Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Red Light/Green Light

Sometimes, Fantasy Football can be a very frustrating game. 

But what game isn’t frustrating when you’re losing? We’ve all seen Tom Brady yell at the officials when things aren’t going his way.  Michael Jordan was famous for jawing at the refs when he wasn’t getting the calls. 

We’ve even witnessed a struggling Roger Federer slam his racquet a time or two, despite being considered one of the most composed athletes of our time.

The good thing is, 10 years from now, we won’t remember very many of these pretentious moments. Rather, the ability of each of these players to rise above is what will stick.

They used their times of immense frustration to motivate themselves to become better.  They used failure as a springboard to greater success.

So what should we as fantasy football owners do when we find ourselves sitting at 1-3 or 0-4 to start our seasons? Should we give up and say “there’s always next year?”

No.

We should rise above just like our heroes. We should “Be like Mike.”

In fact, I find myself sitting at 1-3 right now, despite outscoring two other teams (for the season) that are 3-1.  It’s extremely frustrating. 

But after reflecting on the greats of our time, I realize that now is the time that true champions dust themselves off, chalk up their early season losses to bad luck and bad decisions, and resolve to learn from their mistakes and start winning some games.

That is the attitude I am going to take.  You should, too.

And if we look, there are several opportunities sitting on the waiver wire right now.  Owners that make the right pickup can save their seasons and put themselves in contention for the rest of the year.  But it’s going to take some research and work. So don’t give up. 

Be one of those “comeback” teams. And if you’re sitting pretty at 4-0 or 3-1, don’t get lazy.  Keep putting the pressure on your opponents.

With that, here is my Week 5 Red Light/Green Light transaction guide.  As a reminder, my Red Light players are those that I think are in the “one–week wonder” category.  As such, you should stop dead in your tracks on them (bench or even drop).

My Green Light players are the guys who I think carry good value the rest of the year.  As long as you don’t have the dream fantasy team already, without hesitation you should charge ahead with them (pick up and/or start).

I will finish with some Yellow Light players: those guys who I am still on the fence about, but may be worth a look, especially if you are really hurting for ideas.

Last week, I said Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hot start was a fluke, and he proved me right against the Bengals in Week 4.  In fact, eight of my 10 Red Light/Green Light predictions ended up playing out in Week 4 (I don’t grade Yellow Light predictions since they aren’t real predictions yet). Here’s to some more good picks this week.

Red Light

Rams Wide Receivers

Sam Bradford has been on the receiving end of 19 sacks this season, including seven this past week against the Redskins, which qualifies for tops in the league. Not only that, Bradford has suffered 41 hits, which is also the most in the league.

Bottom line: the Rams offensive line is atrocious. Not only that, Bradford’s wide receivers haven’t helped much, failing to get open a lot of the time and even dropping several passes. Until the O-line can form some sort of consistency, I’m staying away.  Far away.

Laurent Robinson

Robinson had a masterful performance for the Cowboys this past week, especially considering he was recently signed to fill in for the injured Miles Austin. He went off, accumulating 116 receiving yards on seven catches, which are both personal bests.

It also helped Robinson’s cause that Dez Bryant is still battling his lingering quad injury.

However, with Dallas on a bye during Week 5, both Austin and Bryant are expected to return healthy in Week 6. Robinson won’t see much of the field when they do.

Tarvaris Jackson

Jackson achieved career highs with 319 passing yards and 2 touchdowns against the Falcons this past week.  However, he was forced to throw a lot with the Seahawks down 27-7 early in the third quarter, and also tossed two interceptions.  

Atlanta’s defense isn’t one for pressuring the quarterback, either, and have only tallied five sacks on the season, allowing Jackson more time in the pocket.

But Tarvaris has shown little glimpses of greatness in the past, only to fall flat the next week, so I will be sure not to fall for his Week 4 performance. Neither should you.

Tim Hightower

 Hightower was benched by his coach during the middle of the game for the second straight week in Week 4. Both weeks his coaches claimed the benching was due to some sort of minor injury Hightower had suffered. But that’s probably not entirely true, nor does it matter. 

Each time, Hightower’s replacement (Roy Helu and Ryan Torain, respectively) outperformed him. And head coach Mike Shanahan has been known for going with the “hot hand” in his backfield.

Given Torain’s great performance this past week (top 10 for a running back in all fantasy leagues, too), Hightower may not even be the starter for Washington’s next game (the Redskins have a Week 5 bye).

I’m not saying to drop Hightower, but he isn’t start-worthy until he begins performing like an actual starter.

Darrius Heyward-Bey

DHB set career highs with 115 receiving yards and four catches in Week 4 versus the Patriots. But let’s not get too excited.  The Patriots could be considered as having the worst passing defense this year, having allowed the most passing yards in the NFL. 

Therefore, DHB’s performance is kind an anomaly; he is a player known more for his drops and bad receiving skills than his play-making abilities. I still think Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford are the more talented wideouts in this offense.

Rashard Mendenhall

Mendenhall had a monster 324 carries last year.  It looks like this may be affecting his year-to-date performance, as he has only averaged 2.98 yards per carry this season. To top that off, Mendenhall injured his hamstring vs. the Texans this past week, and could potentially miss this coming week’s game. 

Either way, unless Mendy starts to pull off some more impressive runs, he is almost too frustrating to start. His only value right now comes from touchdowns, and that can be inconsistent.  I’m holding off on Mendenhall until he shows me he is fully healthy.

Mike Williams (TB)

Williams posted 66 yards on five grabs against the Colts on Monday night.  That was his best performance of the season.  He only has one touchdown on the year, and doesn’t look to come anywhere close to matching last year’s totals. 

