The Dynasty Aftermath: Week Five

Ken Kelly Posted On October 9, 2012

wayne3

Welcome to DLF’s Dynasty Aftermath. This Tuesday staple has long been one of our signature pieces as we have a little fun after a tough week at the Dynasty League Football office. You’ll find this article will review the week’s happenings in a variety of ways and help set you up for the coming weeks as we spin around the league in the way we know best.

After five weeks, the contenders are starting to set themselves apart from the pretenders in both reality and fantasy.

Let’s take our weekly spin around the league!

Week Five Fantasy MVP

With all due respect to Reggie Wayne (13 catches, 212 yards and one touchdown), this week’s award has to go to Marques Colston of the Saints who tore apart the Chargers secondary for nine catches, 131 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday Night Football. We called out Colston a couple of weeks ago after his slow start to the season and he’s responded in the last two weeks by posting 18 catches, 284 yards and four touchdowns.

Perhaps we should call players out more often!

Week Five Fantasy LVP

Let’s throw Cam Newton under the bus this week. Sure, he was playing a dominant defense in the form of the Seattle Seahawks, but Newton has been nothing close to the player he was last year. On the day, he went 12-for-29 for 141 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and ran seven times for 42 more yards. At this point, Newton seems quite content to force the ball to Steve Smith or run the ball himself in virtually every play. The Panthers have seemingly abandoned their once dominant running game and given him the keys to the offense. Unfortunately, he’s driving it into the ground.

Lineup Fun

The virtually unbeatable lineup of the week…

QB Drew Brees NO = 370 yards passing, four touchdowns, one interception
RB Ahmad Bradshaw NYG = 229 total yards, four catches, one touchdown
RB Arian Foster HOU = 168 total yards, one catch, one touchdown
RB Ryan Mathews SD = 139 total yards,six catches, one touchdown
WR Reggie Wayne IND = 13 receptions, 212 yards receiving, one touchdown
WR Brandon Marshall CHI = 12 receptions, 144 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Marques Colston NO = 9 receptions, 131 receiving yards, three touchdowns
TE Tony Gonzalez ATL = 13 receptions, 123 receiving yards, one touchdown

The dominant underdog lineup of the week…

QB Alex Smith SF = 303 yards passing, three touchdown passes, 49 rushing yards
RB Rashard Mendenhall PIT = 101 total yards, two receptions, one touchdown
RB Michael Turner ATL = 69 total yards, two receptions, one touchdown
RB Armando Allen CHI = 59 rushing yards, one touchdown
WR Devery Henderson NO = 8 receptions, 123 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Josh Gordon CLE = 2 receptions, 82 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Robert Meachem SD = 3 receptions, 67 receiving yards, two touchdowns
TE Jared Cook TEN = 5 receptions, 37 receiving yards, one touchdown

The unexpectedly horrible lineup of the week…

QB Cam Newton CAR = 141 yards passing, 42 yards rushing, no touchdowns
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis CIN = 16 total yards, one reception
RB Mark Ingram NO = 16 total yards
RB Jackie Battle SD = 17 total yards, two receptions
WR Mike Wallace PIT = 17 receiving yards, two receptions
WR Andre Johnson HOU = 15 receiving yards, one reception
WR Jordy Nelson GB = 29 receiving yards, two receptions
TE Antonio Gates SD = 19 receiving yards, three receptions

Gut Checks

I’d be worried if…

I still own Bernard Scott in my dynasty league. He’s on the shelf for the year with a knee injury now and just isn’t going to turn out to be the player some expected.

I’m holding out hope for Jackie Battle sharing with Ryan Mathews in San Diego. Without an injury to Mathews (always a possibility), Battle’s value is in the tank after Sunday night’s performance from Mathews.

I own Daniel Thomas in my dynasty league. Every time Thomas gets more than a handful of carries, it seems he gets hurt. With two concussions over the past month, there’s a cause for concern.

