Week 5 NFL Matchup Preview Part Two
Sunday, October 9, 2016
1:00 PM EST
New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: Mr. Turnover has 9 interceptions in his past two games, and 10 on the season. However, the Steelers secondary had given up three straight 300+ yard passing games before a “season low” 287 yards to Alex Smith last week. He might throw a couple passes to the wrong team, but this is setting up for Fitzpatrick to exceed 300 yards and 2 TDs. He’s a sneaky start.
RB Matt Forte, Bilal Powell: Forte missed practice mid-week with a rib injury, but signs point to him playing. In a high scoring game, both Forte and Powell should see opportunities. Forte is an RB2, Powell is a flex in PPR leagues.
WR Brandon Marshall, Quincy Enunwa: The Steelers secondary has been beaten up by QBs, but they have been tough on primary WR targets, keeping A. J. Green and Jordan Matthews under 10 PPR points and keeping DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin out of the end zone. Meanwhile, the secondary WR targets have had really solid games. Marshall is more of a high-end WR2 while Enunwa is a solid WR2 start.
QB Ben Roethlisberger: Always a stud at home, Roethlisberger is a must start coming off a 300 yard, 5 TD game.
RB Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams: Welcome back Le’Veon! The Jets have been very stingy on the ground to opposing RBs, but have been vulnerable through the air. Bell might have a lower rushing total than Week 4 but should have a very solid receiving day. He’s a must-start RB1. DeAngelo Williams snuck in a TD later in the game last week, but should not be started based on his very limited role.
WR: Antonio Brown, Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton: Antonio Brown is the premier WR in fantasy football. Revis Island doesn’t exist anymore, so don’t be afraid of the “name”. The Jets have also allowed big plays to secondary WRs, making Sammie Coates a decent WR3/flex play and Markus Wheaton a very sneaky flex start if you want to swing for the fences and are not afraid of a dud.
TE: Jesse James: He’s not getting huge volume, but the Jets are vulnerable to opposing TEs, making Jesse James a great streaming TE who has nice TD potential.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube
Sunday, October 9, 2016
4:05 PM EST
Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos
QB Matt Ryan: It’s hard to bench the #1 QB in fantasy football who’s also coming off a game where he threw for over 500 yards, but the Denver defense is legit. They’ve held Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston under 200 passing yards. Only Andy Dalton exceeded 200 passing yards, with 206. They haven’t allowed a passing TD since Andrew Luck in Week 2, and have allowed just 3 passing TDs on the season. If you have another QB with a great matchup, it looks like benching Ryan is a reasonable decision.
RB Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman: Devonta Freeman has stepped up the past week few weeks, but the Broncos are a tough matchup. They have allowed some points to RBs, so he’s still an RB2. We found out this week that Tevin Coleman suffers from Sickle Cell, which is dangerous to players at high altitudes. Former Steeler, Ryan Clark sat out games due to the same thing. While Coleman says he will play, I won’t be surprised to see him extremely limited or not play unless it’s an emergency. He’s not startable this week.
WR Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu: Julio proved last week that you never count out elite players. He’s still a must-start in a tough matchup. Sanu, on the other hand, should be only considered a flex play in desperate situations.
TE Jacob Tamme: Tamme had a hot start, but has cooled off recently. The Broncos have allowed solid, but not exciting receiving stats to opposing TEs, but the lack of TDs limits any upside.
QB Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch: Regardless of who starts, they should be a streaming option against a Falcons secondary that has been in a bunch of shootouts.
RB C.J. Anderson: Anderson should continue his role as a workhorse RB and is a solid RB1 start this week.
WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders: Both WRs have been posting solid weekly stats and should continue their trends against a weak Falcons secondary. Both are high-end WR2 starts.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube
Sunday, October 9, 2016
4:25 PM EST
Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys
QB Andy Dalton: Road Dalton is not as good as home Dalton. The Cowboys secondary has been up and down this year, which makes Dalton a borderline QB1 with a few weekly starter QBs on bye.
RB Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard: The RBs have been unpredictable and the matchup doesn’t exactly give us a clear picture either. Both are RB2 starts at best.
WR: A.J. Green: The Cowboys have surprisingly kept opposing WR1 out of the end zone, but A.J. Green is a stud and must start.
QB Dak Prescott: At this stage, Dak Prescott has been a better real-life QB than fantasy QB. The possibility of a rushing TD makes him a streamer or bye week fill-in, but nothing more.
RB Ezekiel Elliott: Averaging over 23 carries and 100 yards rushing per game, Elliott is a must start against a Bengals Defense that is allowing 97 yards per game and 138 yards when on the road.
WR Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, Brice Butler: The Cowboys pass catchers are all going to cancel each other out. Beasley and Williams are the top targets, while Butler is nothing more than a desperation flex play.
TE Jason Witten: Witten has been a consistent target for his rookie QB, but his lack of TDs limits his upside.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube
Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
QB Tyrod Taylor: It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Tyrod Taylor owners and tough road matchup on the other side of the country makes Tyrod a questionable start. He’s best left on the bench.
RB LeSean McCoy: McCoy has been one of the few RBs drafted in the early rounds to really live up to his ADP. He’s a must-start RB1, even in a tough matchup.
