Week 5 is upon us, and things are getting REAL. Teams are starting to separate from the pack, both upwards and downwards. We've got four weeks to react to now, and while the phrase "any given Sunday" is definitely proving itself accurate, some trends are definitely taking shape.

While Week 3 was an insane points bonanza, Week 4 saw us come back to planet Earth again--unless your name is Devonta Freeman.

This piece is meant to examine some players and situations where respective stocks are rising or falling in ways that demand context and further investigation other than "Well yeah, LeVeon Bell is pretty darn good" or "boy, Andre Johnson doesn't look so hot, eh?" Let's get to it.

 

Week 5 Fantasy Football Risers

Chris Ivory - RB, New York Jets

Any questions about Chris Ivory's health and effectiveness were written off early on Sunday as he turned in a stellar 29-carry, 166-yard effort (while also finding the end zone). Adding to the performance from a fantasy standpoint is Bilal Powell's groin injury. Zac Stacy did come in as the Jets were out in front for much of the second half, and while he added a touchdown he wasn't really effective. If Powell injury proves significant, Ivory would likely add some passing-down work.

The Jets have a strong offensive line, and while they'll face good Redskins run defense coming out of their Week 5 bye, they have a favorable second-half schedule with no elite run-stopping lines outside of a matchup against the Bills stout front in Week 10. If you are in a position of power in your league and Chris Ivory's owner is facing a must-win scenario or some dilemma as the Jets hit their bye week, try to use that leverage to pry Ivory away from them. There will be an element of buying high after such a great week, but Ivory is a legitimate bellcow back in an offense that likes to operate through him.

Todd Gurley – RB, St. Louis Rams

Quite the buzz around this guy eh? Gurley, and pretty much the Rams in general, have been the source of many question marks so far in 2015. Benny Cunningham had a fun PPR game in Week 1 against the Seahawks, but in general the Rams have struggled mightily in the run game. Tre Mason hadn't done anything spectacular, and the offensive line was clearly having some real trouble learning the outside zone blocking scheme that was implemented this year. Through the first half of their Week 4 matchup it looked like more of the same.

Then the second half came, more specifically the fourth quarter. Todd Gurley exploded for 106 yards in just 15 minutes of game action, with multiple runs going for more than ten yards. Gurley also showed great awareness when he went down in the open field to keep the clock moving late in the game. Gurley was finally activated by the Rams after completing his rehabilitation process from a torn ACL he suffered last year at the University of Georgia. If he had any rust, it was shaken off after thirty minutes of play. The Cardinals came into the game as one of the top rush defenses, and Gurley walked out of Arizona with 19 carries and 146 yards, adding in two catches for 15 yards. Context was necessary to understand the hype, but it appears to be very justified.

Mike Wallace – WR, Minnesota Vikings

This was certainly an encouraging game that Mike Wallace owners or speculators really needed to see. While the Vikings had been doing little through the air in the first three weeks, Mike Wallace finally came through with eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown on ten targets. He had seen 14 targets in the first three games, good for 12 catches and 150 yards. The kicker here is that this game came against the Denver Broncos and their exceptional pass defense (namely their league-best cornerback tandem).

While Mike Wallace is far from the face of consistency in the league, the point of owning him is the upside that he can provide, while usually providing a decent floor that wouldn't murder your totals. The Vikings go into their bye this week, and then come out facing KC, DET, and CHI, which should be great opportunities for Wallace to flourish.

Drew Brees – QB, New Orleans Saints

It's no surprise that Drew Brees' arm is not what it used to be, and it's probably something he's going to continue to deal with. That being said, his stock was plummeting on the heels of a missed game and the gigantic unknown of what he was really capable of coming off an injury. He ended up being Week 4's top-scoring quarterback on Fleaflicker with 33 completions on 41 attempts, good for 359 yards and two touchdowns.

Be aware that the Saints were going against a Dallas Cowboys defense that was severely depleted, and lost middle linebacker Sean Lee during the game. The Saints get Philadelphia, Atlanta, Indianapolis, New York (Giants), and Tennessee next. None of those secondaries are particularly scary, but it's worth mentioning that Brees looked bad against a poor Tampa Bay secondary. That was before he was diagnosed with the shoulder injury and took a week off though, and hopefully he does not need that much rest to be effective in Week 5. Confidence should be higher in Brees after this, and his stock's free-fall definitely re-routed upwards after Sunday night's victory over Dallas.

