FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 5 TIGHT END RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 5 tight end rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Jimmy Graham
2.  Julius Thomas
3.  Antonio Gates
4.  Tony Gonzalez
5.  Jason Witten
6.  Vernon Davis
7.  Jared Cook
8.  Martellus Bennett
9.  Greg Olsen
10. Charles Clay
11. Coby Fleener
12. Owen Daniels
13. Brandon Myers
14. Jermichael Finley
15. Brandon Pettigrew
16. Dallas Clark
17. Rob Gronkowski
18. Tyler Eifert
19. Zach Miller
20. Jermaine Gresham
21. Brent Celek

FANTASY FOOTBALL WRAPUP: THURSDAY BILLS/BROWNS

                   

It was QB carnage Thursday night between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns as both starting passers went out with injury and the game itself was a bore.  Let's get to the fantasy football news coming out of this horror show.

-In two games Brian Hoyer went from unknown backup passer to a fantasy football starter in more than a few leagues.  After throwing four touchdowns in winning his first two NFL starts, many new Hoyer owners put him out there Thursday night in order to capitalize going against an awful Bills defense.  Well Hoyer barely made it past the National Anthem as he went out in the first quarter with a knee injury and didn't return.  Initial reports coming out of the Cleveland locker room were that Hoyer has torn ligaments in the knee which would finish him for 2013.  For Hoyer owners who did play him Thursday night, the result was crushing and a major setback towards winning in Week 5 given that he hardly accumulated any points.  Wait for the official news before cutting him loose but you should have already started making backup plans that don't include Brandon Weeden.

-On the other side, Bills rookie QB E.J. Manuel left in the third quarter with what initially looked like a very painful knee injury of his own after taking a hit there along the sidelines during a scramble.  Manuel rolled on the ground for a minute and soon headed to the locker room.  No word was released as of this writing as to the severity but Manuel didn't do much himself before the injury with 129 passing yards.  Manuel has had his moments as a rookie this season but he really should have been a backup guy going into the game.

-Add Stevie Johnson to the list of the injured as well.  The star wideout for the Bills caught only 2 balls for 19 yards while missing the majority of the game with a back injury.  Johnson owners no doubt were crying in their dip last night watching this no-show performance and like Hoyer owners, the lack of numbers is a big time blow heading into Sunday's slate.  Picking up the slack for Johnson was impressive rookie Robert Woods who caught 5 balls for 74 yards.  Still with Manuel's status up in the air all Bills receivers are to be avoided.

-Brandon Weeden was not terrible in replacing Hoyer after the injury, throwing for 197 yards.  For the first time this season though Jordan Cameron was not much of a factor in catching three passes for 36 yards.  No scores for Cameron as well which had to be a shock to the system of his spoiled owners. 

Josh Gordon however continues his big start to his own season in catching 4 balls for 86 yards and a score.  Gordon clearly has a knack for getting into the end zone but things could be a bit more rocky with the shaky Weeden under center the rest of the way.

-I wrote a piece on how poor Bills RB C.J. Spiller has been this season due to health issues and just plain bad running.  He was limited to the part-time duty Thursday night due to the ankle injury he suffered last week and for the first time this season Spiller scored after breaking a 54 yard run.  However Spiller only gained 12 yards on his 7 other carries which speaks to how he continues to let down in his overall running.  Fred Jackson meanwhile scored twice while rushing for 53 yards on 17 carries.  Jackson was able to score easily from his two goal-line carries which likely cemented his role in that regard which is more bad news for Spiller and his owners.  Yuck.

-Last but not least Willis McGahee looked all right at times but is still nothing but a backup option after rushing for 72 yards on 26 carries and a score.  At least by the looks of it he will be the bellcow back.

There you have it.  Let us hear your thoughts.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 5 WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 5 wide receiver rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Calvin Johnson
2.  Demaryuis Thomas
3.  Dez Bryant
4.  A.J. Green
5.  Victor Cruz
6.  Brandon Marshall
7.  Julio Jones
8.  Jordy Nelson
9.  Randall Cobb
10. Wes Welker
11. Andre Johnson
12. Larry Fitzgerald
13. Josh Gordon
14. Torrey Smith
15. Eric Decker
16. Marques Colston
17. Anquan Boldin
18. Reggie Wayne
19. Kenbrell Thompkins
20. Mike Wallace
21. James Jones
22. Hakeem Nicks
23. Steve Smith
24. Cecil Shorts
25. Danny Amendola
26. Alshon Jeffrey
27. Roddy White
28. Dwayne Bowe
29. Eddie Royal
30. DeAndre Hopkins
31. Justin Blackmon
32. Brian Hartline
33. Julian Edelman
34. Tavon Austin
35. Chris Givens
36. Nate Washington
37. Jeremy Kerley
38. Stevie Johnson
39. Denarius Moore
40. T.Y. Hilton
41. Robert Woods
42. Michael Floyd
43. Marlon Brown
44. Reuben Randle
45. Golden Tate

