Arizona Cardinals
Daryl Washington has served his four game suspension and is back with the team for week five. Bruce Arians removed any question about Washington's status on Monday by announcing that he will immediately return to his starting role. This was not an unexpected turn of events but the ripple effect could be significant. First and most obviously; if Washington is somehow available, grab him immediately. If karlos Dansby has been in your lineup for the first four weeks, leave him there with the understanding that his production is likely to take a hit. We have already seen this defense provide enough opportunity for both Dansby and Jasper Brinkley to be productive as three down players. My only fear here is that Dansby and Washington will take turns having the better production and ultimately hold each other back a little.
Having a pair of excellent inside backers in front of him could also have a negative affect on the numbers of Yeremiah Bell. Bell started slowly but has reached double digit fantasy points in each of the past two games. I am not sure what to expect from Bell this week but would advise caution if considering Bell for your lineup.
With Rashad Johnson out, Tyrann Mathieu moved into the starting free safety position where he continued to perform well. It was initially expected that Johnson would miss very little time. He is now battling infection in the finger which has his status for week five is in doubt. This situation is giving Mathieu an opportunity to win the starting free safety job. At worst he has earned the trust of a coaching staff that will be looking for a way to keep him on the field going forward.
All the injuries at outside linebacker have Matt Shaughnessy seeing a lot of playing time at that position. Those playing at MyFantasyLeague.com will be interested to know that he is still slotted as a defensive end in their leagues. Shaughnessy was 4-1-0 with a forced fumble in week four. and is worthy of consideration in any league that lists him as a defensive end.
Baltimore Ravens
No earth shattering revelations here but it is worthwhile to note that Matt Elam's numbers have steadily increased as the season has progressed. His 6 solo stops in week four were Elam's his highest total to date. He continues to work at free safety but the numbers trend is reason for optimism. It is also worth mention that strong safety James Ihedigbo has 22.5 fantasy points over the past two games. He is quietly beginning to have some value.
Buffalo Bills
Everyone has to be tired of hearing about the Bills safety situation. I would stop talking about it if not for the fact that so much production can be found there. Against Baltimore the Bills shuffled Aaron Williams to corner as an injury replacement with Da'Norris Searcy working at strong safety and Jim Leonhard at free. The result was lost tackle production by Williams who bailed out his fantasy owners with a pair of picks and 4 passes defended. Meanwhile Searcy totaled 6 tackles, 4 passes defended and about 15 fantasy points. Unfortunately there is a new piece to the puzzle for week five as Jairus Byrd has returned to practice and may play this week. If you have any of these guys on your roster, be patient for one more week and see if we get some closure. If Byrd is close to healthy he will be the starting free safety and will have some value, but our real target is the Bills strong safety.
Manny Lawson has turned in big numbers in back to back games. I blew it off as a fluke after week three and am still not ready to buy that this guy has suddenly found the magic. That said, he has gained my attention. Another quality outing from Lawson and we will have to start taking him seriously.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were out of the spotlight during their bye week so we have heard nothing about the progress of Quintin Mikell as he works his way back from the ankle injury. Mikell played in just two games before going down but he surprisingly piled up 17+ points in week two. My initial reaction when the club added Mikell right before week one, was that the Panthers strong front seven would limit his opportunity. The 5-2-1 with a forced fumble against Buffalo had me second guessing that position. As of Wednesday afternoon Mikell is considered questionable but keep an eye on the late week practice reports. It may be a good idea to slip him onto your roster before he has another big game.
Carolina has moved on from Jon Beason. The former standout has not been the same since returning from the serious injury in 2011 and has now been benched in favor of Chase Blackburn. Blackburn will have a two down role and, barring injuries, little fantasy potential going forward.
Chicago Bears
There has been a Julius Peppers sighting! He made a splash play in week three with a fumble recovery for a score, but through three games Peppers had exactly 1 tackle and 1 assist. Inconsistency has been the trademark of Peppers career, so it will be no surprise if he vanishes for the next few games. On the other hand, Chicago has the Saints and Giants over the next two weeks. Both teams are giving up 3 or more sacks per game. Starting Peppers is always a risk but the matchup is in his favor this week. Do you feel lucky?
Cincinnati Bengals
I mentioned last week that the Bengals stats crew had suddenly changed their M.O. and were awarding tackles instead of assists. This week I discovered that they had actually been traded to Cleveland. Had the Bengals and Browns met at Paul Brown Stadium, a 5-9 for Vontaze Burfict and a 4-7 for Rey Maualuga would have been expected. With the game played in Cleveland it was a surprise. Lets see what happens this week when the Patriots travel to Cincinnati.
