Week 8 QB, RB & WR Rankings

Week 8 is brutal.  There is a ton of fantasy goodness missing in action this week, either via injury or the 6 teams on bye.  If you have a team filled with empty spots, you're definitely digging deep for some fill ins.  Here are my Week 8 QB, RB & WR rankings.  In the case of a Sit/Start question, start the player ranked closest to #1.

RB

1) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
2) Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
3) Marshawn Lynch, Seattle
4) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City
5) Frank Gore, San Francisco
6) Knowshon Moreno, Denver
7) Eddie Lacy, Green Bay
8) Reggie Bush, Detroit
9) Alfred Morris, Washington
10) Fred Jackson, Buffalo
11) DeMarco Murray, Dallas (Questionable)
12) Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
13) Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
14) Darren Sproles, New Orleans
15) Steven Jackson, Atlanta
16) Darren McFadden, Oakland
17) Stevan Ridley, New England
18) Lamar Miller, Miami
19) Pierre Thomas, New Orleans
20) Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati
21) Roy Helu, Washington
22) Andre Ellington, Arizona
23) Chris Ivory, NY Jets
24) Joique Bell, Detroit
25) Willis McGahee, Cleveland
26) Zac Stacy, St. Louis
27) Peyton Hills, NY Giants
28) BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati
29) Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta
30) Daniel Thomas, Miami
31) Kendall Hunter, San Francisco
32) Chris Ogbonnaya, Cleveland
33) Tashard Choice, Buffalo
34) Joseph Randle, Dallas
35) Khiry Robinson, New Orleans
36) Bilal Powell, NY Jets
37) Brandon Bolden, New England
38) Montee Ball, Denver
39) Robert Turbin, Seattle
40) Anthony Dixon, San Francisco

DeMarco Murray returns this week to start for Dallas in a pretty tasty matchup with the Detroit Lions.  If for some reason Murray can't go (all signs point to him starting), bump Joseph Randle up to about #17 for workload alone.  With or without Murray, I think the Dallas RB situation is a tough one to gauge this week, but the price you paid for Murray means you're using him if you don't have 2-3 options better than him.

Call me crazy, but I think this is a week where MJD gives us an MJD-ish performance of old.  The game won't be out of hand until late in all likelihood, so I like MJD to get owners 100 yards and a score, possibly more.  He is one of those guys who produces in matchups against stout defenses.  You would normally think to sit him, but I say play him.  I think I'm the only one out there.

I wasn't super high on Steven Jackson coming into this year (He was #16 on my Final Preseason RB Rankings), but the price Jackson's owners paid to draft him makes them at least luke-warm to the idea of putting him back in.  If he's truly healthy, I like him to handle a Top 15 workload.  We'll see how much he can produce with that many touches.

If Jimmy Graham is out for New Orleans, I consider Pierre Thomas a Top 15 play and I would slide him right behind Sproles and ahead of Steven Jackson.

I really like Peyton Hillis's chances this week against the Eagles.  I think the Giants might head into their bye week with a little momentum, and maybe he's the guy who sparks it.  Either way, with the bye next week and Andre Brown's return right around the corner, Hillis has one last chance to earn an NFL job.  I think he takes advantage of it.

It's tough to predict garbage time, but I think Anthony Dixon has a chance to score a goal line TD late in a lop-sided SF win.  If you need 6 points from your RB spot, he's as good a place to find it.

WR

1) Dez Bryant, Dallas
2) Calvin Johnson, Detroit
3) Demaryius Thomas, Denver
4) Victor Cruz, NY Giants
5) Jordy Nelson, Green Bay
6) Wes Welker, Denver
7) DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
8) Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh
9) Marques Colston, New Orleans
10) AJ Green, Cincinnati
11) Pierre Garcon, Washington
12) Eric Decker, Denver
13) Anquan Boldin, San Francisco
14) Hakeem Nicks, NY Giants
15) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
16) Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville
17) Josh Gordon, Cleveland
18) Michael Floyd, Arizona
19) Danny Amendola, New England (Questionable)
20) Terrance Williams, Dallas
21) Rueben Randle, NY Giants
22) Golden Tate, Seattle
23) Jarrett Boykin, Green Bay
24) Greg Jennings, Minnesota
25) Stevie Johnson, Buffalo
26) Harry Douglas, Atlanta
27) Denarius Moore, Oakland
28) Brian Hartline, Miami
29) Julian Edelman, New England (Questionable)
30) Kris Durham, Detroit
31) Cole Beasley, Dallas
32) Emmanuel Sanders, Pittsburgh
33) Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville
34) Mike Wallace, Miami
35) Donnie Avery, Kansas City
36) Sidney Rice, Seattle
37) Jeremy Kerley, NY Jets
38) Lance Moore, New Orleans
39) Robert Woods, Buffalo
40) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City (Questionable)
41) Riley Cooper, Philadelphia
42) Jerricho Cotchery, Pittsburgh
43) Doug Baldwin, Seattle
44) Leonard Hankerson, Washington
45) Kenbrell Thompkins, New England
46) Greg Little, Cleveland
47) Brandon Gibson, Miami
48) Jerome Simpson, Minnesota
49) Stephen Hill, NY Jets
50) Kenny Stills, New Orleans

