The 5th Down Blog is designed to help you, the fantasy owner, on whom to start, sit, and who we pick as a sleeper for the week. Each week the 5 of us will take turns doing a position for the week. Feedback is always welcome as we love to discuss football!
Well after a crazy week 1, we are on to week 2. Lets hope this week is just as good as last week!
Quarterbacks - EricMust Start -Robert Griffin III,
.vs
What a first week for the Heisman Winner, 320 Passing yards, 42 rushing and 2 TDs! That is pretty good for a rook and facing
. This week looks to be a way better matchup against
. Look at what Cam Newton did last year in the first 2 game, over 700 yds, no reason why RGIII can't do the same.
Must Sit- Michael Vick,
.vs
This is now the 2nd time is as many weeks that Vick lands on the Must Sit list. Although Vick threw for 300+ yards and 2 TDs, he also threw 4 INTs. In that game he threw for 56 passes and barely completed 50% of his passes. The worst part about that is it was against
and this week he faces
. Need I say more?
Sleeper - Matt Cassel,
.vs
He didn't have a great week against
, but this week he faces
where even Mark Sanchez scorched this defense! He has tons of weapons on this team and is able to distribute the ball all over the place, which could make it hard for
Running Backs - JMACisBACKMust Start – Adrian Peterson,
.vs
I am baffled by this kid and his ability to come back from major injury in minimal time and produce like he always does. Look for him to run all over the Indy def on that fast turf of theirs. I look for 100 plus yards on the ground, with a couple scores and a few catches with another 25 plus yards through the air.
Must Sit – Cedric Benson,
.vs
I know Benson will want to have a big game vs his old team, but he looked brutal at best vs SF ( I know top DEF in league) and the aging Bears defense looks to be pretty good and plays with a chip on their shoulder. I see Benson as a non factor yet again this weekend. Find better options if you can.
Sleeper – CJ Spiller,
.vs
With Fred Jackson out, its Spiller's for the taking. He showed his explosion last season late and it carried over to week 1 when Jackson went down again. I see CJ having a very nice game vs KC this week , somewhere along the lines of 80 plus rushing yards and 35 plus receiving yards to go with a TD along the way as well.
Wide Receivers - MikeMust Start - Brandon Marshall
vs
I would place Marshall in the "must start" category most weeks, but I'm looking for 50+ points in this one, and Marshall to catch at least 10 passes.
Must Sit - Miles Austin
vs
The Seahawks have big physical corners that will lock down Austin, I could see Bryant getting his due to his speed.
Sleeper - Dexter McCluster
vs
He's won the slot job, and matches up very well against the safety or third corner. Buffalo couldn't stop the Jets, so I like KC to put up some points.
Tight Ends - PhillyGirlMust Start - Dennis Pitta
vs.
During the offseason, the Ravens coaching staff was touting their new offensive game plan and clearly, it worked. In a 44-13 win over the Bengals, the Ravens showed offensive precision not just with running but with passing and Pitta was a large part of that game plan. For the duration of the season, look for Pitta to play a large role in Flacco's offense.
Must Sit - Brent Celek
vs
Not that Celek is a guaranteed starter but if you need a quick fix this week at TE, look elsewhere. While it would make sense to believe that Vick would dump short passes to his TE against the tough Baltimore D, the Eagles know this scheme won't win them the game and less we forget, Celek and Vick don't necessarily have a great chemistry together anyway - 56 passes in week 1 and Celek caught 4. Whether the Eagles are successful in changing their offensive strategy or not, look for Celek to be more of a blocker than a receiver, despite his great nose for the ball.
Sleeper - Mercedes Lewis
vs.
It is tough to envision Lewis as a sleeper after his 2010 season, however in 2011 he dropped off everyone's radar as a top TE. One week in and he has already exceeded his TD total from last year. Look for Lewis to play a larger part of the Jacksonville offense this year and for Gabbert to utilize him often.
Defense/Special Teams - axman15Must Start - 
New England Patriots .vs
Arizona Cardinals
The Pats defense absolutely shut down CJ2K and the Titans rushing game last Sunday. New England’s front 7 showed plenty of promise, and rookies Donta’ Hightower and Chandler Jones looked better than expected. The Arizona Cardinals offense was bad last week, needing a last minute stand from their defense to preserve a victory against Seattle. The Cardinals come into the week with the 30th ranked offense in the league. To make matters worse for them, QB John Skelton went down with a sprained ankle, meaning that backup Kevin Kolb will be the starter for the next few weeks.
Must Sit - New Orleans Saints .vs
Carolina Panthers- New Orleans defense was shredded by RGIII, and currently sits last in total defense. This week the Saints play another mobile QB, Cam Newton, whose team is looking to rebound after a week 1 lose against the Buccaneers. Newton has shown the ability already in his young career to come up big, and with Jonathon Vilma on the PUP list, things don’t look too good for the Saints.
Sleeper - 
Oakland Raiders. vs
Miami Dolphins
The Raiders get to play the Miami Dolphins this week, one of the few teams in the AFC whose offense might actually be worse than their own. The Raiders defense doesn’t need to be great to succeed in this matchup. As a bonus on special teams, kicker Sebastian Janikowski is known for his strong leg, and the Raiders have a great return game.
