Fantasy Football 101: Week Five Quick Hits, Drops, Adds and More

Week Five often ranks as a put-up-or-shut-up weekend for fantasy teams, as it often serves as a last chance for a disappointing performer or a must-win for a 1-3 or 0-4 team hanging onto dimming playoff aspirations. Here is a look at this week's action including drops, adds, buy lows and sell highs.

Jacksonville vs. Buffalo

Jaguars—Marcedes Lewis is this year's Visanthe Shiancoe.  The weekly yardage and catches is inconsistent, but he makes he opportunities count with five TDs in just 16 catches.  Lewis is a top pickup candidate for Jermichael Finley owners.  It also looks like Deji Karim may be pushing injured Rashard Jennings as the MJD handcuff as he impressed with 15 carries and 70 yards.

Bills—Don't read too much into the Bills offensive breakout against a porous Jaguars defense but two items of note.  First, the departure of Marshawn Lynch benefited Fred Jackson more than CJ Spiller.  Second, Steve Johnson (nine targets and two TDs) is emerging as the team's top possession receiver and red zone option.  Johnson is worth a look as a depth or bye week option.

Tampa Bay vs. Cincinnati

Buccaneers—Josh Freeman is showing a lot of moxie and is a fearless passer who is developing an excellent rapport with rookie WR Mike Williams.  Both are showing excellent consistency for young players. 

Bengals—Cedric Benson appeased his owners with a strong performance, and TO is gradually stealing Ochocinco's No. 1 role. Ocho still has potential but is someone I would look to trade if you can find a taker.  Carson Palmer continues to have a down year, but his fantasy numbers and job security make him a solid backup (a disappointment for the former fantasy starter).

Atlanta vs. Cleveland

Falcons—Michael Turner bounced back with a dominant performance.  Otherwise, it was typical Falcons with Roddy White shining, while Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez were OK but nothing special.  The defense has a penchant for playing well versus mediocre offenses.

Browns—Peyton Hillis came back to earth but managed to contribute with a receiving touchdown.  In the passing game, Jake Delhomme struggled, but there was a Mohamed Massaquoi sighting.

St Louis vs. Detroit

Rams—After losing Mark Clayton in the first quarter, Sam Bradford struggled to find a rhythm.  Early word has Clayton missing the rest of the season meaning Brandon Gibson, Mardy Gilyard and Laurant Robinson will battle for the starting job opposite Danny Amendola.  Steven Jackson's injury appears to be behind him.

Lions—The Lions used a stifling defense and efficient offense to get their first victory.  Shaun Hill continues to play well heightening expectations for Stafford's return.  The big concern for the Lions is how serious is Calvin Johnson's injury.

Kansas City vs. Indianapolis

Chiefs—The defense is for real, but the offense is just not that good.  Jamaal Charles flashed his potential which may lead to a bigger piece of the timeshare.  Jermichael Finley owners need to put TE Tony Moeaki near the top of their backup/replacement lists, as he is the team's best and most consistent receiving option.

Colts—It was not a banner day for Peyton Manning and the Colts offense, but don't read too much into the results.  The injury to Joseph Addai is though.  Keep an eye on his and and Donald Brown's status.  Mike Hart was solid in relief and is a possible insurance option but is not the receiver Addai or even Brown is.

Green Bay vs. Washington

Packers—Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense continues to struggle and the possible absence of TE Jermichael Finley makes things even more challenging.  The continued struggles of Greg Jennings has gone from disappointing to a major concern.  Consider trading him to a desperate team or hide him on your bench until he turns it around.  If a player is poised to benefit from Finley's injury and Jennings struggles, it is physical receiver James Jones.

Redskins—Ryan Torain and the ground game disappointed, but Donovan McNabb had a strong passing game featuring top targets Santana Moss, Chris Cooley and an emerging Anthony Armstrong (an option worth considering in deep leagues).

Chicago vs. Carolina

Bears—We saw what the Bears offense looked like without Jay Cutler, and it was not pretty besides Matt Forte.  Johnny Knox (the team's best fantasy receiver) has just two catches the past two weeks.  Mike Martz critics need to realize there is not a lot of talent here to work with.