Victor Cruz didn't score last time the Eagles and Giants played.  I expect him to go off on Sunday.

I'm not one of those people high on Kenny Stills because of Jimmy Graham being limited/possibly out.  I like the returning Lance Moore better than Stills, but I feel that if Graham is out, Colston, Sproles and Pierre Thomas pick up Graham's slack while Moore and Stills fight for WR2 playing time.  If Graham suits up, he may produce, but I like him as the ultimate decoy.  Either way, Marcus Colston gets off the schneid this week.

I'm low on Cleveland as a whole with Jason Campbell at QB facing the top defense in the NFL on the road, but I think Josh Gordon still has a Top 20 level chance to produce based on talent alone.  Five WRs have scored double digit points against the Chiefs this year, with four of those performances at Arrowhead.  It is possible is all I'm saying.  Campbell won't get sacked on EVERY drop back.

Cole Beasley.  Remember who is the highest on Beasley when he has himself a game this week.  I have him at 31, which is 2 spots higher than any of the ranking pros at FantasyPros.com.  I really believe this game lines up as a big time shootout, and Detroit is a kind matchup for opposing WRs, having allowed 6 different players to reach double digits in their last 4 games.  I like his chances.

I have Brian Hartline and Donnie Avery ranked ahead of their respective WR1s this week for essentially the same reason.  Hartline is a better play than Mike Wallace because Wallace will draw the returning Aqib Talib.  Avery is a better play than Dwayne Bowe because Bowe has been on the injury report all week and probably draws Joe Haden.

QB

1) Peyton Manning, Denver
2) Drew Brees, New Orleans
3) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
4) Robert Griffin III, Washington
5) Matthew Stafford, Detroit
6) Tony Romo, Dallas
7) Russell Wilson, Seattle
8) Matt Ryan, Atlanta
9) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
10) Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco
11) Eli Manning, NY Giants
12) Carson Palmer, Arizona
13) Michael Vick, Philadelphia
14) Tom Brady, New England
15) Ryan Tannehill, Miami
16) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati
17) Terrelle Pryor, Oakland
18) Alex Smith, Kansas City
19) Christian Ponder, Minnesota
20) Chad Henne, Jacksonville
21) Geno Smith, NY Jets
22) Thaddeus Lewis, Buffalo
23) Jason Campbell, Cleveland
24) Kellen Clemens, St. Louis

You know it's a bye week when Big Ben is in my Top 10.  In his last 2 games against Oakland, he has thrown for 329.5 yards per game and 7 touchdowns.  These are games from 2010 and 2012, so this is recent stuff.  Last year's game in Oakland was the highest scoring game Pittsburgh was involved in, and I look for more of the same.

Carson Palmer, you have to get it going this week.  Atlanta creates zero pressure, has holes in coverage, and isn't a great road team.  This will probably be the last time you're a viable QB1 if you don't make it happen this week.

Get a good look at Jason Campbell and Kellen Clemens being ranked because it won't happen again this season.  Both of these QBs might not make it to next week.  These are only viable starting options if you are in a 2 QB league and both of your starters are on bye.

Follow me on Twitter @BernacK6.  I answer every Sit/Start Question sent to me on Sunday mornings.

Week 7 QB, RB & WR Rankings

Week 7 brings a pretty light Bye Week set up with only the Saints and Raiders sitting it out this week.  Yes, you're missing Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Terrelle Pryor and others, but this should be a great week to not worry too much about the dreaded bye week fill ins.  Next week is another story, as 6 teams will be out of action.  Let's get on to Week 7's positional rankings.  As always, in the case of a Sit/Start quandary, use the player ranked closest to #1.

