Oct
Consider player rankings in the same light as your typical college basketball or football rankings. Once the early adjustments are made to take care of teams and players we underestimated and overestimated, only big events should spur big changes. While a multitude of upsets took place last week in college football, there were far fewer landscape-altering events in fantasy football.
Brett Favre’s six-touchdown effort against Arizona was the closest thing to Oregon State’s shocking upset of USC last Thursday. With that outburst, Favre surged to the top of fantasy quarterback rankings and took the NFL lead with 12 touchdown passes. The big boys in our top 10 held down the fort, even Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook, who has caused owners headaches with a nagging right ankle injury, and Dallas’ Marion Barber, who carried just eight times in a loss to the Redskins.
The first round of bye weeks certainly contributed to a lack of activity, as top 25 players Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress could seemingly do nothing to help or hurt their standing. Burress changed that logic by going and getting himself suspended for this weekend’s tilt with Seattle. In the broad scope of things, though, we believe that the suspension will ultimately lead to better things for Plax.
Two major bust candidates clutch to top 50 rankings, largely out of respect for what they accomplished in 2007. Braylon Edwards found paydirt for the first time in last weekend’s win over Cincinnati, but has still averaged little more than 24 yards per game receiving. Meanwhile, Ryan Grant rushed 15 times for 20 yards and zero touchdowns for the second time in three weeks. He’s no longer a must-start in standard leagues, but deserves at least one more week to get back on track.
And now, our Week 5 rankings. In the notes section, you’ll find a player’s previous rank in [brackets], just to get a gauge for which direction he is headed. Rankings are based on standard, 10-team leagues where passing touchdowns are worth six points.
| Rk | Player, Team | Pos | Notes [Previous Rank] |
| 1. | Adrian Peterson, MIN | RB | Snapped 2-week TD drought with 2 scores at TEN [1] |
| 2. | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | RB | Sprained toe looks healthy with 4 TDs in last 2 [2] |
| 3. | Frank Gore, SF | RB | Pass-catching a bonus; 30+ rec. yards in 4 straight [3] |
| 4. | Marion Barber, DAL | RB | Cowboys won’t stray from run again in Week 5 [4] |
| 5. | Clinton Portis, WAS | RB | Consistent carries: 23, 21, 21, 21 through 4 weeks [7] |
| 6. | Steven Jackson, STL | RB | Yardage totals quickly rising; next step is scoring [9] |
| 7. | Brian Westbrook, PHI | RB | Nearly played in Week 4; still questionable vs. WAS [5] |
| 8. | Marshawn Lynch, BUF | RB | 2 career sub-60 yard games have come in last 3 [6] |
| 9. | Joseph Addai, IND | RB | Good bet to boost TD total vs. soft HOU defense [8] |
| 10. | Terrell Owens, DAL | WR | Things can go downhill quickly if he’s unhappy [10] |
| 11. | Tony Romo, DAL | QB | Look for big 3-game stretch facing CIN, ARI, STL [11] |
| 12. | Michael Turner, ATL | RB | Will have big Week 5 if every-other-week trend sticks [12] |
| 13. | Brandon Marshall, DEN | WR | Missed a week, still tied for NFL lead with 31 catches [14] |
| 14. | Randy Moss, NE | WR | Has 2 straight poor efforts with Cassel under center [13] |
| 15. | Reggie Bush, NO | RB | Big-time playmaker, but must rush more consistently [15] |
| 16. | Reggie Wayne, IND | WR | Had extra week to work on timing with QB Manning [16] |
| 17. | Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | WR | No Boldin (doubtful) means more red zone looks [17] |
| 18. | Larry Johnson, KC | RB | Back in top form; 198 yards, 2 TDs in Week 4 win [22] |
