Sunday Recap: Week 5

Bears @ Chiefs

This was one of the more depressing games on the day, and not because the Chiefs forgot how to play football in the second half, but the Jamaal Charles news clouded much of the day. He is out with a significant knee injury, and Charcandrick West will likely take over for the rest of the season. Someone tell West he needs a nickname. The Chiefs had one of the favorable matchups on the slate, and disappointed yet again. While the Charles news was tough to take, Kansas City looked absolutely awful on both sides in the second half, allowing 15 unanswered, including a late touchdown to lose the game. Kansas City also did not seem to make Charles a priority when he was on the field. Jeremy Maclin continued to put his stamp on this offense, with eight catches for 85 yards, although we were expecting a much better game. It will be interesting to see of the Chiefs can muster any sort of offense moving forward.

Jay Cutler was healthy, but Eddie Royal and Alshon Jeffrey were not. Cutler made do with what he had, and ended up pulling a win out of thin air late in the game. Forte put one of his signature performances together, with over 100 total yards, and a score. Marquess Wilson led the Bears in yards, and found the end zone. He was by far the best points-per-dollar Bears' play for DFS this week. With the injuries in the receiving core, Martellus Bennett failed to make an impact. He did have 11 targets, but just four catches, for 32 yards. I am just counting the days until we see what a healthy Bears offense can put together.

Seahawks @ Bengals

There were three overtime games this weekend, and The Red Rifle kept the Cincinnati Bengals undefeated with 17 points in the fourth quarter. Andy Dalton was one of the higher scoring quarterbacks this weekend, which came to a surprise to many. He threw for over 300 yards, two passing touchdowns, AND another rushing touchdown. The receiving core saw plenty of action, but was once again very even. Tyler Eifert had a monster game, with a 8-90-2 line, and led the team in targets. Cincy has a ton of weapons, and we seem to be in one of these situations where we are guessing each week. After a three touchdown performance last week, Jeremy Hill had 13 yards on 8 carries. Enjoy the inconsistency in your season-long leagues, and avoid in daily.

I might avoid targeting against the Seahawks when they are at home, but they have been average on the road this season. I am speaking defensively, because on offense they have been bad no matter where they are. Per Football Outsiders, Seattle's defense ranks smack dab in the middle of the league in defense, and should be dropping after this week. Moving forward, I like the idea of picking on Seattle with a player, because the ownership will be down. Seattle has big problems with their offensive line, but Thomas Rawls put on a show. His highlight reel will now show a 69 yard touchdown run, where he was off to the races. He also tacked on another 100 yards, finishing the day with 169 on 23 carries. Seattle has not been able to run the ball year, so this was shocking against a stout Bengals' defense.

Redskins @ Falcons

The second overtime game featured two ugly offenses, but one came as a surprise. Sunday morning we faced a tough decision. To Julio, or not to Julio? If you chose not to, that was a wise decision. The hamstring was an issue for Jones this week, and even though he was active, there was a chance he would be very limited. He saw ten targets, but had just five catches for 67 yards. You know who else had ten targets? Jacob Tamme, who led the team in receptions, and receiving yards. If you were hoping for Leonard Hankerson to continue his nice stretch, he finished with 13 yards. The story of the last three weeks has been Devonta Freeman. He was the workhorse today in an offense that was not clicking. He had nearly 200 yards of total offense, and found the end zone yet again. If you were wondering about Tevin Coleman, he had two carries, for three yards. We had a lot of decisions to make with Atlanta today, and hopefully you made the right ones.

What can we really expect from the Redskin's offense at this point? They are running a three back system, and have Kirk Cousins as their quarterback. Despite being one of the few receiving threats, Pierre Garcon still finds himself posting mediocre lines. Jamison Crowder has had 20 targets in the last two games, catching 15 of the, for 153 yards. He has yet to find the end zone, but at 5'8, that is asking a lot in this offense. On a full PPR site like DraftKings, he has some appeal moving forward.

Jaguars @ Bucs

Believe it or not, this is where a lot of the great tournament plays came from this week. Starting with Doug Martin, who crossed the pylon three times, and totaled over 150 yards of offense. Martin was not the only back in the Tampa system to have a solid day, Charles Sims had over 100 yards of offense. Operation rebound for Martin has been a success this season, with 405 rushing yards, on a 4.5 YPC. Jameis Winston and the passing game did not have to do much in this game, but when the Bucs score 38, you expect Mike Evans to be a part of it. He had just five targets, catching three for 41 yards.

