We do this to help you get ready for the upcoming week and gain some clarity for the rest of the season. Stay tuned for Part 2. Also look out for out Start Em’ Sit Em’s, Trade advice, Radio Show and Rankings. Thanks for reading, follow us on twitter @FantasySavvy.
Minnesota @ Packers
- Eddie Lacy got back on track after struggling the first four weeks of the season. Lacy displayed his power and strength in this matchup and shined for fantasy owners running for 105 yards on just 13 carries, finishing with two TD’s. Playing against Minnesota did indeed help and Lacy probably will not be the monster fantasy back many expected, but he plays with the Packers who will have many scoring opportunities and double digit TD’s is in the horizon. In other words, there shouldn’t be need to worry about him, but there may be some duds along the way.
- Davante Adams got his first TD of the year. Will he become more of a factor in the offense as the season goes on? Despite that I don’t believe he is overly talented, he does play with Aaron Rodgers which means he will be in for some good performances along the way. Rodgers also did just praise his route running and ability to get open after watching the Week 5 tape. However I did hear one well known expert say he was better than Randall Cobb and will emerge over him which I completely disagree with. Keep in mind this was said about two weeks ago, which in the meantime Cobb has 3 TD’s to Adams’ one while also having more than a 100 more yards receiving.
- There seemed to be some doubt and hating on Cobb. Yes he won’t keep up his TD rate, but if he doesn’t score he will make up for it in yards and catches. The guy is just a talented and versatile player, I have no clue why people were even getting on him. Just awful analysis.
- What to do with Cordarrelle Patterson? First, Patterson is not the best route runner in the world. But there were several times where he was open in this game and Christian Ponder was just completely lost out there just dinking, dunking, throwing awful passes. Second, Patterson had 3 carries for 104 yards in the first game of the year. Since then he has one carry. It’s an absolute joke. Patterson said he wants the ball more then Mike Zimmer said he needs to get open. How about creating more opportunities for him Zimmer? Zimmer is defensive minded coach and looks clueless on how to use Patterson. I am also surprised Norv Turner hasn’t developed anything. I will give Turner the benefit of the doubt however and except him to create more ways to get Patterson in space. Bridgewater is returning, Patterson is going to become relevant very soon. Patience is a virtue, remember how Patterson came on last season.
Pittsburgh @ Jacksonville
- Markus Wheaton just can not be relied upon at this point. Just one catch for 17 yards against the Jaguars? Ultimately his lack of progression is what is preventing Big Ben from becoming an Elite Fantasy QB. Ben only has so many weapons in the passing game. Their is still time for Wheaton to emerge but right he now he needs to be on your bench.
- Bortles made some good throws, but faced a lot of heat and made a lot of bad decisions. He is a rookie and is still learning the position. When Marquise Lee and Cecil Shorts return healthy he should become Fantasy Relevant. I would hold Lee, he may become the go to guy in this offense. Allen Hurns is still average and Allen Robinson doesn’t wow me. Although him and Bortles have the best rapport so far.
- Rookie and 7th round pick Storm Johnson got some burn this game (4 carries for 27 yards) but he instantly looked better than Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson, although that’s not saying much. Still he’s worth a stash to see what he does. I think his workload is only going to increase and this offense is only going to get better. Could be a nice pickup for you. You can never have enough Running Backs. Johnson kind of runs like Knile Davis from Kansas City. Straight ahead with power, no nonsense, is not afraid of contact.
Houston @ Dallas
- Cowboys are talking about limiting DeMarco Murray’s carries and for good reason, he’s on pace for over 400 carries. Joseph Randle is a good handcuff, but still isn’t worth owning otherwise. However, it may help Jason Witten get more looks as well as Terrance Williams. Dez will be Dez. Nobody else is relevant on this Cowboys offense from a fantasy perspective. Be patient with Witten for another week or two. Playing Seattle this week won’t help his cause however.
- Dez Bryant’s catch to seal the game. That is all.
- Arian Foster when healthy has looked like one of the best backs in the league. Last week was a great week to target him, but his owners still may be in doubt about him. Keep trying to trade for this guy. The injury risk is there, but I believe the reward outweighs the risk and you may not have to give up an arm and a leg for him.
- Andre Johnson still has it, he’s just playing with a very average QB.
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
- Khiry Robinson, Pierre Thomas and even Tavaris Cadet all played well. That is the problem however as this is a very crowded backfield. And coming off their bye this week, Mark Ingram may return for Week 7. Robinson has ran well in Ingram’s absence, but no doubt Ingram will get looks again once he returns. Pierre Thomas caught a ton of his infamous screen passes and ran hard and broke tackles like he usually does. Cadet ran a great in and out ” Gates” route for a TD. Robinson is truly the only one worth starting with Ingram out. When Ingram returns both are worth owning and using as decent flex plays. Pierre Thomas will probably remain the odd man out along with Tavaris Cadet. All 4 backs have talent it’s just so crowded and the Saints spread it around more than any other team.
