Week 5 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

Eli Manning, QB, Giants – His 297-yard, 3-TD performance was offset a bit by 2 INTs.
Shaun Hill, QB, Lions – Torched the Rams for 227 yards and a TD hat trick.
Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers – Passed for 431 yards and 2 TDs, but lost 2 fumbles and the game.
Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys – His personal-best 406-yard, 3-TD game was spoiled by 3 INTs.
Alex Smith, QB, 49ers – It was ugly, but his 309-yard, 3-TD, 2-INT performance, with 16 rushing yards added for good measure, worked for his fantasy owners.
Brett Favre, QB, Vikings – Overcame an awful start to pass for 264 yards and 3 TDs, but 3 turnovers hurt.

Ray Rice, RB, Ravens – Scored twice while rushing for 133 yards and adding 26 yards on 4 receptions.
Matt Forte, RB, Bears – Blitzed the Panthers for 166 rushing yards and 2 TDs, plus a pair of catches for 22 yards.
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans – Ran for 131 yards and 2 short TDs.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants – Schooled the Texans with a dozen catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs.
Brandon Lloyd, WR, Broncos – Continued his stellar season with 5 catches for 135 yards and 2 TDs.
Malcom Floyd, WR, Chargers – Produced 213 yards and a TD on 8 catches.
Steve Johnson, WR, Bills – Reeled in 5 passes for 46 yards and a pair of TDs.
Percy Harvin, WR, Vikings – Caught 5 balls for 97 yards and 2 TDs.
Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys – Collected 9 passes for 166 yards and an electrifying score.

Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jaguars – Posted his second 2-TD game of the season on 4 receptions for 54 yards.

Nick Folk, K, Jets – Knocked in 5 field goals (including a 53-yarder) plus 2 extra points.

Raiders defense/special teams – Scored a safety and TD on 2 blocked punts, scored another TD on a 64-yard fumble return, recovered 3 fumbles and notched 3 sacks.

This was a great week to play against…

Peyton Manning, QB, Colts – Held without a TD while passing for a mediocre 244 yards and an INT.
Matt Schaub, QB, Texans – Failed to throw a TD pass while collecting just 196 yards and coughing up 2 turnovers.
Bruce Gradkowski, QB, Raiders – So bad, he was replaced after passing for an awful 14 yards.
Sam Bradford, QB, Rams – Threw for 215 yards, 2 picks and no TDs against the suddenly dominating Lions.

Thomas Jones, RB, Chiefs – Only 19 rushing yards against the Colts.
Arian Foster, RB, Texans – Tanked with just 25 rushing yards and 2 short receptions.
Cadillac Williams, RB, Buccaneers – His 33-yard rushing performance could be a sign of committee days to come.
Beanie Wells, RB, Cardinals – Still can’t get on track with just 35 rushing yards and a 5-yard reception. Tim Hightower was even worse, ending with only 6 yards on the day.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers – Managed only 51 rushing yards and 8 receiving yards on 3 catches. Jonathan Stewart (30 rushing, 4 receiving) was worse than that.

Mario Manningham, WR, Giants – Posted his second consecutive goose egg.
Legedu Naanee, WR, Chargers – Held catchless before leaving with a hamstring injury.
Mark Clayton, WR, Rams – After his lone 6-yard reception, left with a season-ending injury.
Anquan Boldin, WR, Ravens – Held to a single, 8-yard catch.
Lance Moore, WR, Saints – Ditto.
Bears WRs – Johnny Knox led with a 14-yard catch, while Devin Hester went nowhere on his 2 receptions.
Chad Ochocinco, WR, Bengals – Upstaged by TO again, with just 3 receptions for 20 yards.
Greg Jennings, WR, Packers – Limited to a pair of receptions for 22 yards.
Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys – Same for the rookie.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Ravens – Just 2 catches for 24 yards.
Kevin Walter, WR, Texans – Him too.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles – Followed the same trend.
Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs – His 2 catches resulted in 33 yards.

Jermichael Finley, TE, Packers – Injured before catching a single pass.
Dustin Keller, TE, Jets – Limited to 2 receptions for 14 yards.
Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Vikings – Only 2 catches for 28 yards.
Dallas Clark, TE, Colts – Just 20 yards on 3 receptions.

I didn’t see that coming…

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Bills – Passed for 220 yards and 3 TDs without a turnover.

Lions defense/special teams – Scored on a kickoff return and a 42-yard INT return, posted 1 sack, and collected 3 turnovers, while holding the Rams to a pair of field goals.

