Empty the Bench

- There is no player in football I will be watching more closely than Rashard Mendenhall this week, and I’m sure I’m not alone. I mean, I was paying attention, and I had never seen him perform well at the NFL level. I don’t watch much college football, but I knew there was a reason the Steelers drafted the young man in the first round a summer ago, they’re pretty good at talent evaluation, I just didn’t know what it was. Then came Sunday Night Football and the man was a fucking beast. Mendenhall ran extremely hard, followed his blocks and made decisive cuts, and then got the yards on the field with power and authority. And that’s all the Steelers, and fantasy owners, want from the kid. He’s not Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson, we know that, but if he can just grind out the yards given he’ll be extremely valuable. I firmly believe Willie Parker is done.

Attitude and preparation are certainly questions though, which is why I’m so curious to see if Mendenhall can step on the throats of the woebegone Detroit Lions defense. 85 yards and a TD won’t cut it this week. I need to see more. If I don’t, I’m selling high.

Rashard Mendenhall photo credit: Icon SMI

- The Cowboys backfield has the potential to be a high-profit unit in fantasy, but it’s a confusing mess right now. Felix Jones can’t stay on the field, Marion Barber doesn’t look right and his bruising style will always lend itself to further injury. It’s not hard to imagine Tashard Choice, the least heralded and lowest drafted of the three but the guy who has looked solid whenever called upon, emerging as the most valuable commodity there. I wouldn’t mind owning him in any league.

- As long as a healthy Carson Palmer was under center and Cedric Benson was toting the rock I never thought I would say this, but the Bengals are a better running team than a passing team right now. The offensive line hasn’t been giving Carson Palmer much time in the pocket and he’s looked skittish and unsure. Palmer can still make the throws when called upon, but the improved defense and rushing attack has meant that’s happened less than at any point in Palmer’s career. I still believe in his talent, and he has weapons outside, but as it stands Palmer is strictly a mid-tier fantasy starter going forward.

- Brett Favre was the story of the week, and with good reason. That was an electric game for the Vikings from start to finish and No. 4 performed better than anybody could have predicted. He looked sharp, under control and more in-sync with his wideouts. I have a minor bone to pick though. Brett still has the zip on every pass that travels less than 20 or 25 yards, and he can fit it in with the best of them. Outside that range, though, he struggles. It was a concern I expressed last week in this space, and Monday didn’t change my mind: he doesn’t throw a true deep ball. Favre throws rainbows, overcompensates with his delivery and keeps it either too tight on the sideline or out of bounds because he doesn’t trust it.

It’s something the Vikings can work with, but it’s a limitation that defenses can take advantage of, too. And it’s a shame, because few teams have two playmakers like Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin that can get deep in a hurry. Another takeaway, and something we’ve been talking about a lot here, is what an attractive target Sidney Rice is. Injury ruined his 2008 season, but he looks fluid again. Rice isn’t a burner, but he’s sure-handed, big and makes plays in the air. Favre looks totally comfortable throwing to him now. That makes eight Vikings (including DEF) worth owning in fantasy. As a Viqueens fan, that’s fun.

10 more nuggets of essential football wisdom, after the jump …

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You’ll notice three somewhat fantasy-relevant names missing from this week’s running back ranks: Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Fred Taylor. They all play for the New England Patriots, and until further notice we can’t necessarily advocate starting any of them. Some backfield platoons can be dealt with, but this is one you shouldn’t want any part of.

Through four games, of this trio only Maroney (10 carries in Week 1) and Taylor (21 carries in Week 3) have had at least 10 carries in a given game. There’s simply no rhyme or reason to this rotation, and it’s been that way in New England for some time now. Sure, you might get lucky here and there, but you can’t feel good about plugging in any one of these backs… especially this week, on the road, against a Denver Broncos rush defense that currently ranks fifth overall in allowing just 77.3 yards per on the ground.

The pass-happy Pats have no reason to change their game plan this week. Even if they did, there’s no reason to think they’ll suddenly lean on one of those guys significantly more than the other two… and again, even if they did, good luck figuring who that guy would be.

Unless you’re simply out of other reasonable options, for now it’s better to avoid this maddening situation altogether.

**UPDATE** Fred Taylor needs ankle surgery, so you can take him out of the equation. Something tells me all this changes, however, is that it’ll now be Kevin Faulk vulturing carries from Maroney and Morris; I’d be surprised if Maroney or Morris emerges as the clear-cut starter, at least until one or the other suffers an injury.

