Fantasy Football Week 5: Insider Notebook and Preview

The Buffalo Bills got off to a good start, but the benching of quarterback EJ Manuel looks like a step back. They needed to develop the second-year passer, but instead they turn to journeyman retread Kyle Orton, as the Bills official Twitter announced Monday.

This move might be the best for the Bills in Week 5 of 2014—and a fairly capable set of fantasy receivers in Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams and Robert Woods—but this move can set the franchise back for years if Manuel truly isn't the answer.

Columnist of Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News wrote:

"

They can spin it any way they like. Benching Manuel at this stage of his career is an admission that he's not cut out to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, and that the Bills reached badly when they drafted him 16th overall two years ago. ...

The Bills think Manuel can be salvaged, and you never know. But Monday’s move confirms what most NFL observers felt all along: He wasn't really a first-round talent. It's just that the Bills wanted to convince themselves it was true.

"

The Bills desperately need Manuel and wideout Watkins, a player they paid dearly to trade up to get this past May, to be their long-term solutions. Instead, Manuel apparently proved to be a part of the problem. If the veteran Orton is the better answer, the Bills are facing serious offensive issues for years—no matter how much talent they have at the playmaking positions.

Marshawn Lynch became a star after Buffalo. You almost have to hope C.J. Spiller can find a new place to thrive. Watkins, well, he's stuck for years on this listing, if not sinking, ship.

Hot-seat head coach Doug Marrone told Bill Lankhof of the Toronto Sun:

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When you go to bed at night you have to make sure that you're making the best decisions to help our football team win. The one thing that I hope we all understand is that it's not all EJ's fault, but we need to get better production...we can't keep going in the direction that we're going. ...

I thought he handled it very professionally...that's a credit to him. He's got a tough road ahead of him. If he fights through it, he'll be fine. If he doesn't, then he's not.

"

In the short term, you have to figure Orton will help make Watkins, Williams and Woods more productive fantasy options, especially through fantasy's bye weeks. A Sunday game at the Detroit Lions is a dangerous one to trust them in, though. If not for the matchup, you could consider claiming Williams and Woods off waivers and taking Watkins as a must-start wideout with a veteran installed at quarterback.

The Lions boast the NFL's top-ranked defense right now. They are No. 2 against the pass, No. 2 against fantasy quarterbacks and No. 2 against fantasy wide receivers.

On second thought, maybe keeping Manuel out of the Lions den—pun entirely intended—is a pretty decent idea.

Patriots' Brady Showing His Age?

You can blame myriad things for the Patriots' struggles on Monday night and for the early part of the season.

1. Tom Brady is old.
2. He doesn't have any legit downfield threats.
3. The offensive line is a work in progress...err...disarray.

The fact is, the Patriots have forgotten what they are: They are a defensive and power-running team.

Shane Vereen is not a between-the-tackles runner. It is time for Bill Belichick to get over his distaste for the fumble-prone Stevan Ridley. LeGarrette Blount is in Pittsburgh. 

Ridley is the key to the Patriots' revival. He had just five carries for 28 yards Monday night, although the game circumstances in a blowout at Arrowhead didn't lend itself to power running. It the Pats don't re-establish their identity as a power-running team against the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday night, it could be a long season for Brady and company.

Brady is 37, so you had to expect a decline, and you can even blame a lot of it on his supporting cast of receivers. We won't, though. The Pats have to run the ball to be effective offensively.

Julian Edelman is a converted college quarterback, who is just too easy to cover, but there are plenty of targets to make Brady productive again. Brandon LaFell is a big target who has emerged as a red-zone threat, next to the healing and incomparable Rob Gronkowski. Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins are capable alternatives, although the latter two were inactive Monday night.

Down the stretch a year ago, the Pats made a run to the AFC Championship relying on the power running game. With Brady losing confidence and apparently incapable of making everyone else around him better any longer, you have to figure it is time to fall back on Ridley and the running game.

Football games are often won by the run and by stopping the run. The Pats are 10th-worst against the run, and they are 10th-worst in rushing offense. That is where the blame belongs, not with Brady.

"Confidence, I'm not worried about whether it goes up and down," the quarterback told Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. "There's going to be a lot of negativity. Everyone's going to tell us how terrible we are. It's just the way it goes in the NFL."

