Fantasy Football Pitfalls: Week Five

I’m going to look at NFL matchups each week and pick five fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

With the bye weeks upon us, you can’t necessarily sit the guys on this list unless you have great depth, but expect a drop in production.

Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals—The Ravens don’t have as nasty of a defense as they've had in years past, but they still have a pretty darn good one.

Palmer has been slightly worse historically on the road, so facing the Ravens in Baltimore makes it a bit more of a challenge.

Brian Westbrook, RB, Philadelphia Eagles—I know what you’re thinking. The Eagles are playing Tampa Bay this week out of a bye. Westy should run wild.

Hear me out.

Yes, they are coming out of a bye, which gives Westbrook a chance to get healthy.  However, they should pound the Bucs, which should lead to an early departure as LeSean McCoy finishes them up.

Donovan McNabb will likely also make his return, and the Eagles will look to knock some of the rust off before they let Kevin Kolb finish up.

Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins—Brown is facing Rex Ryan’s blitzing defense.

Do you recall what Baltimore did to him in the Wild Card game last year?

He had 12 carries for 19 yards. He did manage 43 yards and a TD on six receptions, but that was with Chad Pennington at QB. Don’t expect much out of Mr. Wildcat.

Santana Moss, WR, Washington Redskins—Moss is a guy who will go for 170 one week and under 50 the next.

He’s facing a desperate Panthers team coming off a bye. They are struggling to run the football. The other WRs are offering little help.

John Fox is smart enough to know if you take Santana away, the Redskins will have a hard time moving the chains.

Mario Manningham, New York Giants—Eli Manning's status is questionable against the Raiders. If he does play, I wouldn’t expect them to air it out.

If David Carr gets the start, all bets are off. Either way, the Giants will likely rely on the ground game this week.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.