Fantasy Football Week 5: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Action

Fantasy football is stupid. Fantasy football is the best.

It can be both, really. 

Who would have thought Andre Johnson—catcher of zero passes in Weeks 3 and 4—would drive down narrative street so boldly with two touchdowns in a revenge game against his former team? And with virus-laden, 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck on a short week, to boot.

Sometimes you just have to laugh and move on. Or revel in unexpected glory. In the pantheon of football gods, fantasy is named Loki.

Let's lay some plans for this week and hope the trickster stays away.

Rankings

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Check out this week's rankings for standard fantasy scoring.

The 100

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT	at SD
2	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC	vs. Chi
3	Odell Beckham, WR, NYG	vs. SF
4	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	at Dal
5	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	vs. Was
6	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	vs. StL
7	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	at Oak
8	Matt Forte, RB, CHI	at KC
9	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL	vs. Cle
10	Todd Gurley, RB, STL	at GB
11	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	at Dal
12	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	vs. Was
13	Dion Lewis, RB, NE	at Dal
14	Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB	vs. StL
15	Tom Brady, QB, NE	at Dal
16	Keenan Allen, WR, SD	vs. Pit
17	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	at Phi
18	Doug Martin, RB, TB	vs. Jac
19	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC	vs. Chi
20	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	at Oak
21	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	vs. Sea
22	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI	vs. NO
23	Joseph Randle, RB, DAL	vs. NE
24	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	at SD
25	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC	at TB
26	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	vs. StL
27	Matt Jones, RB, WAS	at Atl
28	Travis Kelce, TE, KC	vs. Chi
29	Anthony Dixon, RB, BUF	at Ten
30	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	vs. Sea
31	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI	vs. NO
32	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	vs. Den
33	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	at Oak
34	Peyton Manning, QB, DEN	at Oak
35	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	vs. Pit
36	Mike Evans, WR, TB	vs. Jac
37	Drew Brees, QB, NO	at Phi
38	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	vs. Pit
39	Matt Ryan, QB, ATL	vs. Was
40	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	at Det
41	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET	vs. Ari
42	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA	at Cin
43	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC	at TB
44	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	at NYG
45	C.J. Spiller, RB, NO	at Phi
46	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	at KC
47	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	at Cin
48	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET	vs. Ari
49	Carson Palmer, QB, ARI	at Det
50	Philip Rivers, QB, SD	vs. Pit
51	Jason Witten, TE, DAL	vs. NE
52	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	at Phi
53	Andre Ellington, RB, ARI	at Det
54	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	vs. Den
55	James Jones, WR, GB	vs. StL
56	Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS	at Atl
57	Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG	vs. SF
58	Eli Manning, QB, NYG	vs. SF
59	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB	vs. Jac
60	Antonio Gates, TE, SD	vs. Pit
61	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN	vs. Sea
62	Golden Tate, WR, DET	vs. Ari
63	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN	at Oak
64	John Brown, WR, ARI	at Det
65	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	at Dal
66	Percy Harvin, WR, BUF	at Ten
67	Allen Hurns, WR, JAC	at TB
68	Kendall Wright, WR, TEN	vs. Buf
69	Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF	at Ten
70	Russell Wilson, QB, SEA	at Cin
71	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	vs. Sea
72	Terrance Williams, WR, DAL	vs. NE
73	Malcom Floyd, WR, SD	vs. Pit
74	Alfred Morris, RB, WAS	at Atl
75	Leonard Hankerson, WR, ATL	vs. Was
76	Kamar Aiken, WR, BAL	vs. Cle
77	Sam Bradford, QB, PHI	vs. NO
78	Duke Johnson, RB, CLE	at Bal
79	Owen Daniels, TE, DEN	at Oak
80	Eddie Royal, WR, CHI	at KC
81	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE	at Bal
82	Jay Cutler, QB, CHI	at KC
83	Michael Vick, QB, PIT	at SD
84	Andy Dalton, QB, CIN	vs. Sea
85	Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI	at KC
86	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	at SD
87	Rueben Randle, WR, NYG	vs. SF
88	Anquan Boldin, WR, SF	at NYG
89	Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI	vs. NO
90	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI	at Det
91	Charles Clay, TE, BUF	at Ten
92	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA	at Cin
93	Davante Adams, WR, GB	vs. StL
94	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN	vs. Buf
95	Darren Sproles, RB, PHI	vs. NO
96	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	vs. Den
97	Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN	vs. Buf
98	Marques Colston, WR, NO	at Phi
99	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI	at Det
100	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI	vs. NO

