FANTASY CHAMP: Week 5 Pickups

Now that we’ve got an idea from week 4’s performances let’s make some educated decisions moving into week 5. Here are your week 5 pickups!

NOTE: Teams on byes this week Dallas Cowboys , Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB

Ryan Fitzpatrick – Buffalo Bills: Against the Pats he had 4tds and 350 yards passing and 4 Ints. With that being said, he has put up some decent numbers over the past 4 weeks. He usually gets his TD passes no matter what the scenario, so that’s a positive. The negative here, he gets the 49ers defense and I wouldn’t wish them on any average QB. You could stash him down the road for a bye week, but I would not start him this week. You’ve been warned.

Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins: Has Tannehill arrived? 431 yards passing and 1 TD against a tough Arizona defense are respectable numbers. I still don’t think he has the fantasy worlds respect to start him on a weekly basis, but he definitely gets put on my “watch list” for sure.

Tim Tebow-New York Jets: By now we’ve all heard about the QB situation in New York. With Sanchez only completing 49% of his passes these days, Tebow has got to be on the verge of starting for the Jets. We all saw what happened last season…if you’re a gambling man or looking for a potential QB 2 who will get rushing yards pick him up now while you still have a shot. Did I mention that Santonio Holmes may be out for the season. Yikes.

Christian Ponder – Minnesota Vikings: While you sit here and ponder if Ponder is worth a pickup, the next owner in your league could take that chance. The positive here is that beating the 49ers could be a huge boost of confidence for Ponder moving forward. With Adrian Peterson to rely on don’t expect huge numbers in the passing game from Ponder, however Ponder can always get scramble yards each week, which is always a nice little bonus.

RB

Brandon Bolden – New England Patriots: How do you ignore 16 carries for 137 yards and 1 TD? Easy guy…Ezzzzzzzz. If you want to stash Brandon Bolden its worth a shot, when he puts up those kind of numbers it’s understandable as to why you would want to. The Patriots chose to run the ball heavy vs. the Bills and we saw Ridley get 22 carries and Bolden get 16. When was the last time you saw those numbers from the Patriots? What I’m saying is, you can’t rely on this kind of production moving forward. What you can expect is…Bolden taking Ridley’s place if he goes Ridley goes down, probably 5-10 carries and maybe some potential goal line carries. He showed he’s capable of putting in work and the Patriots won’t ignore that. Don’t forget guys like Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen are still in the mix. (Fantasy football sigh) Need I say more.

Ronnie Hillman – Denver Broncos: Last week we finally saw some flashes from Hillman. Let us not forget he is a rookie and he might not be that reliable in pass blocking situations, which is a good reason why we haven’t seen much of him. You don’t have a rookies picking up blitzes for your 100 million dollar investment early in the season. He had 10 carries for 31 yards and 2 catches for 36 yards. What he did show is that he could be valuable in PPR leagues if they continue to work him in on passing situations. I like his speed and his ability to shift gears. Keep your eye on him folks, as he seems like he’s surpassed Knowshon Moreno for the #2 spot at RB.

Jackie Battle – San Diego Chargers: The Chargers wanted to teach Ryan Mathews something with his fumbling issues and by doing so they let Jackie Battle take the majority of the carries in week 4. He had two scores and 81 total yards on the day for the Chargers. Mathews could easily be the work horse this week, but the Chargers at least saw what Battle is capable of if given the opportunity.

Jaquizz Rodgers-Atlanta Falcons: If some folks in your league gave up hope and dropped Rodgers scoop him if you have a chance. As the weeks go on I can easily see the Falcons using him in different ways. In week 3 he had 5 grabs 35 yards and 10 carries for 32 yards. I’m just waiting for Turner to go down (fantasy football only) Rodgers will inherit a ton of touches if that happens. He’s more valuable in PPR leagues at the moment.

WR

Brian Hartline- Miami Dolphins: There are no other weapons to compete with Hartline’s targets in the WR corps and after last week’s performance against the Cardinals he’ll probably be picked up by someone in your league. 12 catches 253 yards and 1 TD. Those numbers are hard to ignore. In week 2 he had 9 catches for 111 yds. So with that said it’s not such a fluke that Tannehill keeps looking his way. The positive here is that Hartline is going to get targets, but just so you know the Dolphins just signed Jabar Gaffney who was the Redskins leading receiver last season. Just so you know.

James Jones – Green Bay Packers: With Greg Jennings reinjuring his groin for the second time in 4 weeks that only means one thing. Pick up James Jones if in need. If there is any time to own Jones it’s when Jennings is out of the lineup. While we all know some weird things have been going down in Green Bay and the offense hasn’t been quite the same, you can never count out Aaron Rodgers and this Packers offense. Look for James Jones to get plenty of targets the next couple of weeks, especially by the goal line.

