This week’s priority on the waiver wire comes down to team need. Ryan Torain is the most valuable asset for Weeks 6-8 with fantasy friendly matchups looming against three teams in the top-10 in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Torain isn’t going to help those owners already dealing with a bye-week crunch, though, because his team is off this week as well.
For Week 5 value alone, Isaac Redman has the upper hand. Rashard Mendenhall was knocked out of last week’s game with a hamstring injury that is not believed to be serious. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the same tune the Texans were singing after Arian Foster tweaked his hamstring in August. As we saw with Foster as well as Beanie Wells, running backs often need at least a week -- if not more -- to recover even from a minor hamstring pull. If the Steelers do push Mendenhall to play this week, Redman would be more of a flex option with an increased role. If Mendenhall sits out, Redman is looking at 20-25 touches as an every-down back with Mewelde Moore (high ankle sprain) also sidelined.
Over the long haul, though, Patriots rookie Stevan Ridley looks like the pick of the litter. After impressing in two second-half series against the Bills in Week 3, the coaching staff promised to reward Ridley as long as he continued to improve week-to-week while "developing a level of consistency.” Mission accomplished. Ridley’s snaps increased again in Week 4, leading to a season-high 100 yards on just 11 touches. Explosive to the edge with a burst through the middle and soft hands, Ridley is a major upgrade on BenJarvus Green-Elllis. Averaging 8.0 yards every time he touches the ball, Ridley has been a tackle-breaking machine even going back to preseason action. Even if this remains a committee attack, Ridley is a good bet to emerge as the lead dog in a high-scoring offense. Of the three top waiver candidates this week, Ridley’s upside is the highest.
On to the players. Here is how I rank the top players at each position as we head into Week 5. Full writeups of each player are below.
Editor’s Note: Join subscriber only chats, get weekly rankings before anyone else, plus exclusive weekly projections, stat tools, dynasty ranks, columns, and much more including the Rotoworld Oracle in our Season Pass.
Running Backs
Ryan Torain
Stevan Ridley
Isaac Redman
Bernard Scott
Montario Hardesty
Ricky Williams
Joe McKnight
Keiland Williams
Quarterbacks
David Garrard
Tim Tebow
John Beck
Alex Smith
Tarvaris Jackson
Curtis Painter
Wide Receivers
Victor Cruz
Michael Crabtree
Jacoby Jones
Danario Alexander
Kevin Walter
James Jones
Lee Evans
Preston Parker
Doug Baldwin
Tight Ends
Ed Dickson
Jermaine Gresham
Jared Cook
Kevin Boss
Defense/Special Teams
Bengals
Titans
49ers
Running Backs
Ryan Torain, Redskins - Coming off 135 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, Torain heads into the bye week as the leader in a committee backfield. Fantasy owners decry the recent trend toward a “hot hand” approach in NFL backfields, but Mike Shanahan has been at it since Terrell Davis blew out his ACL in 1999. For Week 6, expect to see Torain as the primary early-down runner, Tim Hightower on passing downs, and Roy Helu as an 8-10 touch change-of-pace runner. The “hot hand” mentality should work in Torain’s favor, as the Redskins draw the Eagles, Panthers, and Bills (Nos. 1, 5, 10 in fantasy points to opposing backs) coming out of the bye week.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.
Stevan Ridley, Patriots - Coach Bill Belichick made a concerted effort to move away from his one-dimensional offense in Week 4, leading to an increased role for Ridley in the second straight game. Showing an impressive burst and an ability to power through would-be tacklers, Ridley has averaged 7.9 yards on 19 carries this season as opposed to 4.0 yards on 49 carries for BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Ridley is clearly the most well-rounded and elusive back in New England, and his role is only going to continue to expand at the expense of both Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.
