Week 5 Fantasy Football Studs
Here they are ladies and gentlemen, the heroes of the hour, the brave souls who carried your fantasy team on their backs to the safety of victory this week. Here is the list of players who have earned the key to the city for Week 5. For the full commemoration of these Studs, check out the podcast.
Quarterbacks
Marcus Mariota @ MIA
-163 passing yards, 3 TDs, 60 rushing yards, rushing TD
Tom Brady @ CLE
-406 passing yards, 3 TDs, 14 rushing yards
Guess who’s back… back again… Brady’s back…
Ben Roethlisberger vs NYJ
–380 passing yards, 4 TDs
Philip Rivers @ OAK
–359 passing yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
Brian Hoyer @ IND
–397 passing yards, 2 TDs
Derek Carr vs SD
-317 passing yards, 2 TDs, INT, 2pt conv, 13 rushing yards
Andy Dalton @ DAL
–269 passing yards, 2 TDs, 34 rushing yards
Andrew Luck vs CHI
–322 passing yards, 2 TDs, 13 rushing yards
Matthew Stafford vs PHI
–180 passing yards, 3 TDs, 16 rushing yards
A few more of the usual suspects made the list this week, but Brian Hoyer crashed the party again. I might have to start taking this guy seriously. Stafford and Mariota had some poor yardage games but were bailed out by TD efficiency.
Wide Receivers
Sammie Coates vs NYJ
-6 receptions, 139 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 11 targets
Started strong with a long TD, and he kept it going all game. He’s still a young WR with inconsistent hands, but as long as Big Ben is giving him opportunities, you should too.
T.Y. Hilton vs CHI
–10 receptions, 171 receiving yards, TD, 11 targets
Through 5 weeks, T.Y. is the only player in the league with at least 10 targets in every game. Not having Moncrief in the lineup has really consolidated this passing game.
Amari Cooper vs SD
–6 receptions, 138 receiving yards, TD, 12 targets
Many people saw this one coming with the injuries to the Chargers secondary. Amari has reasserted himself as the possible 1a/1b in this offense.
Larry Fitzgerald @ SF
–6 receptions, 81 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 8 targets
Even with horrifying QB play, Fitzgerald still got it done. Luckily, though Palmer has a long layoff between games to return from his concussion.
Brandon LaFell @ DAL
–8 receptions, 68 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 11 targets
I guess the Garbage Man really Can.
Brandon Marshall @ PIT
–8 receptions, 114 receiving yards, TD, 15 targets
He’s the man in this offense, especially for as long as Decker is sidelined. Fitzpatrick is not afraid to force the ball to Marshall regardless of coverage.
Adam Thielen vs HOU
–7 receptions, 127 receiving yards, TD, 8 targets
Cameron Meredith @ IND
–9 receptions, 130 receiving yards, TD, 12 targets
Jeremy Kerley vs AZ
–8 receptions, 102 receiving yards, TD, 14 targets
These three WRs were surprises this week. Of the three, Kerley is the only one who earned his role without injuries to the guys ahead of him, so he is probably the best bet of the 3 to repeat this performance.
Antonio Brown vs NYJ
-9 receptions, 78 receiving yards, TD, 11 targets
The real story here was the cleats Antonio wore on Sunday. His cleat game is on point!
Tyrell Williams @ OAK
–5 receptions, 117 receiving yards, TD, 6 targets
Somebody in the Chargers WR corps is going to have a good game each week. This week it was Tyrell. If you know who it’s going to be next week, please @ me.
Running Backs
David Johnson @ SF
–27 carries, 157 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 3 receptions, 28 receiving yards
David Johnson of Love
Say what?
David Johnson, yeah (ooh ooh, ooh ooh)!
Ezekiel Elliott vs CIN
–15 carries, 134 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 3 receptions, 37 receiving yards
Zeke is an absolute beast. This is by far the strength of the Dallas offense for as long as Dez Bryant is out. Expect more games like this from EZ-E going forward.
Tevin Coleman @ DEN
–6 carries, 31 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 132 receiving yards, TD
Really…?! Sickle Cell Trait my @$$. Also, worth mentioning that Coleman has been relevant in fantasy despite failing to rush for more than 50 yards in any game this season.
