Fantasy Look: Week 5 Preview
Patrick Daly
Friday February 25, 2005
Tampa Bay Storm – New Orleans VooDoo
After a disappointing performance against Orlando in Week 3, Storm QB Shane Stafford (792 passing yards and 17 TDs) will get a shot to show that it was just an aberration after he tossed a combined 15 touchdowns in the first two games. Tampa Bay will be without OS Freddie Solomon (126 receiving yards and 3 TDs in Week 1) for at least two more weeks due to an ankle injury that he reaggravated against Orlando, although WR/DB Clif Dell (132 receiving yards and 9 TDs) has found the end zone pretty regularly in his absence. With Solomon out, the Storm will also rely on WR/LB Lawrence Samuels (336 receiving yards and 3 TDs).
The VooDoo offense has average just over 60 points over the last three games, all wins, thanks to QB Andy Kelly (1288 passing yards and 27 TDs), OS Aaron Bailey (506 receiving yards and 8 TDs), WR/LB Thabiti Davis (250 receiving yards and 7 TDs) and WR/DB Jacques Rumph (332 receiving yards and 7 TDs). Even backup WR/LB Lamont Moore (141 receiving yards and 5 TDs) has gotten into the action, while veteran FB/LB Leroy Thompson (14 rushing yards and 1 TD) will see action in his second game of the season.
Georgia Force – Austin Wranglers
The Force defense continues to be one of the reasons for Georgia’s early success after giving up only 13 points to the Las Vegas Gladiators last week, although QB Jim Kubiak (1029 passing yards and 21 TDs) has been a big addition to the offense. Early Rookie of the Year candidate OS Troy Bergeron (372 receiving yards and 12 TDs) is tied with San Jose’s James Roe and Arizona Siaha Burley atop the touchdown reception leaderboard and should fare well against a porous Wrangler secondary. With WR/LB Dialleo Burks out, rookie WR/LB Derek Lee (299 receiving yards and 5 TDs) continues to have an impact. FB/LB Robert Thomas won’t be a factor against a weaker Austin defense that gave up 420 yards of total offense to Grand Rapids last week as Thomas and FB/LB Jermaine Younger will spend at least the next two weeks on the injured reserve, putting recently activated FB/LB Kevin Aldridge into play.
VooDoo castoff QB John Fitzgerald (870 passing yards and 17 TDs) has gotten the Wranglers offense rolling, thanks in part to WR/DB Kevin Nickerson (302 receiving yards and 9 TDs). Wranglers OS Tacoma Fontaine (216 receiving yards and 3 TDs) returned to the lineup last week and responded with a solid game. Austin kicker Tony Dodson continues to struggle as he’s hit only one of his eight field goal tries, while hitting 19 of 24 extra point attempts.
Orlando Predators – Chicago Rush
With their second short turnaround on the road in the last three weeks, the Predators showed a little worse for wear. The Desperados got to Predators QB Joe Hamilton (902 passing yards, 16 passing TDs and 3 rushing TDs) for four sacks, while holding Orlando’s top three receivers, OS Travis McGriff (221 receiving yards and 4 TDs), WR/LB Cory Fleming (233 receiving yards and 7 TDs) and Justin Skaggs (257 receiving yards and 2 TDs), to one touchdown apiece. Predators FB/LB Idris Price (44 rushing yards and 4 TDs) was held scoreless and FB/LB Rupert Grant found paydirt for the first time this season on an eight-yard pass play. Fleming is out for the next two weeks on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, which should make Skaggs a more valuable commodity this week.