Isaac Redman, Steelers - Rashard Mendenhall’s hamstring is the headline injury, but Mewelde Moore’s high-ankle sprain also factors into Redman’s Week 5 value as a potential three-down back. Mendenhall’s hamstring injury is not believed to be serious, which sounds a lot like Arian Foster’s in training camp. Even if Mendenhall manages to suit up this week, Redman will take a bigger share of the workload. In the best-case scenario, Redman will see 20-25 touches as a solid RB2 against the Titans with Mendenhall and Moore both sidelined.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Bernard Scott, Bengals - At this point, no one has a clue as to the outcome of Cedric Benson’s convoluted suspension appeal. ESPN’s John Clayton, who has misread this one from the beginning, offered Tuesday that Benson’s status is “still up in the air” because it’s a “complicated deal” involving the NFLPA. Clayton does say that a ruling on Benson “could happen” as soon as Tuesday. Now that we’ve reached the bye week crunch, Scott should be owned in 12-team leagues as Benson insurance.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Montario Hardesty, Browns - Coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that the Browns need to get Peyton Hillis more snaps and touches after Hardesty played in a two-back rotation in Week 4. Despite four dropped passes, Hardesty still has 13 targets the past two weeks while maintaining the confidence of his coaches on passing downs. He’s proven capable of producing should Hillis miss time.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Ricky Williams, Ravens - Ray Rice is in the discussion along with Darren McFadden and Arian Foster as the best back in the league behind Adrian Peterson. If Rice goes down, though, Williams would likely step in as a three-down back in an offense tailored to the ground game. Ricky has averaged an impressive 4.7 yards per on 33 carries, continuing to laugh at Father Time.
Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Joe McKnight, Jets - A “furious” Rex Ryan has reportedly decided to scrap his pass-heavy offense while returning to the ground ‘n’ pound formula of Mark Sanchez’s rookie season. The Jets will presumably saddle up an ineffective Shonn Greene, averaging 3.08 yards per carry behind an increasingly shoddy offensive line. At some point, Ryan will realize that running Greene into the pile isn’t working, either. Despite speculation to the contrary, McKnight remains ahead of rookie Bilal Powell on the depth chart and would seem likely to get the first crack at an increased role.
Recommendation: Worth a look in deeper leagues.
Keiland Williams, Lions - Jahvid Best deep-league owners must be driving themselves batty trying to figure out Detroit’s No. 2 back. It was Jerome Harrison in Week 1, Williams in Week 2, a three-man combo in Week 3, and back to Williams in Week 4. If Best goes down with an injury, we’d see a timeshare, with Williams likely handling carries deep in the red zone.
Recommendation: Worth a look in deeper leagues.
Watch List: Bilal Powell, Tashard Choice, Marion Barber, Jacquizz Rodgers, Steve Slaton, Brian Leonard
This week’s priority on the waiver wire comes down to team need. Ryan Torain is the most valuable asset for Weeks 6-8 with fantasy friendly matchups looming against three teams in the top-10 in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Torain isn’t going to help those owners already dealing with a bye-week crunch, though, because his team is off this week as well.
For Week 5 value alone, Isaac Redman has the upper hand. Rashard Mendenhall was knocked out of last week’s game with a hamstring injury that is not believed to be serious. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the same tune the Texans were singing after Arian Foster tweaked his hamstring in August. As we saw with Foster as well as Beanie Wells, running backs often need at least a week -- if not more -- to recover even from a minor hamstring pull. If the Steelers do push Mendenhall to play this week, Redman would be more of a flex option with an increased role. If Mendenhall sits out, Redman is looking at 20-25 touches as an every-down back with Mewelde Moore (high ankle sprain) also sidelined.
Over the long haul, though, Patriots rookie Stevan Ridley looks like the pick of the litter. After impressing in two second-half series against the Bills in Week 3, the coaching staff promised to reward Ridley as long as he continued to improve week-to-week while "developing a level of consistency.” Mission accomplished. Ridley’s snaps increased again in Week 4, leading to a season-high 100 yards on just 11 touches. Explosive to the edge with a burst through the middle and soft hands, Ridley is a major upgrade on BenJarvus Green-Elllis. Averaging 8.0 yards every time he touches the ball, Ridley has been a tackle-breaking machine even going back to preseason action. Even if this remains a committee attack, Ridley is a good bet to emerge as the lead dog in a high-scoring offense. Of the three top waiver candidates this week, Ridley’s upside is the highest.