 

Other Risers To Be Aware Of

• Allen Hurns - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars - People might think Hurns was simply a product of being the WR2 for the Jaguars against the Vontae Davis-anchored Colts secondary, but consider that in Hurns' first three games he had lines of 5-60-0, 4-68-0, and 2-70-1. Week 4's line of 11-116-1 is just someone cranking up the dial on a modest coming-out party for Hurns in 2015.
• Andy Dalton - QB, Cincinnati Bengals - I'm still surprised at the Red Rocket's consistency, as Dalton is really entrenching himself in QB1 territory. He defended his home field with 17 completions on 24 attempts (70.8%) for 321 yards and one touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. I guess this is what Andy Dalton could grow to be with a healthy stable of weapons around him in Cincinnati.
• C.J. Spiller - RB, New Orleans Saints - He wasn't doing anything special before he ripped off the 80-yard touchdown in overtime, but that showed his big-play ability, which is why owners want him. You aren't going to get a ton of volume out of the guy, but he's so talented in open space that he can rip off huge game-breaking plays at any moment.
• Charles Clay - TE, Buffalo Bills - Another repeat name here. He looked great in an exploitable matchup against the Giants where he was easily Tyrod Taylor's favorite target, turning in nine receptions for 111 yards on a whopping 13 targets. His day could have been even bigger as he also had a long touchdown called back on a penalty. Sammy Watkins and Lesean McCoy won't be out every week, but Charles Clay showed that he is very talented and this game may be what makes Tyrod realize he's got a great hot read weapon in Clay.
• The Entire Miami Dolphins Team - I mean, Joe Philbin got fired, so this bodes well for everyone. 'Nuff said.

 

Week 5 Fantasy Football Fallers

The Entire San Francisco Offense – QB, RB, WR, TE, San Francisco 49ers

This team is just atrocious. Colin Kaepernick looks awful under center, and Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith suffer because of it (and aren't doing anything spectacular on their own). At the same time, Carlos Hyde's Week 2-4 production combined is less than his Week 1 production. I reiterate: ugh.

Mike Evans - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He went against young stud cornerback Josh Norman, and he was shut down pretty effectively. While Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers continue to show growing pains, it is clear that while Winston can't support both Evans and Vincent Jackson, although each week there should be enough volume for one of them to turn in some nice garbage-time production. Some Evans' owners might be willing to sell very low, and he should be scooped up on the cheap where he can be had.

Golden Tate – WR, Detroit Lions

He continues to be underutilized in an offense that is sputtering. Yes, the Lions got screwed on a bad call in Week 4, but overall it doesn't take away from the fact that Matthew Stafford is really looking awful, and the rest of the team is following suit. The running game is a bust (Ameer Abdullah certainly earns a mention here in the fallers column as well), and even Calvin Johnson is fighting to scrounge up any sort of value for his owners, so where does that leave Tate? With 18 receptions, 190 yards, and a big fat zero in the touchdown column, that's where.

Joe Flacco – QB, Baltimore Ravens

Going against one of the worst secondaries in the league, Flacco should have been able to produce a decent game, but instead he churned out 20 completions on 33 attempts for 189 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. It would be one thing if that was the worst of it, but in addition to this (and almost certainly as part of the cause) was that Steve Smith Sr. is dinged up pretty badly. Joe Flacco can throw a football, but with Steve Smith Sr. hurt, Crockett Gillmore hurt, Breshad Perriman experiencing a setback in his rehab, and Kamar Aiken as the #1 receiver, there are some clear issues. Luckily Flacco and the Ravens get some soft matchups against Cleveland and San Francisco next, but they better have things figured out before their Week 7 Monday Night game at Arizona.

 

Other Fallers To Be Aware Of

• C.J. Anderson - RB, Denver Broncos - His stock has to be at an all-time low, and if I can scoop him up anywhere for desperately cheap, I am. The Broncos schedule is about to get really tasty, and even if Anderson is just a 1B to Hillman's 1A in a worst case scenario, he may produce enough for a flex role. With a defense that is playing at a league-best level, the running game should have plenty of opportunities to sort itself out and accrue stats. Don't buy Anderson for anything close to high, but scooping him up on the cheap is not a bad idea if you've got a buzzy flash-in-the-pan type player to catch people's attention.
• Matt Jones - RB, Washington Redskins - This guy had so much buzz, but it really looks like the Redskins' running backs are going to continue to hurt each other's production. Matt Jones had a rough game, turning seven carries into only 11 yards. Back-to-back weeks with fumbles are going to kill your potential when there's a strong incumbent option in Alfred Morris and a young change-of-pace back who is running well in Chris Thompson.
• Brandin Cooks - WR, New Orleans Saints - This guy was taken early in most drafts, and boy has he stunk. He had eight targets this week, but only turned that into four receptions for 25 yards, turning in his worst PFF grade of the year with a -2.3 rating (he has been negative in three out of the four games so far). He might just not have that next step of growth in him right now. He will have his good games, but consistency anywhere near a WR1 value does not appear to be in the cards.
• Jimmy Graham - TE, Seattle Seahawks - I guess he needs to have some more unconfirmed reports of discontent. The Seahawks offense is tied with the horrid 49ers for the league's lowest offensive touchdown total (five), so it isn't as if there's a ton of production going around that Graham isn't a part of. All the same, consider what @JacsonBevens tweeted last night in regards to Russell Wilson: "Targeting Jimmy Graham: 18-23, 174 yards, 2 TD. Passer Rating: 127.2. All others: 73-104, 804 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT. Rating: 94.4". Stinks that it's going this way, but it's impossible to ignore that this offense just isn't using him despite his obvious talent.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room