Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

We're at the quarter point of the fantasy football season, assuming (and let's do just that) you will make the championship. It's what we're all here for, anyways. This week, Carolina, Miami, New York (Jets) and Minnesota are on bye, so at least you get Gronk back, but you might lose AP. And if you do have both of those guys on the same team, then you're probably doing just fine.

Andy Dalton has been on fire all year, scoring the second most points among all QB's. Make sure to keep him in your lineup, despite his ECR of 15. Giovani Bernard is still getting more touches per game than Jeremy Hill, so while he may be making his way out of the doghouse, Bernard is still a solid every week RB2/Flex play. Arian Foster's premier was less than inspiring, so while you want to dial him up Thursday night, do it as a flex play and not RB1/2. The QB situation in Houston is just too bad to rely on their defense heavily.

Martavis Bryant returns to the Steelers lineup, and despite missing big Ben, he should still fill in just fine as a WR3. Brandin Cooks is a guy who you might want to stay away from, as Willie Snead seems to be Brees's new favorite target. Make sure to check out the waiver picks for Week 5 to keep your team from accumulating too much dead weight!

Week 4 was certainly a bumpy ride as one game was postponed and another was nearly canceled as well. But we got through it! Here's the tough part of the season as all of the injuries and player issues pile up - depth at the important positions of running back and wide receiver. Use the next few weeks to build up a roster that can weather the storm that is midseason fantasy football! Listen to the Fantasy Finish Line podcast to stay on top of the latest news and analysis - we broadcast live on YouTube weekly on Wednesdays at 9pm CT.

Guys that jump out to me this week to overperform expectations: Ben Roethsliberger, Devin Singletary, Justin Jefferson, Jonnu Smith, and Cleveland Browns (DST).

Pay attention to these rankings throughout the season, as they will continue to evolve based on the latest injury updates, news, and player analysis. Have any specific lineup questions? Feel free to tweet us @drinkfive with any of your questions or comments!

Week 5 brings bye weeks for more teams and some trend information to think about. Guys like Kenyan Drake that many of us were high on before the season started have not performed consistently at a high level and those kinds of things are reflected in the rankings as we march onward into Fall. This week I'm wary of T.J. Yeldon, but bullish on Brandin Cooks, Will Fuller, and LeSean McCoy compared to other experts. Good luck in Week 5 and remember, you can tweet us @drinkfive with any of your lineup questions!

Welcome to Week 5. Now that we have started to track player trends over the first 3-4 weeks of the 2021 NFL season, the rankings should get a little more accurate down the stretch. Players that we like more than the expert consensus at FantasyPros currently are: Joe Burrow, Samaje Perine, Damien Williams, Tyler Boyd, Kadarius Toney, Josh Reynolds, and Mo Alie-Cox. Pay attention to the injury reports on Wednesday and make sure to double-check who your opponents drop throughout the week. Sometimes you can find gold in the garbage can!

Good luck, and feel free to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any specific questions or comments that you might have. We are now broadcasting our weekly podcast, The Fantasy Finish Line, LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday at 9pm CT during the regular season. Tune in!