Fantasy Fives: Forte Flashes, Boldin Bombs in Week 5

Fantasy Aces

1. Matt Forte – Forte wasted no time bouncing back from Sunday night’s loss to the Giants. The third-year back from Tulane scored two touchdowns and had over 100 yards rushing in the first eight minutes of the game. He ended the day with 188 yards from scrimmage and those two scores – 30 fantasy points – and the Bears handled the toothless Panthers 23-6. It’s amazing when you consider that Todd Collins got the start for the Bears and threw four picks.

2. Ray Rice – That’s more like it. Rice owners finally got the performance they’ve been waiting for ever since investing a top five pick in the Ravens’ runner: 186 total yards and two touchdowns. Heck, even Willis McGahee got in the mix with a rushing touchdown. Rice is clearly healthy and should be counted on to carry the load for Baltimore, and your fantasy team, moving forward.

3. Hakeem Nicks – Nicks continued his breakout sophomore season with yet another all-pro performance – 12 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Nicks ran circles around the Texans’ secondary and continues to be one of fantasy’s most productive receivers. With six touchdowns through five weeks, Nicks has clearly elevated himself to WR1 status.

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Fantasy Fives: L.T. Runs Wild, Eagles’ Receivers Grounded

Fantasy Aces

1. LaDainian Tomlinson – Enjoying a bit of a renaissance with the Jets, Tomlinson ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns against the hapless Bills. L.T. has emerged as NYJ’s lead back and will continue to benefit from the much improved play of quarterback Mark Sanchez. He remains a must-start until further notice.

2. Terrell Owens – The T.O. Show made an appearance in Cleveland Sunday afternoon, albeit in a losing effort. Owens brought some life to the Bengal offense, exploding for 222 receiving yards and a touchdown, but the Browns still held on to win 23-20. A nice surprise for Owens owners, but don’t get used to it every week – there’s two diva wide receivers to satisfy in Cincy, remember?

3. Kyle Orton – The NFL’s top ranked passing offense (yes, you read correctly) put up another gem in a come-from-behind victory in Tennessee. Kyle Orton finished the day with 341 passing yards and two touchdowns, including the 6-yard game winner to Correll Buckhalter. Orton has been sneaky good this season and should be considered a fringe QB1 moving forward.

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Fantasy Fives: All Day Dominates, Austin is Average

Fantasy Aces

1. Adrian Peterson – All Day picked up his aging quarterback and willed the Vikings to their first win of the season against the Lions, 24-10. Peterson finished the afternoon with 190 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns. With Brett Favre’s early struggles, Peterson has kept the Vikings offense in games — and his fantasy owners happy.

2. Michael Vick – You think Andy Reid made the right decision? Vick validated his head coach’s somewhat controversial decision in a big way, scorching the Jacksonville defense for 291 passing yards, 30 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing). It all sets up for a showdown this week against Donovan McNabb and the Redskins in Philly.

3. Anquan Boldin – Boldin’s home debut in Charm City was a beauty. The Ravens’ prized free agent caught eight balls for 142 yards and three touchdowns as Baltimore bounced Cleveland 24-17. The good news is it looks like the Ravens offense has finally come alive. The bad news is a visit to Pittsburgh awaits in Week 4.

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Fantasy Fives: Waiver Wire Pick-ups for Week 3

1. Jason Snelling – We mentioned Snelling as a top fantasy performer in Week 2 so it’s a given that he’s our #1 waiver wire pick-up going into Week 3. Michael Turner is expected to be fine for this week’s huge showdown with the Saints, but the Falcons are going to need as much firepower as possible to win in New Orleans. I like Snelling as a strong flex play this week and security for Turner moving forward.

2. Mike Tolbert – Tolbert filled in admirably for rookie Ryan Mathews (ankle), rushing 16 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-13 win over the Jags. While it is believed that Mathews will be ready to go against the Seahawks in Week 3, Tolbert is a must handcuff for Mathews owners and will continue to receive red zone carries.

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Fantasy Fives: Best is Best, Favre Flops in Week 2

Fantasy Aces

1. Jahvid Best – The Lions may have lost to the Eagles 35-32, but Jahvid Best really was the best on Sunday. The rookie running back from Cal ended the day with 78 yards rushing, 154 yards receiving and three total touchdowns – that’s 40 fantasy points, folks. Best is elevating himself to RB1 status and it’s only Week 2. He has a tough match-up next week against Minnesota, but most thought that Philly’s defense was going to present problems. Think again.

2. Jason Snelling – Michael Turner goes down and Jason Snelling picks up right where he left off last season – and then some. Snelling shredded Arizona’s defense for 186 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns as the Falcons embarrassed the Cardinals 41-7. Back to Turner – he left the game with a groin injury but is expected to be OK.  Still, there’s no excuse not to have Snelling on your fantasy roster. He’s a must handcuff for Turner owners and should be looked at as a possible flex play, even when Turner’s healthy.

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Fantasy Fives: Top Rookies Entering 2010

1. Ryan Mathews - Not much is expected of the 22-year-old from Fresno State this season, just a few minor tasks: a) replace former face of the franchise, LaDainian Tomlinson, b) alleviate the pressure on quarterback Philip Rivers and the San Diego passing game without the services of two-time Pro Bowl LT Marcus McNeill and c) help lead the Chargers to a place where Tomlinson tried but could never get to: the Super Bowl. Other than that, just your average, entry-level job out of college, right? Mathews has looked like a seasoned vet this preseason and should be a top 10 fantasy running back in 2010.

