Week 5

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Fantasy baseball might have wrapped up its final week, but fantasy football leagues are just getting started! Looking back on Week 4, Brett Favre had a historic 6 touchdown day, Larry Johnson helped the Chiefs get in the win column with almost 200 yards on the ground, Kurt Warner threw for 472 yards in a losing effort, and Santana Moss continued his hot start with a 145 yard game against the Cowboys. Who will put up the best numbers in Week 5? The Cafe’s Start and Sit rankers will do their best to answer that question this week! As far as byes go for this week, keep in mind the Browns, Raiders, Jets, and Rams are off. These bye weeks should certainly be easier on fantasy players than last week, unless you were counting on Favre and Co. to carry your team again!

Our rating system is based on two sets of rankings. The first set is a value between 1-20, given based on a player’s Fantasy Value If Playing (FVIP). The second set is that player’s Playing Probability (PP). These two sets are thrown into a giant machine, twisted around a little, mixed up, sorted, resorted, then eventually darts are thrown at the results. If you require any further help, our start/sit forum is top notch. You will find quick replies to your questions there and many eager helpers!

Quarterbacks	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Drew Brees	NO	MIN	19.67	100%	19.67
Tony Romo	DAL	CIN	19.33	100%	19.33
Peyton Manning	IND	at HOU	18.00	100%	18.00
Philip Rivers	SD	at MIA	17.67	100%	17.67
Kurt Warner	ARI	BUF	17.33	100%	17.33
Jay Cutler	DEN	TB	17.00	100%	17.00
Eli Manning	NYG	SEA	16.67	100%	16.67
Jake Delhomme	CAR	KC	15.00	100%	15.00
Donovan McNabb	PHI	WAS	15.00	100%	15.00
Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	at NYG	15.00	100%	15.00
Trent Edwards	BUF	at ARI	14.67	100%	14.67
Jason Campbell	WAS	at PHI	14.00	100%	14.00
Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at JAX	13.67	100%	13.67
Matt Schaub	HOU	IND	13.67	100%	13.67
Brian Griese	TB	at DEN	13.00	100%	13.00
Kyle Orton	CHI	at DET	12.67	100%	12.67
J.T. O’Sullivan	SF	NE	12.67	100%	12.67
Matt Cassel	NE	at SF	12.33	100%	12.33
David Garrard	JAX	PIT	12.00	100%	12.00
Chad Pennington	MIA	SD	12.00	100%	12.00
Gus Frerotte	MIN	at NO	11.67	100%	11.67
Jon Kitna	DET	CHI	11.00	100%	11.00
Matt Ryan	ATL	at GB	10.33	100%	10.33
Aaron Rodgers	GB	ATL	15.33	60%	9.20
Joe Flacco	BAL	TEN	9.00	100%	9.00
Carson Palmer	CIN	at DAL	13.33	66%	8.80

Start: Jake Delhomme (Rank: 15.00) – Delhomme started slow this year with Steve Smith on suspension, but now Smith is back and the Panthers passing attack is really starting to click after last week’s game against the Falcons. Muhsin Muhammad got into the act last week as well, as Delhomme threw for close to 300 yards with two touchdowns. Delhomme has a solid matchup this week at home against the Chiefs, so get him in your lineup.

Sit: Carson Palmer (Rank: 8.80) – It looks like Carson has a decent shot at getting back on the field this week, and he once was an every week fantasy starter. Not anymore though, as the Bengal offense cannot seem to get anything done on the field with him or without him. The Dallas Cowboys secondary has not been brilliant this year, but their pass rush is enough to give any quarterback a hard time. Leave Carson Palmer on the bench for now.

