Dominic Rhodes RB OAK: With Lamont Jordan’s health status up in the air, a lot of owners (myself included), rushed out to grab Justin Fargas off of the waiver wire, and after his week 4 performance against the Dolphins, who could blame us?  Now, after their bye week, the Raiders get back one of their key off-season acquisitions: Dominic Rhodes.  Rhodes, who helped lead the Colts to the 2007 Super Bowl Championship, has been sidelined for the first 4 weeks of the season due to violating the NFL substance abuse program.  He will need some time to shake the rust off, but expect coach Lane Kiffin to work him into the offense sooner rather than later.  If you have room on your roster to pick him up and hold him until he starts getting consistent playing time, I highly recommend doing it.  He certainly has shown the ability to be a big-time fantasy contributor when given the chance and one should expect the same once he gets his chance in Oakland.

Worth a Risk

Kellen Clemens QB NYJ: As mentioned before when discussing Leon Washington, the Jets offense is seemingly stuck in neutral.  Another way Coach Mangini may look to ignite this team would be to give Clemens another chance as the starter.  In his only start this season he faced one of the most feared defensive units in the league (Baltimore) and came within a couple yards of leading the Jets to a 4th quarter comeback victory.  Chad Pennington has been all over the map during his starts this season (and basically his career), maybe it’s time for a change in New York.  The fans are sure tired of what they’ve seen on the field so far this season, at this point I’m sure they’d be willing to see just about ANY thing that could shake-up this team. With a solid young offensive line, a budding star at WR (Cotchery), and a couple of solid running backs to work with, Clemens could become a nice backup QB for your fantasy squad if/when he gets the call.

Cleo Lemon QB MIA: With Trent Green sustaining a grade 3 concussion and possibly lost for quite a while, Lemon will get the call. This is still a risky pick though, as many feel that rookie John Beck cannot be far from the field, but Lemon is lucky enough to get Cleveland in week 6 and may be worth a shot. 

Brian Griese QB CHI:  Griese is never going to make you bench Peyton Manning, or even Eli for that matter, but if you need a bye week filler, he may not be a bad fit. He has thrown for over 200 yards and 2 TDs in each of the two games he has started. He may not be a bad play against Minnesota in week 6, as Cedric Benson may find the running room scarce, and Griese may have to put it to the air early and often.

Vernand Morency RB GBP: Morency has more than likely been dropped in many smaller leagues after fighting injuries during the first 3 weeks of the season, but in the last two weeks he has finally been able to get on the field. He may not be tearing it up, but he is getting plenty of chances in the passing game with 10 receptions in the last two games. He also added 43 yards on 9 carries. With all the injuries to each of the Green Bay backs, whoever can get on the field is worth something.

Leon Washington RB NYJ: With the Jets offense in disarray, coach Eric Mangini is looking anywhere he can to find a spark, and once again it seems to be Leon Washington.  Thomas Jones was brought in to New York with the expectations of taking over as the team’s feature back and giving them the type of running game they’ve been missing since Curtis Martin hung up his cleats, but so far this season Jones has not been producing like the Jets had hoped and it may be time for a change in New York.  Jones has been openly complaining about his number of carries, which is never a good idea, and Washington could be the one to benefit from Jones’ outburst.

Michael Turner RB SDC: I would assume that Turner is unavailable in most leagues, but again, you never know.  He will certainly not be the #1 guy unless something bad happens to LT, but Turner still puts up numbers worthy of a roster spot, especially if your league uses the flex (W/R) position.  Turner chose to stay with the Chargers this season and play second fiddle to the best RB in the league when he could’ve “Bolted” out of there to become the #1 with a few other NFL teams.  He has the speed and power to turn any carry into a touchdown and that makes him worth a roster spot.  Turner sees a fair-share of touches while the team gives LT a rest and he certainly makes the most of them.  Just this week against the Denver Broncos Turner ran for an amazing 147 yards and 1 score on just 10 carries.  Again, in most leagues he is gone, but if he isn’t (and it’s not too late) grab him!