See also:
- Week 5 QB Rankings
- Week 5 WR Ranks
- Week 5 TE Ranks
- Week 5 DEF Ranks

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings @ STL
2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans vs. IND
3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars @ SEA
4. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
5. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
6. Steve Slaton, Houston Texans @ ARZ
7. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers vs. WSH
8. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons @ SF
9. Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins vs. NYJ
10. Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys @ KC
11. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants vs. OAK
12. Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions vs. PIT
13. Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills vs. CLE
14. Glen Coffee, San Francisco 49ers vs. ATL
15. Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts @ TEN

Running back rankings 16 through 38, after the jump…

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If precedent holds, it’s going to be a hell of a shootout in Arizona on Sunday afternoon. A Texan and a Cardinal claim the top two spots on this week’s wide receiver rankings and five receivers from the contest make the list. These teams give up big plays (both allow over 280 passing yards/game, only Jacksonville allows more) and both passing games can be electric when firing on all cylinders (each is putting up over 260 yards/game on the season). It should be fun.

Meanwhile, there’s a bit of role reversal in Baltimore where the Ravens have a top-five passing offense for the first time ever and their pass D is now one of the ten worst – but still ahead of the Bengals. We should see some fireworks on both sides here, too. Also, the Bengals are 3-1, which is really weird.

Second-year phenom DeSean Jackson makes his debut in the top five on our rankings this week, and he’s earned it. All those training camp reports of DeSean being the most impressive Eagle on the field have carried over into the regular season and the kid has emerged as one of the few players in our game that can literally score any time he touches the ball regardless of who lines up at QB (or human life). Another one of those specimens is Minnesota rookie Percy Harvin, although we have him just a smidge below teammate Sidney Rice this week simply because Rice is more polished, a bigger, better red-zone target, and is getting more scoring looks right now.

You will also notice that Jerricho Cotchery cracked the top-15 this week while we have his new partner in crime all the way down at 40. The reports as of now are that the Jets are prepping Braylon Edwards to play on Monday night, but as I mentioned this week, it’s going to take him a few weeks to learn the playbook and get comfortable with Sanchez. There’s a reason mid-season trades are rare in the NFL, see No. 31 below. That said, Braylon is a freak and the Dolphins don’t have anybody who can go up with him on a jump ball, so he has an outside shot at a TD here.

Hopefully the bye weeks and waiver wires are treating you kindly and you don’t have to start anybody below 33, it gets a little dodgy after that …

See also:
- Week 5 QB Rankings
- Week 5 RB Ranks
- Week 5 TE Ranks
- Week 5 DEF Ranks

1. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. HOU
2. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans @ ARZ
3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts @ TEN
4. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
5. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions vs. PIT
6. Randy Moss, New England Patriots @ DEN
7. The Real Steve Smith, New York Giants vs. OAK
8. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons @ SF (Believe)
9. Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals @ BAL
10. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
11. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals vs. HOU
12. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
13. Stevonne Smith, Carolina Panthers vs. OAK
14. Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos vs. NE
15. Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets @ MIA (Check Status)
16. Wes Welker, New England Patriots @ DEN

WR rankings 17 through 43, after the jump…

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No bye-week blues as far as tight ends go this year. With Antonio Gates, Jermichael Finley, Jeremy Shockey, and Greg Olsen all getting the week off, there should be an abundance of free-agent possibilities ready and waiting on your league’s waiver wire.

Marcedes Lewis hasn’t done much offensively during his first three years in the league, but is on pace to shatter his previous career highs of 41 catches and 489 yards in a season. He’s also scored two times in four weeks for a Jaguars offense that’s suddenly showing a pulse after a slow start.

Lions rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew, taken 20th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, is a load at 6-5 and 263 pounds with good hands, field vision, and surprising quickness. Last week he was targeted 10 times, catching 4 passes for 64 yards. He’s getting more and more involved in Scott Linehan’s offense, and figures to benefit even further if Daunte “Checkdown” Culpepper starts in place of Matthew Stafford (knee) against the Troy Polamalu-less Steelers.

Both are decent plug-ins this week if you need one.

See also:
- Week 5 QB Rankings
- Week 5 RB Ranks
- Week 5 WR Ranks
- Week 5 DEF Ranks

1. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys @ KC
2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts @ TEN
3. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
4. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans @ ARZ
5. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons @ SF
6. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers vs. ATL
7. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins @ CAR
8. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
9. John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks vs. JAX
10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings @ STL
11. Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN
12. Dustin Keller, New York Jets @ MIA
13. Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars @ SEA
14. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions vs. PIT
15. Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots @ DEN
16. Kellen Winslow Jr., Tampa Bay Bucs @ PHI (Go ahead, prove me wrong Kellen)
17. Sean Ryan, Kansas City Chiefs vs. DAL
18. Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos vs. NE
19. Dante Rosario, Carolina Panthers vs. WSH
20. Daniel Graham, Denver Broncos vs. NE (Have a hunch he’ll score)

Brett Favre was on fire Monday night against the Green Bay Packers, but Jared Allen was every bit his equal on the other side of the ball.

