The 2014 Fantasy Football campaign is entering Week 5, and Jake Ciely of RotoExperts.com will be providing exclusive Fantasy coverage for NewOrleansSaints.com all season. Jake will give you the expert deal on Saints players from fantasy perspectives with his in-depth game previews every week.
The New Orleans Saints will be back home for Week 5, which is great news, as is their favorable matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Saints being nearly unbeatable in the Mercedesa-Benz Superdome, getting back near .500 with win number two seems like an excellent possibility.
It all starts with quarterback Drew Brees, and he is coming off his second 300-plus passing yard game. Brees is third overall in passing yards with 1,203, and only Andrew Luck and Nick Foles have more passing attempts. Although, in typical Brees fashion, he has the best completion percentage of the three. In addition, the Bucs allow the sixth-most Fantasy Points Per Game (FPPG) to quarterbacks on NFL.com (19.9). They've also allowed the second-most passing yards per game, so you could say that Brees has a great matchup on hand.
It's apparent that Khiry Robinson is the main option in the running game rigt now. While the Saints ran the ball just 13 times last week, Robinson carried eight times and put up an impressive 87 yards. Robinson even caught two passes, which only helps his upside and makes him a solid RB2 in Week 5. Pierre Thomas continues to fit the change-of-pace role this year and has RB3/Flex value in PPR leagues given the matchup. Travaris Cadet snuck in some value last week with six catches for 59 yards. If the Saints use him as much again this week, Cadet could sneak into the RB3/Flex tier with Thomas.
If Brees has a good day, you know that means the receivers will too. Both Brandin Cooks, who ranks 30th on the year (30.8 FP), and Marques Colston should finish in WR2 territory as they did in Week 3 against the Vikings. The Buccaneers defense has allowed the most FPPG to receivers with an average of 30.6, which includes 750 yards and six touchdowns in four games. Kenny Stills also gets another chance to impress, as he had deeper league value against the Cowboys with 62 yards on two catches. Stills is also one big play away from a big day.
The Bucs are a bit tougher against tight ends, but not by much, as they still allow the 11th-most FPPG to them (9.3). Jimmy Graham is second only to Martellus Bennett on the year, and that's only because of one extra touchdown. Graham leads all tight ends in receptions (32) and yards (340) and is primed for another big week.
Shayne Graham has a good chance to match his Week 1 output where he was 2-for-2 on field goals with four extra points. After all, a high score means a high opportunity for kicking points. Continuing with the matchup theme, the Saints' defense is set to put up their best score of the season. The Bucs give up the third most FPPG to opposing defenses (11.5) due to their turnovers: five fumbles and five interceptions.
Elsewhere in the league, Philip Rivers is quietly having another great year. Rivers is third through four weeks with nine touchdowns and just one interception. His impressive numbers will continue against the Jets. Ben Roethlisberger is a great fill-in again this week for owners of struggling quarterbacks. Eli Manning is worth grabbing and stashing with 71.5 FP on NFL.com, good for seventh. It looks as though Manning and the Giants offense is finally clicking in the new system, and if that's the case, you could have a low-end QB1 in Eli.
Don't look now, but Rashad Jennings is the fifth-best running back so far. You can expect another great performance against the Falcons. Montee Ball has yet another tough matchup, so start forming some buy-low offers, even before this week's game. Justin Forsett appears to be the back to own in Baltimore, but this will continue to be a changing situation, and if you can get RB3 or higher value for him, I'd trade as Lorenzo Taliaferro will stay in the mix. If you haven't – or leaguemates haven't – picked up Isaiah Crowell, at least listen to me now and grab him quickly! As I said all preseason, he is the most talented Browns running back.
Like the Buccaneers, the Jaguars give up a ton of points to receivers, so Antonio Brown is in for another huge game, but you should look for Markus Wheaton to near WR3 value. Keenan Allen got back on track and will continue his turnaround while facing the Jets, and don't forget about Malcom Floyd. Teams' No. 2 receivers do great against the Jets, and did you know, Floyd is the only active receiver in the Top 50 for career Yards Per Catch average?! Two youngsters, Michael Floyd and DeAndre Hopkins, continue to impress.
Delanie Walker is a significant factor in the Titans' offense, and the Browns rank in the Top 10 for FPPG allowed to tight ends; use him with confidence. The 49ers are a tough defense and home this week, but Travis Kelce has proven that his upside/ceiling is too high for you to bench him.
For owners that grabbed the Chargers DST for the Jaguars matchup last week, don't drop them. The Jets matchup gives you another week of value. The Lions are the fifth-best DST so far, and should post another DST1 score with the Bills on tap in the midst of a quarterback change. Grab the Browns now. Not only do they face the Titans, but over the four weeks after, the Browns get the Steelers, Jaguars, Raiders and Bucs with only the Jags being a road matchup.
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