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 5 running back rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  LeSean McCoy
2.  Jamaal Charles
3.  Matt Forte
4.  Arian Foster
5.  Marshawn Lynch
6.  Frank Gore
7.  Reggie Bush
8.  DeMarco Murray
9.  Ray Rice
10. Bilal Powell
11. Eddie Lacy
12. Giovani Bernard
13. Trent Richardson
14. Knowshon Moreno
15. Chris Johnson
16. David Wilson
17. Darren Sproles
18. Lamar Miller
19. Maurice Jones-Drew
20. DeAngelo Williams
21. Joquie Bell
22. Fred Jackson****injury watch
23. C.J. Spiller****injury watch
24. Stevan Ridley****injury watch
25. Ryan Matthews
26. Danny Woodhead
27. Pierre Thomas
28. Jacquizz Rodgers
29. Willis McGahee
30. Daryl Richardson****injury watch
31. Rashad Jennings
32. Jason Snelling
33. Andre Ellington
34. BenJarvus Geen-Ellis
35. Darren McFadden****injury watch
36. Rashard Mendenhall
37. Zac Stacy
38. Brandon Bolden

FANTASY FOOTBALL STATUS REPORT: C.J. SPILLER RB BUFFALO BILLS

            

One of the bigger injury questions heading into fantasy football Week 5 centers on the status of Buffalo Bills RB C.J. Spiller who is listed as questionable and reportedly is a true game-time decision for the Thursday night game against the Cleveland Browns.  Spiller is nursing a sprained ankle that he hurt in last week's win over the Baltimore Ravens which followed a calf injury the week before.  In between, Spiller has not played nearly as well as his first round draft slot from this past summer as the term "bust" has already been tossed around.  While I think it is too early to go that far, there is no question that Spiller's numbers are not anywhere near what was expected.  Before we get into the injury, let's take a closer look at those numbers through four games.

230 rushing yards on 66 carries
3.5 YPC
9 receptions
0 touchdowns

All the way down the line Spiller's numbers are pretty dreadful.  The 3.5 YPC is a vast drop from the 6.0 he averaged in 2012 which generated so much excitement entering the season in the first place.  In addition, Spiller has not scored ONCE whether it be carrying the football or catching it.  Finally, the 9 receptions are also a downer as Spiller is much better than that in the receiving game.  His backup Fred Jackson however is averaging 5.2 YPC while scoring two touchdowns with 13 catches.  So in essence Jackson has been easily the most valuable Bills runner this season. 

So what is truly going on with Spiller?  A few things that catch my attention.  The first is the obvious injury factor which is one of the prime concerns I had about Spiller entering the season.  I voiced concern about Spiller's ability to hold up under a full time load of carries and so far through two games he is fulfilling my worries with his leg/ankle issues.  Going all the way back to his days at Clemson, Spiller has dealt with more than a few health problems.  So anyone who is not 100 percent physically is not going to be able to put out their best efforts which is what we could be seeing in Spiller's underwhelming numbers.  In addition, Jackson's good performances are forcing the ball into his hands more at the expense of Spiller.  Less carries for Spiller = less numbers.  Finally, Spiller has looked very impatient with his running, not waiting for the holes to open while the veteran in Jackson has conditioned him to do so.  Put it all together and we have a very disappointing first round draft pick. 