I think Wes Welker’s career is over. Uhh, he’s back.

I’ve penciled in Rob Gronkowski for production similar to last year. While he’s still an elite tight end, the Pats are having a lot of success running the ball.

I own Stevan Ridley in my dynasty league. As we just said, the Patriots are having a tremendous amount of success running the ball and Ridley has led the way with 490 rushing yards (he’s in the top five in the NFL for rushing yards). However, he’s now put the ball on the ground in two consecutive games and Brandon Bolden is nipping at his heels.

I have any Saints running back other than Darren Sproles. Their offense is more about Drew Brees than ever and this group is going to be inconsistent all season. How is Mark Ingram this bad?

I have Antonio Gates in my dynasty league. There was a lot of hope going into this season for Gates since he was as healthy as he’s been in years, but it just hasn’t translated to the field as of yet.

I have any Steelers running back other than Rashard Mendenhall. We really need to re-evaluate how long it takes to recover from a torn ACL because he looked pretty solid on Sunday.

I own Matt Cassel in my dynasty league. It looks like the concussion he had will give the Chiefs the excuse they need to pull him in favor of Brady Quinn. I wonder how Matt Barkley or Geno Smith would look in red?

I own Blaine Gabbert. After a relatively promising off-season, Blaine 2.0 is looking a whole lot like Blaine 1.0.

I have Shane Vereen in my dynasty league. Look, even if the Pats bench Stevan Ridley at some point to teach him a lesson, Brandon Bolden is clearly next in line.

I think Eric Decker is going to emerge as Peyton Manning’s favorite target – that distinction is clearly going to Demaryius Thomas.

I’m underestimating just how good Percy Harvin is. He’s quietly becoming one of the best players in fantasy or reality.

I have Chris Johnson. Look, this thing is just over and he belongs on fantasy benches until further notice. While some will say you can’t “bench your studs,” that’s wrong on two fronts. First, he hasn’t played like a stud for a long time. Second, his floor is so low each week that he’s likely killing your team. It’s not like he’s even getting you ten points a week.

I have any Panthers running back. There was a time where DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart could be started each week since they were both threats to have a big game and end the season with 1,000 yards each. At this point, they’re on pace for 896 yards combined.

I have Andre Brown in my dynasty league. His recent concussion opened the door for David Wilson and he took advantage yesterday. It looks like the Giants are content riding Ahmad Bradshaw anyhow.

I was hoping Cedric Benson would re-emerge as a RB2 this season. He had a great chance, but is now reportedly dealing with a lisfranc injury that could sideline him anywhere from six weeks to the entire season. Ouch. Considering Benson was signed off the street, this could be the end of the line, pending the severity of the injury.

I’m holding out hope for Michael Vick to return to his form of a couple years ago. He just simply doesn’t make good decisions. You can complicate it as much as you want, but it really is that simple.

I have BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He’s a pedestrian talent and is going to really be taking on a huge role now that Bernard Scott is out for the year. While that looks like a good thing on paper, it looks like he’s already wearing down.

I think the sudden resurgence of Michael Turner is going to last for long.

I’m still holding on to Knowshon Moreno who was a healthy scratch yet again this week. He’ll undoubtedly be a free agent at the end of the year and at least he’ll be rested up right!?!

Ditto for Brandon Jacobs, who looks to be a bit player like Randy Moss in San Francisco.

I’m hoping Jermichael Finley is going to emerge as a dynamic force. He’s a huge disappointment in dynasty leagues over the past couple of seasons.

I’m holding on to Reggie Wayne or Tony Gonzalez in my dynasty league and I’m not a contending team. There will be no better time to trade them. EVER.

Author
Recent Posts

Ken Kelly

Co-Founder at DynastyLeagueFootball

Ken is a corporate trainer by day an a tireless editor of dynasty content by night. His passion for the World Champion Seattle Seahawks is second only to his love of fantasy football and the dynasty format.

Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK