Five games into the 2011 NFL Season and there have been plenty of surprises and disappointments. With the focus on wide receivers and running backs this week, here are five players that are trending up and trending down.
Note: This is for the rest of the season, not just Week 6.
Trending Up:
RB Daniel Thomas, Miami—If he hadn't been troubled by a bad hamstring since preseason, Thomas would be the favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. In Weeks 2 and 3, he rushed for 107 and 95 yards, respectively. After getting this past bye week to rest his hamstring, he should get the bulk of the carries against NYJ in Week 6. As long as he stays healthy, he will produce at a high pace for the rest of the season.
WR AJ Green, Cincinnati—Rookies are usually not to be depended on, but Green has proven his worth as a fantasy starter and will continue to do so. Him and QB Andy Dalton will continue to mesh as the season goes on, and Green will gain confidence. Expect him to score seven more times and finish the season with 10 touchdown receptions on the season.
RB Jackie Battle, Kansas City—Battle had 19 carries for a career-high 119 yards in a win over the Colts on Sunday. With Thomas Jones looking slow and Dexter McCluster receiving only a few carries a game, Battle, a little known fifth-year running back, could gain a stronghold in the running game. Definitely worth a waiver pickup if he's still available.
WR Dez Bryant, Dallas—When he's on the field, he's dominant. Of his 10 catches this season, three of them have been touchdowns, and beastly one's at that. He averages 17.1 yards per catch, and with the bye week this past week to heal his ailing quad, count on him to be 100 percent healthy from now on. He should start putting up 5-8 catches for 75-110 yards and a touchdown per game for the rest of the season.
RB Willis McGahee, Denver—Many people would be surprised to hear that McGahee is 10th in the league in rushing yards and has three 100-yard games. But it's the truth. With Knowshon Moreno's injury at the beginning of the year, McGahee was given the reins, but Moreno's potential comeback had a lot of people unsure about McGahee's value. Make no mistake, he is the real deal this season. He has been a good No. 2 starter even with only one rushing touchdown. He will continue to shoulder the load and should find the end zone more as the season progresses.
Trending Down:
WR Eric Decker, Denver—One of the surprise performers this year, Decker has 22 catches for 266 yards and four touchdowns. He has been productive, showing good hands and a nose for the end zone. However, Tim Tebow is not the pocket passer that Orton is, and Decker's targets will diminish greatly with Tebow under center. Also, starting Week 11 the Broncos play the Jets, Chargers, Vikings and Bears. Sounds like a bunch of single-digit points for Decker there.
RB Fred Jackson, Buffalo—Jackson is ranked as the 2nd or 3rd RB in most Yahoo and ESPN leagues, so why have him trending down? First, the Bills are bound to regress a little bit. They've had a hot start, but don't count on them to keep producing at the rate they have been. Defenses will start to figure it out. Second, against the Eagles' 30th-ranked rush defense, he went for 111 yards on 26 carries, which looks great until you realize that five of his rush attempts totaled 66 yards, meaning Jackson average just 2.14 yards per attempt on his remaining 21 carries. Lastly, he's a bit injury prone and has talented backs behind him, so his carries could get reduced as the season takes its toll on the undersized back.
WR Denarius Moore, Oakland—Moore has 12 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns on the season, and his point total is a little inflated by his 48 rushing yards and touchdown. With Jacoby Ford back and healthy, he will take away a lot of targets from Moore.
RB Jahvid Best, Detroit—Like Jackson, Best has reaped the benefits of a team having a hot start. Yes, last week he had 163 rushing yards, but that was his first 100-yard game in his career, and he had two long runs that made his total yardage so high. Though the Lions are definitely the real deal, they won't continue at the same pace they have in the first five games, and Best will take a step or two back as the season wears on this undersized back (also like Jackson).
WR Jordy Nelson, Green Bay—If you check out Nelson's season stats, they look very good. But take away his Week 4 game where his only catch was an 84-yard touchdown, and he's suddenly in the middle of the pack for wide outs. With Jermichael Finley and James Starks having good seasons, they will take away some of the targets that Nelson would've gotten.
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