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Week 5 Booms and Busts: Late Games

Last week was our first journey into the bye weeks, with the Pats and Titans getting some rest. But this week, we have four teams sitting out (Dolphins, Jets, Vikings, and Panthers).

This is causing some fantasy owners to dig a little deeper for start/bench decisions and plug and play options. I am here to try and steer you in the right direction, as I look at players that you may or may not be on your radar.

Below are my Week 4 lineup picks for players that can be booms and busts for fantasy football owners. Hopefully I can help you shape you optimal lineups to win this weekend. Onto the picks!

 

Week Five Booms

QB Philip Rivers, SD (vs. PIT): I placed Rivers in this very spot last week and he delivered, putting up 358 yards and three touchdowns against the Browns at home. The Chargers are again playing in San Diego this week, with Pittsburgh's sieve of a defense heading in. I don't think it is out of the realm of possibilities for Rivers to approach last week's numbers again in Week 5.

RB Dion Lewis, NE (at DAL): I hope you listened to me when I told you to pick up Dion Lewis back before Week 3. The Patriots RB has done nothing but impress since being given a shot against Pittsburgh back in the season opener, which led to Lewis and New England reaching a two-year contract extension. The Cowboys may be getting Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain back this week, but also may be without LB Sean Lee. Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming off of a bye week and have been installed as 10-point favorites in Vegas. I fully expect Lewis to be a force in the rushing and passing game for New England.

TE Owen Daniels, DEN (at OAK): Tight ends usually succeed when Peyton Manning is their quarterback, but the Broncos TEs have struggled so far this season. Luckily for Denver, they head to Oakland where tight ends have feasted on the Raiders defense. Oakland has allowed an average of 97 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game to tight ends, good for the worst defense in football against the position. While Manning and Daniels have yet to consistently get on the same page, the QB has targeted the TE 14 times over the last two games, with Daniels reaching pay dirt in both contests. Look for Daniels to at least put up some quality yardage numbers on Sunday, with a decent chance that he reaches pay dirt.

DEF Giants (vs. SF): The Giants defense and the 49ers offense are two units that are headed in polar opposite directions. New York has overcome injuries and lack of talent to be respectable lately, while Colin Kaepernick seems to have regressed into a bad quarterback. San Francisco had trouble moving the ball all day at home against the Green Bay defense last week. and now have to try to fix things on the road during a Sunday Night Football game. I think Steve Spagnuolo will have the Giants D ready to make Kaepernick's life miserable, and they should be a decent defense if you are streaming for the week or are looking for a cheaper option in DFS.

 

Week Five Busts

QB Derek Carr, OAK (vs. DEN): Carr has shown that he can move an NFL offense so far this season, putting up 20+ fantasy points against the Browns and the Ravens. He has also shown that he can struggle immensely, as he failed to crack double digits against the Bengals and Bears. Carr gets the Broncos this week, which may be the best defense in the league. Even if Denver puts the game away early, I would look for DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller to pressure Carr all day as they look to pad their stat numbers.

RB Joseph Randle, DAL (vs. NE): Bill Belichick defenses have always thrived at taking away what teams love doing most. In this example, Randle and the Cowboys running the ball would be the strength that the Patriots will be look to neutralize on Sunday. Add in that Randle only received four carries following a near-fumble in the beginning of the second quarter during last week's game against the Saints. So being in Jason Garrett's doghouse will not help Randle's cause. If you have a better option than Randle on Sunday, I would go with it.

WR Michael Floyd, ARI (at DET): The Cardinals offense has impressed so far this season, but Floyd has not. The Cardinals WR has scuffled since injuring his hand during the preseason, as he has watched Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown clearly establish themselves as Carson Palmer's top two options. I would make Floyd prove to me that he will be able to make noise on this offense that has many mouths to feed. Pass on him until further notice.

 

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