Each week, Scott Engel breaks down five of the biggest stories from Sunday's action.
1. Lone light: In what was easily the ugliest game of the day, Matt Forte shined brightly as the only offensive star in Chicago's win at Carolina. Forte rushed for a career-best 166 yards and his first two ground scores of the season, including a 68-yard TD. The Chicago offensive line delivered an admirable performance as Forte had his best game since the season opener, when he caught seven passes for 151 yards and two TDs against the Lions. Forte seems to be making a practice of coming through with good games against bad teams. The problem is, in Weeks 2 through 4, he failed to reach the 30-yard mark in rushing or the 40-yard mark in receiving. Forte is looking like more of a big-play man than ever before. Obviously, though, his issue is consistency. Sell high on him if you can before Week 6. The Bears travel to Seattle to take on a Seahawks team that plays better at home, and could be fired up after making a trade for Marshawn Lynch. Seattle will also be fresh off a bye after laying an egg at St. Louis, and could present a tough matchup. The Seahawks have not allowed a 100-yard rusher or ground score in their first two home games. This next matchup is a prime example of how Forte may continue to swing his owners through frustrating lows after great highs.
2. The real Rice: Through the first four games of the season, Ray Rice's owners were disappointed by his overall production, as he failed to rush for 90 yards or find the end zone. In Week 4, he seemingly hit the worst possible low with his fantasy owners, as he rushed for only 20 yards after battling a knee injury in the week leading up to game day. On Sunday against Denver, though, we saw the same Rice of 2009, the guy who earned top four fantasy pick status in most leagues this summer. Rice rushed for 133 yards and two TDs in a win over Denver. This was the Rice we came to know and enjoy last season. He was slipping tackles and making defenders miss, a joy to watch as he rolled up fine Fantasy numbers. In a new, exciting twist, though, Rice also showed new promise as a short-yardage runner, scoring on a pair of 1-yard runs. Rice still has yet to total more than 30 receiving yards in a game this season, but his impressive outing on Sunday indicated he is healthy and ready to resume playing up to expectations again. Willis McGahee traded traditional roles with Rice, as he scored on a 30-yard run instead of a goal-line carry. McGahee may continue to vulture some short-yardage scores, but Rice is clearly back on track. Resist the temptation to sell high on him. Get proper value in return if you do enter into trade discussions during the upcoming week.
3. Washington washout: The Redskins took the Packers in overtime, but their running game did not gain any new momentum in the process. Ryan Torain was highly hyped in the week leading up to Sunday's game, especially after looking so promising in Week 4 against the Eagles. Torain was mostly a non-factor against Green Bay, rushing for 40 yards on 16 carries, an average of 2.5 yards per attempt. Torain was not able to gain much yardage after initial hits, and was never a real threat to break loose; he had a long run of eight yards. Many fantasy owners gambled on Torain's perceived upside this week and were reminded of a hard fantasy lesson: Opportunity does not always lead to optimum production. A player such as Torain, with a spotty track record, should never be used over a more established player until he earns it. Torain may still prove to be a solid fantasy player in the weeks ahead. Until you see some sort of consistent production from him, though, play it conservative when considering Torain for starting duty. Wait for at least two consecutive respectable outings before you start thinking about him as a possibly starter.
4. Star is finally rising: It is clear that the Titans will have to throw the ball to keep defenses honest, as they did at Dallas this week. It is also apparent that Kenny Britt is finally starting to live up to his tremendous potential, as he has now scored in three consecutive games. That's a short run of success good enough to convince anyone to start him. Britt may have finally come through with a breakout game in Week 5, as he finished with 86 receiving yards, including a 52-yarder that nearly went for a second score. It was the first time this season that Britt totaled more than 41 yards in a game, but the second-year wideout has clearly arrived as a regular scoring threat for the Titans. Vince Young is targeting Britt frequently in scoring situations, and is starting to become more comfortable throwing the ball to him early in games. Britt is going to start commanding more defensive respect now, and we will have to wait and see how he responds to additional defensive attention. It appears, though, that he may be on the verge of living up to expectations. Britt may seem like a must-start as a WR3, yet you should remain hopefully cautious with him for now.
5. Make no assumptions: When many fantasy players viewed the San Diego-Oakland matchup on paper, they assumed Malcom Floyd was a very risky start. Logic dictated that the Raiders' top cover man, Nnamdi Asomugha, would cover the opponent's top WR and shut him down. Well, scheming and game plans are not always that simple to analyze. San Diego proved to have too much offensive balance for Oakland to handle with one elite defensive back, and Floyd certainly did not wear the pedigree of the Chargers' top-pass catcher, as that honor obviously belonged to Antonio Gates. Each week, different matchups often dictate unique game plans on both sides of the ball. Philip Rivers spreads the ball around too well for opponents to stick their top cover man on any one receiver. Also, a balanced passing offense can often move a receiver around to exploit other matchups. Floyd was certainly not shadowed by Asomugha, and enjoyed a career day, catching eight passes for 213 yards. Plus, you can never assume anything when divisional rivals meet up, either. Familiarity often breeds unusual results in the NFL.
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