RB

1) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia

2) Matt Forte, Chicago

3) Adrian Peterson, Minnesota

4) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City

5) Alfred Morris, Washington

6) Ray Rice, Baltimore

7) Reggie Bush, Detroit

8) Doug Martin, Tampa Bay

9) Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati

10) Knowshon Moreno, Denver

11) Trent Richardson, Indianapolis

12) Frank Gore, San Francisco

13) Bilal Powell, NY Jets

14) Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh

15) DeAngelo Williams, Carolina

16) Lamar Miller, Miami

17) Fred Jackson, Buffalo

18) Danny Woodhead, San Diego

19) Eddie Lacy, Green Bay

20) Joseph Randle, Dallas

21) Brandon Jacobs, NY Giants

22) Zac Stacy, St. Louis

23) Arian Foster, Houston

24) Ryan Mathews, San Diego

25) CJ Spiller, Buffalo

26) Stevan Ridley, New England

27) Willis McGahee, Cleveland

28) Chris Johnson, Tennessee

29) Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville

30) Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta

31) Mike Tolbert, Carolina

32) BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati

33) Joique Bell, Detroit

34) Chris Ivory, NY Jets

35) Chris Ogbonnaya, Cleveland

36) Donald Brown, Indianapolis

37) Bernard Pierce, Baltimore

38) Ben Tate, Houston

39) Michael Bush, Chicago

40) Phillip Tanner, Dallas

This is probably as high as I'll be on Giovani Bernard all season.  Detroit has been it's usual terrible self against the run, allowing 6 separate ball carrier to reach double digit fantasy points on the season and the only week they didn't allow a double digit scorer (Week 5 vs. Green Bay), Eddie lacy still rushed for 99 yards.  RBs have rushed for 5 TDs on the ground and caught 3 via the air against them.Bernard and Green-Ellis could both reach pay dirt this weekend.

Bilal Powell is still the unquestioned lead back for the Jets, and with Mike Goodson out for the year with an ACL tear, coupled with New England's defensive injuries, he could easily reach 80-90 total yards and a TD.  I like him as a strong RB2 this week.

I'm lower on Arian Foster than every documented expert at FantasyPros.com and I think I'm going to be correct here.  Kansas City has yet to allow a RB to score a touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium and Foster has not yet scored a TD away from Reliant Stadium.  He may get you 10 points in total yardage this week, but I have him at #23 as I feel he is a back end RB2 this week.  You probably can't sit him, but you have to lower your expectations this week.

I was really tempted to have Jacquizz Rodgers higher on this list, but I just couldn't do it.  He's among my best Flex options this week with Steven Jackson out again and Jason Snelling probably seeing a reduced role as he returns from a concussion.

Chris Ogbonnaya is a sneaky good play this week, as he has seen 5 or more targets out of the backfield in 3 of the last 4 weeks and reached paydirt in 2 of his last 3.  If not for a concussion-related departure in Week 5, we might be talking more about him.  Give him a look in PPR formats.

WR

1) Dez Bryant, Dallas

2) Brandon Marshall, Chicago

3) AJ Green, Cincinnati

4) Victor Cruz, NY Giants

5) Wes Welker, Denver

6) Demaryius Thomas, Denver

7) Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis

8) Pierre Garcon, Washington

9) Josh Gordon, Cleveland

10) DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia

11) Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville

12) Calvin Johnson, Detroit

13) Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh

14) Keenan Allen, San Diego

15) Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay

16) Mike Wallace, Miami

17) Jordy Nelson, Green Bay

18) Eric Decker, Denver

19) TY Hilton, Indianapolis

20) Alshon Jeffrey, Chicago

21) Hakeem Nicks, NY Giants

22) Steve Smith, Carolina

23) Greg Jennings, Minnesota

24) Terrance Williams, Dallas

25) Julian Edelman, New England (Questionable)

26) James Jones, Green Bay (Questionable - Likely Out)