Updated: Saturday, October 10 at 12:45 PM

Injury Report

John Cordes/Associated Press

Probables

Quarterbacks

• None: All the remaining Week 5 quarterbacks are fine, questionable or out.

Running Backs

• Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders (shoulder): It looks like Murray will be fine this week. He doesn't have the best matchup against the Denver Broncos this week, though, for what it's worth.
• Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals (knee): The Cardinals have played it safe with their starting running back, and Andre Ellington finally makes his return from his scarier-than-it-was Week 1 knee injury.
• Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (toe): Don't expect another three-touchdown supernova from Freeman this week, but it looks like he should be ready to carry the load for another week while Tevin Coleman sits out.

Wide Receivers

• Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (personal): White may have needed some time off to heal his bruised ego from the lack of attention he's gotten. Perhaps the squeaky wheel will get the grease this weekend against Washington.
• Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (toe): For once Jones wasn't listed as questionable in the middle of the week, which is a good sign for the star wideout coming off a down week. UPDATE: Jones is now listed as questionable.
• Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints (ankle): Cooks appears to have suffered no ill effects from playing last week coming off that ankle injury. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to produce much on the field while being miscast as a No. 1 receiver.
• Pierre Garcon, Washington (knee): Desmond Trufant does not present a particularly good matchup for Garcon.
• Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos (neck): Thomas injured his neck last week and came back into the game, so there shouldn't be too much concern over his practice status. 
• Randall Cobb (shoulder) and James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers (hamstring): These guys were listed as questionable in the middle of the week, but it doesn't sound like there is anything serious to worry about from an injury standpoint. From a matchup perspective, however, the St. Louis Rams aren't pushovers in terms of giving up fantasy points to wide receivers. They have given up just one touchdown and the fifth-fewest points per game to opposing wideouts.

Tight Ends

• Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions (hamstring): This wouldn't be too important had Eric Ebron not suffered an injury that will keep him out a few weeks. Tim Wright was a popular sleeper, but it looks like Pettigrew might get the starting nod.
• Jacob Tamme, Atlanta Falcons (concussion): Put him in a lineup if you dare.

Risks

Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills (calf)

Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills (calf)

This is a nice matchup for Charles Clay, so it would be a shame to see him sit out. Of course, Buffalo offensive players are dropping like flies, so it would be no surprise, either.

Having said that, Clay was only limited in practice in the middle of the week, so it doesn't seem like he will be headed for a Sunday scratch. Monitor his situation through the weekend, but he should be startable if there are no setbacks.

Sammy Watkins is in a similar boat, though his words weren't terribly encouraging, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com: "I don't know if I'm going to play or not. But if it's an emergency, if I need to play, I think I'll play. But you just never know with this situation. They might hold me out. I don't even know the situation right now."

Watkins seems too risky if he does wind up playing.

Eddie Royal, WR, Chicago Bears (ankle)

Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears (hamstring)

When will we see Alshon Jeffery? That is anybody's guess, though every week should bring us closer to that reality. Hopefully, he can make it back for a tasty matchup against a Kansas City defense that has allowed 39.8 standard fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts this season, by far the most in the league.

