Although it might be fair to point out that the internet has now turned its attention to Matthew Stafford. Because that is just the way the internet likes to roll. You can't hide, bad quarterbacks. Unless you're Peyton Manning. Then you get a free pass for everything. I'm serious. The Broncos defense has played so well this year, Peyton is due for another MVP award.
How is this even possible? You have the best receiver on the planet and you've found a way to squander his career. He's going to pull the Barry Sanders at some point and just say (expletive) it and retire. It's been pretty brutal.
I can't imagine anybody would start Stafford at this point. And even then, it's questionable as to even roster Stafford at this point. There are way too many quarterbacks out there who have put up better numbers this year and are much more reliable. Blake Bortles is a guy who is probably on your wire right now and you can easily just sub him in to your lineup if you have Stafford. Or Peyton for that instance, too. But I don't want to pile on anymore on Manning, lest I be labeled a hater. (When I'm just a truther.)
Oh wait, you're already going to accuse me of being a Manning-hater, so I might as well jump into it again.
Peyton does not look like a good NFL quarterback right now. He's got great receivers around him, which is excellent. But he's not going to be consistent enough for you down the stretch. In fact, I would go with Eli Manning ROS over Peyton. I would go with Andy Dalton, too. Though it seems like Dalton is too much of a sure thing to even warrant a mention in a sleeper column.
And if you made me choose between Peyton and Stafford, I would probably quit fantasy football. Just kidding. I'd lean to Peyton over Stafford right now. As lousy as Peyton looks, he still sort of floats the ball to his talented receivers on occasion.
And you have to know Peyton is not the kind of guy who is just going to cede his records, either. Once enough people start piling on, Peyton is going to stop going to his running backs inside the 5-yard line and instead pad his numbers with a bunch of cheapie touchdowns. I fear for anybody who has his running backs.
But let's rummage through some more sleepers for Week 6 and beyond.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Minnesota Vikings I was rather bullish on Teddy Two Gloves to begin the year. He's been fine. But he's got a great matchup this week. The Chiefs have allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year and I don't see that stopping any time soon. And Teddy B wasn't too bad against the Broncos two weeks ago.
Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars I do like the way Bortles has played in recent weeks. He looks really strong in the pocket. The big thing here is to see how he progresses in the injury reports. If you have played him over the past couple of weeks, stay confident with him.
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants I'm not sure he completely qualifies as a sleeper. But what the hell, I like his matchup against the Eagles. Plus dude has thrown 10 touchdown passes in the last four games. He looked like a champ against the 49ers, too.
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars Don't look now, but the Jags have a nice every-down back on their hands. He too is going to be on the injury list this week. But the Texans have allowed six rushing touchdowns this season. That is the third-highest total on the year.
Antonio Andrews, RB, Tennessee Titans Andrews is a recent graduate of Danger Zone University. He might need to go back for some graduate work, but I see him as the guy in Tennessee for the time being. He's got a great matchup this week against the Dolphins, who have allowed 161 rushing yards per game, tops in the league. So I understand the hesitance with a Ken Whisenhunt-led team. But I'm cool with it. Especially if you've been stung by the Todd Gurley bye week.
Marquess Wilson, WR, Chicago Bears Well this could be an even bigger play if Alshon Jeffery misses another game. The matchup is good against the Lions, who have allowed the ninth-most points to fantasy receivers. Wilson has also started to come into his own. He's had at least six receptions in back-to-back games and has topped 80 receiving yards in both.
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington Another guy who depends on the health of other players. But Crowder has made the most of his opportunities, as he led the team with 20 targets the last two weeks. His receiving yards have trended up and his 21 receptions over the last three weeks are the sixth-highest total over that span.
Packers D/ST If you picked up the Packers defense as a bye-week filler last week, keep them again. The team has increased its fantasy output in each game this season. Its eight interceptions are the second-highest total this year. But here's the big thing. I'm not sure if you saw the Chargers offensive line on Monday night. It wasn't good. They are really vulnerable. Well the kicker here is the Packers have recorded 16 sacks over the last three weeks; most in the league. Boom.
Which guy who looks like a bust can be great this week?
C.J. Anderson. Trade for him.
Tyrod Taylor is out, can I go with EJ Manuel?
No.
DANGER ZONE
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings Well if Bridgewater is a fine start that means one of his receivers should be able to step up this week, too. Diggs played his first game in Week 4 and he had 10 targets. He converted that into six receptions for 87 yards.
Bye week stash
For the record, these guys are on bye weeks. Apparently I need to be more clear about this because one dude last week nearly lost his (stuff) because I had talked about Diggs as a potential stash. So let me be perfectly clear; these guys are on a bye.
Again, I want no concussion. THESE. GUYS. ARE. ON. A. BYE.
Tavon Austin, WR. St. Louis FC I really like Austin. He "struggled" against the Packers, yet still scored more points than Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson. Plus he's going to be better with Todd Gurley on the field. The FC finally has a superstar to build around, and opposing defenses will need to take note. Austin could have a dynamic role in this offense.
Christine Michael, RB, Dallas Cowboys It has been rather clear the Cowboys want to move on from Joey Randle, or at least they don't trust him. That's why you've seen a bunch of dudes get a shot at this gig. I'm still hopeful Michael can one day live up to his talent and take this job away from Randle and Darren McFadden.
Charles Sims, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers He just refuses to go away. He's had a receiving touchdown in two of the past three weeks. He had 85 receiving yards against the Jaguars in Week 4, which was the sixth-highest total for a running back. Doug Martin has made everybody forget about him. But he becomes relevant again when the Bucs have to play catchup.
-- You can hit Rank up for more advice or let him know how lousy his picks are on Twitter @adamrank. Don't be thrown off by his # wars, though.