So what happens from here?  Ultimately Spiller is way too talented to continue to struggle like this.  A buy low wouldn't be the worst idea in the world but as I said in the summer, I don't see Spiller coming anywhere near fulfilling his first round draft slot.  The proof is in the numbers which no back can run from.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 5 QB RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 5 quarterback rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Peyton Manning
2.  Drew Brees
3.  Aaron Rodgers
4.  Matthew Stafford
5.  Tom Brady
6.  Philip Rivers
7.  Michael Vick
8.  Matt Ryan
9.  Tony Romo
10. Cam Newton
11. Colin Kaepernick
12. Brian Hoyer
13. Eli Manning
14. Russell Wilson
15. Jay Cutler
16. Terrell Pryor
17. Ryan Tannehill
18. Sam Bradford
19. Andy Dalton
20. Matt Schaub
21. Alex Smith
22. Carson Palmer
23. Joe Flacco
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick
25. E.J. Manuel
26. Geno Smith

FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACK HOT ZONE: RASHAD JENNINGS WANTS YOUR ATTENTION

Time to once again check in on the world of the running back as fantasy football Week 5 gets set to launch Thursday night. 

LEVEL 4

-C.J. Spiller(ankle)-Fred Jackson (knee)-Tashard Choice:  Lots of injuries to discuss here in addition to the short week for the Bills who play the hot Cleveland Browns on Thursday.  Both Spiller (ankle sprain) and Jackson (MCL) went down last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens which left the running load to third-stringer Choice.  As far as availability for Thursday is concerned, Spiller is the much better bet to play than Jackson and the former got a little bit of practice in on Wednesday to help support that claim.  Jackson claims he will be ready to go but any kind of issue with the MCL is almost an automatic missed game.  As far as Spiller is concerned, he has fallen way short of expectations givne his first round grade this past summer and that was something I warned about in the first place.  The Bills offensive line is horrendous which has not opened up running lanes for Spiller.  However Jackson has run well when given his opportunities and that has allowed him to take close to half of the carries which further knocks down Spiller's value.  Ultimately though those who drafted him have no choice but to continue rolling Spiller out there as you will be clearly selling low on the guy and the ability is still there for a big bustout game.  However the Browns defense has played very well this season, especially in the run game.  Combined with the fact Spiller is less than 100 percent, you may have to wait another week before progress is made.

-Rashad Jennings-Darren McFadden (hamstring)-Marcel Reese (knee):  Yup Darren McFadden is hurt AGAIN!!!!  McFadden is out for Week 5 no matter what kind of spin the team puts on him this week and the same goes for backup Reese who injured his knee in relief last Sunday.  Dust off former Jacksonville Jaguar Rashad Jennings who came on to catch 8 balls late in last Sunday's game.  This is strictly a PPR claim as Jennings has never been a good runner and anyone who gets tossed aside by the Jaguars tells you all you need to know about his upside. The Raiders have a tough one against San Diego this week who defend the run well so Jennings is really only going to earn some pub with what he does catching the football.

LEVEL 3

-Rashard Mendenhall-Andre Ellington:  Changes could be happening in the dessert as far as the running back hierarchy is concerned after veteran Mendenhall played horrible in a late win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.  Mendenhall ran for only 21 yards on 12 carries while also fumbling twice.  He clearly has lost a step after his serious 2011 knee injury with Pittsburgh and the speedy Ellington is ready to pick up the pieces.  Ellington has rushed for 6.2 YPC in limited time so far through four games and his fresh legs are something that needs to be put to use for the Cards.  Jump on this one quick in making a proactive move because Arizona won't be putting up much longer with the Mendenhall mess.

LEVEL 2

-Stevan Ridley-LeGarrette Blount-Brandon Bolden:  Strict timeshare is now in play for the New England Patriots who are doing their best Denver Broncos impression as far as having three runners contribute to the cause.  Ridley got 11 carries to Blount's 9 but the latter ran for the only score among the runners.  Bolden meanwhile was used down by the goal-line which adds even more craziness to this group.  Looming in the distance still is Bill Belichick favorite Shane Vereen who should be picked up if anyone in your league dropped him.  Good luck trying to figure this one out.  Everyone involved is a running back 3 until Vereen gets back.

Eddie Lacy (concussion)-James Starks (knee)-Jonathan Franklin:  Lacy is all set to go for Week 5 so the show is his after missing the equivalent of two games with a concussion.  Starks and Franklin did well during their cameos but Lacy is the one who will handle the majority of carries as long as he is in one piece.  Cut Starks and Franklin as they are not worth the roster spot.

LEVEL 1

-Ryan Matthews-Danny Woodhead:  Mathews carried the ball 19 times to Woodhead's 5 but the later scored twice among his 5 catches.  Those in PPR formats need to check out Woodhead who clearly has earned the trust of Philip Rivers who is back to his gunslinging ways.  Still Woodhead is not a major threat to Matthews right now with regards to the running game.