Joining Jeffery on the injury report is Eddie Royal, who didn't practice through Thursday and seems even riskier than his gimpy counterpart. It's too bad if neither of these guys can make it onto the field given the matchup.

Stevie Johnson, WR, San Diego Chargers (hamstring)

Playing through hamstring injuries is a risky proposition—see: McCoy, LeSean—so the Chargers might be wise to keep Stevie Johnson out this week. It would be a blow to the offense, but we could see some sneaky production from Malcom Floyd or Dontrelle Inman as a result.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers (knee)

Davis missed last week's debacle, but it looks like he might be back in a decent matchup against the New York Giants for Week 5. Keep an eye on his situation through the weekend, but he may be a worthwhile plug-and-play option if you are having bye or injury woes. UPDATE: Davis is out.

Jordan Reed, TE, Washington (concussion)

DeSean Jackson, WR, Washington (shoulder)

It only took a few weeks for Jordan Reed to show up on the injury report, and Washington's fragile tight end is likely to miss this week's tilt against the Falcons with a concussion. Of course, he could also be cleared, so watch his status on Sunday morning.

DeSean Jackson went from possibly playing to likely out late in the week, so don't hold your breath. In the meantime, see if Jamison Crowder is available—he is the new starting slot receiver in Washington and could see a ton of targets against the soft middle of the Atlanta defense. UPDATE: Reed and Jackson are ruled out for Sunday.

Fred Jackson, RB, Seattle Seahawks (ankle)

Fred Jackson must be related to Wolverine if he can go on a high ankle sprain after that nasty-looking injury last week. Given Marshawn Lynch is out this week, the Seahawks could sure use him.

Doubtful or Out

Steve Smith Sr., WR, Baltimore Ravens (back)

Father Time is undefeated for a reason, though he may not have caused Steve Smith's back injury.

Smith is doubtful for this weekend, leaving quarterback Joe Flacco with Kamar Aiken and a bag of potato chips as his top two receiving options. In all seriousness, though, Aiken is a nice option against a floundering Cleveland Browns defense.

Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills (concussion)

LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills (hamstring)

Perhaps the Bills should have let LeSean McCoy rest for the first game or two of the season rather than aggravate his preseason hamstring injury. 

To add injury to injury, McCoy's backup is probably going to be out this week, too. Karlos Williams was in line for another big workload before suffering a concussion near the end of last week's game against the Giants.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks (hamstring)

Lynch may be a game-time decision this week—he didn't quite make it there last week—and his backup is dealing with a high ankle sprain. If neither can go, it'll be another Thomas Rawls week.

Injury updates courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted. 

Sleepers and Busts

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Sleepers

Chris Thompson, RB, Washington

For a minute last week it looked like Chris Thompson was headed for a Matt Jones-like supernova. Alas, an early 42-yard scamper did not give way to much more.

Where Thompson excels over his peers is in catching passes, and that may be vital to Washington's success against the suddenly powerful Falcons. That is especially true if Atlanta gets off to a huge lead and Washington is forced to abandon the run game.

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans 

The midseason hype train is picking up steam for Willie Snead. The second-year wideout has surpassed rookie Brandon Coleman for a starting gig in a resurgent New Orleans offense.

Virgil Green, TE, Denver Broncos

Everyone is going to be on Owen Daniels this week against an Oakland Raiders defense that employs the Three Stooges Strategy for Defending Tight Ends. But what about his comrade?

Virgil Green has gotten some hype in the past, and he has a touchdown to his credit in 2015. It would certainly be a home run swing, but Green could be the Prometheus to Daniels' Zeus and steal his touchdown fire for Week 5.

Boom Herron, RB, Buffalo Bills

Anthony Dixon is a plug-and-play starter if Karlos Williams is out with a concussion—in conjunction with LeSean McCoy's absence—but the 250-pound running back might be in for a slog in Tennessee.

There may be nothing to it, but Buffalo singed Boom Herron this week in desperation, and he could wind up with more fantasy points than Dixon.

