The Cowboys, Lions, Raiders and Buccaneers are all on bye this week. That means players like Dez Bryant, Vincent Jackson, Calvin Johnson, Tony Romo, and Matthew Stafford are not available this week. These are some substantially bigger names than we were missing last week so playing matchups with your backup players becomes far more important.
One player you may be on the fence about is Danny Amendola. After scoring a touchdown off of a fake field goal against an extremely difficult Seattle defense, he’s hard to rely on for a score against the 4-0 Cardinals, but Arizona allowed Brian Hartline and Davone Bess to accumulate a combined 19 catches for 376 yards in week 4 so don’t be surprised if Amendola is still able to put up numbers. He has plenty of potential and he’s easily Bradford’s favorite receiver so if you need him, play him with confidence this week.
Dwayne Bowe is also set for a big day. With at least 7 receptions in each of his last three games, Bowe should have no trouble against the surprisingly porous Ravens in week 5. Bowe has the potential to fill any voids in your WR1 slot this week as he appears to be a safe play against almost any defense.
Need a deep sleeper pick? How about Eddie Royal of The Chargers? Royal is averaging only 2-3 catches per game, but he caught a TD last week and this week he faces off against the 0-4 Saints on Sunday Night Football. The Saints are letting everyone catch the ball these days, but their offense is still potent so The Chargers will still need to pass the ball plenty. This could be Royal’s best game of the season. Look for him to haul in at least 4 catches with a better than average chance for a score.
For Tight Ends, look no further than Kyle Rudolph against The Titans. Tennessee is one of the worst defenses in the league against TEs this season and although he was quiet against Detroit this past week, Rudolph should bounce back well when The Titans come to town.
Unfortunately, Steve Smith of Carolina will not reap the same rewards of these receivers next week. With 17 receptions for 348 yards over the first four weeks of the season, it’s hard to call Smith a disappointment, but his inability to find the endzone this season won’t end just yet. The Panthers face off against Seattle this week and unless you think Carolina’s well-versed in fake field goals, 4 catches for under 50 yards might be in the books this week.
Antonio Brown may be in for the same fortune as well. After being on bye in week 4, The Steelers’ leading receiver has his work cut out for him against Philadelphia. Mike Wallace’s matchup is also difficult, but his extra height in the endzone gives him a higher upside when The Eagles are visiting.
Finally, in a week where you might need to be able to count on your WR2 and WR3 to step up their production, Santonio Holmes should not be a guy you look to for help. With only two of his four games thus far worthy of a fantasy start, Holmes will make that 2 for 5 when Houston travels to New Jersey. Look for him to have a similar stat line to the 4 catches for 29 yards he put up last weekend.