- Brandin Cooks continues to be a factor in the offense. Screens, fake reverse screens, quick slants, etc. He still hasn’t broken many big plays however, but I am sure they are coming soon. Interested to see if they start targeting him deep a bit more. Expect some new wrinkles after the bye.
- Marques Colston seems to start slow every single year. Slow, but still has the big body and if you own him you might as well just keep him on your bench until he starts to heat up. He has heated up every year and this one should be no different. He’s a low-end WR2 at best however.
- Jimmy Graham shoulder sprain is not considered serious and he should be back for Week 7. Expect the Saints to return to form after the bye. Brees doesn’t look as sharp as he usually does, but that should change. He’s due for a 4 TD game.
- Thank God for Mike Glennon, because the Bucs were doing nothing with Josh McCown. Makes you question how the GM and Coaches evaluate talent. Glennon keeps Vincent Jackson relevant. Mike Evans also might make his return this week. Louis Murphy played admirably filling in for Evan with two TD’s, but that will come to an end now. Austin Seferian-Jenkins might take a little while to get going but by the end of the year could be worth using. Big Body, athletic Tight End who should only get better. Just not really usable at the moment.
- Doug Martin I thought ran decent in this game, but still only averaged around 3 YPC and his longest carry came on a 16 yard run came when the Bucs ran the clock out before overtime. Bobby Rainey I believe is better, although not by that much. He still deserves more playing time and seems to always to do more with his touches than Martin. Both backs will continue to kill each other’s value. If Rainey got the looks Martin got, he would be usable, but the Coaches seem to think Martin is way better than Rainey just like they thought Josh McCown was better than Mike Glennon.
Buffalo @ Detroit
- First, Was Alex Henery trying to throw this game? Every one of his kicks wasn’t close and wobbled in the air. I don’t think I have ever seen so many bad kicks by a kicker in one game. It looked like they hired somebody of the street to kick for them.
- George Winn looked OK to me. He hit holes hard but doesn’t possess any legit explosiveness, and is not really a threat in the passing game. I picked him up in one or two leagues and after watching the game tape I am not too ecstatic. Also that Lions offensive line does not seem to be creating many holes.
- Reggie Bush is going to be average this season, leave him on your bench. Unfortunately and I hate to say it because I used to love Reggie Bush, but the decline is on it’s way. He can still be a threat in the passing game, but will not get enough carries and the Lions O-line will not create the holes Reggie will need for success.
- Matthew Stafford just doesn’t impress me. Without a healthy Calvin I would never start him. Calvin is his crutch and the key to his success. Golden Tate will benefit from Calvin’s Injury and must stay in lineups. Tate is just a gritty player who has always been good after the catch. Targets have been up and he has taken advantage.
- Eric Ebron had a TD called back, and with Calvin banged up, they need to start utilizing his talents more. He did however say he felt like a ” Zombie” trying to learn this offense. May take time and may not happen for him at all this year. It’s tough to assess, but the talent is obviously there. End of the day I don’t trust Stafford to get Ebron the football consistently at this point.
- Sammy Watkins benefits a lot with having Kyle Orton at quarterback, because unlike Manuel, Orton can actually throw comebacks, outs and slants with some consistent accuracy. Although, Watkins saved Orton at least 3 times on passes that were thrown either behind or over his head. Especially on the last drive of the game Watkins snapped back his hands to catch a pass that was thrown behind him to put the Bills in FG range. Watkins is going to be excellent in PPR leagues. Hopefully the TD’s follow.
- I still blame Doug Marrone for the way he uses C.J. Spiller. They ran one stretch play in this game and Spiller had absolutely nowhere to go. The rest of the runs were handoffs right up the middle. Spiller could have been a little more patient on some of them, but Marrone needs to be way more creative with how he uses him. It’s really pathetic. Fred Jackson is a power runner who can move bodies and hit the hole hard, Spiller could hit the hole a bit harder himself , but Marrone can’t use Spiller like he uses Jackson. Spiller had just 10 carries for 8 yards. Just awful and it’s really frustrating. He came into this game with 10 targets and got 4 in this game. One was an awful throw by Orton, another they threw to the short side of the field and there was defender right when he caught it. The other two Spiller had space and got a first down on both. Marrone needs to get Spiller in space more often and get him matched up with LB’s in the passing game. He has no idea how to use him, Chan Gailey did. Spiller can not be trusted at all right now and should be on your bench until the Bills coaches come to their senses. Fred Jackson is the play in this backfield, since they throw him more screen passes and he is better suited for Marrone’s up the middle runs. Seriously the run play is the same almost every time.
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