| 19. | Drew Brees, NO | QB | Business as usual: leads NFL in completions, yards [21] |
| 20. | Peyton Manning, IND | QB | Look for return to health for division matchup vs. HOU [18] |
| 21. | Jay Cutler, DEN | QB | More human last 2 weeks; still rolled up 624 yards [19] |
| 22. | Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | RB | Gotten 7 or fewer carries in 3 of first 4 weeks [20] |
| 23. | Matt Forte, CHI | RB | Averaging 3.3 ypc, has zero rush TDs last 3 weeks [23] |
| 24. | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | RB | Scored 1st TD, but was held to 35 yards vs. CIN [24] |
| 25. | Plaxico Burress, NYG | WR | 2nd week of suspension keeps him out vs. SEA [25] |
| 26. | Philip Rivers, SD | QB | Ranks among top 2 on most NFL passing lists [28] |
| 27. | Steve Smith, CAR | WR | Already finding old magic with QB Delhomme [29] |
| 28. | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN | WR | Limited upside if QB Fitzpatrick starts again [26] |
| 29. | Greg Jennings, GB | WR | Capped 3rd 100-yard day with first 2 TDs of year [31] |
| 30. | Donovan McNabb, PHI | QB | Playing through pain; has 3 total TDs in last 3 [30] |
| 31. | Jason Witten, DAL | TE | Most targeted TE in NFL; scored 1st TD vs. WAS [33] |
| 32. | Ronnie Brown, MIA | RB | Talk of the town after massive 5-TD day vs. NE [34] |
| 33. | Willie Parker, PIT | RB | Sidelined for 2nd straight week with sprained knee [27] |
| 34. | Andre Johnson, HOU | WR | Focal point of defenses, has 67 yards last 2 weeks [32] |
| 35. | Calvin Johnson, DET | WR | Good news as DET plans to open up attack [41] |
| 36. | Brett Favre, NYJ | QB | Career-high 6 TDs propelled him to top of QB ranks [66] |
| 37. | Earnest Graham, TB | RB | Making most of time share with 5.9 ypc, 2 TDs [40] |
| 38. | Jamal Lewis, CLE | RB | Season-high 25 carries, scored 1st TD vs. CIN [38] |
| 39. | Darren McFadden, OAK | RB | Week 5 bye provides more time to heal sore toe [35] |
| 40. | Braylon Edwards, CLE | WR | Averaging paltry 24.3 ypg as Browns struggle [42] |
| 41. | Anquan Boldin, ARI | WR | Vicious Week 4 hit puts damper on red-hot start [43] |
| 42. | Jonathan Stewart, CAR | RB | Stride for stride with Forte for NFC Offensive R.O.Y. [44] |
| 43. | Ryan Grant, GB | RB | Bust alert: has just 186 yards, 0 TDs through 4 games [36] |
| 44. | Thomas Jones, NYJ | RB | Lackluster as Jets, Favre open up passing game [37] |
| 45. | Santana Moss, WAS | WR | Zorn offense good to him; 2nd in NFL in receiving [48] |
| 46. | Willis McGahee, BAL | RB | Questionable for Week 5 with sore ribs [39] |
| 47. | Antonio Gates, SD | TE | Proving 80% of Gates still better than most TEs [47] |
| 48. | Santonio Holmes, PIT | WR | Won’t be at best until teammates get healthy [55] |
| 49. | Chris Johnson, TEN | RB | Surprising 61 yards, 2 TDs in tough matchup vs. MIN [56] |
| 50. | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | QB | Sore shoulder, lack of runing game don’t bode well [45] |
| 51. | Wes Welker, NE | WR | On good pace for receptions, gets few TD chances [46] |
| 52. | Kellen Winslow, CLE | TE | Knee becoming issue; gets extra rest with bye week [50] |
| 53. | Aaron Rodgers, GB | QB | Limited this week, time will tell severity of shoulder [49] |
| 54. | LenDale White, TEN | RB | Again likely to yield majority of carries to Johnson [53] |
| 55. | Julius Jones, SEA | RB | Healthy WRs should mean decreased work load [51] |
| 56. | Hines Ward, PIT | WR | Early run was nice, but coming to screeching halt [52] |
| 57. | Chad Johnson, CIN | WR | Predicting TD vs. DAL; would be 1st of the season [57] |
| 58. | Eli Manning, NYG | QB | So far, is best fantasy player in Manning family [58] |
| 59. | Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ | WR | Saved Week 4 by catching 2 TDs in 4th quarter [67] |