27) Mike Williams, Tampa Bay

28) Andre Johnson, Houston

29) Torrey Smith, Baltimore

30) Rueben Randle, NY Giants

31) Stevie Johnson, Buffalo

32) Brian Hartline, Miami

33) Vincent Brown, San Diego

34) Anquan Boldin, San Francisco

35) Emmanuel Sanders, Pittsburgh

36) Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville

37) Jarrett Boykin, Green Bay

38) Riley Cooper, Philadelphia

39) Harry Douglas, Atlanta

40) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City

41) Donnie Avery, Kansas City

42) Kenbrell Thompkins, New England

43) Brandon LaFell, Carolina

44) Jerome Simpson, Minnesota

45) Leonard Hankerson, Washington

46) Aaron Dobson, New England

47) Davone Bess, Cleveland

48) Austin Pettis, St. Louis

49) Drew Davis, Atlanta

50) Chris Givens, St. Louis

Keenan Allen is for real folks.  I was on him the week he went off, I hyped him up further last week, and I am full blown on the bandwagon now.  Expect Tier 1 production from him going forward.  On the same note, if Eddie Royal is for some reason limited or unable to go, give Vincent Brown a bump from 33 to 26.

Green Bay is trying to make Cleveland believe that James Jones is going to play.  I don't expect him to, but if he does, I think he's an appropriate WR3.  If Jones is unable to go, Jarrett Boykin does not receive an additional bump up this list.

Roddy White will miss a game for the first time in his NFL career this week, and despite his absence and the season-ending injury to Julio Jones, neither of the new Atlanta starting WRs (Douglas and Davis) are anything more than prayers.  Douglas is ranked where he is because he's the only WR target that has shown any flash in the past, although he has never scored a TD as a starter in the NFL.

I'm low on the passing game of Houston this week, which is why we find Andre Johnson at 28.  He's a WR3 this week with Case Keenum starting against a ferocious Kansas City defense trying to prove they are legit.

Anquan Boldin is as low as he's going to be all season at 34 this week because Tennessee has been downright awful for opposing WRs.  They have not allowed a starting receiver to reach 100 yards or the end zone since Week 2, when DeAndre Hopkins did both.  San Fran is going to have to get a big game from Vernon Davis or do their dirty work on the ground to beat the Titans this weekend, which I think they will do.

QB

1) Peyton Manning, Denver

2) Tony Romo, Dallas

3) Cam Newton, Carolina

4) Philip Rivers, San Diego

5) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis

6) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

7) Jay Cutler, Chicago

8) Matthew Stafford, Detroit

9) Tom Brady, New England

10) Nick Foles, Philadelphia

11) Eli Manning, NY Giants

12) Matt Ryan, Atlanta

13) Robert Griffin III, Washington

14) Ryan Tannehill, Miami

15) Josh Freeman, Minnesota

16) Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay

17) Chad Henne, Jacksonville

18) Sam Bradford, St. Louis

19) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati

20) Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco

21) Brandon Weeden, Cleveland

22) Alex Smith, Kansas City

23) Thaddeus Lewis, Buffalo

24) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh

25) Joe Flacco, Baltimore

Jay Cutler is a bonafide QB1 in the fantasy game under Marc Trestman's direction.  He has delivered 240+ yards and multiple TD passes in 5 of 6 games and faces a Washington Redskins defense that has allowed multiple TD passes 3 times in 5 games and 350+ yards passing twice.  The Bears are a legitimate offense in this league and I say start Cutty with confidence.

Nick Foles might win the Eagles' starting job permanently after this week.  Michael Vick has a mysterious hamstring injury and Foles might just be the better fit for Chip Kelly's offense after all.  I expect an Eagles win this weekend coupled with QB1 numbers for the 2nd year QB.

Josh Freeman is at 15 because of his matchup.  I don't know how well he is grasping Minnesota's offense (although turn around and hand it to 28 shouldn't be too tough to learn), and I don't know how his chemistry has developed with his targets.  I do know that the Giants stink, and that might be enough to get Freeman Top 15 numbers.

Baltimore-Pittsburgh will probably be a slug fest, 16-13 kind of game, and I don't see a lot of value in either signal caller.  You can do better this week.

Follow me on Twitter @BernacK6 and let's slay this week together.

Week 6 QB, RB & WR Rankings

Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Rueben Randle, Jay Cutler, Eli Manning.  When you remove these names from the available player pools, it really thinned things out a bit.  There are some WRs that I dug deep for as quality plays this week.  Here's my position by position rankings.  As always, in case of sit/start questions, use the play closest to #1 to solve your crisis.

