It seems that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady can still be a serviceable fantasy football quarterback.
Days after just about everybody out there, myself included, recommended that fantasy football owners should bench Brady in favor of other options, the future Hall-of-Famer posted the sixth-most points among quarterbacks in routing the Cincinnati Bengals. Brady played with fire and with passion, and he will be a fantasy football must-start when the Pats are at the Buffalo Bills next Sunday.
Elsewhere around the league, running backs Arian Foster and Eddie Lacy rewarded fantasy football owners who kept the faith. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos made team history with his performance. Meanwhile, New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell was an invisible man on Sunday.
Here is hoping he didn’t start himself in fantasy football for Week 5.
Week 5 fantasy football studs and duds
Stud: QB Austin Davis, St. Louis Rams
Only one quarterback -- Peyton Manning -- posted more fantasy football points than did Davis when away to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Davis threw for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns in the defeat. While he did not toss an interception against Philly, Davis did lose two fumbles.
Davis is cementing himself as a legitimate starter for the Rams, and he is an interesting fantasy football option depending on the week-by-week match-ups. St. Louis will host the San Francisco 49ers next Monday.
Bust: QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
All signs pointed to Big Ben having a big fantasy football day on Sunday. Roethlisberger was facing a lousy Jacksonville Jaguars defense. The secondary of the Jags was theoretically unable to deal with Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown. Starting Roethlisberger was an easy decision.
While Pittsburgh won the game, Roethlisberger did fantasy football owners little favors. He had just a single touchdown, and Roethlisberger posted only 12.72 fantasy football points. He will again be a must-start for Week 6 when he and the Steelers will be away to the Cleveland Browns, a team Roethlisberger has owned throughout his NFL career.
Week 5 fantasy football studs and busts
Stud: RB Branden Oliver, San Diego Chargers
So much for the New York Jets having a stellar run defense. Oliver posted the highest fantasy football output among running backs (30.20), and he went for 114 rushing yards, 68 receiving yards and a total of two touchdowns. It is likely that Oliver will be RB1 for San Diego moving forward, and he should be owned in all fantasy football leagues.
That said, don’t be shocked if Oliver experiences a bit of a letdown even when facing the lousy Oakland Raiders. The Jets are a disaster at the moment, to the point that they may, right now, be the worst team in all of the NFL.
Bust: RB LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
Yes, yes it is time for fantasy football owners to begin to worry about Shady. McCoy put up only 6.9 fantasy points, as he once again failed to enter the end zone. He was held to 86 yards of total offense and he lost a fumble in his team’s victory over the Rams.
Those who own McCoy grabbed him with a top pick, perhaps the first in your fantasy football draft. You have no choice but to continue to ride with McCoy and hope that he manages to turn things around beginning next Sunday night when the Eagles host NFC East rivals the New York Giants.
Stud: WR Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
34.6 points. That is what Thomas gave fantasy football owners on Sunday. Kendall Wright of the Tennessee Titans finished second in points among wide receivers on Sunday.
Wright posted 21 points.
Manning and Thomas should again be in for a big day next Sunday when the Broncos are at the New York Jets. The New York secondary is downright terrible, and the Jets looked like a dead-team-walking at San Diego. So long as the weather cooperates, Thomas should once again reward fantasy football owners in Week 6.
Bust: WR Victor Cruz, New York Giants
Cruz’s fantasy football revival came to a halt despite New York defeating the Atlanta Falcons. Eli Manning targeted his top wide receiver six times, and Cruz reeled in half of those passes. Cruz finished the game with 22 receiving yards and 2.2 fantasy football points.
Ouch.
You obviously won’t be giving up on Cruz anytime soon. Manning and his offensive line have played well over the past month, and Cruz will have a chance to have a big game at Philadelphia next Sunday night.
Week 5 fantasy football studs and busts
Stud: TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
And some were worried about the veteran tight end. Gates abused the pass defense of the Jets, finding the end zone on two occasions. Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers and Julius Thomas of the Denver Broncos were the only tight ends to post more fantasy football points than Gates (18).
Gates will have another good match-up next weekend when he and the Chargers will take on the Oakland Raiders. Oakland will be rested following a Bye week, but the Raiders were terrible in September. A week of rest alone isn’t fixing Oakland.
Bust: TE Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
Cameron is quickly becoming a fantasy football must-sit on a weekly basis. A top target for Cleveland quarterbacks in 2013, Cameron has been a major disappointment this fall. He went for 33 receiving yards and 3.3 fantasy football points against the Titans.
Word out of Cleveland is that Cameron is far from 100 percent. His shoulder has been injured since the summer months, and some NFL insiders believe Cameron will need a full offseason to fully recover from that knock. Starting Cameron is a risk until he shows that he is able to be a significant contributor for the offense of the Browns.
Stud: San Diego Chargers defense
Here’s hoping those of you who needed a fantasy football defense went and grabbed San Diego’s last midweek. San Diego pitched a shutout against the Jets, and the Chargers gave owners 16 points.
That unit should have another good afternoon at Oakland. The offense of the Raiders has been lackluster, at best, and rookie quarterback Derek Carr is averaging one interception per game.
Bust: Cincinnati Bengals defense
Thanks for nothing, Cincy. What had been the best defense in the AFC was lit up by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Bengals registered -3 fantasy football points in the blowout defeat.
Things should get better for the Cincinnati defense next week. The Bengals will host the Carolina Panthers, and Cincinnati has been one of the best home teams in the NFL over the past couple of years.
