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Here is a look at week five’s automatic fantasy football starters.
Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler
Look for Cutler to continue off of his Monday Night performance. Jacksonville ranks near the bottom of the league in rush defense. An early established running game with Matt Forte and Mike Bush will only brighten the horizon for a big game from Cutler. He made the easy throws Monday night, and seems comfortable with Brandon Marshall back in the fold.

Brandon Weeden
The Giants strength has always been with their front four defensively. Their secondary has cost them many a games. Josh Freeman had his best game this season against the Giants, and Brandon Weeden is coming off an impressive gutsy performance against the Ravens. Weeden is a big quarterback that will be able to withstand in the pocket to deliver some solid throws against the Giants.

Andy Dalton
Dalton’s in a zone right now with elite receiver AJ Green. It’s almost automatic to see them connect for over a hundred yards and a touchdown. Green is just that good and he will have an all out breakout year. That means Dalton’s stock is entering tier one level.

Running Backs

Jackie Battle
The split role last week with Ryan Matthews likely won’t continue regardless of what the depth chart says. Matthews though has struggled with injuries and fumbling woes. They’ll give Battle double digit carries this week against New Orleans. In a game that should continue to feature poor defensive play by the Saints, Battle should have solid value for double digit fantasy points.

Ben Tate
This is back to back favorable matchups for the Texans on facing teams poor against the run. Last week Tate disappointed all fantasy owners that threw him in as a flex starter expecting him to rack up garbage yards in the second half. Could he possibly have a let down two weeks in a row?

Kendal Hunter
Things may get real ugly Sunday with Ryan Fitzpatrick gunning the football. The 49ers will be able to stop the tandem of Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Fitzpatrick is one of those quarterbacks that doesn’t know how to throw the football away. His turnovers just create short fields and easy scoring opportunities for backup running backs like Hunter.

Wide Receivers

Greg Little
Little has big play capabilities and just needs to hone in on being ready to catch the football. He seems one breakout game away from getting on the fantasy map. With Mohamed Massaquoi likely out another week, Little figures to have an impactful role against the Giants. The parallels of Brandon Weeden settling in as a quarterback and Little rising as more of a sure handed receiver will go hand in hand.

Jerome Simpson-
Tennessee’s defense has been atrocious with the passing game this year. Simpson did decent last week and will be a main threat in the passing attack. With Minnesota you just do not know how many throws they’re going to allot for Christian Ponder. Simpson was one of the league leaders in yards per catch, which makes his fit in Minnesota intriguing. He can turn a fifteen yard hitch into a forty yard gain at any time.

Eric Decker
Decker has not been bad this season, and has been coming along to a higher standard the last few games. Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady is always a prolific match up to behold. With how Manning seems to have settled in since his ugly first quarter against Atlanta, Decker should be a no brainer insert. He is getting near six catches a game, which will likely spike this week.

Domenick Hixon-

The Giants can just input whoever at wide receiver and not look back, from Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Ramses Barden, and on and on. Hixon gets to move up the charts with the apparent concussion issue with Ramses Barden and ongoing injury woes with Hakeem Nicks. The way the Giants passing attack has been Hixon is a must start for fantasy owners that were able to land him off the waiver wire.

Dwayne Bowe

Through the pitfalls of having Matt Cassel at quarterback Dwayne Bowe has still been an asset for fantasy football owners. Most of his damage occurs in the fourth quarter, but results are results. Jonathan Baldwin may not even play with a concussion injury, which would mean Steve Breaston and dinged up flex receiver/running back Dexter McCluster would have to step up. I don’t expect that to happen, which means Bowe should have another solid week.

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Get those lineups submitted as Thursday is upon us. The NFL Network definitely did not think they would have an undefeated team in their matchup of the Cardinals and Rams. It’s a quality showcase though that will give viewers a good look at how Jeff Fisher’s handling the Rams, and the nation a great view of how stout the Cardinals defense is.