2. Jahvid Best - Did the Lions strike gold? When Jahvid Best was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in April, you got the feeling that the team lucky enough to snatch him up would reap the benefits quickly. Best had some injury concerns at Cal, but this preseason he’s looked every bit as fast and dynamic as Tennessee’s Chris Johnson. Obviously only time will tell, but the maturation of quarterback Matthew Stafford and the additions of Nate Burleson and Tony Scheffler to go with Calvin Johnson will give Best room to showcase his take-it-to-the-house speed. Best enters 2010 as a solid RB2/flex with RB1 upside.

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Fantasy Fives: Players Entering 2010 with Questions

1. Larry Fitzgerald – One of the NFL’s best receivers has had a tough preseason. Fitzgerald sprained his MCL during the Cardinals’ first preseason game, sidelining him until opening day. Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, Kurt Warner isn’t the quarterback in the desert anymore. In fact, neither is Matt Leinart. Derek Anderson will take over as the starter and while he may be better than Leinart when it comes to throwing the deep ball, he ain’t Warner. I worry that Fitzgerald’s stats will suffer in 2010 through no fault of his own. He’s still a top five fantasy receiver, but also take into consideration that Anquan Boldin used to make life a little easier on Fitz too. Bottom line: he’s going to earn everything he gets this season.

2. DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart – Did you know that I scored as many touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers offense did this preseason? The Cats became the first NFL team in 14 years to be held without an offensive touchdown in the exhibition play. Head coach John Fox is in the last year of his contract, I hope he’s at least trying! In all seriousness, the running game has been and will continue to be the Panthers’ bread and butter, which is why I’m a little concerned they weren’t able to punch it in at least once. DeAngelo Williams rushed nine times for 13 yards in the Panthers’ third preseason game, better known as the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season. Jonathan Stewart didn’t even play a snap in the preseason as he recovers from a heel injury. We should also mention that wide receiver Steve Smith has also been out the entire preseason, so this worrying about the Panthers offense could be all for not. But if they put up a goose egg against the G-Men next week…

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Fantasy Fives: Players Entering 2010 with Momentum

1. Joe Flacco – This preseason the Ravens have made it a point to show the league that the one-demensional Black Birds are a thing of the past. Flacco put up the ball 34 times against the Giants last week, a clear indication that a) the coaches are confident in Flacco winning games with his arm and b) he finally has a full complement of weapons at his disposal in Anquan Boldin, Derek Mason, Mark Clayton and a healthy Todd Heap. Plus, having Ray Rice in the Ravens backfield only makes Flacco more dangerous. In his third season working with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Joe Cool has found his comfort zone; a scary thing for the AFC.

2. Arian Foster – Just three weeks ago we were talking about the emergence of rookie Ben Tate as the Texans top back or Steve Slaton bouncing back from a disappointing 2009. Well, we forgot about Arian Foster. After last Saturday’s performance against Dallas (18 carries, 110 yards and 1 TD), Foster left no doubt who the workhorse in Houston will be this season. It’s an amazing swing: many fantasy drafts in mid-August had Foster as the third Texans back off the board. Now you’d be lucky to snag him in the 4th round. All the more reason not to conduct your fantasy draft until late August.

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Preseason Observations from Saturday

Detroit 35 Cleveland 27 - Ladies and gentlemen, young Matthew Stafford has grown up. The second-year Lions quarterback has made noticeable strides from his rookie campaign and this season he actually has the weapons to take his game to elite heights. Stafford finished the evening 13 of 17 for 141 yards and a touchdown. I’m not saying the Lions are punching a ticket to the playoffs but don’t be shocked if head coach Jim Schwartz leads his team to six or seven wins. Some fantasy nuggets: Lions rookie Jahvid Best put a stranglehold on the starting running back job. First play for the Detroit offense: Best to the left for 51 yards. Second play for the Detroit offense: Stafford to Best for 10 yards. I don’t think he played another down after those two plays – the coaches had seen enough. Calvin Johnson caught two balls for 42 yards. Browns’ quarterback Jake Delhomme had a productive evening (20/25, 152 yards and 1 TD) though I’m not sure I’d have him on my fantasy roster.

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Preseason Observations from Friday

Atlanta 16 Miami 6 – The Dolphins first team offense struggled to do much of anything Friday night against the Falcons. Miami quarterback Chad Henne’s performance (10/22, 1 INT) was underwhelming but he wasn’t alone. The running back combo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 14 yards on 12 carries. Ouch. Something tells me that Tony Sparano won’t be taking practice lightly this week in that South Beach sun. Some fantasy nuggets: Brandon Marshall caught three balls for 51 yards. Though Henne’s still somewhat of an unknown, expect Marshall to produce Pro Bowl type numbers in 2010. The tandem of Matt Ryan and Roddy White got it going early Friday night. Matty Ice finished the night 13 of 26 for 103 yards and a touchdown to White in the first quarter. And for all you Michael Turner owners, be encouraged. Burner carried the ball 16 times for 47 yards. He lost a fumble but who cares, he’s healthy.

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