Fantasy Footnotes: Flacco starts hot; Murray keeps churning; Newton finds his legs

Every gameday during the regular season, theScore's fantasy editors recap the most important news and notes from around the league. 

Flacco tosses 5 TDs in 1st half, somehow disappoints owners

Joe Flacco struck early and often as his Ravens shredded the Buccaneers' woeful secondary, throwing four touchdown passes in the first quarter and adding his fifth and final score early in the second quarter.

Each of the Ravens' first five drives in the game ended with a passing touchdown. Wide receiver Torrey Smith caught the first two, finally rewarding fantasy owners who suffered through his very slow start to the season. Kamar Aiken, Michael Campanaro and Steve Smith all got in on the fun, too.

In some ways, Flacco's final stat line is a disappointment. He finished the game 21-of-29 for 306 yards and the five touchdowns, but could easily have had plenty more if the Ravens chose to run up the score. 

Instead, the team turned to Justin Forsett and Bernard Pierce to grind out the clock in the second half. The pair combined for 29 carries and 143 yards, with Forsett far outproducing Pierce in terms of yards gained. 

DeMarco Murray just won't stop

Only six players in NFL history have started a season with six straight games with at least 100 yards rushing. Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is the sixth.

Murray just accomplished the feat on the road in Seattle against the Super Bowl champions. If you saw that coming, go out and buy a lottery ticket. 

Murray was once again a workhorse Sunday, pounding 29 hard runs for 115 yards. He was a weapon through the air, too, catching six passes for 31 yards. 

With the game on the line, Murray gashed the Seahawks' vaunted defense for a game-winning 15-yard touchdown. He looked like a man among boys on the run, dragging Richard Sherman into the end zone on his back. 

History suggests Murray's body can't hold up to a pounding like this and an injury is inevitable. That's probably true, but it will be a fun ride until it happens.

There's the Cam Newton we love

Cam Newton looked like an elite QB1 for the first time the season Sunday, tearing apart a suddenly suspect Bengals defense for 284 yards and two touchdowns through the air and 107 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Newton's rushing prowess made him a top-five fantasy quarterback in each of his first three seasons as a pro, but it was nowhere to be found in his first five games this season.

Entering the game, Newton had carried the ball 14 times for 42 yards. He rushed the ball 17 times against the Bengals.

If Newton is finally over the foot and rib injuries that slowed him in this season's first five weeks, there's no reason he can't continue to post top-five quarterback numbers. 

Notable Fantasy Lines

Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens
306 yards passing, 5 TDs
One can't be disappointed with five touchdown passes, but Flacco could have had many more if he didn't ease off the gas.

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
361 yards passing, 4 TDs
Wait ... isn't Brady supposed to be washed up?

Cam Newton, QB, Panthers
284 yards passing, 2 TDs, 107 yards rushing, TD
The Newton of old was back Sunday. He was sharp through the air and aggressive rushing the ball, too.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Vikings
15 yards receiving, 2 yards rushing
It just isn't going to happen for the popular preseason breakout candidate. 

Andre Holmes, WR, Raiders
121 yards receiving, 2 TDs
Holmes was Derek Carr's favorite target. 

Brandon LaFell, WR, Patriots
97 yards receiving, 2 TDs
LaFell was the primary beneficiary of Brady's big day.

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Bengals
120 yards receiving, TD
Sanu excelled in his first game as the Bengals' undisputed top wideout. He'll remain in that role until A.J. Green returns from injury.

Matt Forte, RB, Bears
80 yards rushing, 77 yards receiving, 2 TDs
Finally, Forte scored a rushing touchdown. Then he scored another. 

DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys
115 yards rushing, 31 yards receiving, TD
If Murray's body can hold up, he'll finish the season as the top-scoring running back. 

Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals
137 yards rushing, 20 yards receiving, TD
Bernard left the game for a long stretch with a shoulder injury and his backup, Jeremy Hill, scored a touchdown in his absence. 

Jerick McKinnon, RB, Vikings
40 yards rushing, 42 yards receiving
In a big surprise, McKinnon out-touched presumed starter Matt Asiata 17-3. McKinnon led the Vikings in rushing and receiving. 

LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles
149 yards rushing
With the Eagles' offensive line coming around, McCoy took full advantage with his first 100-yard game of the season.

Julius Thomas, TE, Broncos
51 yards receiving, 2 TDs
Nine touchdowns in five games for Thomas. Ridiculous.

Eagles Defense
0 points allowed, 8 sacks
The Eagles' defense looked like a completely different unit on Sunday night, putting together what was easily its most complete performance of the season.

Injury Ward

Stevan Ridley, RB, Patriots
Ridley's knee injury is believed to be a torn ACL. Brandon Bolden and James White are candidates to replace his production. 

Victor Cruz, WR, Giants
Cruz will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his patella tendon. Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. are the Giants' new starting wideouts.

Waiver Wire Targets

Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
The Raiders look like a completely different team under interim head coach Tony Sparano. Derek Carr looks like a budding superstar. Can the rookie keep it up? Probably not, but he's worth an add for quarterback-needy teams.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Giants
Beckham is primed for a significant role with Cruz out for the season. On a week that's light on appealing waiver wire candidates, he's deserving of your top priority.

Andre Holmes, WR, Raiders
Holmes is clearly the Raiders' best receiver. If Carr keeps playing at a high level, Holmes will keep producing big numbers. 

Juwan Thompson, RB, Broncos
It was Thompson, and not C.J. Anderson as many assumed, who backed up Ronnie Hillman in the Broncos' backfield. Hillman wasn't exceptional, but he was competent enough to remain starter until Montee Ball returns from his injury. Thompson would need an injury to Hillman to have significant fantasy value.