Here are week five’s sit ems for fantasy football.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck

It has to be frustrating for Luck to see the success RG3 is having thus far. It’s going to take awhile for the Colts offense to muster the same potency that the Redskins have. An area the Colts will need to upgrade in the offseason is at running back. Donald Brown has shown zilch in the backfield, and it’s only forced the Colts to have to increase Luck’s pass attempts. Green Bay feasts off young quarterbacks, and will likely get at least three interceptions off of Luck.

Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben is a quarterback that often teases fantasy owners. He is a steady mid two hundred yards a game thrower, which is not the type of stats to make him a viable fantasy quarterback number one. With how poor Pittsburgh’s defense has been, the Steelers will resort back to a slower pace ball control offense vs the Eagles. Ben may get a few big plays to either Antonio Brown or Mike Wallace, but overall he will not surpass 250 yards against the Eagles.

Cam Newton

Newton is not a must sit, but this is one of the weeks that if you drafted appropriately you should have a suitable backup fantasy quarterback. For those owners I would suggest inputting your backup, if you drafted a Flacco, Manning, Dalton, etc. They have better matchups than Newton this week. If you’re stuck with Newton it could still payoff. Statistically speaking though, Seattle has been the type of defense that clamps on quarterbacks that can rush the football. Newton’s a different specimen but if it were not for Newton’s 80 yards rushing last week, his fantasy numbers would have been average. He just hasn’t got off to the same rocking start as a year ago in the passing game.

Running Backs

Ahmad Bradshaw

Cleveland showcased against the Ravens that their front seven is legitimate at stopping the run. Bradshaw is feeling the heat right now with how well Andre Brown performed while he was hurt. His carries will not be as high, and the Giants seem fine at letting Eli chuck the football forty plus times a game. A bad matchup, and the Giants passing threat will always be unfavorable to Bradshaw.

MJD

After surprising with quality starts the first three weeks of the season, MJD came back to reality against the Bengals. Chicago has shut down the rushing attack of every team they have faced. Steven Jackson, Donald Brown, DeMarco Murray, and Cedric Benson have all seen their offensive coordinators abandon the running game by halftime. MJD is still highly valuable in PPR leagues, but if you’re not in one it may be wise to sit MJD, especially since Jacksonville has not been a reliable team to score points.

Stevan Ridley

Ridley’s numbers thus far rank him as a top fifteen fantasy back. He is one that will continue to put up solid games but consistency from the Patriots play calling may taper off. They typically do not run the football often, and last week’s forty total attempts will be a season high. With Bolden and Woodhead involved it’s going to impact games for Ridley against teams like Denver where the Patriots may only rush the ball twenty five times.

Wide Receivers

Marques Colston

Colston came back to fantasy life last week in a big way. His spotty play has made him more of a number three fantasy receiver nowadays. His healthy is reported now at one hundred percent for the first time in awhile. I’ll need to see a string of quality games from Colston before bumping him up in rankings. San Diego has the secondary to corral him this week.

Davone Bess

The role many expected Bess to have after Chad Johnson was cut has been fulfilled by Brian Hartline. Hartline is Ryan Tannehill’s favorite target and that does not look like it will change. Expect Miami to tone their passing game back down, and get back to relying on the running game. The Cardinals were the first team this season to shut down the rushing attack, and force the Dolphins to air it out. Miami wants to bring Tannehill along properly, to do that they’ll limit Tannehill’s throws to twenty five and under most games.

Anquan Boldin-
Dennis Pitta put up a whopping zero catches against the Browns Thursday night. The reason for that was because Boldin was playing that role over the middle an intermediate routes. Kansas City’s secondary loves to give up big plays through the running game and air. This week should be Ray Rice’s first fantastic game of the season. Big plays will still come through the air but Boldin is not going to be a large percentage of that.

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Bye Weeks: Detroit, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Oakland

Who will be the big play wide receivers in week five? Atlanta has shown to have the best duo at wide receiver. A big reason for that is because of Hakeem Nicks injury woes. Denver though is quietly having a tandem of their own succeed in Eric Decker and DeMaryius Thomas.

Will Greg Jennings get back on the field soon enough to get the Packers passing attack back in the top ranks? That remains to be seen but here are week five’s wide receiver rankings based on matchups.