WR Robert Woods: Robert Woods has been the only consistent performer for the Bills at WR. It’s a tough matchup, but he should be a decent WR3/flex in PPR leagues.
TE Charles Clay: The Rams have been very tough on TEs for the season, outside of Cameron Brate’s 2 TD game. Clay isn’t worth the start unless you’re desperate.
RB Todd Gurley: The Bills are 13th in yards allowed to opposing RBs, with 96 per game. Still averaging just 2.6 ypc, Gurley could see a boost in PPR leagues if he continues to get a few targets and Benny Cunningham misses the game.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
QB Philip Rivers: Outside of their Week 3 matchup against Marcus Mariota, the Oakland secondary is allowing QB1 games every week. Rivers should have no problem posting a solid QB1 game.
RB Melvin Gordon: Melvin Gordon has become a weekly must start, especially in a great match up with a high scoring potential.
WR Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman: Who will be the guy this week? No one knows, but based on the matchup, each of them is a solid start in your flex spot.
TE Hunter Henry/Gates: The Raiders are a solid matchup for opposing TEs. If Gates returns, Henry is probably not worth starting, but if Gates is out, Henry is a good streaming option due to his TD potential.
QB Derek Carr: The Chargers secondary has gotten better against opposing QBs each week this season, culminating with Drew Brees being held to 207 passing yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. Carr should be a solid, but low-end QB1.
RB DeAndre Washington, Jalen Richard: It’s looking like Latavius Murray could miss Week 5, making DeAndre Washington an interesting flex play. Jalen Richard is a boom/bust flex as well.
WR Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper: I listed Michael Crabtree first because he is the primary WR target in Oakland. He’s become a must-start WR. Amari Cooper will still see the better coverage due to his name value, making him a WR2 at best.
TE Clive Walford: Clive Walford hasn’t been receiving volume worthy of a weekly starting TE. In a projected high-scoring matchup, he’s a decent streamer.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube
Sunday, October 9, 2016
8:30 PM EST
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers
QB Eli Manning: The Packers secondary has been fairly friendly to opposing QBs. Expect Manning to have a high volume passing game in a prime-time shootout.
RB Rashad Jennings. Orleans Darkwa: Much like 2015, the Giants backfield has become a mess and a situation to avoid. The Packers have allowed a brick-wall-like 42 yards rushing per game to opposing RBs. No one is better than a flex play to cover a bye week.
WR Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Victor Cruz: One of these days, Odell Beckham will stop pouting and start scoring TDs. This could be the week. He has the potential to explode at any time like Julio Jones did last week, so don’t get cute, keep Beckham in your lineup. Both of the secondary targets, Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz, should be decent starts this week. Shepard is a WR2, Cruz is a flex.
TE Will Tye: With Larry Donnell unlikely to play, Will Tye becomes an interesting streaming option at TE.
QB Aaron Rodgers: Hopefully the bye week came at the perfect time to allow the Packers to correct their offensive issues. Rodgers hasn’t been great thus far, but he’s a must start in a prime-time game.
RB Eddie Lacy: For fantasy football purposes, Eddie Lacy has been terrible this season, averaging under 10 points per game in PPR leagues. The Giants run defense is top 10 in yards allowed with just 84 rushing yards per game. Lacy’s lack of involvement in the passing game makes him a limited upside RB2.
WR Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Devante Adams: Jordy Nelson has been the only consistent performer at WR for the Packers and he’s a must-start WR1. Cobb was an ok PPR play in Weeks 1 and 2 before a Week 3 dud. I would expect him to be more like the first two weeks than Week 3, he’s a WR3/flex play. Devante Adams had been force-fed the ball in Weeks 1 and 2 and has 2 TDs on the season. He’s nothing more than a desperation flex play.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube
Monday, October 10, 2016
8:30 PM EST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
QB Jameis Winston: The Jameis Winston roller-coaster has been a rough ride, but if the pattern continues, this should be an “up” week against a Panthers secondary that has been beaten this season and coming off a Week 4 dismantling from the Atlanta Falcons. He’s a good streaming option.
RB Charles Sims: Charles Sims looked good in Week 3 before getting bottled up and banged up against Denver last week. He’s a good, not great, RB2 play, but keep an eye on the injury news with the Monday night start.
WR Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Adam Humphries: Mike Evans should be licking his chops after Julio Jones went off against the Panthers secondary. He’s a must-start WR1. Vincent Jackson and Adam Humphries should see decent volume but are no more than flex plays.
TE Cameron Brate: After becoming the primary TE option, Brate has become the second target in the passing game and a must-start TE1.
QB Cam Newton, Derek Anderson: With Cam Newton suffering a concussion in Week 4, Derek Anderson becomes a must roster player for Cam Newton owners due to the Monday night kickoff.
RB Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker: The Panthers rushing has been decent and could see more goal-line opportunities if Cam Newton isn’t there to vulture them. But losing Cam limits their potential overall, neither are more than flex plays.
WR Kelvin Benjamin: Kelvin Benjamin has made both his supporters and detractors correct this year, depending on the week. Based on this matchup against a Buccaneers secondary that is at the bottom of the league, Benjamin should be a great start, regardless of which QB is throwing him the ball.
TE Greg Olsen: Currently the #1 TE in fantasy football, Olsen is a must start in a great matchup.
–The Fantasy Footballers Preview on YouTube