Defenses realize he is Josh Freeman’s favorite target, and are covering him as such. He’s not worth starting until one of his fellow wide receivers emerges as a threat.

Green Light

Ryan Torain

I believe Torain will be the Redskins starter in their next game vs. the Eagles in Week 6.  He ran all over the Rams in Week 4 after replacing the “ailing” Hightower.  He is a better pure runner than Hightower, but lost his starting job early in the preseason because he is a huge injury risk.

However, any starts you can get out of him are usually worthy of fantasy greatness.  Dating back to last season, in the nine games where Torain had more than 10 carries, he averaged more than 100 total yards, and scored six total touchdowns.

I believe he should be one of the top three waiver pickups this week. (Also see Tim Hightower above)

Isaac Redman

With Rashard Mendenhall potentially out this coming week with an injured hamstring, Redman is set to step into the starting role.  Fellow backup Mewelde Moore is also expected to sit because of an injury, so Redman could flirt with 20-plus carries. 

Redman has done great in limited time this year, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Given Mendenhall’s high carry total last year, this might not be the only time Redman sees extended action this season. (Also see Rashard Mendenhall above)

Jacoby Jones

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle is telling us that Andre Johnson is expected to miss three weeks after undergoing a procedure to speed the recovery of his hamstring injury. Jacoby Jones will step into Johnson’s starting role, and will likely be Matt Schaub’s most targeted receiver behind tight end Owen Daniels. 

In two games last year when Andre Johnson was out, Jones averaged five catches and over 90 yards a game.  That sounds like starter material to me.  However, once Johnson returns to action (which could always be further away than expected), look for Jones’ production to decline.

Victor Cruz

Cruz has emerged as a very viable threat for Eli Manning and the Giants passing game over the past two weeks, accumulating nine catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns.  Cruz played for an injured Mario Manningham in Week 3, and then subbed into two-wide receiver sets for a benched Manningham in Week 4. 

Even if Manningham isn’t destined to permanently lose his starting job to Cruz, Eli Manning and the coaching staff’s confidence in Cruz is growing by the minute.  And with Cruz at least slated for slot duties, he should be in for some pretty consistent performances for the remainder of the season. 

He is a must-add in all formats, and could explode if he supplants Manningham as the starter permanently. Don’t forget that Hakeem Nicks gets injured often as well, providing for more opportunities.

Willis McGahee

McGahee has done great things since Knowshon Moreno injured his hamstring in Week 1, going over 100 yards rushing in two of three games, scoring two touchdowns.  Given those good numbers, Denver’s head coach John Fox has officially named McGahee the starting back, at least for the time-being. 

While McGahee may slow down as the season wears along, he is definitely worth starting in all fantasy circles in the meantime. If that weren’t enough, try this on for size: every one of Denver’s remaining opponents, except for Minnesota, ranks in the bottom half of the NFL in terms of yards allowed per rush through 4 games this season. 

Sounds like a great schedule for Denver’s starting running back, and right now that is Willis McGahee.

Shonn Greene

This pick may surprise you, as Shonn Greene has been anything but good so far (3.08 YPC) this year.  But I give him a break, as he has faced two of the top five rushing defenses in terms of yards per rush this year (Dallas and Baltimore). And it’s not like Rex Ryan is going to reduce the role of the rushing game going forward. 

In fact, on Monday, Ryan told his players that the Jets will take a run-first approach from now on. A la Willis McGahee. If that weren’t enough, try this on for size: every one of the Jets' remaining opponents, except for Denver and the Giants, ranks in the bottom half of the NFL in terms of yards allowed per rush through four games this season.  That sounds like a great schedule for the Jets starting running back, Shonn Greene.

Yellow Light

Greg Little

Little is still only a PPR asset at this point.  However, Little’s receptions having been creeping up each week (1, 4, 3 and 6 respectively), as well as his targets (3, 5, 5 and 8 respectively). 

It appears that Colt McCoy is getting more comfortable with the receiver. I think he is worth keeping an eye on, and even stashing on your bench, in hopes that those numbers continue to trend upwards.

Randall Cobb

Cobb caught just two passes this past week against the Broncos, but they went for 75 yards combined. Cobb is getting more playing time and looks as Donald Driver’s knees are giving him trouble. 

As the season moves along, I expect the Packers to make Cobb a bigger part of the game plan, while reducing Driver’s role.  With the best quarterback in the league throwing to him (Aaron Rodgers), Cobb could have a breakout second half.

Titus Young

Young has had more targets and receptions than fellow wideout Nate Burleson for two weeks in a row, so there might be a changing of the guard, at least in Matthew Stafford’s mind. 

Given the explosiveness of Detroit’s passing game, and the fact that Calvin Johnson sometimes gets triple teamed, Young is getting a lot of open-field looks. 

If he continues to pick up Detroit’s system well, he may be a major asset for fantasy owners in the weeks ahead, especially in PPR leagues.

Ed Dickson

Dickson is more of an asset in PPR leagues, as he has had four or more catches and 40-plus yards in three of his four games. He racked up 12 targets this past week against the Jets, and leads the team in that category through four games.

Joe Flacco is really building a chemistry with him, and as such, he is worth a spot on your bench in hopes of a breakout in the second half of the season.

Jared Cook

Cook is an athletic freak, standing at 6’5” tall and 250 pounds of muscle.  He was targeted more than any other player on the Titans offense in the first game since Kenny Britt tore his ACL.  All in all, Cook caught two passes for 93 yards and a touchdown in this past week’s game against the Browns.  

If Matt Hasselbeck stays hot, Cook could put up some monster numbers, given his freakish abilities. To me though, that is a big if.

Follow Andrew McFadden on Twitter @andrewmcfadden

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