RB

1) Arian Foster, Houston
2) Doug Martin, Tampa Bay
3) Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
4) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City
5) DeMarco Murray, Dallas
6) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
7) Ray Rice, Baltimore
8) Knowshon Moreno, Denver
9) Trent Richardson, Indianapolis
10) Alfred Morris, Washington
11) Frank Gore, San Francisco
12) Marshawn Lynch, Seattle
13) Reggie Bush, Detroit
14) Darren Sproles, New Orleans
15) Eddie Lacy, Green Bay
16) CJ Spiller, Buffalo
17) Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati
18) Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
19) Danny Woodhead, San Diego
20) Chris Johnson, Tennessee
21) Willis McGahee, Cleveland
22) Fred Jackson, Buffalo
23) DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
24) Pierre Thomas, New Orleans
25) Joique Bell, Detroit
26) Stevan Ridley, New England
27) Zac Stacy, St. Louis
28) Ben Tate, Houston
29) Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
30) Andre Ellington, Arizona
31) Marcel Reece, Oakland
32) BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati
33) Bilal Powell, NY Jets
34) Ronnie Hillman, Denver
35) Brandon Bolden, New England
36) Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona
37) Donald Brown, Indianapolis
38) Chris Ivory, NY Jets
39) Mike Tolbert, Carolina
40) Roy Helu, Washington

Houston is desperate, Matt Schaub is on a short leash, and the Rams are in town.  It's as good a week as any to have Arian Foster.  I'm expecting one of those Foster-esque games that have earned him top billing the last few years.

Darren McFadden is not ranked because I really don't know if he's going to play.  I heard conflicting reports yesterday, and I was under the impression Run DMC was going to sit out through the Raiders' Week 7 bye.  If he plays vs. KC (in KC), I guess I would have him as a Top 30 option, ahead of Andre Ellington.  That would bump Marcel Reece from 31 to 37.  Either way, I'm not crazy about McFadden or the Raider run game as a whole this week.

Ryan Mathews is also not ranked, as he didn't practice all week until Friday.  If he is Active Monday Night, I don't know if I'd play him anyways, unless you're desperate.  Danny Woodhead, with or without an Active Mathews, is firmly planted at #19 this week.  I like Woodhead to be busy all night, as he has carved out a really great role in the resurgent San Diego offense.

I have Ronnie Hillman at #33 this week because, like everyone else, I expect there to be some garbage time points in the Denver-Jacksonville game.  Do I think there will be enough to be a high end RB #2?  No.  If you're in need of some upside, or you have McFadden and Mathews on your roster, Hillman might be available on your Waiver Wire and would be a safer play than both of those options.

WR

1) Dez Bryant, Dallas
2) AJ Green, Cincinnati
3) Randall Cobb, Green Bay
4) Andre Johnson, Houston
5) Pierre Garcon, Washington
6) Demaryius Thomas, Denver
7) Wes Welker, Denver
8) Jordy Nelson, Green Bay
9) Josh Gordon, Cleveland
10) Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
11) Calvin Johnson, Detroit
12) Torrey Smith, Baltimore
13) Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh
14) Marques Colston, New Orleans
15) Danny Amendola, New England
16) Eric Decker, Denver
17) James Jones, Green Bay
18) Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville
19) TY Hilton, Indianapolis
20) Anquan Boldin, San Francisco
21) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
22) DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
23) Julian Edelman, New England
24) Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay
25) Steve Smith, Carolina
26) Keenan Allen, San Diego
27) Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville
28) Denarius Moore, Oakland
29) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City
30) Greg Jennings, Minnesota
31) DeAndre Hopkins, Houston
32) Vincent Brown, San Diego
33) Golden Tate, Seattle
34) Mike Williams, Tampa Bay
35) Emmanuel Sanders, Pittsburgh
36) Kenbrell Thompkins, New England
37) Stevie Johnson, Buffalo
38) Chris Givens, St. Louis
39) Terrance Williams, Dallas
40) Nate Washington, Tennessee
41) Eddie Royal, San Diego
42) Michael Floyd, Arizona
43) Jeremy Kerley, NY Jets
44) Robert Woods, Buffalo
45) Donnie Avery, Kansas City
46) Kendall Wright, Tennessee
47) Leonard Hankerson, Washington
48) Santana Moss, Washington
49) Jerome Simpson, Minnesota
50) Davone Bess, Cleveland

Calvin Johnson is gimpy and gets Joe Haden on his back all day.  I'm not saying bench Megatron, but he's not a Top 10 option this week.

