Studs

Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN – You drafted him for consistency and that is why he has stayed at the top of my rankings all this time.  Many of his owners were upset that he hasn’t had a really big game yet this season. So please, stop now! Three TD’s in the first quarter definitely qualifies as a HUGE game and was enough to earn more fantasy points than any other player in week 5.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT – About time right? Ben finally blew up and threw for 5 TD’s and 1 INT on Sunday to go along with his 228 yards. Most impressively was completing 25 of 35 passes with a poor offensive line protecting him. He was never someone I would consider dropping and I won’t let one game pull him outta the doghouse, but if he can get back to 20+ fantasy points next week I will have to bring him back into the top 8 or so at QB.

Matt Cassel, QB, KC – Cassel waited until roughly every single fantasy owner had jumped ship and dropped him to finally have a good game. Cassel threw for 257 yards with 4 TDs and was tied for the 2nd best fantasy QB of the week. This was a fluke. There is no need to go pick him up, but it does make me like Steve Breaston a little bit more. The bottom line is that unless Jackie Battle is able to keep up such a productive rushing attack, the passing game is just not going to be able to get going.

Pierre Garcon, WR, IND – I have a hard time viewing this as not a fluke. Maybe it’s because he beat me this past week with his 125 yards and 2 TDs, but it also might be because i’ve seen this before.  Garcon does a good job of getting open and has plenty of upside, but he is inconsistent and frequently struggles with drops. This is compounded by Painter being a consistency issue as well. The stars have been aligned for these two the past two weeks, but I couldn’t start Garcon next week unless I was desperate.

Victor Cruz, WR, NYG – There are a lot of people who want to call this a fluke. I will agree that the TD catch WAS a fluke, but Cruz is not. He led the Giants in targets with 11 last week and hasn’t been behind ANYONE other than Nicks since week 3. Eli trusts him and is looking for him.  Cruz is a play maker and as long as he is being thrown to, he will be able to keep putting up numbers. I think Cruz has passed Manningham in my rankings and I don’t see that changing. If you didn’t see the catch, make sure you watch it below. (I hope you don’t mind salsa music…)

Duds

Mike Williams, WR, TB – I guess it really is time to panic. The 49ers should have been a very beatable team for the Buccaneers, but instead Tampa Bay just got crushed. They couldn’t stop the run or the pass on defense and the offense was not able to get ANYTHING going. I can’t in good conscience keep him in my top 20 at WR any longer. You should be looking for a long term replacement, but don’t drop him from your team just yet.

Josh Freeman, QB, TB – See Mike Williams.

Stevie Johnson, WR, BUF – I’m not worried at all about Johnson, but two points is lower than you were hoping for in week 5.  Whether they are winning or not, the Eagles have some great corner backs and I won’t even expect a big performance from a receiver against that group.

Jacoby Jones, WR, HOU – Walter definitely saw an increase in stats after Andre Johnson was inactive for week 5. I expected Jones to be the guy that filled in and I still think he will be the better start for the next few weeks. Walter is just not as good of a red zone target, though if it was a PPR league I would give the nod to Walter.

Matt Ryan, QB, ATL – I know it was against Green Bay, but the Falcon’s week 5 loss really makes me nervous. I thought they were a MUCH better team at home?! Michael Turner was the only guy that looked good for Atlanta in this game as Matt Ryan didn’t even pass 200 yards.

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This year, the elite running back talent is deeper than it has been in recent years.  While most teams are still relying on a duo or trio of backs, there is a surprising number of feature backs to choose from in round one this year. Also, don’t forget to check out my updated RB rankings.