1. Roddy White
2. AJ Green
3. Larry Fitzgerald
4. Andre Johnson
5. DeMaryius Thomas
6. Brandon Marshall
7. Jordy Nelson
8. DeSean Jackson
9. Torrey Smith
10. Victor Cruz
11. Wes Welker
12. Julio Jones
13. Mike Wallace
14. Eric Decker
15. Michael Crabtree
16. Anquan Boldin
17. Dwayne Bowe
18. Steve Smith
19. Reggie Wayne
20. Antonio Brown
21. Brandon Lloyd
22. Pierre Garcon
23. Marques Colston
24. Brian Hartline
25. Percy Harvin
26. Justin Blackmon
27. Sidney Rice
28. Danny Amendola
29. Malcolm Floyd
30. Ramses Barden
31. James Jones
32. Jeremy Maclin
33. Lance Moore
34. Alshon Jeffrey
35. Leonard Hankerson
36. Davone Bess
37. Kevin Walter
38. Andre Roberts
39. Nate Washington
40. Brandon Lafell
41. Andrew Hawkins
42. Greg Little
43. Donnie Avery
44. Jerome Simpson
45. Randy Moss
46. Chaz Schilens
47. Robert Meachem
48. Donald Jones
49. Jon Baldwin
50. Kendall Wright

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Bye Weeks: Dallas, Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Oakland

Here are week five’s rankings at running back. Keep an eye on how many carries Rashard Mendenhall receives this week from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh and team doctors have cleared his return and need him desperately as their running game has lacked effeciency. He is not included in this week’s top forty, but may make his way as a fantasy impactful player within the next two to four games.

1. LeSean McCoy
2. Arian Foster
3. Ray Rice
4. Matt Forte
5. Marshawn Lynch
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Frank Gore
8. Willis McGahee
9. Trent Richardson
10. Jamaal Charles
11. Ryan Matthews
12. MJD
13. Michael Turner
14. Alfred Morris
15. Darren Sproles
16. Reggie Bush
17. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
18. Stevan Ridley
19. Cedric Benson
20. Chris Johnson
21. Ryan Williams
22. Fred Jackson
23. DeAngelo Williams
24. CJ Spiller
25. Steven Jackson
26. Daniel Thomas
27. Michael Bush
28. Donald Brown
29. Shonn Greene
30. Andre Brown
31. Isaac Redman
32. Jonathan Stewart
33. Jackie Battle
34. Jacquizz Rodgers
35. Ben Tate
36. Pierre Thomas
37. Ronnie Hillman
38. Kendall Hunter
39. Brandon Bolden
40. Lamar Miller

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Bye Weeks: Dallas, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Oakland

The first month of the season flew by. October is a month where we will find out which teams are the real deal, and others that were over hyped. From a quarterback standpoint there are many stars that need to rectify some woeful performances to get their fantasy GM’s back in the running. Barring injury those studs drafted in round one will get their teams back in the thick of things to attempt to sneak into the fantasy playoffs. What are their true separations in terms of fantasy with the starts of Joe Flacco, RG3, and others?

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Mike Vick
3. Tom Brady
4. Matt Ryan
5. Joe Flacco
6. Drew Brees
7. RG3
8. Philip Rivers
9. Cam Newton
10. Alex Smith
11. Peyton Manning
12. Jay Cutler
13. Matt Schaub
14. Eli Manning
15. Christian Ponder
16. Andy Dalton
17. Ben Roethlisberger
18. Kevin Kolb
19. Russell Wilson
20. Sam Bradford
21. Andrew Luck
22. Brandon Weeden
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick
24. Blaine Gabbert
25. Ryan Tannehill
26. Matt Hasselbeck
27. Matt Cassel
28. Mark Sanchez

One more official week to factor in before a month is in the books. Keep firing with those under the radar starters that can give you that needed edge to pull out a fantasy football victory. Go the contrarian route and insert these guys for week four.

Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick-
Fitzpatrick seems to bounce back for weeks at a time and then tail off opposite like a perfect graph chart. One team that Fitzpatrick seems to have confidence against is the New England Patriots. Last year he led a tremendous early season comeback victory against the Patriots. This game figures to be a high scoring affair, as Brady will come out gunning early to try and knock the Bills out early. Fitz looks like he will have maybe both Fred Jackson and Spiller back. It’ll be interesting to see how dynamic Buffalo can be with both of those backs healthy. Look for another three touchdown throws from Fitz.

Matt Cassel-
Division rivals usually lead to tight games and a deciding home field edge that can anchor a team past the opponent. San Diego and Kansas City have typically had close battles no matter the teams records. This is an important division game that the Chiefs will be able to use their running game to open up the passing game. San Diego had trouble last week with tall targets in Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jon Baldwin and Dwayne Bowe are not the same caliber tandem, but they’ll pose the same type of issues for the Chargers secondary.

Alex Smith-
The apparent transition of the New York Jets in their secondary without Darrelle Revis has even their head coach trying running back Joe McKnight at cornerback. That points out two things. The Jets do not believe they have the depth at cornerback, and that they used the bulk of their money on their secondary solely on Revis and Cromartie. The 49ers defense is already going to be rowdy and aggressive to get after Mark Sanchez after last weeks loss to the Vikings. Expect Smith to put up around 250 yards and a few scores.

Running Backs
Michael Turner-
The bashing of Michael Turner by fantasy owners has been worse than a six year old hitting a piñata on his birthday. Turner use to be the main cog of the Falcons offense. The shift has completely turned to Matt Ryan and his triple threat options of Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. Even backup running back Jacquizz Rodgers is getting more and more attention from the Falcons. As a fantasy owner dealing with roster talent underperforming you have to be able to know when to get him in the lineup for high scoring games. Atlanta’s offense is as prolific as they come, especially at home. This game has a few plunge touchdowns from Turner written all over it, along with near 100 yards.

Cedric Benson-
We all saw what New Orleans defense allowed with the Kansas City Chiefs last week. With a huge lead, and the Chiefs just trying to get one successful drive going, the Chiefs found they could run the football all over the Saints the entire second half. Green Bay has had its struggles to start the season, but have no other option at running back but Benson. The offensive woes will subside for a week as the Packers launch a full out assault rushing and throwing attack to get their team back on track

Ben Tate-
The Titans are one of the bottom teams in football in terms of stopping the run. Houston has been doing whatever they want against opponents. Running the football with Tate/Foster or allowing Matt Schaub to pick his spots for big plays. When Tate can get around twelve carries his fantasy numbers can be as impactful as an RB1. That’s how potent the Texans ground attack currently is. This will be a week where Tate thrives even with Foster having a big day.

Wide Receivers

Vincent Jackson-
This should be the week that the Buccaneers get the air attack launched. Josh Freeman had a decent outing against the New York Giants, so his two mediocre performances against the Cowboys and Panthers should not hold him down entirely. He is not a guy that’s going to light it up every week and be a top twelve fantasy quarterback. There will be around six to eight games where he can crack the top twelve, and this week is definitely a favorable matchup against the Washington Redskins

Jon Baldwin-
Kansas City finally balanced their poor defense with an offensive attack that was enough for a come from behind victory against New Orleans. Jon Baldwin is a receiver by mid-season that will be considered as a fantasy starter or flex option on a weekly basis. It starts with big games out of nowhere. Cassel obviously loves Dwayne Bowe exponentially better than Baldwin, but Bowe may not be 100 percent Sunday with his thigh aggravating him. Look for Baldwin to get a touchdown catch with around sixty yards receiving this weekend against the San Diego Chargers.

Brian Hartline-
Possession receivers are the type that can get catches against the Arizona Cardinals. Miami will do what they have been doing, and pound the football with their stable of running backs. The air attack will feature quick throws to sustain drives. Hartline should rack plenty of PPR points with around six catches. Arizona has been thriving against teams because they have attacked and blitzed at one of the highest rates in the league. Miami’s offensive line will be up for the challenge on getting Tannehill extra time to find Hartline and the quick route throw.