The regular season has begun, so the Fantasy Doctor will be making house calls regularly, answering readers' fantasy questions Wednesday through Saturday each week. Send your questions to the Doc at fantasydoctor@pfwmedia.com.

Hi Doc,
I need good help for bye-week trouble! I'm in a league that starts two WRs, two RBs and one WR/RB flex. My options are RBs Michael Turner, Jerome Harrison, Fred Jackson and Ahmad Bradshaw, and WRs Andre Johnson, Steve Smith (NYG, fortunately) and Wes Welker. Despite the tough matchup, I think I have to go with Turner, and Johnson is obvious. If QB Eli Manning starts, Smith is an easy one, but what if Manning doesn't start? And which two other guys should I start? Please help! Thanks.
 
— Steve

OK Steve, I think you're on the right track here. You obviously have to start Turner and Johnson, and I think you have to play it by ear with Smith. If Manning starts, I think you have to play Smith, as he has been the best fantasy WR to date. However, if Manning is out and David Carr starts, I'd bench Smith for Welker. It's too risky to rely on any Giants receiver if Carr is under center.

As for your other starting RB and flex player, I like Jackson and Bradshaw. Even though he struggled last week and will be sharing time with Marshawn Lynch, Jackson should still see plenty of action against a Browns run defense that's giving up 176.8 yards per game and has surrendered eight TDs on the ground. And assuming the Giants commit more to the ground game whether Manning plays or not, Bradshaw should be in for a very productive day vs. the Raiders, who have struggled against the run.

Even though Harrison is coming off a big game, the fact that Jamal Lewis is likely to return Sunday makes me hesitant to recommend him. The two probably will split carries, making neither one a great fantasy start.

Hey Doc,
I'm having a tough time deciding whom to use as my flex this week. My starting RBs are Chris Johnson and Marshawn Lynch, with Leon Washington and Cadillac Williams currently on the bench. My only available WRs are Mario Manningham, Mike Sims-Walker, Wes Welker and Kevin Walter. Do I play two RBs or three? If three, I'm assuming Washington is the odd man out since the Jets play at Miami. But which WR do I cut from the lineup?

— Douglas

Although I usually recommend to start a RB at a flex spot, Douglas, I think you might be better off using your flex on a WR this week.

I'm not too keen on the situations with either Washington or Williams in Week Five. Washington has been only a moderate producer thus far and faces a Dolphins run defense that has been extremely stout, allowing only 61 yards per contest. Williams, meanwhile, will have to give up some carries to the returning Derrick Ward this week and must deal with a pretty good Eagles defense. He'd also be rendered ineffective if Philly jumps out to a big lead and forces the Bucs to go strictly to the air.

As for your WRs, I really like the matchup for two of them. Sims-Walker has been on a tear lately and should keep it going against a banged up Seattle secondary, and Walter faces a Cardinals pass defense that has been one of the league's worst in a game that should be a shootout. And now that Welker is healthy, it'll be tough to bench him in any week, even against a solid foe like the Broncos. This week, I'd say to leave Manningham on the bench. He only caught one ball last week and might be without starting QB Eli Manning. There's too much downside to play him when you have other dependable options.

Hi Doc,
I have a tough choice this week at my flex position, and I was hoping you could help me make the right call. I can choose between Kevin Smith, Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. Smith and Ochocinco have tougher matchups, but Owens is so unpredictable that it is hard to trust him. What do you think?
 
— Mike

Definitely is a tough call here, Mike. I really like Smith and would suggest starting him basically every week, but I have a bad feeling that he could be completely shut down in this one. Besides the fact that Pittsburgh's run defense is tremendous as usual (61.5 yards per game allowed), the Lions' offensive line has not been giving Smith room to run, leaving him with just a 3.2-yard average thus far. With this game having the potential to get ugly, I'm afraid Smith might be a non-factor.

Of your two WRs, I like Ochocinco better this week. While the Ravens' defense has been tough this year, it actually has been beatable through the air, giving up 232.3 passing yards per contest. Ochocinco has been pretty consistent thus far, and QB Carson Palmer is likely to target him frequently in this one. I'd expect him to have a fairly productive day. Like you said, Owens has not proven to be trustworthy yet, so leave him on the bench until he shows he can be a weekly contributor.