Ten for week 5

Ten most intriguing players of Week Five

1. Rashard Mendenhall — It's not often that a player goes from perceived screwup to potential fantasy football savior in the span of a week. Those types of quickie transformations are usually only seen in romantic comedies for teens. You know ... the kind where the nerdy high school girl gets a makeover and instantly becomes a popular hottie. (Not that I watch those movies. Um, never mind.) Mendenhall was benched two weeks ago because his effort in practices dissatisfied Mike Tomlin. But with Willie Parker MIA last week because of turf toe, Mendenhall was thrust into a prominent role against the Chargers and ran 29 times for 165 yards and two TDs. Parker's status for Week Five remained uncertain as of this writing, but even if he returns, Mendenhall figures to get a lot of carries against the Lions this weekend. It's an appealing matchup for Mendenhall owners, and if the second-year runner continues to make the most of his carries, he could seize chairmanship of Pittsburgh's RB committee.

2. Mohamad Massaquoi — Talk about an overnight sensation! In just a few hours' work, Massaquoi established himself as Cleveland's No. 1 receiver, enabled the Browns to trade away butterfingered malcontent Braylon Edwards, cured the common cold and persuaded my 2-year-old to eat his lima beans. OK, so I made up those last two things; Massaquoi had a pretty good day nonetheless. After catching two passes for 31 yards over the first three weeks of the season, he hauled in eight balls for 148 yards in the Browns' OT win over the Bengals. Massaquoi has been a waiver-wire sensation the past couple of days, but do his new owners dare start him this week? Well, there are three teams with good passing games (Saints, Packers, Chargers) on bye, leaving a lot of owners looking for gap-bridgers. It's hard to tell whether Massaquoi is a star in the making, but the former Georgia Bulldog is a reasonable play this week against a soft Bills defense.

3. Eli Manning — Manning has a plantar fasciitis injury to his right foot, and the Giants' medical staff has told him that he can continue to play as long as he can withstand the pain. As a layman non-athlete, I'm curious how much pain we're talking about here. Is it the sort of pain a men's clothing salesman has after spending an entire 11-hour shift on his feet? Or is it more like the pain caused by the "hobbling" that Kathy Bates gave to James Caan in "Misery"? Regardless, the injury is a bummer for Manning's fantasy owners, since the Giants' quarterback finally seemed to be making the jump from optional starter to every-week starter. He's averaging two TD passes and better than 250 passing yards per game, and his completion rate of 63.2 percent is seven points above his career average. It's not just Manning owners who are nervous about the state of his foot; Steve Smith and Mario Manningham owners are worried, too. This weekend's game against the Chiefs should give us an inkling of how the injury will affect Manning's performance in the weeks to come.

4. Tony Romo — The Dallas quarterback is fast becoming a pariah. Cowboys fans are most displeased with him, and Romo's fantasy owners aren't particularly happy. Since lighting up the Buccaneers for 353 yards and three TDs in Week One, Romo has thrown only one TD pass and hasn't had another 300-yard game. It's not just a stats thing; Romo has looked terrible. He's been about as effective as you'd expect a former undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois University to be — which is to say, "not very." Is Romo simply going through a slump, or is he a stiff who was prematurely labeled a stud? If Romo has another bad game this week against the Chiefs, his fantasy owners might have to consider other options at QB.

5. Michael Turner — Last season, Turner destroyed bad run defenses and often struggled against good ones. That pattern has held up in 2009, with Turner running for 105 yards and a TD against the Panthers, whose run defense currently ranks last in the league, but getting only 65 yards against the Dolphins' second-ranked run defense, and 56 yards and a TD against the Patriots' 11th-ranked run defense. This week, Turner goes up against the 49ers, who rank fourth against the run. The Niners haven't allowed a rushing TD this season, and Turner must contend with Patrick Willis, perhaps the best middle linebacker in the league. Turner's fantasy owners are hoping the big back is feeling extra frisky after having a bye week to rest.

6. Randy Moss — It'll be Moss vs. Broncos CB Champ Bailey. Enough said.

7. Donovan McNabb — Remember how Andy Reid pulled McNabb from a game against the Ravens last season when the quarterback was going through a micro-slump? McNabb is in no imminent danger of losing his job, but backup Kevin Kolb acquitted himself well while McNabb missed two games with a broken rib, and now Michael Vick is in the picture, too. The Eagles have the talent to contend for the Super Bowl, so McNabb is under at least a little bit of pressure to show he's capable of leading Philly to the promised land. McNabb faces the Raiders this week, and while Oakland's offense is a joke, its defense isn't a complete pushover.

8. Andre Johnson — Houston's star receiver has been relatively quiet lately, with six catches for 152 yards and no TDs over his last two games. That could change this week when the Texans visit Arizona, as the Cardinals' 30th-ranked pass defense is yielding 280.3 yards per game. Perhaps Johnson will draw extra motivation from the presence of Larry Fitzgerald, whose remarkable performance in last season's playoffs cemented his reputation as the best receiver in football.

9. Reggie Wayne — For much of his career, former MLB pitcher Bret Saberhagen was great in odd-numbered years, not so great in even-numbered years. Wayne is exhibiting symptoms of Saberhagen Syndrome, producing big numbers in odd-numbered weeks (17 catches, 288 yards, two TDs) and so-so numbers in even-numbered weeks (nine catches, 111 yards, one TD). Wayne is obviously an every-week starter, but Wayne-owning numerologists are nevertheless pleased that this is Week Five. They're also pleased that the Colts play the Titans, who are giving up 282.3 passing yards per game and have allowed 10 TD passes.

10. LenDale White — How does a dude this big disappear? The Titans have drastically scaled back White's workload this season, and whether or not it's a coincidence, the team is 0-4. The big man from USC (though not so big as before a health-conscious, tequila-free offseason) hasn't taken more than eight handoffs in any game this season, and he had a season-low two carries last week against the Jaguars. Fantasy owners would be understandably reluctant to plug White into their lineups this week unless circumstances forced it. But I have a hunch that White is going to start getting more work, and maybe it starts this week against the Colts, who aren't exactly known for being stout against the between-the-tackles running game. With Tennessee 0-4 and the season beginning to circle the drain, maybe it's time for Jeff Fisher to let the big dog eat.