Running Backs	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	at MIA	19.67	100%	19.67
Marion Barber	DAL	CIN	19.67	100%	19.67
Adrian Peterson	MIN	at NO	19.33	100%	19.33
Marshawn Lynch	BUF	at ARI	18.33	100%	18.33
Matt Forte	CHI	at DET	18.00	100%	18.00
Frank Gore	SF	NE	17.33	100%	17.33
Joseph Addai	IND	at HOU	16.67	100%	16.67
Clinton Portis	WAS	at PHI	16.00	100%	16.00
Brandon Jacobs	NYG	SEA	15.67	100%	15.67
Larry Johnson	KC	at CAR	15.00	100%	15.00
Earnest Graham	TB	at DEN	14.67	100%	14.67
Michael Turner	ATL	at GB	14.33	100%	14.33
Reggie Bush	NO	MIN	14.00	100%	14.00
Ronnie Brown	MIA	SD	14.00	100%	14.00
Steve Slaton	HOU	IND	13.67	100%	13.67
Jonathan Stewart	CAR	KC	13.33	100%	13.33
Ryan Grant	GB	ATL	13.33	100%	13.33
Julius Jones	SEA	at NYG	13.00	100%	13.00
Chris Johnson	TEN	at BAL	12.33	100%	12.33
Maurice Jones-Drew	JAX	PIT	12.00	100%	12.00
Sammy Morris	NE	at SF	11.67	100%	11.67
Edgerrin James	ARI	BUF	11.00	100%	11.00
Mewelde Moore	PIT	at JAX	11.00	100%	11.00
Correll Buckhalter	PHI	WAS	12.33	87%	10.69
Fred Taylor	JAX	PIT	10.67	100%	10.67
Rudi Johnson	DET	CHI	10.67	100%	10.67
Ricky Williams	MIA	SD	10.33	100%	10.33
Chris Perry	CIN	at DAL	9.67	100%	9.67
LenDale White	TEN	at BAL	9.67	100%	9.67
Tim Hightower	ARI	BUF	9.67	100%	9.67
Laurence Maroney	NE	at SF	10.67	83%	8.89
Brian Westbrook	PHI	WAS	16.33	53%	8.71
Brandon Jackson	GB	ATL	8.67	100%	8.67
Selvin Young	DEN	TB	8.33	100%	8.33
Deuce McAllister	NO	MIN	8.33	100%	8.33
Willis McGahee	BAL	TEN	9.67	83%	8.06
LeRon McClain	BAL	TEN	8.00	100%	8.00
DeAngelo Williams	CAR	KC	8.00	100%	8.00
Kevin Smith	DET	CHI	7.67	100%	7.67
Darren Sproles	SD	at MIA	7.67	100%	7.67
Jerious Norwood	ATL	at GB	7.67	100%	7.67
Felix Jones	DAL	CIN	8.00	93%	7.47
Ray Rice	BAL	TEN	7.00	100%	7.00
Chester Taylor	MIN	at NO	6.67	100%	6.67
Andre Hall	DEN	TB	5.00	100%	5.00
Chris Taylor	HOU	IND	2.67	100%	2.67

Start: Matt Forte (Rank: 18.00) – Forte has had an impressive rookie season so far, despite not having his best week against the Eagles in Week 4. He gets done on the ground and through the air (18 catches for 147 in 4 games). The Lions have one of the worst defenses in the league, and are ranked 32nd against the run, averaging over 200 yards allowed per game. Forte should go well over 100 total yards this week and have no trouble finding the endzone at least once.

Sit: Lendale White (Rank: 9.67) – This big bruising back’s biggest fantasy benefit is his goal line carries (5 touchdowns though 4 games). However, he is going up against a Baltimore defense this week that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown and is giving up only 69.7 yards per game on the ground (2nd best in the NFL). To make matters worse, White has a banged up shoulder, which could limit his effectiveness in short yardage. You may have better options this week.

