Week 5 wrap-up
By Joseph DeClercq
Week 5 held several upsets and letdowns. The Oakland Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers for the first time in seven years! The Raiders came from behind to win 35-27 over their rivals from down south. The Arizona Cardinals upset the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints by a final score of 30-20 in an intense game. The Detroit Lions broke a 10-game losing streak by hammering the St. Louis Rams 44-6 on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers still haven’t won a game despite being ahead late in the game in their last three matchups. This time they squandered several scoring opportunities to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24. Yet somehow 49er owner Jed York is guaranteeing the division title for the winless team.
Fantasy value from this week
What did week 5 hold as far as fantasy value? A whole heck of a lot! In week 5 there were four QB’s whom you cannot necessarily count on but still hope for the best when you start them. Despite low ownership in most leagues, Alex Smith, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Hill, and Kyle Orton all had very good games last week. With the exception of Smith, all are now top 20 quarterbacks. Smith surprised everyone by throwing for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns while leading the 49ers to another disappointing late game loss. McNabb helped his Redskins get past the Packers with his 357 yards while Kyle Orton threw for 314 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Shaun Hill remains a question that cannot be answered for me. He threw 227 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Lions’ rout of the St. Louis Rams. While he has thrown almost as many interceptions as touchdowns, he is on pace to beat his career high in TD’s by twice as many as well as almost double his career high in passing yards. Clearly he is doing something right for Detroit that he didn’t in his stops in Minnesota or San Francisco.
Picks for Week 6: Take It From Me
By Caleb Taylor
The Pittsburgh Steelers will welcome back “Big” Ben Roethlisberger this week as their starting QB. Roethlisberger is finally off suspension and will make his 2010 season debut against the Cleveland Browns. I am mentioning him here just in case he is not owned in your league right now. If so, I suggest you swoop in and grab him now before his first game because if nothing else he can be great trade bait before he faces the weak Browns defense the following week. Roethlisberger is owned in 92.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
Donald Brown is another valuable player worth adding to your roster this week if possible. He proved his worth in week two when he had a solid performance against the New York Giants as the Colts #2 running back. He has missed the last few games due to a hamstring injury that is still being closely monitored, but if he is healthy enough to play this week he could have a huge game going against the struggling Redskins’ run defense. The biggest incentive to add Brown to your team is that Joseph Addai is injured and could be dealing with injury all season long. Brown is owned in 70.7 of ESPN leagues
And the last addition you should consider for your team this week is Pierre Garcon. Garcon was the trendy Colt receiver who was taken high in most drafts this year, and due to injury he has been massive disappointment. However, in his return last week, in a game where Manning struggled, Garcon caught 6 balls for 57 yards and led the team in targets. With Austin Collie banged up, Garcon could be a great addition to your team and has a second chance to live up to fantasy owner’s lofty expectations. Garcon is owned in 74.8 percent of ESPN leagues.