Busts

Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

In fantasy terms, we have a runaway bullet train headed for a walled-off tunnel this week when Devonta Freeman takes on Washington's run defense.

That would be because Washington has allowed, by far, the fewest fantasy points to running backs this season—less than 10 points per game to the position. To make matters worse, impressive rookie Tevin Coleman could be active after missing the past couple of weeks.

Freeman has played out of his mind the past couple of weeks, and his offensive line has been even better. But don't be surprised if he doesn't sniff the end zone this week after consecutive three-touchdown explosions.

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

He's going to garner a ton of targets, but that may not matter this week against the Denver Broncos.

The team that has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts—despite Mike Wallace's nice day last week thanks to Minnesota's scheming—is going to get after quarterback Derek Carr to make his life miserable. Combine that with great coverage from the likes of cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib, and Cooper is in for a long day.

Start 'Em

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Every week we'll take a look at one player from each position who you should be starting, looking beyond the obvious guys of course. Except kickers. They don't belong in fantasy football.

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

You might find yourself in a quarterback quandary this week thanks to bye weeks and injuries. Alex Smith can be your savior against that Chicago Bears defense.

Granted, he could also wind up giving the ball to Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis 35 times, but Jeremy Maclin's emergence in that offense bodes well for Smith's output in a good matchup.

LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots

Dion Lewis is definitely the starter and better option here, but we could see a Week 3 redux for LeGarrette Blount and the Patriots.

That is to say, New England could travel to Dallas and pummel the Cowboys in such a fashion that Blount will get the entire second-half workload. He probably won't score three touchdowns again, but he's still a solid flex option, particularly in standard leagues.

John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals

We are on the cusp of a huge game from John Brown. Last week was a preview as he caught seven passes for 75 yards and a near touchdown-turned-interception. He is getting targeted a ton, and fellow wideout Larry Fitzgerald is likely going to garner the most attention from the Detroit defense.

Don't miss out on Brown's big game.

Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

The first few weeks saw Zach Ertz get a good number of targets with little to show for it thanks to woeful performances from Sam Bradford. Philadelphia's quarterback seemed to come around last week, but Ertz was not a beneficiary—Brent Celek wound up scoring a touchdown instead, not to mention receivers Miles Austin and Riley Cooper.

Those guys helped nobody in the fantasy realm. 

Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST

It's a good idea to start whichever team plays against the turnover-prone Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at least until Jameis Winston stops throwing pick-sixes.

Sit 'Em

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Every week we'll take a look at one player from each position who you should be sitting barring a lack of viable alternatives, looking beyond the obvious guys of course. Except kickers. They don't belong in fantasy football.

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Bench the second-best quarterback in all the fantasy football realm? Heresy!

The truth of the matter is you probably have two viable starters if you own Andy Dalton—he wasn't drafted as a No. 1 quarterback on average, after all. That means you have the luxury of choosing, and this week you should look elsewhere.

Why? Because the Kam Chancellor-powered Seattle Seahawks defense is coming to town, of course.

Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers

That Week 1 win over the Minnesota Vikings seems like it came last season for the San Francisco 49ers. Carlos Hyde in particular has been unable to replicate his wild success from the season opener, and he is heading into a poor matchup to boot.

The Giants have given up just 3.3 yards per carry to opposing running backs, who have only logged a decent number of fantasy points because of goal-line luck—where the offense gets marked down at the 1-yard line—or garbage-time desperation.

Either of those scenarios is plausible this week for the floundering 49ers, but you might play it safe and find an alternative.

Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington

It might seem like a good idea to start Pierre Garcon against the Falcons, especially if you expect Washington to be down big in the second half. But that could backfire quickly with Atlanta cornerback Desmond Trufant possibly shadowing Washington's No. 1 receiver.