On to the players. Here is how I rank the top players at each position as we head into Week 5. Full writeups of each player are below.
Editor’s Note: Join subscriber only chats, get weekly rankings before anyone else, plus exclusive weekly projections, stat tools, dynasty ranks, columns, and much more including the Rotoworld Oracle in our Season Pass.
Running Backs
Ryan Torain
Stevan Ridley
Isaac Redman
Bernard Scott
Montario Hardesty
Ricky Williams
Joe McKnight
Keiland Williams
Quarterbacks
David Garrard
Tim Tebow
John Beck
Alex Smith
Tarvaris Jackson
Curtis Painter
Wide Receivers
Victor Cruz
Michael Crabtree
Jacoby Jones
Danario Alexander
Kevin Walter
James Jones
Lee Evans
Preston Parker
Doug Baldwin
Tight Ends
Ed Dickson
Jermaine Gresham
Jared Cook
Kevin Boss
Defense/Special Teams
Bengals
Titans
49ers
Running Backs
Ryan Torain, Redskins - Coming off 135 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, Torain heads into the bye week as the leader in a committee backfield. Fantasy owners decry the recent trend toward a “hot hand” approach in NFL backfields, but Mike Shanahan has been at it since Terrell Davis blew out his ACL in 1999. For Week 6, expect to see Torain as the primary early-down runner, Tim Hightower on passing downs, and Roy Helu as an 8-10 touch change-of-pace runner. The “hot hand” mentality should work in Torain’s favor, as the Redskins draw the Eagles, Panthers, and Bills (Nos. 1, 5, 10 in fantasy points to opposing backs) coming out of the bye week.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.
Stevan Ridley, Patriots - Coach Bill Belichick made a concerted effort to move away from his one-dimensional offense in Week 4, leading to an increased role for Ridley in the second straight game. Showing an impressive burst and an ability to power through would-be tacklers, Ridley has averaged 7.9 yards on 19 carries this season as opposed to 4.0 yards on 49 carries for BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Ridley is clearly the most well-rounded and elusive back in New England, and his role is only going to continue to expand at the expense of both Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.
Isaac Redman, Steelers - Rashard Mendenhall’s hamstring is the headline injury, but Mewelde Moore’s high-ankle sprain also factors into Redman’s Week 5 value as a potential three-down back. Mendenhall’s hamstring injury is not believed to be serious, which sounds a lot like Arian Foster’s in training camp. Even if Mendenhall manages to suit up this week, Redman will take a bigger share of the workload. In the best-case scenario, Redman will see 20-25 touches as a solid RB2 against the Titans with Mendenhall and Moore both sidelined.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Bernard Scott, Bengals - At this point, no one has a clue as to the outcome of Cedric Benson’s convoluted suspension appeal. ESPN’s John Clayton, who has misread this one from the beginning, offered Tuesday that Benson’s status is “still up in the air” because it’s a “complicated deal” involving the NFLPA. Clayton does say that a ruling on Benson “could happen” as soon as Tuesday. Now that we’ve reached the bye week crunch, Scott should be owned in 12-team leagues as Benson insurance.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Montario Hardesty, Browns - Coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that the Browns need to get Peyton Hillis more snaps and touches after Hardesty played in a two-back rotation in Week 4. Despite four dropped passes, Hardesty still has 13 targets the past two weeks while maintaining the confidence of his coaches on passing downs. He’s proven capable of producing should Hillis miss time.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Ricky Williams, Ravens - Ray Rice is in the discussion along with Darren McFadden and Arian Foster as the best back in the league behind Adrian Peterson. If Rice goes down, though, Williams would likely step in as a three-down back in an offense tailored to the ground game. Ricky has averaged an impressive 4.7 yards per on 33 carries, continuing to laugh at Father Time.
Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Joe McKnight, Jets - A “furious” Rex Ryan has reportedly decided to scrap his pass-heavy offense while returning to the ground ‘n’ pound formula of Mark Sanchez’s rookie season. The Jets will presumably saddle up an ineffective Shonn Greene, averaging 3.08 yards per carry behind an increasingly shoddy offensive line. At some point, Ryan will realize that running Greene into the pile isn’t working, either. Despite speculation to the contrary, McKnight remains ahead of rookie Bilal Powell on the depth chart and would seem likely to get the first crack at an increased role.
