Fantasy football projections, Week 5: Bengals vs. Patriots featuring A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski

The Week 5 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots features two conference rivals, both of whom hope to return to the playoffs. We've got the fantasy projections for you, courtesy of NumberFire.

Fourth-year quarterback Andy Dalton has led his team to a perfect 3-0 start and established himself as a capable game manager who can succeed with the proper supporting cast. By this point, fantasy owners should know better than to expect consistent QB1 production from Dalton but the QB2 does have enough weapons around him to chip in an occasional gem or two. In Week 3, he even caught a pass for 18 yards which he was able to take all the way to the house.

Running back Giovani Bernard is off to a good start with 333 total yards and three touchdowns through the first three games, with 148 of them coming through the air. The presence of rookie back up Jeremy Hill and his growing role is something that Bernard owners should be mindful of but for the time being, Gio should continue to produce like a back-end RB1.

A.J. Green continues to produce like the elite fantasy receiver that he is despite a nagging toe injury. Even though he'll take on Patriots corner back Darrelle Revis this week, owners should continue to expect solid production. Mohamed Sanu has been holding down the fort with Marvin Jones not healthy enough to return and has done a solid job. Owners could do much worse for a WR4 than Sanu. The tight end continues to be a fantasy black hole. Even with first-round pick Tyler Eifert out of the picture until Week 10, Jermaine Gresham should not be trusted as a starter.

Despite their mediocre record, the Patriots have some serious issues on offense that will be difficult to overcome. Quarterback Tom Brady continues to under-perform as a fantasy asset and there have been serious questions about his mechanics and accuracy that have led some to wonder if the Patriots will consider turning to rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Brady is no more than a low-end QB2.

The Patriots backfield has become an unpredictable timeshare with no one offering elite fantasy upside. Stevan Ridley has averaged about 14 carries per game but hasn't run for a score or more than 54 yards other than Week 2. Shane Vereen is the better PPR option of the two but hasn't totaled more than 71 yards since Week 1, which is when he scored his only touchdown of the season. Owners starting either back will do so at their own risk.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski has looked solid and been productive enough despite clearly not being 100 percent recovered from his offseason surgery. His snap count will continue to rise and a top-three fantasy finish for him is not out of the question. The rest of the New England receiving corps leaves much to be desired. Julian Edelman has established himself as a solid WR2 in PPR leagues but he's volume dependent and not a likely source of touchdowns.