucs coming in on Monday night. Let’s not forget the Panthers are 1-3 and Cam ain’t happy. Don’t get sucked in and play Cam. It’s a trap. He is one hard hit away from being back on sideline. Carolina probably feels winning with Anderson 1 game and getting Cam back is even more enticing. No Cam this week!
RB/WR-I am lumping these two together. Lamar Miller and Deandre Hopkins of the Texans. They face Minnesota this week, not a good matchup, especially after Deandre poste a big fat 0 last week. Get other guys in your lineup.
Teddy Ballgame:
Starts:
QB- Carson Wentz has had an amazing start to his rookie season, this kid appears to be the real deal. There is no better way to pad your stats then a game against the Lions.
RB- LeGarrette Blount and the Patriots are going to have Tom terrific back this week against Cleveland. I expect Blount to see a bunch of touches in a possible blowout.
RB– Darren Sproles is going to be a sleeper this week at Detroit , he will probably get a bunch of chances in the passing game.
WR-DeVante Parker is due for a huge game. I realize this depends upon his QB Ryan Tannehill who is very up-and-down, and since he was awful last week The Dolphin receivers could be in for a big week at home against the Titans.
Sits:
QB- Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo Bills are headed to LA to face a tough Rams defense. Without Sammy Watkins or any other dynamic receivers I expect him to struggle.
WR- John Brown and all of the receivers for Arizona for that matter will probably struggle on Thursday night without Carson Palmer. I’m expecting a huge dose of David Johnson on the road against the 49ers.
Saucy T:
Starts:
QB: Brian Hoyer – You don’t need me to tell you to start Tom Brady, so I’ll give you someone further down most lists. Brian Hoyer had 302 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs last week against Detroit and gets another favorable matchup this week facing a Colts team that made Blake Bortles look good. Look for Hoyer to have another top ten week, and for the Wayniac to wish they had kept him in Houston rather than waste money on Osweiler.
RB: DeAndre Washington– Word came late Wednesday night that Latavius Murray was doubtful for the Raiders matchup with the Chargers this week, which means more work for Washington. The Chargers give up the second most points to opposing running backs, and the Raiders revamped o-line should help Washington have a huge day.,Don’t be afraid to plug him right into your lineup.
WR: Odell Beckham – Most Beckham owners are quite worried after the Vikings shut him down on Monday night, but they shouldn’t be for two reasons.
1. The Vikings defense is great.
2. Beckham’s 2016 stats are actually quite similar to his 2015 stats through 4 games, minus the touchdowns.(2015- 24/307/3 ; 2016 – 22/303/0
The touchdowns will come, and I expect the Giants to try to get Beckham involved early and often to keep him happy.
Sits:
QB: Matt Stafford – The Lions offense has been sputtering lately, and has become very one dimensional. They have no running game, and Marvin Jones is their only legitimate threat. This week they get a much improved Eagles defense that can get after the quarterback as well as anyone in the NFL, and will force Stafford into a mistake or two(or maybe Golden Tate will run the wrong route again). Stafford will struggle to crack the top 12 at the position this week.
RB: Isaiah Crowell – It will be hard to bench the NFL’s second leading rusher, but that’s just what you should do in week 5. Belichick is great at taking away what you do best, and as long as Cody Kessler is under center, what the Browns do best is run the football. Game flow has helped Crowell to this point in the season as Cleveland has played in close game after close game. I don’t expect this one to be so close. Tom Brady and the Patriots should have a big lead early and throughout this game, leading to more playing time for Duke Johnson, the passing downs back, and less for Crowell.
WR: All Cardinals Wide Receivers – You might be inclined to sit Deandre Hopkins against a Vikings “Purple Reign” defense that has shut down Kelvin Benjamin and Odell Beckham in back to back weeks. You might even be crazy enough to think about sitting Julio Jones against the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos “No Fly Zone” defense. I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to bench either stud receiver, especially Julio, because they are both still elite talents, and I doubt you have many better options. However the Cardinals trio of Fitzgerald, Floyd, and Brown should all remain on your bench as long as Drew Stanton is the starting quarterback in Arizona. The Cardinals should be able to beat the 49ers with minimal passing from the backup signal caller, and I could easily see a goose egg from any or all of these three. Good luck figuring out which one. I’m staying away from this mess until Palmer is back and healthy.
The Wayniac:
Starts:
QB: I endorse both Saucy T and Teddy Ballgame. The Lions have allowed 12 touchdowns though the air this season and the Colts are a mess. People remember the melt down in Kansas City for Hoyer, but they don’t remember that he has always played well against inferior defenses. He has two consecutive 300-yard games, but proceed with caution. Kevin White is out, Eddie Royal is limited and Alshon Jeffrey is limited. Their status could change things.
RB: The Washington Redskins have allowed the most rushing yards this season to go along with seven rushing touchdowns, second to only the Saints. Start Terrence West.
WR: Emmanuel Sanders had consecutive strong weeks. The Falcons have allowed six passing touchdowns. The quarterback situation in Denver is a bit of a mess, but even Drew Henson threw for touchdowns on TNF.
TE: Remember last season whenever a tight end played the Raiders, you started them. This year is different as they have only allowed one TD to TEs. That being said, I really like Hunter Henry’s showing thus far, and if Antonio Gates is out again, he should get you some points.
Def: Broncos and Vikings are no brainers at this point. I like the Packers this week, primarily because I don’t like Eli. Their opportunistic defense could cause problems for OBJ who just isn’t happy with football.
Sits:
QB: Brock Osweiler. Right now I don’t start anyone against that Vikings defense, especially a young quarterback who is clearly struggling with a new offense. I still think you sit Matty Ice this week too. I know you’ll be tempted after his big week last week, but that Broncos defense is shut down. Let’s not forget that Ryan went extremely late or undrafted in many leagues entering this season.
RB: Which Ryan Mathews will come out of the bye? The one who looked like he had the starting job, or the one who is going to split time in a committee. Doesn’t seem like going up against a team that hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown (the Lions) is the right time to find out.
WR: I hate to say this because I have him and fantasy and everyone is well aware of my Texans homerism. There is no way I would start Will Fuller V this week. I would say bench Nuk and Miller, but you don’t bench first round picks.
TE: Remember last year when every week Eric Ebron was my sit at TE and EVERY week I was right? This week Ebron faces an Eagles defense that has allowed 43 yards and zero TDs to TEs. Welcome back, EE!
Def: How do I put this nicely. The Jets stink. I mean, on paper they don’t, but they aren’t clicking on the field. Which means they aren’t getting you a ton of fantasy points. And in case you haven’t watched football over the past two years, the Steelers offense is dangerous.
Wayne Cavadi's Online Portfolio 