Jerome Simpson – Minnesota Vikings: Best known for flipping over defensive backs, Simpson came back from suspension last week with a respectable game. 4 catches for 50 yards. I know…Not an explosive game but the key here is that he led the Vikings receivers last week as Ponder only passed for 111 yards. If he can build on his relationship with Ponder it could blossom into some respectable fantasy points moving forward. I would keep my eye on him this week.

Domenik Hixon – New York Giants: With Hakeem Nicks banged up Hixon stepped up big time vs. the Eagles. Hixon is guy who has been with the Giants for some time and Eli has trust in the veteran, which explains the 11 targets he got in week 4. Hixon turned those targets into 6 grabs for 118 yards. Nicks will be out and Hixon will be called upon in week 5 to step up again. If in need he’s worth a start this week.

Andre Roberts – Arizona Cardinals: Last week Andre Roberts had a monster game (for a guy not named Larry Fitzgerald on the Arizona Cardinals) 6 catches, 118 yards and two touchdowns. The reality here, he’s most likely not even second on the food chain in terms of targets in Arizona, maybe 3rd or 4th. He’s a guy you might want to watch the next couple of weeks. With Kolb coming into his own he might look to guys he trusts and Andre Roberts might turn into that guy. I wouldn’t say to start him every week but if you’re desperate and in a deeper league he’s worth a gamble.

Donnie Avery – Indianapolis Colts: In week 2 week he had 9 catches for 111 yards vs. Minnesota though. Avery’s last game in week 3 his production dipped as he had 2 grabs for 28 yards. He did manage to get 9 targets on the day. He’s another guy I would keep an eye on in PPR leagues if he’s not available you can also check T.Y. Hilton both are calculated gambles.

T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis Colts: The rookie had a good day in week 3 with 4 grabs for 113 yards and 1 TD. If you can’t get your hands on Avery…Hilton could be your best bet. Collie is done for the year and Hilton & Avery will inherit Collie’s scraps. Luck def had his eyes on Hilton their last game as he was targeted 8 times. He’s a gamble but I’d keep my eye on him.

Andrew Hawkins – Cincinnati Bengals: I will repeat this every week until folks start listening. Hawkins is the Bengals version of Wes Welker. He scored in back to back games before last week. It was a quiet day for him with 3 grabs for 36 yards, but with that being said he still remains the second best target in the Bengals passing attack. With last week’s performance you may want to continue to keep an eye out for him. But he’s due for a break out game.

Jeremy Kerley- New York Jets: With Santonio Holmes most likely done for the season and Stephen Hill nursing a hamstring, Kerley remains the number one target in the Jets offense. I know…sad right? But were talking fantasy here people, so that means he should get more targets in the next coming weeks. Would I deploy him against the Texans…probably not. But he’s a guy that could surprise some folks in PPR leagues he could be a sneaky pick up. Monitor how they use him going forward. If you’re in a deeper league he might be worth a look now.

Ramses Barden – New York Giants: With Nicks out of the lineup, Barden stepped up against the Panthers, against the Eagles he faced a tough secondary and also sustained a concussion. I would check on his status before you go pick him up. The positive here, Giants get the Browns at home and there might be a good chance that the G-men take advantage of the Browns secondary. Check his health status before picking him up!

TE

Owen Daniels – Houston Texans: Daniels has played under the radar and in some 10 team leagues he might be out there to be picked up. Last week he had 6 grabs for 72 yards on 6 targets and 1 TD. He has scored in back to back weeks for the Texans and continues to lead the team in targets. Need I say more?

Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills: You know what Vernon Davis, Heath Miller and Chandler have in common? They all have 4 TDS. Chandler had a head injury last week but it appears that he will play. He has the NIners this week so you know what the means. Either way he worth a spot on the bench for now. Fitzpatrick likes Chandler especially when their offense gets in the Red Zone.

Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings: Some people are still sleeping on Rudolph. The young TE has scored 3 touchdowns in 4 weeks. In PPR leagues he might not be a fit but for scoring leagues he always has a chance to get looks by the goal line. Do you want touchdowns or targets is the question? Talent is there but the opportunities are the question. Those in deeper leagues should scoop him up asap.

Defense

Minnesota Vikings Defense –
Right now this defense ranks 8th in total defense and 7th in rushing yards allowed and scoring defense. Most importantly, the Vikings are holding opposing quarterbacks to a respectable passer rating of 88.8, giving up an average of only 6.5 yards per passing attempt. The Vikings are only giving up 3.3 yards per rushing attempt and also have 12 sacks on the season as well.

Kicker

Greg Zeurlein – St. Louis Rams: Zuerlein put in monster numbers for a kicker last week going 4 for 4 on field goals making them from 24, 48, 58, and 60 yards. Did I mention he broke a record with a 58 yarder and then re-broke it with a 60 yard kicker. (who does that in the same game?) On the season he is 12 for 12 on field goals with 4 coming from beyond 50 yards.