Recommendation: Worth a look in deeper leagues.
Keiland Williams, Lions - Jahvid Best deep-league owners must be driving themselves batty trying to figure out Detroit’s No. 2 back. It was Jerome Harrison in Week 1, Williams in Week 2, a three-man combo in Week 3, and back to Williams in Week 4. If Best goes down with an injury, we’d see a timeshare, with Williams likely handling carries deep in the red zone.
Recommendation: Worth a look in deeper leagues.
Watch List: Bilal Powell, Tashard Choice, Marion Barber, Jacquizz Rodgers, Steve Slaton, Brian Leonard
Quarterbacks
David Garrard, Free Agent - With Chad Henne's (separated shoulder) season now in question, the Dolphins are "rekindling" discussions with Garrard. Monday's talks went nowhere because the Fins refused to offer guaranteed money. Garrard presumably wants to start again, and the winless Dolphins will represent his best chance if the second opinion confirms that Henne is out for the season. If he does sign with Miami, Garrard would have QB2 value just as the bye weeks hit.
Recommendation: Monitor for a mid-week addition in 14-team leagues.
Tim Tebow, Broncos - The coaching staff is “privately softening its stance” on Tebow as a potential starter this year, and ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson could see it happening after the Week 6 bye. In three starts last season, Tebow averaged 217.0 yards passing per game, 66.3 yards rushing and scored seven total touchdowns as a fantasy stud. Kyle Orton is now 12-20 as a Broncos starter while tossing an NFL-high six interceptions in the first month of the season. The organization must get Tebow on film for half a season before deciding whether to draft Matt Barkley or Landry Jones in 2012.
Recommendation: Worth a look as a roster stash.
John Beck, Redskins - To the surprise of no one, Rex Grossman followed up a sterling opener with seven turnovers in his next three games. The Redskins’ 3-1 record has saved Grossman from a benching heading into the bye week, but the honeymoon is officially over. The Shanahans are intrigued by Beck’s skill-set and will use Grossman’s next faceplant as an excuse to make a change. The Redskins have just enough weapons to make Beck a viable QB2 option once the transition occurs.
Recommendation: Worth a look as a roster stash.
Alex Smith, 49ers - Don’t look now, but the 49ers’ passing game is showing signs of life. Smith has increased his out put each successive game, culminating in a 291-yard, 2-touchdown performance against the Eagles’ Dream Team secondary. Smith has yet to complete fewer than 63.6 percent of his passes in any game, and his weapons are improving with Michael Crabee back healthy and Braylon Edwards’ return in the next couple of weeks. It’s not a crazy idea to consider Smith in two-quarterback leagues.
Recommendation: Worth a look in two-quarterback leagues.
Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks - After a miserable start, T-Jack has battled back to 21st in QB fantasy points, primarily due to his three-touchdown performance last week. Sidney Rice’s return has breathed enough life into Seattle’s offense for Jackson to be worthy of a look in two-quarterback leagues. He gets the Giants on the road in Week 5 before the Week 6 bye.
Recommendation: Worth a look in two-quarterback leagues.
Curtis Painter, Colts - We know what we’re getting with Painter at this point. While he’s turnover prone with sloppy footwork and decision-making, he’s at least shown mobility and a willingness to strike down the field. All things considered in Indy, that makes for a more interesting package than another bout with Kerry Collins’ calcified limbs. If Painter shows gradual improvement, the Colts skill-position talent could eventually lead to QB2 value.
Recommendation: Worth a look in two-quarterback leagues.
Hold Off: Jason Campbell
Campbell was a fine one-week plug-in against the Patriots’ generous pass defense, but he’s not going for a second straight 300-yard outing against a still underrated Texans defense.
Watch List: David Garrard, Andy Dalton, Christian Ponder, Matt Moore, Matt Flynn, Vince Young
The Dolphins reached out to Garrard this week, albeit unsuccessfully. ... Dalton has proven capable of moving the offense in catchup mode, but that’s not likely to be the case against the Jags in Week 5. … The Ponder drumbeat is growing louder in Minnesota with an erratic Donovan McNabb struggling at the helm of a winless Vikings squad. … Chad Henne’s (non-throwing shoulder) status is up in the air heading into the Dolphins’ bye week.