Despite huge leads in a couple of games this season—and the ensuing garbage-time statistical pileups by opponents—the Falcons have only given up 20.4 points per game in standard fantasy thus far this season. The only No. 1 receiver to score thus far has been Odell Beckham Jr., and Garcon is no OBJ.

Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns

All right, so Gary Barnidge was here last week and wound up scoring a touchdown. Shame on me. But this week is really not a good one to have him in your lineups. 

That's because the Baltimore Ravens give up nothing to tight ends. Almost literally, too—just 0.8 standard points per game thus far this season.

St. Louis Rams D/ST

You don't really want to start the Rams defense on the road against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, do you? 

The DraftKings Scoop

Here is the Week 5 rundown for DraftKings, if you are of that persuasion. 

The Chalk

chalk (n.)—a player considered to be a consensus pick or a “must-start” option for a given DFS contest, especially in cash games.

Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons ($6,300)

There is no way Devonta Freeman is going to score three touchdowns again this week. Of course, that's what everyone said last week.

Recency bias and a moderate price will ensure Freeman will be in a good percentage of lineups this week, but beware—Washington's defense has been, by far, the stingiest when it comes to giving up fantasy points to running backs.

In other words, Freeman should definitely be in cash lineups but out of them in GPP contests.

Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots ($4,800)

This might be a borderline "chalk" play given the New England Patriots are coming off a bye—out of sight, out of mind, right?—and LeGarrette Blount grabbed some attention with three touchdowns last time out for the Patriots, but Dion Lewis as a pass-catching starter at just $4,800 is just too good to pass up.

Owen Daniels, TE, Denver Broncos ($2,700)

Any tight end facing the Oakland Raiders is going to wind up here until further notice. If one will disappoint, though, it might be Owen Daniels.

That's because he isn't necessarily going to lead his own position in targets—Virgil Green is around to steal some of those. But you cannot deny this is an excellent matchup for Daniels, who has scored a couple of touchdowns this season already.

His salary is so low that he won't even need to do much to meet value.

The Cash Plays

cash game (n.)—a contest in which at least 40 percent of the entrants earn a prize. High-floor players are desirable in cash games.

Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons ($6,300)

Remember when I said Karlos Williams would be the chalkiest chalk player of the year? Well, Devonta Freeman may have surpassed that.

Coming off a second consecutive three-touchdown week, Freeman seems like a screaming bargain at $6,300. A huge chunk of the DFS population will be starting him this week, so it'd be wise to get him into your cash lineups.

There is a caveat emptor clause here, though—Washington has given up the fewest fantasy points to running backs, as we have detailed in Sleepers and Busts. That makes Freeman a far less attractive GPP option.

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers ($8,500)

He's back, and he's a workhorse. Le'Veon Bell is going to catch a bunch of passes out of the backfield, which makes him especially valuable in this PPR format. 

Kendall Wright, WR, Tennessee Titans ($5,400)

This isn't a slam dunk, per se, given the Bills did a nice job against Odell Beckham Jr. last week. But Buffalo has given up a ton of fantasy points to wide receivers this season on the whole, and Wright is a nice enough value to make him a solid, mid-range cash option.

The Stacks

stack (v.)—rostering two to three players from the same NFL team with the hope that if one player performs extremely well, then the other one to two players will also benefit.

Tom Brady, QB ($7,800), Dion Lewis, RB ($4,800) and Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots ($7,500)

The most stackable team in the league is back in action this week, and you can definitely triple-stack a double stack.

New England is in Destroy Mode and coming off a bye. While the Dallas Cowboys could certainly thwart that offense—anything is possible—there is little reason to believe Tom Brady and Co. won't light them up like they have everyone else.

Now, inserting Lewis into this stack may seem like it would have a negative correlation, but his pass-catching prowess plus the likelihood New England is going to score a lot of points all but nullifies the potential siphoning of fantasy points.

