Week 5 Fantasy Football Projections: Alex Smith and 3 QBs to Fill Bye Week Void

Tony Romo, Joe Flacco and Sam Bradford are all enjoying a bye week, which leaves a lot of fantasy football owners out in the cold when it comes to a starting quarterback for Week 5. Here are three QBs to consider as a one-week replacement for the missing gunslingers.

Curtis Painter – Indianapolis Colts

Painter put up 15 points last week filling in for the injured Kerry Collins. He'll get another chance to prove himself against a porous Kansas City Chiefs defense on Sunday. The Chiefs rank 27th against opposing fantasy quarterbacks and have allowed at least 14 points in three of four games.

Don't be fooled into thinking Painter is a long-term solution for your fantasy team or the Colts, but he can hold down the fort for one week. He's got a bunch of options and, while he won't use them nearly as efficiently as Peyton Manning would, Painter should safely score in double-digits.

Prediction: 15 fantasy points

Kyle Orton – Denver Broncos

It was clear that Orton's fantasy value would suffer without Josh McDaniels' pass-happy offense in place. That said, he's averaging more than 12 points per week and is coming off a 17-point performance against the Green Bay Packers.

While the San Diego Chargers will provide a stiffer test than a banged-up Packers secondary, Orton should have a more healthy Brandon Lloyd at his disposal, which should make him fantasy worthy again this week. He won't win the week by himself, but he'll keep you afloat.

Prediction: 12 fantasy points

Alex Smith – San Francisco 49ers

Smith has truly been an under-the-radar story this season. The sixth-year quarterback has stepped up with his job on the line and delivered borderline greatness (not in fantasy terms, though). The team has finally learned his limitations and is usually him correctly, so it's no surprise the 49ers are 3-1.

Once again, Smith is not a guy who is going to safe your team. He's just a stopgap option. With that in mind, he's scored 15 points in two of the past three weeks and goes up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that allowed Painter to score 15 last week.

Throw in a healthy Michael Crabtree, and Smith could keep surprising people in Week 5.

Prediction: 13 fantasy points