 

Wide Receivers	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Terrell Owens	DAL	CIN	20.00	100%	20.00
Reggie Wayne	IND	at HOU	20.00	100%	20.00
Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	BUF	18.67	100%	18.67
Brandon Marshall	DEN	TB	18.67	100%	18.67
Steve Smith	CAR	KC	18.33	100%	18.33
Greg Jennings	GB	ATL	17.67	100%	17.67
Calvin Johnson	DET	CHI	16.00	100%	16.00
Roddy White	ATL	at GB	15.67	100%	15.67
Chris Chambers	SD	at MIA	15.33	100%	15.33
Santana Moss	WAS	at PHI	15.33	100%	15.33
Andre Johnson	HOU	IND	15.00	100%	15.00
Randy Moss	NE	at SF	15.00	100%	15.00
T.J. Houshmandzadeh	CIN	at DAL	14.67	100%	14.67
Marvin Harrison	IND	at HOU	14.33	100%	14.33
Lee Evans	BUF	at ARI	14.33	100%	14.33
DeSean Jackson	PHI	WAS	14.00	100%	14.00
Wes Welker	NE	at SF	13.67	100%	13.67
Roy Williams	DET	CHI	13.33	100%	13.33
Anthony Gonzalez	IND	at HOU	12.67	100%	12.67
Eddie Royal	DEN	TB	12.67	100%	12.67
Dwayne Bowe	KC	at CAR	12.33	100%	12.33
Hines Ward	PIT	at JAX	12.33	100%	12.33
Lance Moore	NO	MIN	12.00	100%	12.00
Deion Branch	SEA	at NYG	12.00	100%	12.00
Robert Meachem	NO	MIN	12.00	100%	12.00
Matt Jones	JAX	PIT	11.67	100%	11.67
Isaac Bruce	SF	NE	11.67	100%	11.67
Bobby Engram	SEA	at NYG	11.67	100%	11.67
Steve Smith	NYG	SEA	11.33	100%	11.33
Chad Ocho Cinco	CIN	at DAL	11.33	100%	11.33
Santonio Holmes	PIT	at JAX	11.33	100%	11.33
Kevin Walter	HOU	IND	10.67	100%	10.67
Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	KC	10.67	100%	10.67
Antonio Bryant	TB	at DEN	10.33	100%	10.33
Derrick Mason	BAL	TEN	10.00	100%	10.00
Vincent Jackson	SD	at MIA	10.00	100%	10.00
Bernard Berrian	MIN	at NO	10.00	100%	10.00
Donald Driver	GB	ATL	9.33	100%	9.33
Bryant Johnson	SF	NE	9.00	100%	9.00
Patrick Crayton	DAL	CIN	9.00	100%	9.00
Justin Gage	TEN	at BAL	9.67	90%	8.70
Ted Ginn Jr.	MIA	SD	8.33	100%	8.33
Jabar Gaffney	NE	at SF	8.00	100%	8.00
Steve Breaston	ARI	BUF	8.00	100%	8.00
Anquan Boldin	ARI	BUF	16.33	47%	7.62
Devin Hester	CHI	at DET	7.33	100%	7.33
David Patten	NO	MIN	10.67	67%	7.11
Hank Baskett	PHI	WAS	7.00	100%	7.00
Reggie Williams	JAX	PIT	6.67	100%	6.67
Brandon Stokley	DEN	TB	6.67	100%	6.67
Sidney Rice	MIN	at NO	8.00	80%	6.40
Chris Henry	CIN	at DAL	10.00	60%	6.00
D.J. Hackett	CAR	KC	5.67	100%	5.67
Mark Clayton	BAL	TEN	5.33	100%	5.33
Michael Jenkins	ATL	at GB	4.67	100%	4.67
Joey Galloway	TB	at DEN	10.33	33%	3.44
Courtney Taylor	SEA	at NYG	2.00	100%	2.00
Plaxico Burress	NYG	SEA	0.00	0%	0.00

Start: Calvin Johnson (Rank: 16.00) – Johnson has been one of the lone bright spots for the Lions this year, catching 17 passes for 176 yards and 2 TDs in three games. He should be a good start this week against a Chicago defense that is ranked 28th in NFL against the pass.

Sit: Anquan Boldin (Rank: 7.62) – It seems unlikely that Boldin will play this week following that scary looking hit he took last week against the Jets. If he were somehow to play (seems like that would not be a good decision to me) he would obviously not be 100%. The Buffalo Bills are no pushovers on defense either. Boldin owners could look to second year player Steve Breaston who would fill in for Boldin as the Cardinals #2 receiver. He caught 9 passes for 122 yards last week and could be a good spot starter in Week 5.

