Value and quality can change over time. My Penguins, for instance, start their season tonight (yes, hockey exists, America). With Week 5 coming up there are likely millions of owners out there looking to make a trade. Buy: Blount Wide receivers Rueben Randle, New York Giants ($5,300) vs. Kendell Wright, Tennessee Titans ($5,700)The Niners have been burned for big plays this season, so we expect them to be guarding against Odell Beckham Jr. deep, leaving plenty of room for Randle underneath. But trading is a tricky thing, an inexact science that includes careful calibration and negotiation.
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Travis Benjamin, WR, Cleveland Browns: While you might be hesitant to start any Browns offensive player, Benjamin is a popular sleeper pick this week. Just because experts had high hopes for a guy doesn’t mean you can ignore their bad to so-so starts. But Charles Clay is just two behind him, ranking fifth.
As far as lineups go, here are a few players I’m hot and cold on in Week 5. Both backs are probably OK plays in larger leagues, but neither is a must start, at least until one emerges. Once again, I came up with eight Fantasy Football team defenses that you might feel comfortable starting this week. McCown was able to finish Week 4 with 356 passing yards, 2 TDs, and a 2-point conversion. Anderson, meanwhile, turned in his fourth straight game with fewer than four yards per carry. It was a great matchup on paper – the Falcons entered the week, allowing the most fantasy points to opposing running backs – but it quickly turned into a nightmare for Foster, who had a second-quarter fumble returned for a touchdown. The Seahawks’ have not allowed a running back to rush for a touchdown and have only given up six rushing plays of 10 yards or more all season. Well, I personally wouldn’t, but I can see why someone would.
Calvin Johnson – Lions: I said it before the season started, and I will say it again, Megatron is NOT the WR he used to be. They have decent talent on offense, especially at receiver. If active, he has a great matchup against a Chiefs’ defense, allowing the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to WRs (39.5), but we’re still being somewhat cautious with our ranking of him (No. 17). Freeman had three touchdowns last week and he now has seven on the season rushing the ball and he will likely remain the starter even when Coleman returns. If you can disconnect yourself from the value of the name, you would be wise to sit Seattle this week and stream elsewhere. Bell is a very good pick because not only does he easily see the twenty point mark, but may very well outperform that 20+ point bar, not to mention he is facing an atrocious run defense in the San Diego Chargers. He’s also had at least 60 yards receiving in each week, making him a pretty consistent play.
So… Yeah, go for it if he’s healthy. Week 4 saw 14 missed field goals and four missed extra points, many of which decided the outcome of close fantasy matchups. Perhaps Johnson will come back from the ignominy of Monday night with a vengeance this weekend, but a reprisal won’t come easy.
Through four games, Dalton has been fantastic largely thanks to improvements up front along the offensive line. I will give you the argument that the Seahawks shut down most offenses they face. That is a mind boggling statistic. I’d temper my expectations a tad. If you’re looking for a quarterback streamer, Cutler could be your man. Well, I know Brian Wilson from Jacksonville, Florida did as he sent me a picture of his game recap to prove he followed where I led him! The reality is the 49ers are not a good football team, and fantasy owners who have any of their players are in for a bumpy ride the rest of the season.
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It’s insane to think that Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman rang up another three-touchdown game… and Leonard Hankerson still managed to total 16 fantasy points in non-PPR leagues in Week 4. For a pass-catching starved team like the Browns, he could be a solid option going forward.
