The first week of byes have come and gone and the 2016 NFL season is heading into its second quarter. In week four the Fantasy Spotlight shined on Le’Veon Bell (178 total yards) is his 2016 debut. Jordan Howard (111 yards rushing) and Blake Bortles (207 yards and three touchdowns) were also under the spotlight in week four. As we head into week five, we take a look at who and what placed under the Fantasy Spotlight.
Week Five Fantasy Spotlight: Things to Watch
Andrew Luck
So the Indianapolis Colts return home from London after another disappointing loss in week four. Currently sitting with a 1-3 record in the AFC South, the Fantasy Spotlight shines bright in Indianapolis. In come the Chicago Bears week five. Chicago despite a gritty win at home against the Detroit Lions come in with a banged up defense. Andrew Luck was sacked six times last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars and has been sacked 15 times on the young season. On paper this looks like the perfect spot for Luck to get on track and have a big fantasy performance. As long as his receivers catch the ball and cut back on the key drops, Luck should put up a very big stat line and reward his fantasy owners in week five.
Lamar Miller
Lamar Miller was drafted by many late in the first round or very early second round. While he is having a very productive season in terms of yardage (87.8 per game), he has yet to find the end zone. Week five, traveling to Minnesota to play the Vikings presents a very difficult challenge for Miller and the Houston Texans. Houston brought Miller in to be a focal point in their offense. He certainly has become that, Miller is on pace for more touches than he ever had in any season with Miami. Last week the New York Giants running backs were able break off a few big plays against Vikings excellent defense, especially in the passing game. Look for Houston to work in some more screen and swing passes for Miller this week. Fantasy owners are starting to worry about the lack of scoring for their RB1. Miller can ease those worries by finding the end zone this week in Minnesota.
Odell Beckham Jr
Lately Odell Beckham Jr has been in the news a lot more than the New York Giants would probably like. The extremely talented wide receiver statistically is off to a good start to the season with 22 catches for 303 yards. Beckham Jr, however has yet to find the endzone. After the Giants latest loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Beckham Jr made headlines citing that he was a marked man by both opposing defenders and referees. He has also stated that he “is not having fun anymore“. Many people believe that Beckham Jr needs control his antics and stop being a distraction to his team. The Fantasy Spotlight will be shining on Beckham Jr Sunday night when the Giants take on the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are 29th against the pass giving up over 307 yards in the air to opposing teams. Beckham Jr and his fantasy owners hope that off the field nonsense goes away and he has his 2016 breakout game.
Rob Gronkowski
All right New England Patriots fans, the time has come. After a four week wait, Tom Brady is back and the most excited person of all may be Rob Gronkowski. The All-Pro tight End is off to an abnormally slow start to the 2016 season. Gronkowski was injured for the first two weeks of the season and returned week three against the Houston Texans. Despite New England blowing out the Texans 27-0, Gronkowski was held without a catch. He picked up his first catch of the season (11 yards) in last weeks shutout loss to the Buffalo Bills. Gronkowski, most likely was standing in front of Brady’s locker with a “Welcome Back Tom” sign. The quarterback/tight end duo have connected on 64 career touchdowns and will look to add to that mark this Sunday against the winless Cleveland Browns. Fantasy owners always invest a high pick in the man they call “the Gronk”. It’s time for them to get rewarded.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are one of the early surprises in the NFL this season. After four weeks the Falcons hold a commanding two game lead in the NFC South with a 3-1 record. Matt Ryan is having an All-Pro start to the season, leading to Julio Jones being near the top of the wide receiver rankings. However after mowing through the hapless defense of the New Orleans Saints and the reeling Carolina Panthers, Dan Quinn and company head to Denver to meet the defending Super Bowl Champion Broncos. This is the ultimate litmus test for the Falcons. Denver is undefeated and their defense is once again near the top of the league. There was some early talk that running back Tevin Coleman wasn’t going to play due to having sickle cell trait, however latest reports suggest he will play Sunday. Coleman and Devonta Freeman have been a dominant 1-2 punch in the backfield. If the Falcons were to win this game, they would turn many people into believers of their fast start.
