This week featured some of the usual performers on offense but had a few new members on defense. Also, some players I thought would have good years early on but had struggled, finally stepped up and showed why they are considered among the leagues best.
NFL Stars of the Week - Week 5
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Offensive Stars
Star No. 1 - Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers - Roethlisberger was hands down the best offensive player of the week. 260 yards and 5TD on one foot is incredible. A huge bounce back for Ben after a less the acceptable first four weeks.
Star No. 2 - Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings - Peterson went to a whole new level last weekend, rushing for 122 yards and 3TDs.
Star No. 3 - Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis, RB, New England Patriots - Green-Ellis was impressive, rushing for 136 yards and 2TDs and was the main reason for the Patriots victory.
Honorable Mentions: Dwayne Bowe, Fred Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Aaron Rodgers
Defensive Stars
Star No. 1 - Nick Barnett, LB, Buffalo Bills- Barnett turned in an impressive performance, finishing with 3 tackles, 2INTs, and 1TD.
Star No. 2 - Brian Robison, DE, Minnesota Vikings - Robison was all over the field, finishing with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 FF.
Star No. 3 - Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York Giants - Pierre-Paul continues to prove that he is better than Brandon Graham, finishing with an incredible 6 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Honorable Mentions: Osi Umenyiora, Lamaar Woodley, Pat Angerer, Jared Allen, Aldon Smith
Dud of the Week: Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos - Oh wow. Kyle Orton took it too a whole new level of awfulness. He was so bad that it is going to count as -2 points in the SOW rankings. He was 6 for 14 for 34 yards and 1INT.
Leaders at this point: (remember that a SOW counts as 2 points, an HM counts as 1 point, and a DOW counts as -1 point)
Offensive Leaders:
Tied with 4 Points: Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Cam Newton
Tied with 3 Points: Fred Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson
Tied with 2 Points: Steve Smith, Miles Austin, Vincent Jackson, Darren McFadden, Torrey Smith, Jermichael Finley, Chris Wells, Pierre Garcon, Ben Roethlisberger, Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis
Defensive Leaders:
Tied With 3 Points: Jared Allen, Pat Angerer, Jason Pierre-Paul
Tied With 2 Points: Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Joe Haden, Roman Harper, Charles Woodson, Jason Hatcher, Ray Lewis, Morgan Burnett, Aaron Ross, Jason Babin, Brian Orakpo, Kavell Connor, Osi Umenyiora, Nick Barnett, Brian Robison
As you can see, nobody has created any separation on offense or defense. Brady, despite dominating two weeks, has been above average and after having a chance to take a commanding lead in the race, he has faltered three weeks in a row. The most consistent player on this list has been Fred Jackson, who has appeared in 3 out of the 5 weeks and appears to be hitting his stride right now. A player to watch that has not yet appeared on the list is Calvin Johnson, who has just missed the list almost every week. My pick right now is Adrian Peterson, Wes Welker, or Aaron Rodgers on offense and on Defense I think it will be either Jason Pierre-Paul or Jared Allen.
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