| 60. | Dwayne Bowe, KC | WR | Freakish athlete gets numbers as KC plays catch-up [60] |
| 61. | Torry Holt, STL | WR | Nowhere to go but up after Linehan firing [59] |
| 62. | Laveranues Coles, NYJ | WR | Huge 3-TD day shows how far he’s come with Favre [79] |
| 63. | Tony Gonzalez, KC | TE | Still centerpiece of KC attack, ranks among top 5 TEs [62] |
| 64. | Carson Palmer, CIN | QB | Will be late decision (elbow) for 2nd straight week [54] |
| 65. | Kurt Warner, ARI | QB | Owners forgive 6 TOs with 472 yards, 2 TDs vs. NYJ [63] |
| 66. | Edgerrin James, ARI | RB | Two goal-line TDs vs. NYJ were pleasant surprise [65] |
| 67. | Lee Evans, BUF | WR | Quietly having fine season; scored 1st TD in Week 4 [68] |
| 68. | Donald Driver, GB | WR | Hit or miss with TDs, but reliable in possession game [61] |
| 69. | DeSean Jackson, PHI | WR | Sell-high candidate with Eagles WRs returning [76] |
| 70. | Chris Cooley, WAS | TE | Still proving to be prime option in weak TE class [72] |
| 71. | Roddy White, ATL | WR | Overcoming up and down play of rookie QB Ryan [78] |
| 72. | Steve Slaton, HOU | RB | Averaging 120 total yards/game over last 2 starts [84] |
| 73. | Anthony Gonzalez, IND | WR | Hurt by presence of Harrison, Clark in offense [74] |
| 74. | Chris Chambers, SD | WR | Making catches count; 4 of 8 have gone for TDs [75] |
| 75. | Marques Colston, NO | WR | Will miss next 1-to-3 weeks with thumb injury [77] |
| 76. | Matt Hasselbeck, SEA | QB | Better days ahead as ‘Hawks WRs get healthy [81] |
| 77. | Dallas Clark, IND | TE | Solid return to lineup (knee) with 44 yards vs. JAC [80] |
| 78. | Titans D/ST | D/ST | Clear No. 1 unit leads NFL in scoring, total defense [85] |
| 79. | Jason Campbell, WAS | QB | Only starting QB in NFL yet to throw an INT [92] |
| 80. | Chris Perry, CIN | RB | Benson won’t affect workload; sore hammy might [71] |
| 81. | Marvin Harrison, IND | WR | Encouraging Week 3 with multiple red-zone looks [82] |
| 82. | Eddie Royal, DEN | WR | Reality is, rookie sensation is glorified possession WR [83] |
| 83. | Felix Jones, DAL | RB | Zero touches in Week 4 as ‘Boys abandoned run [73] |
| 84. | Derek Anderson, CLE | QB | Feeling heat from QB Quinn; could get quick hook [86] |
| 85. | Trent Edwards, BUF | QB | Take efficiency now; a 3-TD day is coming [90] |
| 86. | Rudi Johnson, DET | RB | Viable fantasy option as new DET starter [97] |
| 87. | J.T. O’Sullivan, SF | QB | Numbers aren’t gaudy, but is consistently effective [88] |
| 88. | Laurence Maroney, NE | RB | Healthy again, but will he ever be feature back? [87] |
| 89. | Bernard Berrian, MIN | WR | Better QB play, has better matchups ahead [89] |
| 90. | David Garrard, JAC | QB | Big day vs. HOU could create forward momentum [100] |
| 91. | Deuce McAllister, NO | RB | Physical runner a perfect complement to Bush [NR] |
| 92. | Le’Ron McClain, BAL | RB | Is for real; bruiser a key to BAL’s run-heavy attack [NR] |
| 93. | Ricky Williams, MIA | RB | Getting touches, but glory is reserved for Brown [95] |
| 94. | Selvin Young, DEN | RB | Leads NFL with 6.2 ypc, just needs more touches [93] |
| 95. | Kevin Smith, DET | RB | Has almost fully lost grip on DET’s starting job [64] |
| 96. | Tony Scheffler, DEN | TE | Plenty to go around in high-flying DEN offense [97] |
| 97. | Jon Kitna, DET | QB | Job could be in jeopardy if DET keeps losing [98] |
| 98. | DeAngelo Williams, CAR | RB | Sorely needs big day to fend off rookie Stewart [94] |
| 99. | Sammy Morris, NE | RB | Leads Pats’ RB committee, gets goal-line touches [99] |
| 100. | Marc Bulger, STL | QB | Gets 2nd chance under interim coach Haslett [NR] |
| 101. | Jake Delhomme, CAR | QB | Had breakout game with 294 yards, 2 TDs vs. ATL [NR] |