Chicago suffered an equally embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Columbus Destroyers, but the bigger losses may have been QB Raymond Philyaw (1047 passing yards and 18 TDs) and OS Henry Douglas (393 receiving yards and 7 TDs), both of whom left the game early due to injury. Philyaw is currently listed as probable, which means he’ll likely start, while Douglas was listed as doubtful for this week, making it a gamble to start him. If Philyaw can’t go, journeyman QB Todd Hammel (76 passing yards and 1 TD in relief last week) will get his first start in a Rush uniform, while WR/LB Etu Molden (276 receiving yards and 8 TDs) can more than carry the load on the receiving end. With Douglas most likely out, OS Jeremy McDaniel (73 receiving yards and 1 TD last week) will become a bigger part of the offense, while WR/DB Russell Shaw (173 receiving yards and no TDs) will also play a bigger role.
Las Vegas Gladiators – Nashville Kats
With an embarrassing 13 points last week, the Gladiator offense can go nowhere but up. QB Clint Dolezel (509 passing yards and 7 TDs) is expected to miss up to two more games with a broken finger and QB Rod Robinson (452 passing yards, 5 passing TDs and 3 rushing TDs) may not be the answer, which means QB Craig Whelihan (88 passing yards and no TDs in relief last week) may get the nod. Gladiators OS Marcus Nash (431 yards and 4 TDs) may be one of most anxious to see Dolezel return, while the remaining members of the Las Vegas receiving corps, including WR/LB Junior Lord (153 receiving yards and 3 TDs) and WR/DB CoCo Blalock (191 receiving yards and 3 TDs) won’t be effective without someone who can get them the ball. FB/LB Frank Carter (47 rushing yards and 3 TDs) didn’t get much work last week and hasn’t scored since posting three touchdowns in Week 1.
Nashville struggled through their third straight loss and a banged up QB Leon Murray (845 passing yards, 12 passing TDs and 6 rushing TDs) was eventually spelled by QB Tony Zimmerman (72 passing yards and 2 TDs in relief last week) late in the game, but expect Murray back in the lineup. Kats OS Fred Coleman (321 receiving yards and 4 TDs) has been very consistent through the first games, averaging 80 yards receiving and one touchdown per game, although he’ll need to hit paydirt a little more often to be a useful fantasy player. Rookie FB/LB Dan Alexander (96 rushing yards and 6 total TDs) has racked up 96 rushing yards, 69 receiving yards and six total touchdowns, while WR/DB Jarrick Hillery (204 receiving yards and 5 TDs) has been the only other real scoring threat from a fantasy football perspective. Unfortunately for the Kats, Hillery is out, so rookie WR/DB Jermaine Lewis (31 receiving yards and 1 TD this season) moves up the depth chart and veteran WR/LB Darryl Hammond (51 receiving yards and no TDs) may be more involved.
Los Angeles Avengers – Colorado Crush
The Avengers have steadily improved on offense each week and take their 3-1 record on the road to Colorado. Los Angeles QB John Kaleo (979 passing yards and 19 TDs) produced his best game of the season to help beat San Jose this past weekend. The game also featured the emergence of two potentially lethal weapons for the Avengers, as OS Tony Locke (118 receiving yards and 3 TDs in his AFL debut) and OS Jerome Riley (230 yards receiving and 5 TDs over the last two weeks) each accounted for three touchdowns and over 100 yards apiece. WR/LB Greg Hopkins (201 receiving yards and 2 TDs) and WR/DB Kevin Ingram (197 receiving yards and 6 TDs) remain viable options, but may see limited opportunities if Locke or Riley emerge as the primary target. K Remy Hamilton missed his first field goal try of the season, but he’s hit 13 out of 14 field goal attempts and has missed only two extra point kicks.
Colorado scored nearly every way possible last week and they’re broken the 70-point mark twice already this season. QB John Dutton (1043 passing yards and 22 TDs) has been able to rely on a talented set of receivers, with OS Damian Harrell (407 receiving yards and 11 TDs) once again leading the group. WR/LB Kevin McKenzie (270 receiving yards and 5 TDs) is on pace to set career highs, while WR/LB Andy McCullough (123 receiving yards and 3 TDs) continues to show promise, but has yet to become a big part of the offense. Crush K Clay Rush (7-14 FG, 27-30 XP) hit all four of his field tries this week, pulling him back up to a 50% field goal mark.