Maualuga continues to be a three down linebacker. Against Cleveland he was off the field for about five snaps, mostly when the Bengals were using six defensive backs.
Dallas Cowboys
As I watched the box score rolling in on Sunday, it looked like Bruce Carter was heading toward a big game against San Diego. Then suddenly the stream dried up. We later learned that Carter played through a sore foot in the second half of that game and was eventually benched due to struggles in coverage. The coaching spin is that the injury was a non-issue but I am not buying it. Coverage is normally a strength of Carter's game and Ernie Sims is not even in the same conversation. This whole thing has a strange smell and it would sure be nice to get a straight answer before the weekend. My hope is that the benching was motivational and will trigger a strong outing for Carter. My fear is that the injury is more bothersome than the team is letting on. Denver is an excellent matchup for three down linebackers but they use a lot of three and four receiver sets. If Carter continues to lose nickel package snaps to Sims, it could all but ruin Carter's potential this week. If we get no clarification on Carter's role I would suggest sitting him if you have other quality options.
The Denver matchup is tough for pass rushers so sit George Selvie if you picked him up, and consider sitting Demarcus Ware this week. Selvie was banged up against the Chargers and will likely be questionable anyway.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have been shuffling linebackers since training camp and will need to do it again after weak side starter Danny Trevathan left practice Wednesday with what is feared to be a serious knee injury. Von Miller is at least two weeks away from return and Paris Lenon missed last week with an injury (questionable for week 5). It is hard to say for certain what this week's shuffle will bring, but we are likely to see a lot more of Nate Irving at some position. The biggest benefactor however, may be strong safety Duke Ihenacho. A week two ankle injury slowed him in week three but Ihenacho bounced back with a big game against the Eagles. He was a hot pickup after the monster week one but some impatient owners were letting him go after week three. This guy has been impressive when healthy and seems to be fine now. check your waiver wire and get him in your lineup if you can.
Detroit Lions
There are fantasy owners in nearly every league who will pick up every odd player who has a big game only to drop that guy the next week when he turns back into pumpkin and grab the next flavor of the week. We like to call these owners ambulance chasers. Those ambulance chasers will be looking to add Stephen Tulloch this week after his monster outing against Chicago. Tulloch will have a couple more strong outings before the season ends but he is not going to consistently be more than a decent LB4. Don't be an ambulance chaser.
Rookie Darius Slay is back in a starting role for at least a week or two while Chris Houston recovers from a hamstring injury. If you are looking for a spot start, a rookie corner facing the Green Bay passing game could be just what the doctor ordered.
Green Bay Packers
Morgan Burnett was lost to a hamstring injury before the opener and we have heard little about him since. He returned to practice this week and appears on pace to make his season debut against Detroit. Owners in leagues with tight rosters need to look at the waiver options and see if Burnett was let go. He is a top 10 if not top 5 DB for the rest of the year.
Houston Texans
Brian Cushing left the week four contest with a concussion and is currently following protocol. He is feeling better and is expected to be on the field against San Francisco this weekend. If he is your guy, keep an eye on the practice reports and have a plan B ready just in case. The 49ers are a strong matchup so benching Cushing as a precaution might be a bad idea.
Indianapolis Colts
Pat Angerer has been in and out of the lineup with injury issues but both he and Jerrell Freeman are strong starting options this week against the Seahawks. I could throw a bunch of numbers out there to support this but for the sake of saving some time I will just point out that Seattle has faced two teams that run a 3-4 scheme. In those games both inside linebacker positions produced up solid numbers. In the other two outings Luke Kuechly and Paul Posluszny put up double digit points. Angerer played just 28 snaps last week but that was due to the blowout win over Jacksonville. The coaching staff had a quick hook with Angerer as a precaution. He had 3 tackles in that limited action and will have much more opportunity this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars
If you are in need of a bye week fill in or an injury replacement at linebacker, take a look at Geno Hayes. He is starting on the strong side but continues to work in the nickel sub packages. He did little versus Seattle in week three but posted 7 solo stops and double digit fantasy points against both the Raiders in week two and the Colts last week. The Rams are not a great matchup but Jacksonville follows that matchup with games against Denver, San Diego and San Francisco.