It didn’t matter who the Packers plugged into the left tackle spot, where the injured Chad Clifton usually holds down the fort. They brought tight ends over to help, they canceled pass routes for their running backs and kept them in the backfield for extra protection, and still Allen was quicker, stronger, and better than any half-hearted, in-game adjustments designed to slow him down.

Nothing worked for Green Bay.

Allen hit Aaron Rodgers hard all night, finishing with 7 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 safety, and 1 forced fumble. It was one of the most dominant individual performances you’re likely to see all season long, and what makes it even more impressive is that this wasn’t some one-off flash in the pan: Allen does this every week.

That’s great news for Minnesota Vikings DEF owners and an absolutely horrifying Week 5 reality for Kyle Boller and a Rams offense that ranks dead last in the NFL in averaging just 6 points per. To put into perspective just how awful that “production” is, consider the JaMarcus Russell-led Raiders are averaging 10.5 per. The Rams are the only team averaging less.

Better put on some extra (Maxi) pads this week, Kyle.

See also:
- Week 5 QB Rankings
- Week 5 RB Ranks
- Week 5 WR Rankings
- Week 5 TE Rankings

1. New York Giants vs. OAK
2. Minnesota Vikings @ STL
3. Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
3. Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN
5. San Francisco 49ers vs. ATL
6. New York Jets @ MIA
7. Indianapolis Colts @ TEN
8. Denver Broncos vs. NE
9. Miami Dolphins vs. NYJ
10. Buffalo Bills vs. CLE
11. Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
12. Cincinnati Bengals @ BAL
13. New England Patriots @ DEN
14. Atlanta Falcons @ SF
15. Washington Redskins @ CAR

Jared Allen Photo Credit: Icon SMI

The fantasy scramble known as byes kicked in last week, but Week 5 is the first time this season where a number of owners are desperately scouring the waiver wire for a plug-in play. Drew Brees, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, and Philip Rivers–four of the top 10 quarterbacks drafted this year–all get the week off.

The pickings were mostly slim in my leagues, with guys like Shaun Hill, Derek Anderson, Trent Edwards, Matthew Stafford, and Jake Delhomme the most attractive options. Best of luck to those faced with starting one of these guys. You’re going to need it.

With Cutler on bye, I’m starting Anderson on the road against the Buffalo Bills and their banged-up secondary… just a week after I made a point of emphasizing the Browns’ offensive ineptitude. I take it all back, guys–you’re a juggernaut that’s just scratching the surface of your potential. Really. And Eric Mangini is a great coach. And Jamal Lewis will keep the Bills honest. And Anderson will… ah, forget it. I’m fucked this week.

See also:
- Week 5 RB Rankings
- Week 5 WR Rankings
- Week 5 TE Rankings
- Week 5 DEF Rankings

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts @ TEN
2. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
3. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN
4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots @ DEN
5. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals vs. HOU
6. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans @ ARZ
7. Eli Manning, New York Giants vs. OAK (Check Status)
8. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
9. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings @ STL
10. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons @ SF
11. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals @ BAL
12. David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars @ SEA
13. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys @ KC
14. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets @ MIA
15. Derek Anderson, Cleveland Browns @ BUF
16. Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs vs. DAL
17. Matthew Stafford/Daunte Culpepper, Detroit Lions vs. PIT (Check Stafford’s Status)
18. Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos vs. NE
19. Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills vs. CLE
20. Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins @ CAR

The 2009-10 NBA season is just 3 short weeks away, which means it’s time for some of the Web’s best NBA writers to break down the league division by division, team by team. The gentlemen over at CelticsBlog are once again hosting and organizing.

First up is the Atlantic Division, where the Boston Celtics have ruled the roost for a few years now and figure to do it again this season with a (supposedly) healthy Kevin Garnett back in the lineup and quality depth in Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels added into the mix. Wallace is slated to back up “starting center” Kendrick Perkins for now, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see him eventually work his way into Doc Rivers’ top-five; the prospect of Garnett and a motivated Wallace, two of the league’s all-time great interior defenders, lining up next to each other in the post is just scary. Of course, the keyword with Wallace, as always, is “motivated.”

There’s a lot more to discuss about the Celtics and their division rivals, so we’ll turn it over to our friends below. Look for ETB’s previews of the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves soon; in the meantime, we’ll be posting these division previews over the next few weeks.

Here’s the full list of Atlantic Division previews:

Boston Celtics

CelticsBlog | LOY’s Place | Celtics17 | Red’s Army | Hoops Addict | Celtics Central | Celtics Hub | Gino’s Jungle

New Jersey Nets

Slippery When Nets | Barkley’s Mouth

New York Knicks

Posting and Toasting | Bandwagon Knick

Philadelphia 76ers

Liberty Ballers

Toronto Raptors

RaptorsHQ.com | Hoops Addict

Bonus Links:

See full schedule here | Also see SBNation Preview Storystream