Blake Bortles was chasing this game from the start, and whoever had the Jags big three should have a nice payday. Bortles tossed for 303 yards, and four scores. Allen Hurns had a 5-116-1 line, while Allen Robinson had a 7-72-2 line. T.J. Yeldon also caught a receiving touchdown, and had 63 total yards before leaving with an injury late. For those who used Yeldon expecting big ground numbers, the game script killed any sort of chance of that happening. He still didn't have that bad of a day considering his price. The Jags should Julius Thomas more involved next week, adding another weapon to this passing attack.

Saints @ Eagles

39 points for the Philadelphia Eagles, that's more like it Chip Kelly and company! The Saints have one of the worst defenses in the league, so 39 points is not a shocker. Sam Bradford had an average day in the pocket, throwing for 333 yards, and two scores, but he also had two picks. Bradford, for the second week in a row, threw two touchdowns to receivers we have zero fantasy interest in. Josh Huff led the team in receiving yards, and had a score, while Brent Celek caught the other. Bradford hit nine different receivers, and nobody had over eight targets. It was another frustrating day for Jordan Matthews owners. The run game finally clicked, both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews found the end zone, and rushed for over 70 yards.

The Saints are in bad shape, but the passing game looked good enough to target for the second week in a row. This was the week Willie Snead assured he has fantasy value. He led the team in targets, catching six balls for 141 yards. This also opened things up for Brandin Cooks, who had his first big game of the season. He posted a 5-107-1 line, on nine targets. New Orleans has plenty of DFS plays that can go off each week, but the consistency makes them tournament plays moving forward. The guessing games will be fun.

Browns @ Ravens

The third overtime game of the day belonged to the Ravens and Browns. They combined for 63 points, meaning Donald Trump is likely going to be our next president. Justin Forsett finally got the usage we expected this season, and he could of had an epic day, but Joe Flacco turned fullback with two rushing touchdowns. Forsett had nearly 170 total yards, with a rushing touchdown. Forsett has ran for a 5.7 YPC in the last two weeks, and gets the 49ers next week. With Steve Smith in a week-to-week injury situation, Kamar Aiken has taken over as the top wideout in the core. He had nine targets, and caught four balls for 78 yards.

The Browns putting up 30 points is rare, but they do have the playmakers onboard to make this not that surprising. Okay, it was pretty surprising, but still they have a few burners. The real surprise was Josh McCown throwing for 457 yards, and two scores. Garry Barnidge and Travis Benjamin led the way in the receiving core. This is the second week in a row the Browns passing game put other teams to shame. Whether this is some breakthrough, or a short spurt of success, they need your attention. The rookie, Duke Johnson, was used in the passing game again with eight targets, but Crowell was the one to cross the goal line. Cleveland takes on possibly the league's best defense next week, so let's not get too excited.

Rams @ Packers

The game script was solid, the matchup was decent, and Eddie Lacy was at a pretty good price fitting into my lineups. Boy, was I wrong. He rushed for 27 yards, on 13 carries, and caught one pass for a mind-blowing eight yards. I could go on all day about Lacy's big day, but I don't want to bore you. The Packers did not look great on offense, and Rodgers interception streak came to an end. James Jones had a long touchdown catch, but was only targeted three times. Although low targets is the theme for Jones, he keeps finding the end zone. Ty Montgomery is stepping up in the absence of Devante Adams, and had a 4-59-1 line. Randall Cobb was held in check, and only targeted six times. Green Bay is a powerful offense, and everyone has an off week. The defense looked solid, and was one of the higher scoring defenses on the slate.

It has been worth the wait for Todd Gurley, as he rushed the ball 30 times for 159 yards. With four Nick Foles' interceptions, the only hopes of moving the ball, was with Gurley. Another SEC back has come into the league, and jumped right into our fantasy arms. He is off to a blazing start, with 314 yards, on 55 attempts. A 5.7 YPC so far has us licking our chops to roster him when he gets off his bye week.

Bills @ Titans

This game was ugly on both sides, and it seemed there was a muffed kick every time I went to check on the action. I use the term action very lightly there. Karlos Williams and LeSean McCoy were both out this week, and it seems like that's the case next week too. Neither back looked great, with Daniel Herron and Boobie Dixon getting a combined 16 carries. Tyrod Taylor was the leading rusher, with 76 yards, and a score. Taylor did not commit a turnover, and carried the Bills in an ugly win.