New York Giants
As the Giants circle the drain and continue to pick up speed, linebackers Mark Herzlich and Spencer Paysinger are starting to see a steady increase in numbers. My memory slips back a few years to a similar situation with this team. That year Dhani Jones finished with triple digit solo tackles. Paysinger's 7 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble against the Chiefs were a season best and the second time in three games that he posted at least 7 solo stops. He is not a big play guy but is currently on pace for 88 tackles. As attrition continues to take its toll on the ranks, this guy is going to end up on someone's roster. A matchup with the Eagles this week could speed up that process. If you are thin at the position he could be your answer.
Herzlich saw time in the Giants nickel packages in week four and also finished with a season best 7-1 and a pass defended. It was his first productive outing of the season but the state of affairs in New York makes him a candidate for the watch list. Antrel Rolle started slowly but finally put up decent numbers against the Chiefs in week four. He and Ryan Mundy should have plenty of opportunity against the Eagles fast paced off. Rolle has been a quality DB3 since coming to the Giants. I expect his numbers to rebound as the season progresses.
Philadelphia Eagles
Earl Wolff was mention in last week's column as a pickup and start option. As expected Patrick Chung was inactive and Wolff played his first game as a base package starter. The box score result was a solid 6-1, making Wolff a quality start, but the story goes beyond the numbers. It was my hope that Wolff would move to strong safety where Nate Allen has been lighting up the stats box. Unfortunately that never happened. Wolff worked at free safety while Allen finished at 8-1 from the strong safety position. Allan does not excite me as a player, but it is hard to ignore the fact that he is on pace for 90+ solo stops. Meanwhile my optimism for Wolff's long term potential is beginning to fade.
Start Fletcher Cox and maybe even Cedric Thornton this week against a Giants offense that is tied for the most sacks allowed this season.
San Diego Chargers
Manti T'eo finally got on the field in week four. His fantasy owners were less than thrilled with the 3 solo tackles but a deeper look will lend reason for optimism. T'eo played just 14 snaps as the coaching staff will apparently ease him into the action. On those 14 snaps he recorded 3 tackles and a pair of quarterback hurries. Te'o seemed to come through the game fine and should see an increased role against Oakland this week but it is still too early to put him in our lineup. The guy is going to be productive for us once he is healthy and up to speed. If you need to beat the competition to the punch, consider picking him up now. Another interesting player in San Diego is Richard Marshall. He came off the bench in week four to finish with 7 solo stops for the second straight week. Derek Cox made the start but ended up with significantly fewer snaps than Marshall who may have wrestled the starting job away after this one. Even if he doesn't, Marshall has a history of producing good numbers as a nickel corner.
Seattle Seahawks
Owners in tackle required leagues are probably looking real hard at Clint McDonald following his second consecutive strong game. I picked him up in our staff dynasty league myself, but I am not really sold on him. The issue is not with McDonald as a player, but rather the situation and depth around him. Now that everyone is getting healthy or back from suspension, the Seahawks have a glut of quality linemen. Chris Clemons, Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Bruce Irvin and Red Bryant are all looking for playing time at end, while McDonald, Bennett, Brandon Mebane and Tony McDaniel are all going to see action on the inside. Such a rotation will keep players fresh but it also kills their upside in some instances. It is noteworthy that Clemons played 2/3 of the snaps (61 total) in week four and looked good. He recorded his first sack of the year finishing at 3-2-1, and is likely the best fantasy option of the group going forward.
St. Louis Rams
Just when T.J. McDonald was starting to show some promise, he was lost for most of the season with a broken leg. Veteran journeyman Matt Giordano stepped in against San Francisco but Darian Stewart may be a factor as well. At this point the only St. Louis safety worthy of an active roster spot is Rodney McLeod. McLeod has a couple of quality fantasy outings thus far and the Rams face Houston, Seattle and Indianapolis among their next six opponents. I like McLeod as a decent DB3 or solid bye week fill in, but would not give him a start this week against Jacksonville who has been a horrible matchup for everyone except pass rushers.
On the other side of that coin, the Jaguars have allowed 16 sacks in four games. Robert Quinn is a must start in this one and Chris Long is a strong sleeper.
Tennessee Titans
After being less than impressive in a 9 snap cameo in week three, Colin McCarthy was a no show again in week five. So much for the hope that he would be slowly worked back into action.
That is going to do it for week five. Be sure to check out the IDP roundtable on the Audible this week. Best of luck and as always, Just Win Baby!