Miles Austin is not ranked despite reports that he will play Sunday Night against Washington.  If that game was a 1:00 EST start, I'd have him around 35-40.  Austin is always a re-injury candidate coming off these hamstring ailments.  I'd stash him for the next 4-5 weeks, but I'm not plugging him in.  If Austin were out, I would move Terrance Williams into the Top 25.

If Vick starts over Foles for Philly (which is not supposed to happen), I would move DeSean Jackson up from #22 to #20.  Jackson will still be heavily targeted regardless of QB, but I think his success will be limited by Revis.  Don't poke the bear.

Stevie Johnson has been a huge question all week and is now a full blown Game Time Decision.  If Johnson can't go, bump Woods from #44 to #33.  I'd take a heavily targeted WR over Golden Tate any day.

QB

1) Peyton Manning, Denver
2) Tony Romo, Dallas
3) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis
4) Drew Brees, New Orleans
5) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
6) Philip Rivers, San Diego
7) Robert Griffin III, Washington
8) Russell Wilson, Seattle
9) Cam Newton, Carolina
10) Joe Flacco, Baltimore
11) Tom Brady, New England
12) Matt Schaub, Houston
13) Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco
14) Matthew Stafford, Detroit
15) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati
16) Chad Henne, Jacksonville
17) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
18) Terrelle Pryor, Oakland
19) Alex Smith, Kansas City
20) Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay
21) Brandon Weeden, Cleveland
22) Nick Foles, Philadelphia
23) Geno Smith, NY Jets
24) Sam Bradford, St. Louis
25) Carson Palmer, Arizona

Green Bay's secondary has been a sieve all season and now Clay Matthews is out with a thumb injury.  Joe Flacco should have a nice clean pocket all afternoon at home.  I think this Baltimore-Green Bay game offers some points, so start those QBs with confidence, especially Flacco.

Matt Schaub is on his last straw.  I'm all in on Houston this week against St. Louis, and I think Schaub shows everyone why a QB switch in Houston would be a bad decision.  I think this game ends up with an ugly final score.  Start your Texans!!!

I think Chad Henne is a higher upside starter than those he's ranked ahead.  I am in no way advocating you start him expecting QB1 numbers though.  He's going to turn the ball over.  In order to get a useful score from Henne, you need Denver to be up by 20 or more at some point in the first half.  Henne needs to cross the 300 yard mark to be worth your time.

If Michael Vick goes, move him to #16 and Foles out.  Do I think Vick will play?  No.  Do I trust him if he does.  Absolutely no.

Follow me on Twitter @BernacK6 and let's kill it this week.

Week 5 QB, RB & WR Rankings

If you decided early on this week that Brian Hoyer was a possible solution for your fantasy team (like I did in 2 of my 5 leagues), whoops.  Brandon Weeden returns to the starting lineup for Cleveland, which actually doesn't affect your favorite Browns going forward.  The Josh Gordon hype machine got built last season on the arm of Weeden and Jordan Cameron was projected to be a break out TE even with Weeden at the helm.  As for Buffalo, their situation is a little more murky with EJ Manuel expected to miss a few weeks, but avoid surgery, due to a knee injury.  Look for a heavy dose of Spiller and Jackson, although I'm not so sure either of them can overcome 9 defenders in the box.

Here are Week 5's positional rankings.  As always, in the case of a Sit/Start Question, start the player ranked closer to #1:

RB

1) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
2) Matt Forte, Chicago
3) Reggie Bush, Detroit
4) Marshawn Lynch, Seattle
5) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City
6) Arian Foster, Houston
7) Frank Gore, San Francisco
8) DeMarco Murray, Dallas
9) David Wilson, NY Giants
10) Knowshon Moreno, Denver
11) Ray Rice, Baltimore
12) Trent Richardson, Indianapolis
13) Bilal Powell, NY Jets
14) Lamar Miller, Miami
15) Eddie Lacy, Green Bay
16) Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati
17) Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
18) Joique Bell, Detroit
19) Chris Johnson, Tennessee
20) Pierre Thomas,  New Orleans
21) DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
22) Danny Woodhead, San Diego
23) Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta
24) Darren Sproles, New Orleans
25) Ryan Mathews, San Diego
26) Rashad Jennings, Oakland
27) Jason Snelling, Atlanta
28) Daniel Thomas, Miami
29) Legarrette Blount, New England
30) Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona
31) Andre Ellington, Arizona
32) Brandon Bolden, New England
33) Kendall Hunter, San Francisco
34) Bryce Brown, Philadelphia
35) Ronnie Hillman, Denver
36) Michael Bush, Chicago
37) Mike Tolbert, Carolina
38) Johnathan Franklin, Green Bay
39) Ben Tate, Houston
40) Whoever starts at RB for St. Louis

Last chance David Wilson.  Perform against the terrible Philly defense or get cut from fantasy rosters.  It seems that is the extreme if he puts up a dud this weekend.  I'm high on his chances this week.