Week 5 Starters & Benchwarmers

Wondering whether or not to start Peyton Manning and Arian Foster, or bench Max Hall and Maurice Morris? The network bozos specialize in that kind of advice. If you’re looking for real help with your starting lineup conundrums, read on.

Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 5 of the 2010 season.

Watch ‘em roll

Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals vs. Buccaneers. He has been up and down thus far this season, with two awful performances book-ended by a pair of 340-plus-yard, two-touchdown outings. You can trust him to deliver again in this matchup against a secondary that most recently allowed Charlie Batch to post a TD hat trick.

Michael Bush, RB, Raiders vs. Chargers. With Darren McFadden expected to sit out with a bad hammy, Bush will be the workhorse in this matchup. San Diego’s run defense has been solid, but Bush is a wrecking ball who should have plenty of success behind a line that has blocked well for McFadden all season.

Ladell Betts, RB, Saints at Cardinals. With Max Hall taking the snaps for Arizona, the Saints could be playing on a short field all day. If Pierre Thomas (ankle) rests again, as expected, Betts will be the preferred play over rookie Chris Ivory, since he’s a better receiver. Betts can’t help but find the end zone this weekend against Arizona’s sieve-like defense.

Mario Manningham, WR, Giants at Texans. Houston’s pathetic secondary is the tonic Eli Manning needs to get his groove back. In addition to Hakeem Nicks, Manningham should be very busy on Sunday. The oft-overlooked wideout has out-performed Steve Smith to date, despite posting a goose egg last week due to a borderline concussion.

Lance Moore, WR, Saints at Cardinals. Marques Colston has caught four more passes than Moore thus far, but the “backup” has done more with his opportunities (209 yards and 3 TDs vs. 190 yards and zero TDs). At this point, though Colston remains a solid option, Moore is a must-start.

More thumbs up (excluding the no-brainers): QBs Brett Favre, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, Joe Flacco, Shaun Hill; RBs Ryan Torain, Joseph Addai, Peyton Hillis, Ryan Mathews, Cedric Benson, Matt Forte; WRs Mark Clayton, Austin Collie, Dez Bryant, Terrell Owens, Mike Sims-Walker, Dwayne Bowe, Malcom Floyd, Brandon Lloyd, Kevin Walter.

Roll ‘em back

Donovan McNabb, QB, Redskins vs. Packers. McNabb has thrown no more than one scoring pass in any game this season, and he’s coming off an emotional victory against his former team. Though Green Bay’s defense has been uneven to date, this is an unlikely week for McNabb to reclaim his fantasy mojo.


Knowshon Moreno, RB, Broncos at Ravens. He could be a game-time decision on Sunday, but only desperate owners should take the chance that Moreno would fare well anyway. Though the Ravens are not as stout as usual against the run, Denver is now a pass-centric team. Whichever tailback gets the starting nod is a bad bet this week.

Beanie Wells, RB, Cardinals vs. Saints. There’s little going for the Cardinals these days, and that’s unlikely to change soon. New Orleans could easily run up the score early, rendering Arizona’s rushing attack moot for the second consecutive week. Neither tailback is likely to deliver positive fantasy returns.

Johnny Knox, WR, Bears at Panthers. Carolina held Drew Brees to a single TD pass last week, so you know they can handle Todd Collins, who will start in place of the concussed Jay Cutler. That’s bad news for Knox and all of his fellow receivers.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Eagles at 49ers. With Kevin Kolb back under center, the Philly passing attack becomes a major question mark. DeSean Jackson is too explosive to bench, but Maclin is different. Though the 49ers’ secondary has been disappointing, they should rally at home against this struggling offense.

More thumbs down: QBs Kolb, Vince Young, Bruce Gradkowski, Alex Smith; RBs Shonn Greene, Brandon Jackson, Tim Hightower, Laurence Maroney, Jonathan Stewart, Willis McGahee, Marion Barber; WRs Larry Fitzgerald, Nate Washington, Michael Crabtree, Devin Hester.

TAKING A FLIER

Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets vs. Vikings. All the Monday night attention will be focused on Randy Moss, but Holmes will be making his own debut in a new uniform. In a game where both rushing attacks could struggle against stiff run defenses, look for Mark Sanchez to get his new toy involved early and often, especially if Minnesota focuses its attention on Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller.

DON’T BE THE BONEHEAD WHO…fails to track the Sunday morning inactive reports. Several owners were burned last week when they left Pierre Thomas and Andre Johnson in their lineups. Follow my tweets, and you’ll be spared the ignominy of the goose egg.