 

Tight Ends	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Jason Witten	DAL	CIN	20.00	100%	20.00
Antonio Gates	SD	at MIA	18.00	100%	18.00
Tony Gonzalez	KC	at CAR	17.00	100%	17.00
Dallas Clark	IND	at HOU	15.33	97%	14.82
Chris Cooley	WAS	at PHI	14.67	100%	14.67
Tony Scheffler	DEN	TB	14.00	100%	14.00
Owen Daniels	HOU	IND	13.33	100%	13.33
Anthony Fasano	MIA	SD	12.67	100%	12.67
Kevin Boss	NYG	SEA	12.67	100%	12.67
John Carlson	SEA	at NYG	12.33	100%	12.33
Ben Watson	NE	at SF	10.00	100%	10.00
Heath Miller	PIT	at JAX	9.33	100%	9.33
Greg Olsen	CHI	at DET	9.00	100%	9.00
Donald Lee	GB	ATL	9.00	100%	9.00
Vernon Davis	SF	NE	8.00	100%	8.00
Todd Heap	BAL	TEN	8.00	100%	8.00
L.J. Smith	PHI	WAS	10.00	80%	8.00
Bo Scaife	TEN	at BAL	6.67	100%	6.67
Robert Royal	BUF	at ARI	6.67	100%	6.67
Desmond Clark	CHI	at DET	6.67	100%	6.67
Alex Smith	TB	at DEN	6.33	100%	6.33
Dante Rosario	CAR	KC	6.00	100%	6.00
Alge Crumpler	TEN	at BAL	5.33	100%	5.33
Marcedes Lewis	JAX	PIT	4.00	100%	4.00
Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	at NO	3.33	100%	3.33

Start: Anthony Fasano (Rank: 12.67) – Fasano has been hard to get a read on this year. He was great in Week 1 (82 yards, 1 TD), did not catch a pass in his second game, and then had another good game in his third (66 yards, 1 TD). I think this week he has as good a chance as any to put up over 50 yards and a score again. The Chargers rank last in the league in both passing yards allowed and passing touchdowns allowed.

Sit: Todd Heap (Rank: 8.00) – Heap has struggled to get anything going this season. He has only managed to catch three passes in as many games. The Titans are going to be a tough defense to try to change that trend against. Unfortunately, this once-elite tight end is nothing more than waiver fodder right now.

 

Kickers	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Matt Prater	DEN	TB	19.67	100%	19.67
Nick Folk	DAL	CIN	18.67	100%	18.67
Rob Bironas	TEN	at BAL	18.00	100%	18.00
Ryan Longwell	MIN	at NO	17.67	100%	17.67
Josh Scobee	JAX	PIT	16.67	100%	16.67
Mason Crosby	GB	ATL	16.00	100%	16.00
Rian Lindell	BUF	at ARI	15.67	100%	15.67
Adam Vinatieri	IND	at HOU	15.67	100%	15.67
Jeff Reed	PIT	at JAX	15.33	100%	15.33
Lawrence Tynes	NYG	SEA	15.33	100%	15.33
Neil Rackers	ARI	BUF	15.33	100%	15.33
David Akers	PHI	WAS	15.00	100%	15.00
Nate Kaeding	SD	at MIA	15.00	100%	15.00
Robbie Gould	CHI	at DET	14.67	100%	14.67
Shaun Suisham	WAS	at PHI	14.33	100%	14.33
Matt Bryant	TB	at DEN	14.00	100%	14.00
Olindo Mare	SEA	at NYG	13.67	100%	13.67
John Kasay	CAR	KC	13.67	100%	13.67
Martin Gramatica	NO	MIN	13.00	100%	13.00
Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at SF	13.00	100%	13.00
Joe Nedney	SF	NE	12.67	100%	12.67
Shayne Graham	CIN	at DAL	12.67	100%	12.67
Jason Elam	ATL	at GB	11.33	100%	11.33
Kris Brown	HOU	IND	11.33	100%	11.33
Matt Stover	BAL	TEN	10.67	100%	10.67
Dan Carpenter	MIA	SD	10.00	100%	10.00
Jason Hanson	DET	CHI	9.33	100%	9.33
Nick Novak	KC	at CAR	6.67	100%	6.67

