NFL Week 5 Preview
Fantasy Football Start Em’ Sit Em
Quarterback Start: Tom Brady (at CLE), Andy Dalton (at DAL), Joe Flacco (vs. WAS)
Quarterback Sit: Matthew Stafford (vs. PHI), Jameis Winston (at CAR), Dak Prescott (vs. CIN)
Running Back Start: DeAndre Washington (vs. SD), Charles Sims (at CAR), Giovani Bernard (at DAL)
Running Back Sit: Cameron Artis-Payne (vs. Tampa Bay), James White (at CLE), Jay Ajayi (vs. TEN)
Wide Receiver Start: Julian Edelman (at CLE), Will Fuller V (at MIN), Robert Woods (at LA)
Wide Receive Sit: Michael Floyd (at SF), Cole Beasley (vs. CIN), Phillip Dorsett (vs. CHI)
Tight End Start: Hunter Henry (at OAK), Zach Ertz (at DET), Zach Miller (at IND)
Tight End Sit: Dwayne Allen (vs. CHI), Jesse James (vs. NYJ), Gary Barnidge (vs. NE)
Defense/ST Start: Steelers (vs. NYJ), Bills (at LA)
Defense/ST Sit: Jets (at PIT)
Week 5 Game Picks
Cardinals vs. 49ers: Carson Palmer won’t be playing in this game. Which means Cardinals fans get to see Drew Stanton reprise a familiar role of relief QB. The Cards roster should be talented enough to win this game, but that hasn’t mattered in their first four games of the season. Quite frankly they’ve underachieved. The 49ers roster is virtually devoid of playmakers and they just lost their captain on defense for the year. The Cardinals must win this game.
Texans vs. Vikings: The Vikings defense have basically dominated Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Eli Manning in consecutive weeks. The next QB on the menu is Brock Osweiler and he may be in for a long day. Lamar Miller will also be in for a long day going up against the Vikings defensive front. As long as Sam Bradford doesn’t crash the ship, the Vikings should win the game.
Bears vs. Colts: Okay, so Brian Hoyer managed to win a game last week for the Bears. Also, the Bears actually established a running game. It’s good to see their offense doing something, but I have doubts about their defense. Specifically their pass defense is terrible. Look for Andrew Luck to shred them and lead the Colts to a victory.
Jets vs. Steelers: Ryan Fitzpatrick is a liability at quarterback. It’s official at this point. And now the Jets defense will be in some trouble going up against the Steelers. If you saw what the Pittsburgh Steelers did to the Chiefs, you know what to expect here. The Kansas City secondary is similar to the Jets unit. So expect the same results. Steelers win big.
Titans vs. Dolphins: Does anyone really want to watch this game? I have no confidence in Ryan Tannehill or the Dolphins. So I’ll just pick the Titans.
Eagles vs. Lions: Carson Wentz looked very prepared in his first three starts and now is coming off of a bye week to prepare for Detroit. The Lions pass defense is vulnerable and I’ll pick the Eagles for at least one more week.
Patriots vs. Browns: Tom Brady is back and he’s facing the Browns. This one is obvious.
Redskins vs. Ravens: Last week performance from the Redskins troubles me a little bit. A few bounces the other way and Cleveland would have beaten them. Kirk Cousins in particular was just meh against a weak Cleveland defense. The Ravens have been inconsistent despite their 3-1 start, but are more trustworthy than Washington. Look for Flacco to take to the air against the Redskins and for the Ravens to finally establish a ground game in the process. Baltimore takes this one.
Falcons vs. Broncos: Tevin Coleman may not play in this game and that already limits their offense. The bulk of the running game will fall upon Devonta Freeman. Matt Ryan is my first quarter MVP for the season, but he will face his toughest test yet against the Broncos defense. Speaking of the Broncos, Trevor Siemian expects to start the game. He shouldn’t have too much trouble against Atlanta’s defense. I’ll take the Broncos to pick up another win.
Bengals vs. Cowboys: The Cowboys must be feeling good about their 3-1 record. Maybe they've forgotten the 14-0 hole they had to climb out of to beat the 49ers. This weekend's opponent is far more talented. The Bengals defense will attempt to do to the Cowboys what they did to Denver. They’ll attempt to take away the running game and force the QB to beat them. Now Siemian was able to beat the Bengals with four touchdown passes. Can Dak do that? I doubt it. Can the Cowboys defense stop the Bengals offense? I doubt that as well. I give the advantage to the Bengals.
Chargers vs. Raiders: The Chargers blew another close game last week and have made an art form out of the choke job. Now they’ve lost their best cornerback in the latest string of injuries. The Raiders are the exact opposite. They rise to the occasion in crunch time and find a way to win. This is a mismatch in more ways than one. Look for the Raiders to win this game.
Bills vs. Rams: When was the last time the Rams were playing a game in Los Angeles as the first place team in their division? Case Keenum has really been the hero of this offense and is finding ways to lead the offense to wins. The defensive front loves to hit and get turnovers. The Bills have also turned things around on both sides of the ball. They took out both the Cardinals and the Patriots in consecutive weeks. This will be a bit of a defensive struggle, but I trust Buffalo’s offense more than the Rams unit. Look for Buffalo to win out west.
Giants vs. Packers: Both offenses could use a boost. So expect a bunch of slants and quick passes. The Giants will probably throw to Odell Beckham Jr. some more to avoid a tantrum on the sidelines. This game comes down to who do you trust more at this point. I’m siding with Aaron Rodgers to pick on the Giants secondary and lead his team to victory.
Buccaneers vs. Panthers: It’s gut check time in Carolina. In each of their three losses, they failed to establish physicality against their opponent. Furthermore, the teams that have defeated them have used Cam Newton as punching bag so to speak. So it’s time for them to step up and take control of their season. It’s time for them to show some pride on the field. Unfortunately for the Bucs, it’s the right place but the wrong time. Look for Carolina to win. Otherwise, hit the panic button.