Alex Smith, QB ($5,500) and Jeremy Maclin, WR ($6,000) or Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs ($5,200)

Chicago isn't good defensively, though the Oakland Raiders couldn't take advantage last week. The Bears are on the road in Kansas City this week, however, and the Chiefs have woken up offensively.

The GPP Plays

GPP (n.)—stands for “Guaranteed Prize Pool.” It is a type of tournament for which the daily fantasy sports site promises a specific prize pool amount to be divided among the winners regardless of entry count.

Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers ($3,800)

A four-week suspension does wonders for pricing. Well, that and having the backup quarterback starting.

Martavis Bryant is back for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, and he brings his big-play ability at just $3,800. The trouble is Michael Vick is his quarterback—we all saw what he did to Antonio Brown's 50-yard streak last week.

Even worse is the fact San Diego's defense has allowed just two touchdowns and the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. 

Still, Bryant has a ton of upside, and Vick's deep ball is still pretty.

Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers ($4,200)

His suspension is up, and Antonio Gates must be eager to put up some huge numbers in his first week of 2015 action.

Daily fantasy definitions courtesy of Cracking DraftKings over at FootballGuys.com.

Last-Minute Waiver Options

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Chris Thompson, RB, Washington

We've mentioned him as a potential sleeper for this week, and Chris Thompson is likely available on your waiver wire. If you play in a PPR league, he might be a nice spot starter on your squad.

Anthony Dixon, RB, Buffalo Bills

Boom Herron, RB, Buffalo Bills

If you are in desperation mode on a bye, one of these guys could be a decent fill-in with some upside this week. Dixon is probably safer since he will be the starter and the likely goal-line back, but Herron could see a good amount of action.

Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST

Again, the Jaguars defense faces Jameis Winston. There are no certainties with Jacksonville, but it could be a nice week for that unit in the fantasy realm.

New York Giants D/ST

We could say similar things about anyone facing the San Francisco 49ers. Colin Kaepernick and Co. are traveling east yet again, but that offense might be headed the opposite direction. 

Julius Thomas, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars

In the event Julius Thomas is available in your league, now would be the time to pick him up. Jacksonville's pricey tight end might actually be back this week, and he figures to be heavily involved in that offense when he does return.

What Other Experts Are Saying

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Berry believes Andy Dalton is due for a bad game against that Seattle defense in his Love/Hate column:

"

And so it comes to this, Red Rifle believers. He's a new man, you say. He finally has all of his weapons (A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones) healthy. He has a strong run game, you say, setting up play-action. Bad Andy has yet to rear his head in four games, you yell. I hear you. But in the game of what is more likely ... will Dalton keep it going, or will the Seattle defense buckle even though it has allowed just one quarterback since the start of last season to throw for more than 300 yards? Dalton owners can hang their fantasy hat on the fact that Seattle is on the road and the Seahawks have yet to record an interception this season, but to me, that just means they're due. I'm rolling with the Legion of Boom in this one.

"

However, NFL.com's Adam Rank disagrees: "This game screams, 'put Andy Dalton on your bench!' While the Seahawks have been nasty against quarterbacks, Dalton has been brilliant this year so I start him."

Yahoo's Nick Mensio and I have nearly the identical thoughts about Carlos Hyde this week. I promise we came up with these independent of each other:

"

The Giants are allowing the 11th-most fantasy points to running backs. On paper, that looks great for Hyde. Diving into the numbers further, the Giants are allowing just 3.28 YPC to running backs. They’ve given up only two rushing touchdowns and bottled Karlos Williams up with ease in Week 4. All of the running-back fantasy points against the Giants are coming via the pass. They’ve surrendered the fourth-most catches in the league to backs, and Reggie Bush plays that role for the 49ers. The 49ers are 6.5-point underdogs heading to the East Coast coming off three-straight losses. San Francisco will try to work Hyde early, but this one could get out of hand, rendering Hyde a disappointment like he’s mostly been since his Week 1 explosion.

"

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