Week 5 in the NFL is here, and while most fans in the city are gearing up for Sunday's Bears-Carolina matchup, I'm worried about the only fall sport I'm good at nowadays: fantasy football. We're a quarter of the way into the fantasy season and while it's too early to start celebrating your championship, enough games have been played to take a look back at the draft and see the mistakes (or big hits) you made. Here are five players who have blown up the stat sheet and five picks that have blown up in your face.
YOU SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP
DeMarco Murray, Dallas running back
You probably saw this coming. The man's a straight beast when healthy. He averaged 14.46 fantasy points per game last season, fourth best among running backs. He turned it on the last four games of 2013, averaging 126.5 yards per game and scoring three times, and is one of the few backs in the league not on a time-share system. A beefed up offensive line and star receiver who beats down opposing tacklers like a Whac-A-Mole game are the reasons he's on pace for 2,400 yards and 20 touchdowns this year.
Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina wide receiver
This team had no one to throw to before the season. Greg Olsen was the only non-running back on the squad who had caught a ball from Cam Newton after Steve Smith's departure. Someone had to step up and catch those pathetic excuses for pass attempts from Newton. His 10.8 points per week has out-performed many top flight options like Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson and Jimmy Graham. Not bad for a rookie.
Steve Smith, Baltimore wide receiver
I could have sworn he retired. In fact, I would have put money on it prior to this season. But no, instead of speeding down sidewalks strapped to a Hoveround, he's tearing up secondaries and blasting past defenders. He's third among receivers in yards (429) and has reached the end zone three times. I get scared when he lines up on obvious passing downs. The dude looks like a purple honey badger in his Ravens jersey, ready to wrestle the cornerback who lines up in front of him.
Cody Parkey, Philadelphia kicker
That's right, a kicker made this list. Until his squad ran into the brick wall known as the San Francisco defense, he was averaging nearly 12 points per week. This rookie's on pace to kick 32 field goals and 56 extra points. He's on pace to score 152 points this season. Ask any of your friends if they knew who Parkey was prior to the season-then slap them for lying if they say yes.
Dallas defense
If you listened to "experts" before the season, you would have sworn Dallas' defense had the bubonic plague. It would infect anyone's roster who drafted them. They couldn't sack a stationary bike to save their lives, but they're all of a sudden a turnover machine. They're the seventh-ranked fantasy defense (you read that correctly). Can they keep it up? Probably not, but it's been a good four-game ride.
YOU SHOULD HAVE PASSED ON
Running backs with long hair
Unless your name is Jamaal Charles or Marshawn Lynch, chances are these guys are making fantasy owners want to rip out their own hair. Eddie Lacy, Andre Ellington, Trent Richardson, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory, LaGarrette Blount, Joique Bell and DeAngelo Williams have wreaked more havoc on fantasy rosters than they have on opposing defenses. Combined, they're averaging fewer than 50 rushing yards a game and have racked up just 10 touchdowns. Ivory is the only one of this group averaging more than 10 points per game, and that's just because he had a fluky Week 1 where he ripped off a 71-yard touchdown run at the end of the game.
Toby Gerhart, Jacksonville running back
Speaking of bad running backs, don't get me started on him. He's averaging 44.3 total yards per game, 2.4 yards per rush, has as many fumbles (one) as he does touchdowns, AND HE'S STILL THEIR STARTER! Congrats, Toby, you win the Matt Flynn award for being a backup, having a good game and getting a pay day. It's just too bad for fantasy owners that your coach couldn't see what Pete Carroll did after Flynn got to the Seahawks-you're best served warming a spot on the bench for a starter.
Cam Newton, Carolina quarterback
I'm not saying get rid of him, but owners this year can't be happy with Newton's production. You know it's bad when players like Derek Carr (rookie), Kirk Cousins (started the season on the bench) and EJ Manuel (just got benched) have outscored you. Yes, he missed the first game of the year, but he's averaged a bleak 14.81 points in the three games he's played. If Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith can break the 15-points-per-week threshold, there's hope for Newton.
Jordan Cameron, Cleveland tight end
If you watched the premier of "The League" in September, you would have seen that Cameron wasn't too bad in FX's fantasy football show. Maybe he should stick to the funnyman routine, because he's been laughable this season. He was a no-show in the opener (two receptions, 47 yards), missed the second week with a shoulder injury and caught just one pass in Week 3. For his owners' sake, let's hope he comes back 100 percent following the Browns' bye week.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland quarterback
Why hasn't he won a Super Bowl yet? I thought he was Cleveland's savior. You'd swear the kid could walk on water the way ESPN announcers drool when talking about him. Now that I think about it, is he even on the team any more? I feel like I've seen more Snickers commercials of him than highlights on SportsCenter. Mmm, Snickers.
*Averages based on standard Yahoo fantasy football leagues.
RedEye designer Jay St. Pierre is a fantasy football fanatic.