Wide Receivers
Victor Cruz, Giants - Mario Manningham was benched early in last week’s game for running bad routes and showing iffy hands coming off a concussion. The New York Daily News believes it’s “doubtful” that Manningham will lose his starting job to Cruz, but the latter should be owned in 12-team leagues after averaging 104 yards over the past two games. The No. 2 receiver situation is obviously fluid, and Manningham could end up being kicked inside to the slot.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Michael Crabtree, 49ers - With Crabtree back in the lineup, the offensive line showing incremental improvement, and Alex Smith increasing his output each week, the Niners’ passing game is finally showing signs of life. Crabtree was dropped in half of CBSSports.com leagues after a slow start. It’s time to add him again after nine targets as the No. 1 receiver last week.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Jacoby Jones, Texans - Andre Johnson (hamstring) is expected to miss anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. On the positive side, Jones has the confidence of his coaching staff and a two-game average of 5.0 catches and 92.5 yards while filling in for Johnson late last season. On the negative side, Jones has disappointed as often as he’s rewarded fantasy owners. The Texans are going to saddle up Arian Foster against the Raiders, leaving Jones as a high-risk WR3 option.
Recommendation: Worth a look as an injury replacement.
Danario Alexander, Rams - A crumbling offensive line has kept Sam Bradford from getting the ball to his most talented wide receiver, but Alexander has still led the Rams in targets for two consecutive weeks. If Bradford ever does get the aerial attack back on track, it’s Alexander who stands to benefit as the top fantasy threat. Just keep in mind the Rams are heading into their bye week.
Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Kevin Walter, Texans - Somebody has to catch the ball in Houston. Walter was held without a catch against the Steelers last week, but he should see more targets with Andre Johnson likely out this week. We prefer Jacoby Jones due to his talent edge, but the more productive Texans receiver will likely be the one without Stanford Routt in coverage. At this point, that’s up in the air.
Recommendation: Worth a look as a bye-week fill-in.
James Jones, Packers - An afterthought in the NFL opener, Jones’ snaps and targets have gradually increased the past few weeks. With an ineffective Donald Driver stuck on two catches and 20 yards per week, the Packers are going to have to turn to Jones and/or Randall Cobb at some point. Jones is talented enough for WR3 production in Green Bay’s stacked offense, but he’s just a roster stash at this point.
Recommendation: Worth stashing in 14-team leagues.
Lee Evans, Ravens - Torrey Smith followed up his three-touchdown breakout game with one catch for one yard against a legit secondary in Week 4. Evans should get his starting job back after using the bye week to nurse his ankle back to full health. Evans flashed in preseason Weeks 2 and 3, but hasn’t been right since late August. He’s worth stashing in deeper leagues to see if he’s all the way back and producing against the Texans in Week 6.
Recommendation: Worth stashing in 14-team leagues.
Preston Parker, Buccaneers - The primary beneficiary of Arrelious Benn’s slow start and Josh Freeman’s newfound checkdown tendencies, Parker had a team-leading six catches and 98 yards in Week 2 as well as a team-leading five catches and 70 yards in Week 4. Parker will be maddeningly inconsistent in a subpar offense, but he’s worth a look in PPR formats during the bye weeks.
Recommendation: Worth a look in deeper PPR leagues.
Doug Baldwin, Seahawks - Undrafted out of Stanford, Baldwin has emerged as Seattle’s top slot receiver with 83, 4, 23, and a team-leading 84 yards in the first four games. Like Parker, he figures to be incredibly inconsistent with an erratic Tarvaris Jackson at the controls. Like most of the Seahawks players, Baldwin is only worth carrying in deeper leagues.
Recommendation: Worth a look in deeper leagues.