Panthers—Carolina's downward spiral continues much to the frustration of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart owners.  It is hard to recommend anyone on this offense right now.  Recent pickup WR Devin Thomas has a chance to redeem his fantasy sleeper status after escaping Mike Shanahan's doghouse and landing on a team where he could start right away (just remember who is throwing the ball).

Denver vs. Baltimore

Broncos—The Ravens defense had a negligible effect on the Broncos passing game, at least from a fantasy perspective.  Kyle Orton broke 300 yards (again) with Brandon Lloyd leading the way with 135 yards and a TD despite just five targets.  This marks Lloyd fourth game with 115 or more yards in five starts.  The running game remains useless without Knowshon Moreno.

Ravens—Ray Rice finally rewarded his owners with a 159 total yards and two TDs, but the passing game disappointed once again.  Joe Flacco continues to confound owners making him a possible buy low option for QB needy teams.  Receiving-wise no one had more than more than four catches or 58 yards.

New York Giants vs. Houston

Giants—The defense harassed one of the league's best offenses after demolishing the Bears last week, giving them fantasy relevance again.  Offensively, Hakeem Nicks continues to establish himself as the team's No. 1 receiver and one of the top receivers in fantasy football. 

Texans—Like Aaron Rodgers, Matt Schaub continues to struggle compared to expectations.  Besides Andre Johnson, the receivers were invisible.  Arian Foster struggled but has earned the mulligan based on his early performances and his injury appears minor at this stage.

New Orleans vs. Arizona

Saints—Drew Brees failed to throw for 300 yards for the fourth time in five games as the Saints offense continues to disappoint, especially without RB Pierre Thomas.  On the positive side Marques Colston finally put up numbers (7-97) to match his draft slot but failed to score a touchdown for the eighth consecutive regular-season game.

Cardinals—Max Hall did not put up great stats but had a fantasy impact by providing hope for Larry Fitzgerald owners with a seven-catch, 93-yard effort.  Beanie Wells got the lion's share of carries but generated just 35 yards (1.8 ypc). The Arizona defense put up a stellar effort against the defending champs after struggling most of the season. 

Tennessee vs. Dallas

Titans—The Chris Johnson express was back in full force, but the fantasy story to come out of the game was Kenny Britt's improving stock.  He is the team's No. 1 receiving option, and his early season struggles could still make him a buy low option. 

Cowboys—Felix Jones finally lived up to preseason expectations with 109 yards rushing, while Marion Barber found himself on the bench for much of the game (feel free to drop Barber if you need to).  Tony Romo was a fantasy star with 406 yards passing in the losing effort, but the only surprise from a distribution standpoint was Roy Williams 6-87 effort giving him 200 yards in the past two games.  It is hard to recommend him based on his track record but may be worth considering as a bye week starter/depth option.

San Diego vs. Oakland

Chargers— Malcolm Floyd has been anything but consistent but his 213-yard effort (and two other 90+ games) making one wonder if Vincent Jackson was a product of the system.  Ryan Mathews averaged 6.6 ypc but was given just nine carries as he continues to fail to meet preseason expectations.  Don't panic as he is coming off an injury, and Mike Tolbert struggled mightily but consider benching him if possible.

Raiders—Michael Bush was excellent in his first start of the season, but the passing game provided only modest results although Zach Miller and Louis Murphy (the only two Raider receivers worth starting) both exceeded 60 yards.

Philadelphia vs. San Francisco

Eagles—Kevin Kolb was solid with 253 yards and a touchdown but was a major disappointment to DeSean Jackson owners (as expected).  Jeremy Maclin exceeded expectations with nine targets and 95 yards.  Not surprisingly, Brent Celek found the end zone for the second straight week.

49ers—The big fantasy story was Michael Crabtree's breakout game with 9-105 and a TD (14 targets). It may just be one game, but the buy low opportunity may have passed.  Alex Smith is hardly a favorite for 49ers fans, but he had a good fantasy week with 309 yards and three TDs.  Job security is an issue however.  

Minnesota vs. New York Jets  (TBD)

Vikings—Can Randy Moss open things up for the Viking passing game?

Jets—If you have solid running back depth, sell high on LT if you can fill a need.  He is drinking from the fountain of youth now, but it would be a surprise if he lasts all season. 

Chris Maier is Senior Editor for NFLDraft101.com.  He can be reached at [e-mail].  Follow me on twitter: nfldraft101