Lance Moore WR NOS: When your team is having a hard time finding good reliable receivers and the coach is saying that they need to get the ball into the hands of Moore more, it seems like basic arithmetic to me.  Moore has a chance to move right into the #2 spot on that team and sooner or later Brees will remember how to throw. Moore is known for a great work ethic, sure hands and versatility- he has learned all three receiver positions in the West Coast offense.

Dennis Northcutt WR JAC: The Jacksonville Jaguars may be one of the most disappointing teams in the league so far, but it’s early, and hopefully they can turn things around quickly!  Maurice Jones-Drew showed flashes of life for the first time this season and QB David Garrard had another solid, but unspectacular outing.  This team, expected to compete for at least a playoff spot, is starting to get things going on offense and Northcutt is doing all he can to help. Another solid game this Sunday (4 catches for 73 yards and a touchdown) helped solidify his spot as the team’s #1 WR.  He may not be flashy but he runs routes the way a veteran WR is expected to and he just finds a way to get open.  If Garrard gets a little more comfortable as the team’s signal caller, and Fred Taylor/Jones-Drew are able to get the ground game straightened out, Northcutt should see his numbers escalate to the point that I could see him as a solid #2 WR in the fantasy world.

A Couple Other Names

Byron Leftwich QB ATL: Joey Harrington had a couple weeks that made people forget about the disaster he was in Detroit and Miami, then week 5 rolled around.  Harrington looked lost out on the field and did everything he could to lose the game to the Tennessee Titans.  Coach Petrino put Leftwich in late in the 4th quarter and he, unfortunately, didn’t look any better!  The simple fact that Petrino put Leftwich in the game should make people wonder how comfortable he is with Joey as the team’s #1.  Do not be surprised if we see a QB switch in Atlanta soon and Byron, playing with a chip on his shoulder, could come out and make people forget all about Michael Vick and “what could’ve been”.

Brodie Croyle QB KCC: Huard was not as badly injured as first thought, and there is a chance he can play in week 6, but if not then Croyle will get the call.  The strong-armed kid out of Alabama will would have the perfect opponent to shine against.  The Bengals defense has looked like one of, if not THE worst in the league so far this season and the KC offense could use all the help they can get!  Mix Croyle in with rookie sensation Dwayne Bowe and a little bit of Larry Johnson and you may find yourself with a winning combination.

John Beck QB MIA: With Trent Green out of commission with another concussion the Dolphins turned to Cleo Lemon to try and win them a ball game Sunday...that’s right, Cleo Lemon.  With the way Lemon plays on Madden it is only a matter of time before the talented rookie gets himself involved in the Miami offense, and once he does, I do not look for him to give up his seat.  Beck was one of the most “NFL Ready” quarterbacks in the 2007 draft and he should get the chance to show why soon.  With Ronnie Brown starting to prove his worth the Dolphins passing game should be able to find a way to get it going, and I think Beck is the man to lead them.

Vinny Testeverde QB CAR:  That’s right, you read it correctly, Vinny Testeverde, that 43 year old juggernaut of a QB that started playing football when Ronald Reagan was still playing with Chimps.  Ok maybe not that far back, but close enough. Carolina signed Testeverde to a 1 year deal on Wednesday after placing Jake Delhomme on IR. With only undrafted rookie Mike Moore on their roster they felt the need to get veteran experience. I am still not sure why they didn’t go after Ron Jaworski who does such a great job with the telestrator, but there is a chance that Testeverde gets the start this week against Arizona.

Jason Wright RB CLE: Jamal Lewis left week 5’s game after one play with a sprained foot that kept him out of the rest of the game. X-rays came back negative, but the team is awaiting results on an MRI that was done. Wright filled in and ran for 59 yards on 15 carries against the solid New England Patriots defense and would seemingly get the start against the less than average Dolphin D if Lewis is out.  This is something to keep your eye on during the week to come!