This Week’s Top Team: Week 5 is here, and bye weeks have limited an option or two. No worries, I’m here to give you a starting lineup that should be dominant, and some sleepers to be had in hopes of picking up a point or two for a close victory. Here you go.
QB: Tom Brady vs. Cleveland: This one’s a toss up between Tony Romo and The One. Well, The One gets the nod because I think the Cowboys will run the ball too much for Romo to have a bigger day than Brady.
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Denver: I have to stick with LT here. Denver hasn’t been able to stop the run, and LT has the fierce eye of frustration in his eye. I think the Chargers will ride LT to a win in Denver.
RB: Marion Barber vs. Buffalo: Barber is a risk here, because he’s not even the starter on his own team. But I have a feeling the Cowboys will run the ball a lot next week in Buffalo. Give Marion 20 carries, and that’s 100+ yards and a couple touchdowns. I’ll take that chance.
WR: Randy Moss vs. Cleveland: Randy is a flat out stud. I’m rolling with Randy to do Cleveland up. Randy catches everything thrown his way and is better than anyone thought he was. Tom Brady is his quarterback, a hard throwing, accurate, risk taker. Randy’s dreams have come true.
WR: Plaxico Burress vs. NY Jets: I think Plaxico will torment this defense. He had a down week last week, but still caught a touchdown. This week, after another few days of skipping practice, Plax should be plenty healthy enough to torment the Jets secondary.
TE: Jason Witten vs. Buffalo: I like Gates to take advantage of a strong running game this weekend. On the goal-line, if Dallas takes a second to give the ball to someone not named Marion Barber, it will be a play action dump to Witten.
K: Nate Kaeding vs. Denver: With LT, the ball will move down the field. With the Chargers offense, the ball won’t get into the end zone every drive. That leaves room for Kaeding to kick in Denver. I like that combo-set.
D: Patriots vs. Cleveland: I know, the Browns have put up tons of points. So what. New England is football’s version of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. I expect lots of turnovers and very few points out of Cleveland.
LUCKY’S Week 5 SLEEPERS
Jason Campbell: Give me an underrated quarterback against the Detroit Lions’ secondary, and I’ll give you a nice sleeper candidate for this weekends’ fantasy stats. Campbell has had 2 weeks to prepare for Detroit – that makes me believe a big day is in the future.
Panthers Starting QB: Even if you have to start David Carr, I think the Panthers’ starting quarterback will have an easy 15 point fantasy day against the Saints’ pathetic defense.
Julius Jones: Jones might get a 100 yard day in Buffalo this weekend. I have a feeling that the Cowboys will ride their running game, and 100 total yards for Jones isn’t out of the question.
Brandon Jacobs: The Jets can’t stop anyone running the football. If Jacobs gets cleared, he might end up with a couple touchdowns on Sunday. That’s a good day for a sleeper who has been out for 3 weeks.
LenDale White: I like LenDale to have his most productive outing this weekend against Atlanta. White is a big bad runner, and the Falcons aren’t a big defensive unit. Expect him to get close to 20 carries 100 yards and a touchdown.
Lee Evans: I’m sticking with Lee here. I think the Bills will need to score points if they want to stay anywhere close to Dallas. Evans is the quickest way to a touchdown. Look for him to take a short pass to the house for his first touchdown of the season.
Larry Fitzgerald: Larry hasn’t been as dominant as I figured he’d be, but that means he could be a nice buy low option. Fitz will have his way with the Rams defense, as that secondary will key in on the more productive Anquan Boldin. Fitz could have a couple scores and 100 yards on Sunday.
Chris Cooley: Guy plays the Lions, and he’s a touchdown threat every single time the Skins are in the red zone. That should be a lot considering they are playing the Lions.
Cardinals DST: Arizona will try to feast on the turnover happy, terrible offense that has taken over the greatest show on turf. The game is in St. Louis, which could cause trouble – but the Cardinals’ defensive unit is very aggressive and physical. That’s not a good sign for a team with 1 offensive line starter in the lineup.
LUCKY’S Week 5 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)
Phillip Rivers: I don’t think Phillip will have such a bad day, but he won’t get enough passing attempts to be a starter worthy option against Denver.
Shaun Alexander: The Steelers will shut Shaun down. Alexander has been busy running like a pussy since he got his big deal a season and a half ago. I counted, and in 25 carries last week, he lowered his shoulder once. I think it was an accident.
Jamal Lewis: Note to fantasy owners – your player plays the Patriots, bench him. Especially if he’s a running back on a bad team. Don’t be confused by their 2-2 record, the Browns are a bad team.
Tory Holt: I didn’t think there would be a day I suggested a benching of Holt, he’s always open – but with the way the Rams have been playing, and the physical nature of the Cardinals defense in mind, I have to bench most Rams this weekend.
Todd Heap: I just don’t like Heap this week. He’s kind of hurt (what’s new?) and the Ravens have sucked bad. I’ll stay away from the Ravens until they flip a switch.