Each week, TSN.ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen and NFL Editors Ben Fisher and Mike Hetherington discuss three hot fantasy football topics.
 
After a full week of Tom Brady demise predictions, he put up QB1 numbers against a good Bengals defence. Where ultimately should Brady be ranked?
 
Cullen:
I'm still reluctant to consider Brady a QB1, which is problematic since I have him anchoring one of my teams. It takes more than one game to get over four pedestrian performances to start the season. That doesn't mean I don't have hope. If TE Tim Wright is ready to take on a bigger role, that could help the Patriots' passing game and the supporting cast is okay, but if Brady is going to be a viable Top 10 quarterback, he'll have to get better protection from an offensive line that has struggled to this point in the season.

Fisher: I’m not so sure Brady is a couple weeks away from getting benched for Jimmy Garappolo like some are suggesting, but he certainly should be riding pine on your fantasy team. I thought Brady entered the year as just a low-end QB1 and despite his strong Week 5, still remains firmly entrenched as a QB2 at best now. There are too many rock-solid QBs to waste your starting spot on one as inconsistent as Brady this year. Even if he does recapture his game a little in the coming weeks, he has a long ways to go to catch the guys in the top 10: about 50 more yards and an extra touchdown each week.
 
Hetherington: Tom Brady is still a top NFL quarterback, we can end that debate now. However, the Patriots offence remains a balanced attack and Brady has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game this season. The three-time Super Bowl Champion should rank as a low-end QB1 or top-tier QB2 in fantasy this season. Brady and the Patriots lack the weapons on the perimeter of an explosive offence, which ultimately limits his fantasy value.
 
Does Calvin Johnson’s injury risk eliminate him from the top fantasy WR conversation moving forward?
 
Cullen:
It doesn't eliminate Johnson completely, but the way this injury is lingering, sabotaging his last two weeks (three catches, 19 yards, total) and raising the possibility of Megatron sitting out this week's game against Minnesota, it does open the door for others to take the crown from Johnson. Jordy Nelson, Julio Jones and Dez Bryant are all viable contenders when Johnson is knocked out by injury.
 
Fisher: A fully healthy Calvin Johnson is probably still the best receiver in the league – remember his Week 1 performance? – but I don’t think that player exists anymore. Johnson’s current ankle troubles are the latest in a long list of nicks and dings, or worse, that have plagued Megatron the past couple seasons. This current injury seems more serious and Johnson could miss time. That might be the best thing for him right now because at 100% healthy and rested he’s unstoppable, but he seems to play a lot more games at 75-80% healthy these days. Still good enough for WR1 numbers, but his days as No. 1 may be a couple injuries ago.
 
Hetherington: Johnson has been featured on the injury report throughout his career and has always played through with little trouble. Yet, this ankle injury appears to be different and how the Lions treat it will determine whether Megatron remains at the top. If the star is given a week to recover and come back 100 per cent, he could keep his crown at the top of the WR rankings. Oppositely, if the Lions continue to run Johnson on his bum ankle, his season could be lost. Considering health, Antonio Bryant and Jordy Nelson appear to be the most reliable top wide receivers in fantasy this year.
 
Has Greg Olsen finally ascended to the top tier of game-changing fantasy tight ends?
 
Cullen:
It depends on how big you want to make the top tier of tight ends. For me, the real top tier is Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas and, possibly, a healthy Rob Gronkowski. Other guys who are moving up -- Delanie Walker, Martellus Bennett, Larry Donnell -- aren't at that level and it's still easier to slide Olsen alongside that group rather than place him with the very best at the position. That's good enough to easily be a TE1, but still shy of, say, a top three ranking at the position.
 
Fisher: There may only be three consensus game-changing fantasy TEs – Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski (health permitting) – but to me Olsen has earned the title of “best of the rest.” As Cam Newton’s second favourite target in Carolina, and one of only two legitimate targets for the Panthers alongside Kelvin Benjamin, Olsen is getting the opportunity to finally capitalize on his enormous potential. He currently trails only Antonio Gates in the “rest” group and although the veteran Chargers TE has drank the same Mike McCoy potion that resurrected Philip Rivers and Ryan Mathew’s fantasy careers, he’s not as reliable as Olsen the rest of the way.
 
Hetherington: Olsen finished last season right on the cusp of joining the fantasy elite at tight end, but his value was bruised by just six touchdowns catches. Now, with four touchdowns through five games, Olsen seems to have finally earned a top-five tight end ranking. Olsen doesn’t yet own the ability to instill fear in your fantasy opponent the way Julius Thomas, Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham can, but his reliability in the Panthers offence puts him in the top tier of TE1’s.
 
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