Seattle is a different defensive unit on the road.  Start TRich with confidence.

I like Woodhead more than Mathews in real life and, after last week,  more in fantasy football.  Until Mathews does something of note, like score a TD, expect to see Woodhead above Mathews.

No Ridley this week for New England means extra Blount and Bolden.  I like Blount to get the lion's share of the work, so he'd be the priority add over Bolden, but Bolden will be in on passing downs and can contribute.

WR

1) Victor Cruz, NY Giants
2) Calvin Johnson, Detroit
3) Dez Bryant, Dallas
4) Randall Cobb, Green Bay
5) Demaryius Thomas, Denver
6) Brandon Marshall, Chicago
7) Julio Jones, Atlanta
8) Jordy Nelson, Green Bay
9) Wes Welker, Denver
10) DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
11) Steve Smith, Carolina
12) Marques Colston, New Orleans
13) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
14) Danny Amendola, New England (Questionable)
15) Andre Johnson, Houston
16) Anquan Boldin, San Francisco
17) AJ Green, Cincinnati
18) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City
19) Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
20) Hakeem Nicks, NY Giants
21) Kenbrell Thompkins, New England
22) Chris Givens, St. Louis
23) James Jones, Green Bay
24) Eric Decker, Denver
25) Torrey Smith, Baltimore
26) Mike Wallace, Miami
27) Julian Edelman, New England
28) Alshon Jeffery, Chicago
29) Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville
30) Roddy White, Atlanta
31) Nate Washington, Tennessee
32) Eddie Royal, San Diego
33) Jeremy Kerley, NY Jets
34) Denarius Moore, Oakland
35) Golden Tate, Seattle
36) Donnie Avery, Kansas City
37) Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville
38) Brian Hartline, Miami
39) Kendall Wright, Tennessee
40) Tavon Austin, St. Louis
41) Michael Floyd, Arizona
42) Terrance Williams, Dallas
43) Keenan Allen, San Diego
44) Sidney Rice, Seattle
45) Rueben Randle, NY Giants
46) Clyde Gates, NY Jets
47) DeAndre Hopkins, Houston
48) TY Hilton, Indianapolis
49) Kenny Stills, New Orleans
50) Jason Avant, Philadelphia

If you're taking fliers this week, go to the Eagles-Giants game for offense.  This game should live up to the hype and provide plenty of points.   Guys like Randle, Avant & even racist Riley Cooper have a shot at contributing useful fantasy lines.

I was higher on Roddy White than others when the week started, but after hearing an admitted setback, I'm back to calling him a Boom or Bust WR3 like everyone else.

If Amendola goes from Questionable to Inactive, slide Edelman up to his ranking.

I only rank Seattle WRs because of their QB.  I think if any of them were on other teams, they wouldn't even play.  Tate sucks, Rice has pretzel legs, and Doug Baldwin probably is a special teams gunner at best.  Don't play these guys if you don't have to. There are no shoot outs on this schedule.

QB

1) Peyton Manning, Denver
2) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
3) Michael Vick, Philadelphia
4) Philip Rivers, San Diego
5) Eli Manning, NY Giants
6) Matthew Stafford, Detroit
7) Drew Brees, New Orleans
8) Cam Newton, Carolina
9) Matt Ryan, Atlanta
10) Tony Romo, Dallas
11) Tom Brady, New England
12) Jay Cutler, Chicago
13) Russell Wilson, Seattle
14) Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco
15) Terrelle Pryor, Oakland
16) Sam Bradford, St. Louis
17) Alex Smith, Kansas City
18) Joe Flacco, Baltimore
19) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis
20) Carson Palmer, Arizona
21) Ryan Tannehill, Miami
22) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati
23) Matt Schaub, Houston
24) Geno Smith, NY Jets
25) Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tennessee

Lots of potential shoot outs tomorrow, with Philly-Giants, Broncos-Cowboys, Bears-Saints & Lions-Packers on tap.  Start your offensive weapons in these games.

Follow me on Twitter @BernacK6.