Cut Bait: Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders, Devery Henderson, Brandon Gibson, Andre Roberts, Derrick Mason, Danny Amendola, Donald Driver
Ward is averaging under four catches and 40 yards going back to last December. … Sanders is https://twitter.com/#!/PFF_MikeClay/statuses/121239087033233408 playing on running downs while Antonio Brown takes the field when the Steelers plan to pass. … Henderson is an afterthought now that Marques Colston and Lance Moore are healthy. … Gibson is falling behind Alexander and Austin Pettis. … Roberts has been invisible. … Mason can’t separate. … Amendola’s setback leaves his season in doubt.
Hold Off: Denarius Heyward-Bey
Heyward-Bey's 115 yards are a career-high, aided by a 58-yard circus catch over two defenders. Leave him on the wire.
Watch List: Titus Young, Laurent Robinson, Steve Breaston, Jabar Gaffney, Dane Sanzenbacher, Mark Clayton, Austin Pettis, Greg Little, Randall Cobb, Damian Williams, Vincent Brown
Nate Burleson has four catches on six targets the past two weeks while Young has seven catches and 13 targets. I wouldn’t go dropping Burleson just yet, but it’s a promising sign for Young. … Robinson is worth keeping in mind in case the bye week doesn’t cure Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, but he’s not worth picking up just yet. … I’d make Breaston prove that he can put a string of solid games together before bothering with a Chiefs player. … Gaffney and Sanzenbacher could be PPR options during the bye weeks. … Clayton is due back in Week 7, which is noteworthy with Danny Amendola’s season hanging in the balance. … Little continues to play more snaps than any Browns receiver.
Tight Ends
Ed Dickson, Ravens - Dickson is owned in just a quarter of CBSSports.com leagues, but his role continues to grow. His 32 targets are fourth among all NFL tight ends, and those numbers have gone up in each successive week -- leading to 12 against the Jets. As Joe Flacco’s second read, Dickson should break into the top-10 fantasy tight ends this season.
Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Jared Cook, Titans - The fantasy tease finally came through with 15 points last week thanks to an 80-yard jaunt down the sidelines. More important than the fluky score were Cook’s six targets, which led the team on a day when Matt Hassebeck threw just 20 times. With Kenny Britt done for the year, Hasselbeck is going to have to turn to his athletic tight end. Let’s hope he’s more Dustin Keller than Ben Troupe.
Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Jermaine Gresham, Bengals - The good news is that Gresham has topped 50 yards in three of four games and found the end zone twice. The bad news is that it’s hard to predict when the Bengals will go into catchup mode, increasing Gresham’s role in the passing game. He should make for a borderline starter all season long.
Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Kevin Boss, Raiders - With the Patriots keying on Darren McFadden and Denarius Moore, Boss slipped free for 78 yards -- the third highest total in his career. Don’t expect a repeat against a still underrated Texans defense this week. Boss remains TE2 for fantasy purposes.
Recommendation: Worth a look as a bye-week fill-in.
Cut Bait: Brent Celek, Lance Kendricks
Watch List: Ben Watson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Clay Harbor
Don’t rush out to grab Harbor just because he outproduced Celek for one game. The Eagles passing game now revolves around the wide receivers and running backs, leaving the tight ends as minor players. … Watson has drawn 19 targets the past two weeks, but he has a Week 5 bye.
Defense/Special Teams
Bengals - Mike Zimmer’s unit leads the NFL in total defense after four weeks. Even better, they take on a wildly inaccurate and overmatched Blaine Gabbert in what should be a field-goal contest this week.
Recommendation: Worth a look as a matchup play.
Titans - The Titans entered Week 4 as the NFL’s top defense. After allowing Colt McCoy to move the ball in garbage time, they’re still an impressive seventh in total defense heading into a matchup with Pittsburgh’s patch-work offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger, questionable this week with a sprained foot, was sacked five times and hit at least that many more times against the Texans last week. He already has nine turnovers through one month compared to 11 last year for the entire season.
Recommendation: Should be owned as a matchup play.
49ers - Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are playing as well as any pair of defensive ends in the NFL while first-time starter Navarro Bowman shines next to Patrick Willis at linebacker. A top-five fantasy defense and a hard-hitting real-life crew, the Niners take on a subpar Bucs offense in Week 5.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues.
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