I am a co-founder and the editor of drinkfive.com. In order to stave off fantasy football insanity, Dave and I have branched out to cover a variety of interests. When I'm not knee deep in wikipedia pages, I like to hang out at breweries or a disc golf course (especially both in the same day). FSWA Member for 5+ years.
Week 6 is here and it's time to get your lineups set. This week, we'll be missing Vikings and Buccaneers - ooo, a themed bye week. Keep an eye on injury reports later in the week for the possible return of several players to the lineup, including Arian Foster, Jonathan Williams, Cam Newton, Carson Palmer and more! For more advice, check out Troy's recommended starters for Week 6.
Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters.
157 Yards
Thursday night, David Johnson set the season high for rushing yards with a 157 yard, 2 TD performance - adding 3 catches for 28 yards. Johnson was the focus of the offense with Carson Palmer out, running the ball 27 times. The Cardinals were able to roll over the 49ers and start to right the ship. They'll get 11 days to recover before playing next Monday night, so look for Palmer to be back and the team to continue to improve.
3 Punt Return TDs
I complained after two weeks that we weren't getting enough returns. Things have started to average out, but the totals are still below where they should be. This week, Red Zone watchers were treated to three punt return TDs in the first half of the noon games. The Dolphins, Redskins and Vikings all rewarded their fantasy owners (probably just Vikings owners out there) with a return TD. This brings us to 7 of the most exciting plays in football we've seen this year.
406 Yards
The Tom Brady Middle Finger Tour 2016 kicked off with a bang in Cleveland. Brady lead the week in passing yardage, getting his 8th career game over 400 yards. This game also featured the proper 2016 return of Rob Gronkowski, going over 100 yards, though Gronk owners squirmed while Martellus Bennett got 3 TD's. The Bengals are the next victim on Brady's list, as he gets some good home cookin' against a team that just can't catch a break.
81 Years
The two top kickers this week have a total of 81 years between them, and they are outperforming all of their younger counterparts. Adam Vinatieri was the first kicker to pass the 20 point mark, going 5/5 with 2-50+ yarders and tacking on an extra point as well. Meanwhile, Sebastian Janikowski went 4/5 after having only 4 attempts through the first 4 weeks. Congrats gentlemen, you're the best fantasy kickers this week.
5-0
The Minnesota Vikings are the last undefeated team in the 2016 season. This is a team that has replaced it's starting QB before the season started, lost its hall of fame running back, yet they're just rolling over everyone in the NFC. Minnesota is on bye for week 6 and has a big matchup against the Eagles coming off the bye. The Bears and Lions in the following weeks means that at least a 7-1 start is all but wrapped up for the Vikings.
This week, Troy Maples joined us, straight from the NFL experience in London. We discussed injuries and headlines for Week 4 (This Is Atlanta!). We dove into our weekly trends and had a new tweak on how we decided on what lines to bet. Finally, we touched on our waiver recommendations, but you should go read Jim's article for further details.
Listen to the Fantasy Football Podcast, 10/04/16: Week 5 Trends & Waivers
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We're on to week 5, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I am welcoming my Packers and Eagles back with open arms. This week we won't have our Jaguars, Chiefs, Saints or Seahawks - lots of guys that will be fill-ins this week. We recommend making sure that Latavius Murray and Darren Sproles find their way into your lineup, rather than warming your bench. On the receiving side, Eddie Royal might be a good option to pick up and start right away if you have bye week troubles, but stay away from DeSean Jackson if you can.