Start: Ryan Longwell (Rank: 17.67) – The Vikings’ offense may not be an offensive juggernaut, but they have done enough to get Longwell 12 attempts, of which he has made 10. Longwell does not have the biggest leg, and is probably less valuable in leagues that give big points for long field goals, but he is reliable. The Vikings play a weak New Orleans defense this week, that has given up ten field goals this season (tied for second most). Longwell has a good chance to knock through multiple field goals from inside the 50.

Sit: Olindo Mare (Rank: 13.67) – Mare has had a bit of a resurgence in Seattle, making all season of his kicks this season. However, there is a good chance the Seahawks will have some trouble scoring against the New York Giants in Giant Stadium. The Seahawks will be getting some receivers back from injury this week, but I don’t know how well a pair of rusty receivers will fair against a Giant defense that should be rested coming off their bye week.

 

Defense	Team	Opp.	FVIH	PP	Value
Tennessee Titans	TEN	at BAL	18.33	100%	18.33
San Diego Chargers	SD	at MIA	17.00	100%	17.00
Chicago Bears	CHI	at DET	17.00	100%	17.00
Baltimore Ravens	BAL	TEN	16.00	100%	16.00
Philadelphia Eagles	PHI	WAS	15.00	100%	15.00
Buffalo Bills	BUF	at ARI	14.67	100%	14.67
Green Bay Packers	GB	ATL	14.67	100%	14.67
Carolina Panthers	CAR	KC	14.67	100%	14.67
Jacksonville Jaguars	JAX	PIT	14.00	100%	14.00
Dallas Cowboys	DAL	CIN	13.67	100%	13.67
Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT	at JAX	13.67	100%	13.67
New York Giants	NYG	SEA	13.33	100%	13.33
New England Patriots	NE	at SF	12.67	100%	12.67
Seattle Seahawks	SEA	at NYG	12.00	100%	12.00
Indianapolis Colts	IND	at HOU	11.67	100%	11.67
Washington Redskins	WAS	at PHI	11.33	100%	11.33
Denver Broncos	DEN	TB	10.00	100%	10.00
Arizona Cardinals	ARI	BUF	9.67	100%	9.67
Minnesota Vikings	MIN	at NO	9.33	100%	9.33
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	at DEN	9.00	100%	9.00
New Orleans Saints	NO	MIN	8.67	100%	8.67
San Francisco 49ers	SF	NE	8.67	100%	8.67
Detroit Lions	DET	CHI	7.33	100%	7.33
Atlanta Falcons	ATL	at GB	6.67	100%	6.67
Miami Dolphins	MIA	SD	6.00	100%	6.00
Kansas City Chiefs	KC	at CAR	5.67	100%	5.67
Houston Texans	HOU	IND	5.00	100%	5.00
Cincinnati Bengals	CIN	at DAL	4.67	100%	4.67

Start: Jacksonville Jaguars (Rank: 14.00) – The Steelers are really banged up right now. They lost an offensive lineman and rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall to injury against the Ravens last week. Big Ben is still nursing a shoulder injury, and Willie Parker is out again this week. A defense like Jacksonville’s has the weapons to take advantage of offenses that are not at 100%, and this Pittsburgh offense is definitely not.

Sit: Denver Broncos (Rank: 10.00) – The Broncos are a team built for shoot outs. They score a lot of points, but the defense has not really been stopping anyone either, as evidenced by the 33 points the formerly struggling Chiefs scored on them last week. Tampa Bay has quietly been one of the league better offensive teams, averaging 361 yards per game (7th) and 25.2 points per game (13th).

Many thanks to the people who helped put this together: treat24, Dan Lambskin, WaCougMBS, utility-hook, and Amuk who helped with the rankings!

 

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