‘ The Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos have improved to 5-0 after the end of week five. Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson became the first back to run for 100 yards against the Baltimore Ravens defense since Kansas City RB Larry Johnson did it on Dec. 10, 2006. ‘ The Miami Dolphins edged out the New York Jets 31-27 on Monday night Oct. 12. The Broncos beat the New England Patriots in overtime, 20-17.
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Let’s now look at the hot players, the cold payers, and take a look at the doctor’s report to view the injured players.
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The Hot:
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin ran for miles against the Chiefs Sunday. Miles caught ten passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns; his two touchdowns were both a result from long runs after broken tackles. Austin’s second touchdown was a 60 yard game winning catch and run in overtime. Believe it or not Austin is not a normal contributor in the Cowboys offense. He is listed as the third receiver on the Cowboys depth chart behind Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. Because Williams was hurt; Austin got to take over in the lead role. Unfortunately games like this probably won’t happen much for Austin because of his reserve role. If Austin is a free agent in your league you definitely should pick him up but don’t start him if Roy Williams does come back from his injury.
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw for over 300 yards for the fifth straight game this season. Manning threw for 309 yards, completed 36 of 44 passes for three touchdowns and one interception. The bad news is that Manning’s Colts are on a bye next week so Manning owner’s need to find a replacement at QB. The good news is Manning is off to one of the best starts of his career and easily could finish as the number one fantasy quarterback.
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck returned from injury Sunday only to throw for 241 yards and four touchdowns. It was nice to see the three time pro-bowler have a decent game after a rib injury. If you are a Hasselbeck injury get him started week six, at Arizona.
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The Atlanta Falcons had a trio of fantasy stars week five at San Francisco. Second year quarterback Matt Ryan threw for a season-high 329 yards. He completed 22 of 32 passes and threw two touchdowns; both to wide receiver Roddy White. White caught eight passes for 210 yards. Falcons running back Michael Turner also contributed to the offense by rushing for 97 yards and scoring three touchdowns. All three of these guys are solid fantasy options and are recommended starts week six against the Chicago Bears.
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A pair of Philadelphia Eagles had big games Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb completed 16 of 21 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. He threw two of those touchdowns to rookie wide receiver Jerremy Maclin. Maclin caught six passes for 142 yards. If you are a McNabb owner you should definitely start him next week at Oakland. All owners should look at picking up Maclin if he is a free agent in your league. Maclin could be playing a bigger role in the Eagles offense after a game like this.
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The Cold:
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard has been hot and then cold all season song. He seems to have a huge game and then follow that up with a bad game. Garrard threw for only 188 yards and zero touchdowns Sunday against the Seahawks. If you are a Garrard owner you should really only treat him as a back up fantasy quarterback at this point because of his inconsistencies.
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Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee only touched the ball twice Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. He totaled negative two rushing yards and four receiving yards. McGahee is the NFL leader in touchdowns so those of you who started McGahee this week are probably shaking their heads because of his lack of carries. Despite all of his touchdowns McGahee can’t be a sure fire fantasy starter because he is not even a starter for his own team. The Ravens are clearly leaning on running back Ray Rice to take on their carries so McGahee should be benched unless you don’t have any other sufficient starters.
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Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson didn’t have his best performance Sunday against the Colts. Johnson only managed 34 rushing yards on nine carries. Johnson is a pretty solid running back and should be starting in all formats; owners should not worry to much about this performance; get him active next week against the Patriots
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The Doctor’s Report
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson left Sunday’s game with a banged up knee. The injury is not significant, according to head coach Jim Schwartz. If you are a Johnson owner you should not worry too much about this injury, start him next week against the Green Bay Packers with confidence.
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San Francisco stud running back Frank Gore could possibly return week seven against the Texans, according to www.cbssportsline.com. The 49ers have a bye week six so if you are a Gore owner tune in before you make a decision week seven against the Texans.
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New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham left week five against the Raiders with an apparent chest injury. The injury doesn’t appear to be serious so don’t hesitate to start him next week against New Orleans.
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