The First Seven

As I see it this season, the first round of every draft should start with seven RBs.  Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles, Arian Foster, Ray Rice, Frank Gore and Michael Turner are all established featured weapons in their offense and are too reliable and productive to NOT take as your RB1 if you have the chance.  Minnesota is bound to lean on Peterson while McNabb gets acclimated in his new offensive scheme and even afterwards, I expect AP to be a serious contributor in the receiving game as well because without Sidney Rice the receiving talent is lack-luster at best, making their success depend almost entirely on Peterson. Chris Johnson benefited from the signing of Matthew Hasselbeck because now there is a veteran QB capable of extending drives and converting on third down.  Hasselbeck will need to be respected by defenses and this will open up running lanes for one of the fastest and most elusive playmakers in the league.  I could easily craft an argument in favor of drafting Jamaal Charles number one overall.  Logic is bound to prevail  I feel the loss of Vonta Leach creates an added incentive for the Texans to revert back to a pass-first offense and considerably hurts Foster’s value.  This still leaves him as my #4 back so obviously I am still pretty confident he can be a consistent producer in that offense.  Speaking of Vonta Leach, he is clearing rushing lanes for Ray Rice now and with McGahee in Denver, I expect Rice carrying the ball out of an I-formation will be the goal line plan this season.  In my opinion people are way off on Frank Gore’s value.  New Coach Jim Harbaugh has already said he plans to heavily feature Gore and this includes the passing game, which is significant news for any of you playing in a PPR format.  Lastly, Michael Turner gets just about all the carries in Atlanta’s offense and with Julio Jones helping Roddy White stretch the field, fewer safeties will be able to move up to help slow down Turner.  I do not expect the Falcons to use Turner any less because of the new receiving threat, teams will just be forced to respect the big play more.

The Top 20

Rashard Mendenhall sits at 8^th on my rankings and is the first player I would pass on in favor of Aaron Rodgers or Andre Johnson.  Mendenhall will see quite a few carries but with Big Ben having Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders I expect them to attempt more big plays this season.  MJD slid to 9^th because of the number of miles on his knees and the possibility of a Blaine Gabbert led offense allowing defenses to focus most of their attention to stuffing the run.  LeSean McCoy also cracks the top 10 and would receive a bump up past MJD and Mendenhall for PPR leagues.  Darren McFadden is a little risky as an RB1, but he is at 11^th because of his big play ability and lack of other options for the Raiders offense.  Ahmad Bradshaw is at 13^th after re-signing with the Giants this offseason. Jacobs is still expected to see the goal line and short yardage work, but Bradshaw is the most important player to the Giants offense.  Ryan Grant is being under ranked by most people in my opinion.  I have him at 16^th.  He was a late first round pick in a lot of leagues last season and suffered a fluke injury.  All that time off means he must be dropped some but after a slow start, I think he has a serious chance at becoming a top 10 back again by the end of the season.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis is in a significant time-share with Danny Woodhead, but the Law Firm is clearly the one you want to own as he is who will see the goal line work.  Knowshon Moreno was up a few spots before Willis McGahee came into town, but will still see the majority of the carries.  Definitely not on the goal line though.

Backups and Flex Options

This is where I do not want to pick many running backs.  The guys just outside the top 20 are very risky and unproven.  The one young talent with the best chance to succeed is Shonn Greene.  He has a great line in front of him and if he plays well, LT will see a very limited role.  I have significant injury concerns about Jahvid Best and to a lesser extent Ryan Mathews, but they are 23^rd and 21^st in my ranks none-the-less. Daniel Thomas is the top ranked rookie as his physical between the tackles style will be needed and well complimented by Reggie Bush.  Beanie Wells is another injury risk but with Hightower gone, he will get first crack at the lion’s share of the workload.  I don’t expect him to play in all 16 games, but you don’t need him to in order to use him as a flex option or matchup play.  Marshawn Lynch is going to see a lot of carries this season and has a chance to be a solid RB2.  I have watched his career closely as I am a Bills fan and think he is too inconsistent to count on for much, but there was a time when he was a 1,000 yard rusher and it is possible he pulls it off again.  Pierre Thomas is a value-pick at 29^th in the rankings.  I am not a believer that Ingram will be much more than an effective goal line back this season with the awkwardness of the limited offseason and complexity of Sean Payton’s offense.

Sleepers

Frank Gore, Ryan Grant, Fred Jackson, Beanie Wells, Pierre Thomas, Mike Tolbert, Willis McGahee

Busts

Maurice Jones-Drew, Peyton Hillis, Jahvid Best, Cedric Benson, Felix Jones, Mark Ingram

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