Fantasy Thoughts 2016 Week 5

By Chad Stapley

Drew Stanton looks like he has the ability to be an above average backup QB, and could be a good fill gap QB if Carson Palmer goes down again. Stanton threw two TD passes in a victory of the 49ers.

David Johnson is a man amongst boys on the field. Johnson has 27 carries for 157 yards and two TDs and he caught three passes for 28 yards. He is a sure fire starter in any fantasy football league.

Larry Fitzgerald is no longer a worthy WR1 but in deep leagues he is an amazing FLEX option as he has a few bright games here and there. This week he had six catches for 81 yards and two TDs.

Carlos Hyde and Jeremy Kerley are the only realistic options on the 49ers team for your fantasy roster. Hyde ran the ball 22 times for 78 yards and a TD while also catching the ball six times for 36 yards. Kerley seems to get better each week, this week he caught eight passes for 102 yards and a TD. Both guys are starter worthy.

Kirk Cousins looks like he has taken a major step back this season, he is no longer a top fantasy football QB. I would opt for a different QB as your starter until he can figure out how to return to the 2015 Cousins.

Terrance West has taken the Ravens starting RB role and ran with it thus far. He has been the loan bright spot in an otherwise stagnant Baltimore offense. West ran the ball 11 times for 95 yards. West is starter worthy in any fantasy football league.

Tom Brady the GOAT came back for his first 2016 action and destroyed the Browns. Brady threw for 406 yards with three TD passes. Brady proved why he is one of the best this week and should continue to perform at a high level on offense.

Brady is loving having two big bodied TEs yet again with Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. The duo combined to catch 11 passes for 176 yards and three TDs. Both are starter worth on your fantasy team.

Chris Hogan might be the X factor for the Patriots offense, he isn’t worthy of a start on your fantasy team just yet but if he and Brady keep clicking he might be a superb FLEX option.

Carson Wentz took his first loss of his NFL career and still had a pretty decent game. Wentz threw for 238 yard with two TDs and one INT.

Matthew Stafford is the sole reason the Lions have won two games. Stafford has been on fire this season throwing for 1,378 yards with 10 TDs and four INTs through five games. Stafford should be starter at QB for any fantasy football team.

Theo Riddick has been a monster over the last few weeks. This week he was a big reason the Lions came away with a victory as he ran the ball for 49 yards and he caught six passes for 33 yards and two TDs. Riddick is a capable starter at either RB position or the FLEX position for your fantasy football team.

Brian Hoyer is giving the Bears some hope at the QB spot. He has started three games for the injured Jay Cutler and has thrown for 1,094 yards with six TDs and no INTs. He is looking every bit the part of QB1 for any fantasy football league.

Ditto for Jordan Howard who has started the last two games for the Bears and ran for 296 yards on the season. He hasn’t found the end-zone just yet but he is looking every bit the part of every down RB.

Cameron Meredith might be worth putting on your fantasy football bench for a few weeks to see if he is worthy of a roster spot. In his first game started this season he caught nine passes for 130 yards and a TD.

Andrew Luck has his best game of the season throwing for 322 yards with two TDs and no INTs. He is still more of a QB2 as there are QBs playing much better than him in general this season.

T.Y. Hilton caught 10 passes for 171 yards and a TD, proving he is still one of the better WR in the NFL when he gets the ball thrown to him. Start him every week.

Marcus Mariota led his team to a sound victory over the Dolphins. He absolutely looked like the better young QB out of him and Ryan Tannehill. Mariota threw for 163 yards with three TDs and Tannehill threw for 191 yards with two INTs. As of now Mariota is more worthy of starting on your fantasy team than Tannehill.

DeMarco Murray has been an absolute monster for the Titans this season. This week he ran for 121 yards and caught another five passes for 16 yards. This is all bad news for fantasy football owners that have Derrick Henry sitting on their bench.
Sam Bradford has been nothing short of amazing for the Vikings since he was acquired right before the season started. Bradford has thrown for 990 yards with six TDs and no turnovers. He isn’t going to score you a ton of fantasy football points but he is a good backup to have on your bench.

Adam Thielen is also another WR to keep an eye on. The Viking WR looks like he and Bradford have developed a nice relationship. Thielen probably isn’t worth starting just yet but if he has another game where he catches seven balls for 127 yards and a TD he might be an excellent FLEX option.

Brandon Marshall is going to have some huge games in the near future with Eric Decker out for the season. Marshall caught eight passes for 114 yards and a TD. Start him on your fantasy team each week.

Ben Roethlisberger is playing like a man possessed by the Fantasy Football gods this season. Big Ben has thrown for 1,496 yards with 15 TD passes and just four INTs.

Le’Veon Bell being back for Big Ben has been a blessing in disguise and Bell has proven he is the most dangerous RB in the NFL right now. Bell ran the ball for 66 yards and he caught nine passes for 88 yards.

Sammie Coates might be on the verge of breaking out. This week he caught six passes for 139 yards and two TDs. He is looking like an excellent FLEX option for any fantasy team.

Dak Prescott is looking like a true franchise QB. This week in a victory over the Bengals he threw for 227 yards with one TD and he rushed for a TD.

Ditto for Ezekiel Elliott who had another monster game running the ball for 134 yards and two TDs. Elliott is a beast and should be started each week.

Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy look like they have the Bills offense pointed in the right direction. Taylor threw for 124 yards and two TD passes while running for 28 yards and McCoy ran for 150 yards on the ground. With these two playing this well the Bills are a scary good offensive team.

If the Chargers could stop anyone on defense they might actually be able to win a game. Phillip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Travis Benjamin, and Tyrell Williams did everything they could to win against the Raiders. Rivers threw for 359 yards and four TDs, Gordon ran for 69 yards and caught an 18 yard TD pass, Williams and Benjamin combined to catch 12 passes for 234 yards. All four of these players are fantasy football starter material no matter if they can’t actually win the game.

Derek Carr and Amari Cooper have something special brewing in Oakland. Carr threw for 317 yards and two TDs and Cooper caught six passes for 138 yards and a TD. These two have looked like a match made in heaven since they were drafted.