Columbus Destroyers – Grand Rapids Rampage
If new Columbus QB Matt D’Orazio (281 passing yards and 4 TDs in his first AFL start) can continue what he started against Chicago, the Destroyers offense will bear another look. Facing a Rampage defense that’s allowed over 70 points each of their last two games, WR/LB Cornelius White (261 receiving yards and 4 TDs) and OS Damien Groce (260 receiving yards and 4 TDs) should fare well.
Rampage QB Michael Bishop (595 passing yards, 174 rushing yards, 12 passing TDs and 2 rushing TDs) has become a defensive coordinator’s nightmare over the past two weeks and it’s tough to imagine Columbus doing much to contain him this week. OS Chris Jackson (298 receiving yards and 5 TDs) has benefited from Bishop’s emergence over the past two weeks, while WR/DB Dennison Robinson (92 receiving yards and 2 TDs last week) got off to a good start for the Rampage last week.
Arizona Rattlers – New York Dragons
Rattlers QB Joe Germaine (901 passing yards and 17 TDs) has improved steadily over his past three starts, although he’s contributed some costly turnovers as well. The status of QB Sherdrick Bonner (202 passing yards and 6 TDs in Week 1) has been up in the air, but as of Thursday afternoon he’s planning to start on Sunday. Despite the Rattlers’ woes, OS Siaha Burley (375 receiving yards and 12 TDs) has quietly put up some good numbers, as has WR/DB Randy Gatewood (323 receiving yards and 5 TDs). With FB/LB Kerry Taylor (18 rushing yards and 1 TD) leaving Saturday’s game with an injury and FB/LB Frank Trentadue (25 rushing yards and 1 receiving TD) banged up, FB/LB Bo Kelly (14 rushing yards and 2 TDs) will may come off injured reserve to make the trip to New York, while FB/LB Phil Glover will also be activated for Sunday.
With OS Kevin Swayne’s (115 receiving yards and 5 TDs) return to the Dragons’ lineup, the already dangerous New York offense became more potent. WR/LB Mike Horacek (194 receiving yards and 5 TDs) is banged up and may not figure as heavily in the game plan for QB Aaron Garcia (642 passing yards and 14 TDs), but remains a reasonable bye week option. FB/LB Josh White (22 rushing yards and 3 TDs) had his best game of the season and should get more opportunities this week.
Dallas Desperados – Philadelphia Soul
While the Dallas offense hasn’t been terribly explosive the past three weeks, they have managed two wins that improved their record to 3-1. QB Clint Stoerner (1034 passing yards and 17 TDs) hasn’t put up big numbers since his grand debut, but has avoided mistakes the past two weeks. For the receiving trio of WR/DB Will Pettis (244 receiving yards and 4 TDs), OS Jason Shelley (398 receiving yards and 5 TDs) and WR/LB Bobby Sippio (298 receiving yards and 6 TDs) they’ll need a bigger contribution from Stoerner to avoid stealing one another’s numbers.
Soul QB Tony Graziani (1141 passing yards and 27 TDs) has helped Philadelphia light up the scoreboard and remains on pace to break the 100-touchdown mark. OS Steve Smith (448 receiving yards and 11 TDs) has been nothing short of stellar, while WR/LB Sean Scott (295 receiving yards and 10 TDs) has benefited from Graziani’s arrival. WR/DB Rob Milanese (211 receiving yards and 4 TDs) has made the most of his 10 catches and the return of FB/LB Chris "Soul Train" Ryan (20 total TDs in 2004) bodes well for the offense around the goal line.
Bye: San Jose SaberCats
The bye week gives the 1-3 SaberCats a week to regroup after their surprisingly poor start. San Jose has averaged over 65 points per game over the past three weeks, but the defense has given up just as many points. QB Mark Grieb (1324 passing yards and 23 TDs) has been strong, while WR/LB James Roe (460 receiving yards and 12 TDs) has stepped up to take on whatever role is necessary.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