Waiver-Wire Favorites

The best part about the Week 5 waiver options is the number of players returning from last week's six bye teams. There could have been some good players cut to make for roster flexibility, in addition to those who emerged Sunday through production and behind injuries.

FantasyPros.com surveys analysts every week, and we reprint their consensus waiver-wire favorites here:

RK	Player	POS	TM	Consensus	Best RK	Worst RK
1	Jerick McKinnon	RB	MIN	1.2	1	2
2	Isaiah Crowell	RB	CLE	3.2	2	5
3	Justin Forsett	RB	BAL	4.2	3	6
4	Davante Adams	WR	GB	4.8	4	6
5	Lorenzo Taliaferro	RB	BAL	6	4	9
6	Marvin Jones	WR	CIN	7	1	12
7	Alfred Blue	RB	HOU	7.6	2	14
8	Andre Holmes	WR	OAK	10	3	18
9	Allen Robinson	WR	JAC	10	7	16
10	Allen Hurns	WR	JAC	10.8	4	19
11	Eddie Royal	WR	SD	12.2	7	17
12	Malcom Floyd	WR	SD	13.6	10	17
13	Denard Robinson	RB	JAC	14.2	13	17
14	Antone Smith	RB	ATL	14.4	11	18
15	Jarius Wright	WR	MIN	14.6	8	20
16	Darrin Reaves	RB	CAR	14.8	8	21
17	Devin Hester	WR	ATL	14.8	7	20
18	Owen Daniels	TE	BAL	15	10	18
19	Branden Oliver	RB	SD	15.2	8	20
20	Eric Ebron	TE	DET	18.2	12	21
21	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	TB	19.2	17	21

Isaiah Crowell and Marvin Jones are the most interesting names on the list coming off a bye week. There is some hidden value with those two, even if they aren't necessarily starting fantasy options right away.

Crowell has worked ahead of fellow rookie Terrance West, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, though Browns running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery told the writer last week that Ben Tate (knee) will return to the starting role once healthy.

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That's what we brought Tate here for, to be the starter. He's the No. 1 running back in this offense. Right now, you can say we miss him. We miss his experience. We miss his leadership with the group. Speaking from that standpoint, we'll be open arms and welcome to have Ben back into the fold.

"

Crowell won't be forgotten, though. He might even emerge as a fantasy star down the stretch. Head coach Mike Pettine told Ulrich:

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If a guy's been productive, you find ways to get him on the field more. That's a good problem to have. When you have a back, who before the season you weren't factoring in on being a big part of what you're doing, and he's being productive, you find ways to get him out there.

"

Crowell, once a big-time high school prospect, aims to make good on his talent that was once wasted in college.

"I'm eager for more," he told Ulrich last week. "I'm ready for it."

Jones, the Bengals receiver, is another interesting name, but you can wait a week to pick him up. He might be limited, if he even plays, coming off his foot issue this week. Also, as we said above, the Pats are the toughest team in fantasy against wideouts. Mohamed Sanu is still a better option in fantasy over Jones, but neither should be in active lineups this week.

Thursday Night Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Minnesota Vikings

Start: Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jarius Wright, Blair Walsh

Sit: Teddy Bridgewater, Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings D/ST

The Vikings will be stubborn with the running game, which is why you can consider Asiata and McKinnon viable starts. McKinnon was limited in Monday's practice, according to the official NFL injury report (credentials required), but he should be fine to get his 10 to 15 touches as Asiata's change-of-pace back.

We understand the love for Patterson's potential, but frankly, the quarterback determines his status, too. If Teddy Bridgewater (ankle) doesn't play, you shouldn't feel confident in any of the Vikings. The play of Wright is based on the expectation of garbage time at Lambeau Field in another Thursday night blowout.

Green Bay Packers

Start: Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Mason Crosby, Packers D/ST

Sit: James Starks, Jarrett Boykin, Davante Adams, Andrew Quarless, Richard Rodgers

This is a "start all" game for the Packers at home. The Vikings have played much better defense this year under head coach Mike Zimmer, but a healthy Rodgers and the Packers are far too difficult to defend, particularly at home. You can consider these Packers sits viable replacements as necessary, but odds are you shouldn't need to dig this deep into the player pool with just two lower-end teams on bye.

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.