Fantasy Football 2011: 5 Situations to Watch Coming out of the Week 5 NFL Bye

It’s that time of year. Fantasy football owners are scrambling to fill holes in their lineup as Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Washington and Baltimore are on bye. Here are some things to keep an eye on when they get back to action.

1.  Can the Dallas Cowboys get healthy?

It is normal, even expected, that teams are dealing with injury issues. It’s part of the game. While the Cowboys aren’t the team hardest hit by injuries, they have provided the most concern to fantasy owners.

Dallas has five key players that are owned in all fantasy leagues. Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. Of those five Romo (ribs), Felix (shoulder), Miles (hamstring) and Dez (thigh) have been limited by injuries with both WRs missing game action.

Usually an early bye is a disadvantage, but the timing couldn’t be better for the Cowboys.

2.  Who’s going to be Miami’s Quarterback?

Chad Henne will miss the rest of the season because of a separated shoulder. Matt Moore, who was 17-of-26 for 167 yards and an interception subbing in for Henne will get the first crack.

The Dolphins signed Sage Rosenfels to provide a veteran presence, but he’s a career backup. While David Garrard is available, the scenario doesn’t seem likely. Garrard’s asking price is probably too high and his presence could possibly take them out of the running in the Suck for Luck Sweepstakes.

There you have it. Moore is the guy in Miami. Fun.

3.  Who’s the Lead Back in Washington?

Great question. Nobody has figured out the algorithm to understand Mike Shanahan’s logic when it comes to running backs.

Certainly the flavor of the month is Ryan Torain, who is coming off a brilliant (19 carries, 135 yards, one TD) performance against the Rams.

Hightower had 283 total yards and two touchdowns in the first three weeks before injuring his shoulder. His yards per carry (3.5) leaves plenty to be desired, but he is good in the passing game. Plus, Ryan Torain has a lengthy injury history.

Roy Helu is limited to change-of-pace duty. I wouldn’t drop Hightower by any means, as Shanahan is as fickle as they come, but to me, Torain is the lead back at this moment.

4.  Can the Rams’ offense come to life?

The Rams have been one of the more banged up teams. They rank 27th in total yards and 31st in scoring at a mere 11.5 points per game. They weren’t exactly a powerhouse last year, but most expected to see improvement from Sam Bradford in his second year.

The problem is he still doesn’t have the weapons on offense. Why they are making their franchise QB play without weapons is beyond me. Things should get better for St. Louis based simply on their schedule.

They have faced the Eagles, Ravens, Giants and Redskins. Philly and Washington are tied for the league lead with 15 sacks. The Giants are tied for fifth with 12 and the Ravens are tied for eighth with 11.

Coming out of the bye they have Green Bay, Dallas and New Orleans, so buying low would be premature now. Come Week 9 it’s a different story. Unfortunately, it’s likely that only Bradford and Steven Jackson are worth owning.

5.  Can Anquan Boldin snap out of it?

It’s not that he’s having a terrible year, but more was expected than 15 catches for 222 yards and one score through four games.

He’s averaging 3.8 catches for 55.5 yards. That’s more along the lines of Derrick Mason than what you’d expect from Boldin.

If you take his last four regular season games from last year along with this year's totals, he’s averaging 2.9 catches for 36.1 yards with one touchdown.

He has just one 100-yard performance in his last 17 games. He has just five touchdowns over that stretch.

I’m not saying you should give him away, but inquiring to see what you can get for him isn’t a bad idea.

Also check out:

• Week 6 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Week 6 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Week 6 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Week 6 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Week 6 Fantasy Football Sit/Start Advice