Week Five
Bench, Start and Sleepers By Ted Kluck

Byes: Cincinnati, Minnesota, Oakland, Philadelphia

Arizona at St. Louis

Bench:
Marc Bulger, QB, Rams: The fourth QB off the board in some drafts, Bulger is now on the bench in St. Louis and should occupy the same spot on your roster. Gus Frerotte, the journeyman’s journeyman, starts in his stead. Downgrade the rest of your Rams accordingly.

Start:
Edgerrin James, RB, Cardinals: Faces the Rams and their moribund Junior Varsity defense this week, so should be good for at least 100 yards and a score.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals: Fitz should also benefit from facing the Rams, regardless of who lines up under center for Arizona, as Anquan Boldin is still slowed by a hip injury.

Atlanta at Tennessee

Bench:
Warrick Dunn, RB, Falcons: Has received an ample amount of carries in Bobby Petrino’s offense and has doneÉbasically nothing. You can do better.

Start:
Vince Young, QB, Titans: While Young will frustrate you as an every week starter, he has a nice matchup this week.

Carolina at New Orleans

Bench:
David Carr, QB, Panthers: Carr, you’ve noticed, is not good. The same could be said for the rest of the Panthers this season, as this game is shaping up as the battle of the underachievers. Steve Smith, for one, really seems to miss Jake Delhomme and should be downgraded accordingly.

Start:
Reggie Bush, RB, Saints: The only upshot to the Deuce McCallister injury is that it gives Bush owners to see if he can truly handle being a featured back. Owners, it should be said, may not like the results, but he should find daylight this week.

Cleveland at New England

Bench:
Joe Jurevicius, WR, Browns: Granted, he’s found the end zone of late, but that good fortune will come to an end this week.

Start:
Every Patriot on Your Roster (excluding Laurence Maroney): Moss and Brady are every week starts, and Wes Welker figures to get his share of looks this week. Even Mike Vrabel scored last week, so anything is possible. The only Patriot I’m not crazy about is Laurence Maroney, who will be an injury-report mystery for the foreseeable future. That said, Sammy Morris is the goalline back anyway.

Detroit at Washington

Bench:
Santana Moss, WR, Redskins: Didn’t practice on Wednesday, so looks to miss another game, but check the injury reports prior to setting your rosters.

Start:
Jon Kitna, QB, Lions: While the rest of the Lions have struggled with injuries (Calvin Johnson) and inconsistency (Tatum Bell), the one constant has been Kitna, who you know will get his numbers. He’s a borderline every-week start now.

Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins: Campbell has been iffy of late, but the Lions are 30th in the league vs. the pass, and have given up some titanic passing days in recent weeks.

Jacksonville at Kansas City

Bench:
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jags: Averaging just over 3 YPC this season, and hasn’t found the end zone on the ground or through the air. You can do better.

Start:
Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs: Seems to have developed some chemistry with Damon Huard, which is saying something, however don’t expect fireworks as he faces a tough Jags secondary.

Miami at Houston

Bench:
Trent Green, QB, Dolphins: Has struggled mightily this season, and with the Dolphins season on the rocks, can the John Beck era be too far away?

Start:
Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins: Fantasy owners can finally feel comfortable starting Brown each week, as he has been given the lion’s share of carries in Miami and responded with solid back-to-back games.

Owen Daniels, TE, Texans: All he does is make catches, now owners wish he would start scoring TD’s.

New York Jets at New York Giants

Bench:
Thomas Jones, RB, Jets: The Jets running game has been anemic, to say the least (82 YPG), and Jones figures to start losing carries to Leon Washington.

Derrick Ward, RB, Giants: The Giants welcome Brandon Jacobs back into a backfield that also includes Reuben Droughns. The result is a fantasy mess that should be avoided until someone steps forward.

Start:
Chad Pennington, QB, Jets: Both quarterbacks should feast on the other’s weak secondaries in what should be a high-scoring affair.

Eli Manning, QB, Giants: See above.

Seattle at Pittsburgh

Bench:

Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks: Is playing with a broken hand, and hasn’t looked like the fantasy stud he’s been in years past. That said, he’s still Shaun AlexanderÉbut if you’ve got a better option go with it.

Start:

Santonio Holmes, WR, Steelers: Keep an eye on Hines Ward’s MRI, but Holmes seems to be developing a nice rapport with Big Ben in his absence.

Tampa Bay at Indianapolis

Bench:

Your Injured Colts: Keep an eye on the reports until kickoff, but the Colts are talking about resting Addai and Harrison, which would make Kenton Keith (backup RB) a viable play.

Start:

Michael Pittman, RB, Bucs: With the Colts banged up at LB, and his own team banged up at WR, Pittman could see a lot of carries and a nice yardage day.

Anthony Gonzales, WR, Colts: Marvin Harrison might rest, which would open the door for the speedy rookie to step in and make plays. Keep an eye on the injury reports.

Baltimore at San Francisco

Bench:

Frank Gore, RB, 49ers: Let’s think this through: The Niners are starting Trent Dilfer at QB, and Frank Gore has been their only offensive weapon. They also face the best defense on the planet at shutting down the run.

Start:

Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens: Should be on the field a lot, and find room against a shaky Niners D.

San Diego at Denver

Bench:

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: I’ve been a Phil Rivers supporter throughout his career, but he’s a bad play this week against the Broncos.

Start:

Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers: The only constant this season in San Diego, besides Norv Turner bashing, has been the play of TE Gates.

Chicago at Green Bay

Bench:

Cedric Benson, RB, Bears: Is looking more and more like Curtis Enis and Rashaan Salaam with each passing week. Also, the Packers run defense is very good.

Start:

Brett Favre and Donald Driver, Packers: Think they’ll feast on a banged-up Bears secondary? I do.

Dallas at Buffalo

Bench:

Lee Evans, WR, Bills: It’s been a nightmare season for the Bills and Evans, and don’t look for it to change against the Cowboys.

Start:

Marion Barber, RB, Cowboys: Should find paydirt at least once against a bad Bills D.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Bills: This guy was a TD machine in college, and seems to have continued that trend in the pros. The Bills might only score once, but chances are it will be Lynch.

Sleepers

Andre Davis, WR, Texans: As the logic goes, somebody has to catch the ball in Houston, right?

Kenton Keith, RB, Colts: Could be a nice plug-in this week, if Addai (chest) is unable to go.

Ted Kluck is the author of three books, including “Paper Tiger: One Athlete’s Journey to the Underbelly of Pro Football.” Visit him online at www.tedkluck.com.

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