Fantasy Football: Week Five Hangover

I'm willing to bet that there were many matchups that turned on two players last night, and a few that could have even turned on the last play. I was one of the lucky ones that came out on top in a Monday Night Miracle, thanks largely to Reggie Bush.

It was the last interception thrown by Drew Brees, though, that gave me the win. Great stuff. And if those of you that got a win like that aren't talking smack today, I don't know what to tell you. 

Let's recap what went down. 

Fantasy Up

1. DeAngelo Williams - Williams stole the spotlight from Stewart with a three-touchdown day that saw him clip 120 yards. Williams and Stewart are going to be tough to figure for most of the season, and both merit plays as flex options in nearly all formats.
2. Roddy White - Someone has to catch the ball in Atlanta, and Roddy White has more than fit the bill. White came down with another big day, and is doing it while seeing tough coverage. He's Matt Ryan's only option, but that hasn't stopped him from being successful.
3. Chris Cooley - And fantasy owners everywhere are saying, "FINALLY!" Cooley reeled in over 100 yards and a touchdown, giving him his first stand-out game of the season. It's what owners expected of him, since he was drafted as a top tight end. Look for more of this as Campbell matures in the offense. 
4. Backup Running Backs (Kevin Faulk, Williams, Tim Hightower, Le'Ron McClain, etc.) - It's been a good run for guys that aren't considered primary backs, and the waiver wire pickups we advocate this week reflect that. Kevin Faulk had a huge day in New England. Tim Hightower managed two touchdowns in limited work, and McClain continued to find the end zone.
5. Andre Johnson- It doesn't matter if Matt Schaub or Sage Rosenfels is under center, because Johnson is going to be the target and is going to perform. Even in what was a lackluster game from the quarterback position, Johnson managed over 100 yards and a touchdown. He draws a weak Miami secondary next week at home.

Fantasy Down

1. Brandon Marshall- Jay Cutler has been trying to force the ball to Marshall every week up until this one. Here, Cutler recognized the double coverage and used Brandon Stokely effectively. It's only one game, but other teams are not going to let Marshall beat them. It certainly slowed down Denver's scoring.
2. Donovan McNabb - He's had two rough games in a row and has had no sense of continuity in his offense all season. Reggie Brown was out to start the season, now Westbrook can't stay on the field. Brown being back, and Kevin Curtis' probably return, will help. Going against a 49ers team that has given up nearly 300 yards passing in consecutive losses won't hurt either.
3. Matt Hasselbeck - I'm going to try to avoid piling on, but this is for everyone's good. He's hurt, he has no receivers, and the Seahawks can't seem to play on the east coast. Owners can and should look to do better. There are some solid quarterbacks on waivers that will make you forget about him, even if Hasselbeck has a good game or two thrown in.
4. Frank Gore- What we saw against New England is what happens when the 49ers fall behind. Gore needs to be an integral part to the offense, but the quick-strike mentality of Mike Martz is going to stop that when they get down. Gore is good early, and if they jump out to a lead will be utilized all game. That just hasn't happened in a couple weeks.
5. Santana Moss - No catches, no yards. If this isn't a fantasy down, I don't know what is.

I could certainly throw Larry Johnson under the bus here, as well as a host of quarterbacks. The fact is, we need to accept that teams are going to make the Chiefs beat them through the air and gang up to stop Johnson. That will get easier with Croyle back under center.

As far as other quarterbacks, we're going to leave injuries out of this for the most part. It's not Trent Edwards' fault that an illegal hit could knock him out for a couple weeks.

You Shouldn't Trust the Performance of...

...Sinorice Moss. He's here and not Domenick Hixon. Moss had two touchdown receptions, but wasn't targeted anywhere near as much as Hixon. I'm not saying that Hixon will go for 100 yards every time out, but he's going to be a more reliable option than Moss.

Moss has deep threat written all over him, but he won't be given the chances with Burress coming back and taking the starting spot on again. Hixon, though, likely will bump Steve Smith down in the pecking order and take on the third-receiver role more strongly than he had it to begin with.

I'm Most Concerned About...

...Laurence Maroney. Look, we all had to see this coming to some degree. He was hurt last season, and can't stay healthy this season. When he is healthy, the Patriots are employing anyone they can to get the running game going and to take pressure off of Cassel.

With LaMont Jordan, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk around, there just aren't enough touches to make any consistently valuable to the fantasy owner. Each week, one will emerge as the back of choice, and it will not be evident who that is by the injury report or even who is named the starter.

Workin' the Wire

• Domenick Hixon - Hixon saw most of his action because Burress wasn't around, but deep league owners should take note of the production. Hixon proved he can be the primary receiver when called upon, and he'll see passes his way if only because of the attention that will be paid to Plaxico.
• Le'Ron McClain - Willis McGahee is 87 percent owned, but the guy getting all the points is still sitting at 50 percent. If you own McGahee, you need to own McClain. His injuries alone make this a solid business decision as much as anything else.
• Kyle Orton - Still only seeing about 35 percent ownership, but he's doing the job and doing it well. Without having any sort of true star receiver, Orton is putting up solid numbers through the air simply because defenses are paying attention to Matt Forte. Even as a bye-week fill-in, Orton should be more owned than this.
• Devery Henderson - I'm probably going to have to hurt myself for this one. Fact is, Henderson has been more consistent the last two weeks, probably helped by the return of McAllister and more attention being paid to the running game. He did also draw two lesser pass defenses. Good news, though, as Oakland is just as bad.
• Tim Hightower- Hightower has a Le'Ron McClain type role. Even without getting the number of carries that Edge gets, he's producing because he works the goal line better. He'll have good weeks and bad weeks, but he should, at the least, be handcuffed to James by his owners. Like McClain, Hightower works in most formats as a flex option.

Back as the need arises.