Devonta Freeman @ DEN
–23 carries, 88 rushing yards, TD, 3 receptions, 35 receiving yards
Freeman and Coleman really exposed the Broncos defense. If there is any weakness there, it’s the linebackers.
Jordan Howard @ IND
–16 carries, 118 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 45 receiving yards, TD
Jeremy Langford seems like a distant memory at this point.
Theo Riddick vs PHI
–11 carries, 49 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 33 receiving yards, 2 TDs
Riddick has made a name for himself with his skills as a receiver out of the backfield, but now he’s doing enough on the ground to justify staying on the field.
Carlos Hyde vs AZ
–22 carries, 78 rushing yards, TD, 6 receptions, 36 receiving yards
Hyde is the mirror image of Riddick, he has been a good runner but left something to be desired through the air. It looks like he is capable of taking over the pass catching role in this offense.
Le’Veon Bell vs NYJ
–20 carries, 66 rushing yards, 9 receptions, 88 receiving yards
Deangelo Williams is a complete non-story when Bell is healthy. They are going to ride Bell until the wheels fall off.
LeSean McCoy @ LA
–18 carries, 150 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 8 receiving yards
The “slippery fish” himself. This dude is electric, there are no two ways about it. He is fun to watch.
DeMarco Murray @ MIA
–27 carries, 121 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 16 receiving yards
DeMarco touched the ball 32 times on Sunday and managed to force 13 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
Tight Ends
Martellus Bennett @ CLE
–6 receptions, 67 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 8 targets
Sure, why not?
Rob Gronkowski @ CLE
–5 receptions, 109 receiving yards, 7 targets
Gronk could’ve really smashed if Bennett hadn’t swiped a trio of TDs.
Delanie Walker @ MIA
–5 receptions, 66 receiving yards, TD, 8 targets
When you operate as your team’s #1 WR, you’re likely to have some solid TE stat lines.
Hunter Henry @ OAK
–3 receptions, 74 receiving yards, TD, 4 targets
Antonio Gates @ OAK
–4 receptions, 30 receiving yards, TD, 5 targets
Hunter Henry out-snapped the veteran, Gates, 43 to 18 on Sunday. This kid is everything Ladarius Green was supposed to be.
Dwayne Allen vs CHI
–6 receptions, 50 receiving yards, TD, 6 targets
When Dwayne Allen scores, he ends up on this list. If he doesn’t, he ends up on the other side in the Pooped in His Big Boy Pants article.
Jesse James vs NYJ
–6 receptions, 43 receiving yards, TD, 8 targets
The outlaw got in the end zone for a six shooter this week. Like many TEs his fantasy output will be tied to his ability to do so on a weekly basis.
Crockett Gilmore vs WAS
–4 receptions, 28 receiving yards, TD
Not a stellar output for Gilmore. This is more of a detriment for the value of Dennis Pitta than it makes me excited for Gilmore.
Kickers/Defense/Special Teams
Adam Vinatieri vs CHI
–5/5 FG, 2/2 XP
The elder statesman hit on all 5 of his field goals from distances of 54, 53, 46, 41 and 26 yards. He really helped out those owners who randomly drafted him to be their Kicker and haven’t given him a second thought until now.
Honorable Mentions
Davante Adams vs NYG
-5 receptions, 85 receiving yards, TD, 8 targets
Randall Cobb vs NYG
–9 receptions, 108 receiving yards, 11 targets
Travis Benjamin @ OAK
-7 receptions, 117 receiving yards, 11 targets
Matt Asiata vs HOU
-14 carries, 55 rushing yards, TD, 3 receptions, 46 receiving yards
Todd Gurley vs BUF
-23 carries, 72 rushing yards, TD, 3 receptions, 36 rushing yards
Ryan Matthews @ DET
-11 carries, 42 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 33 receiving yards, TD
Melvin Gordon @ OAK
–16 carries, 69 rushing yards, 1 reception, 18 receiving yards, TD
Jay Ajayi vs TEN
-13 carries, 42 rushing yards, TD
Terrance West vs WAS
–11 carries, 95 rushing yards, 2 receptions, -6 receiving yards