The Titans ran into a tough Bills defense, and their youth showed. It was an poor showing from just about everyone, and like the Bills, Marcus Mariota led the team in rushing yards. Justin Hunter, Delanie Walker, and Kendall Wright each had six targets, but none of them managed any sort of noise. The running back situation is one of the worse I have seen. It is a mess of Dexter McCluster, Bishop Sankey, and Antonio Andrews.

Cardinals @ Lions

Who would of thought that the Cardinals would be taking out their starters this week? Probably just Lions fans. Carson Palmer had another three touchdown game, but only threw for 161 yards, and actually just had 14 attempts. The Cards bounced back from last week's loss, and were efficient on offense yet again. The running game was at it's best, with Chris Johnson rushing for over 100 yards, Andre Ellington broke off a 63 yard touchdown, and David Johnson had two short yardage touchdowns. With what Chris Johnson has been doing the last few weeks, it would not surprise me to see him get the majority of touches for the rest of the way. Ellington and David Johnson should be sprinkled in.

The Lions put up yet another dud, and Jim Caldwell had seen enough out of Matthew Stafford. He was benched after his third pick, but after the game said his job is not in jeopardy. Detroit is probably one of the easiest teams to avoid right now, although 10-53-1 for Theo Riddick is one heck of a line for a value play. I would not count on that, but it seems he has the passing down back role locked him. The two quarterbacks were wildly inaccurate, and have really taken the fantasy worth out of these wide receivers. Calvin Johnson's floor/ceiling has been lowered significantly, while Golden Tate gets his targets, but cannot produce much on them.

Patriots @ Cowboys

If you went heavy on New England players, you were likely panicking at half time, when they only had 13 points. They did end up with 30 points, but of course we have been used to the 50+ games in the last few weeks. Julian Edelman had a late game touchdown, and finished with 4-120-1. The passing game was fairly average, compared to a usual New England passing attack, while Dion Lewis led the team in targets. Lewis racked up eight catches for 59 yards, and a score. If he continues to stay at this price on DraftKings, his ownership should continue to rise. This was the most subpar 30 point game in terms of daily fantasy.

The Cowboys are broken, and six points was all they could muster. Going forward we should just pick defenses against them, and move on. There is one note, with Lance Dunbar out for the season, Darren McFadden stepped into pass-catching duties. He had nine receptions for 62 yards. He also led the team in targets. With Brandon Weeden checking down what almost seems like every play, McFadden could be a sneaky play.

Broncos @ Raiders

If you had a mini Denver stack moving into this game, you probably felt pretty good with how the morning games shaped up. We saw yet another disappointing performance from Peyton Manning and company. Manning threw two interceptions, and ended up with no touchdowns. In face the Denver defense scored the only touchdown of the game. The running game is a mess, with C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman combining for 43 yards, on 18 carries. It was not Demaryius Thomas who led the team, but Emmanuel Sanders who had nine catches for 111 yards. He led the team in targets, with 12, and Thomas had 8. We expected a little more this season from the Broncos offense, but just maybe Manning is over the hill.

The Broncos defense is the best in the land, and they single handedly have one three games this season. If it wasn't for them, we could be looking at a bad AFC West that is wide open. The Oakland big three did not have much in the stat sheet, and for wise ones, this is no shocker. I will be avoiding Denver's defense for the rest of the year, they are scary good.

49ers @ Giants

A primetime game that finally delivered a good viewing product. The Giants-49ers was a battle until the end, and who would of thought the 49ers offense would show up in this one? Colin Kaepernick threw for 262 yards, and two scores. He did not turn the ball over, and this led to a vintage Anquan Boldin game. He had eight catches, for 107 yards, and a score. The success in the passing game also led to a nice day for Carlos Hyde. (21 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD) For us to get any sort of fantasy value out of the 49ers skill players, it relies on Kap. Now this is the case for a lot of teams, but it seems to be more so with San Francisco. Kap is a dynamic QB, when he has things working, and can instantly make others solid fantasy weapons.

How about the Giants passing game? Eli Manning threw 54 times, for 441 yards, and three score. The run game is absent in New York, and I don't mind one bit. Odell Beckham Jr. led the way with 121 yards, and a score, while Shane Vereen had a 8-86-1 line. If Rueben Randle misses any time, as he left with an injury last night, Shane Vereen picked up a lot of the slack after he left. Dwayne Harris also saw eight targets, and should see an increase. The Giants passing game continues to be slept on, outside of ODB, but they are airing it yet again in 2015.