With Week 5 in the books, here are some changes you can make to your Week 6 fantasy football roster to help maximize your point total as we near the midway point of the fantasy season.

Start ‘em

Running back Doug Martin is a no-doubt start for this week. Tampa Bay is having its struggles as a team but don’t fret, Martin will still put up points. Because the Buccaneers benched and then released former starting quarterback Josh Freeman and are now relying on the talents of Mike Glennon at the quarterback position, look for the ground game to get going in the Tampa Bay offense early and often against Philadelphia this week.

It doesn’t help that the Eagles’ defense is what needs the most work in Philly, and first-year coach Chip Kelly is still trying to implement the spread-option offense in the NFL. Martin should get close to 20 carries on the day, and I don’t see Philadelphia’s defense stopping him. Philadelphia could still win because Tampa Bay’s defense is just as bad, but not before Martin rushes for over 100 yards and two scores.

DeAngelo Williams is another running back that should get the start this week. It’s always scary starting a player on the Panthers, because you never know if they’ll score 30 points in a blowout victory like they had against the New York Giants a few weeks ago, or score a meager five points in a humiliating defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

Even though they’re unpredictable, I’d bet on Williams this week. Facing a struggling Minnesota team that just lost their starting quarterback in Christian Ponder and a defense that gave up 31 points to the Cleveland Browns, Williams’ day should be big. The Vikings won’t be any better equipped to win with Matt Cassel, who got booed out of Kansas City last season, under center. Carolina should have a performance identical to the one against New York, and Williams could very likely explode in this Week 6 matchup.

Sit ‘em

Call me crazy, but Tom Brady may not be your best option at quarterback this weekend, depending on who your backup is.

The Patriots are facing an actual opponent this week in the New Orleans Saints, and their revamped defensive schemes could cause trouble for Brady. Without knowing whether tight end Rob Gronkowski or wideout Danny Amendola will both be at 100 percent come Sunday, Brady might actually have trouble finding open receivers in this game.

With new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Saints love to send the blitz and they have the type of secondary that allows them to do so. I think Brady could hit the turf too many times and get out of rhythm. The Saints dismembered the unbeaten Miami Dolphins two weeks ago and made quarterback Ryan Tannehill useless in the contest. Now, Brady is head-and-shoulders better than Tannehill, but the Saints’ defensive pressure can surely rattle a quarterback’s cage. Brady is still capable of putting up points, but he may not be your best option depending on who else is on your roster.

Joe Flacco should also be benched in your fantasy lineup this week. Facing a defense that’s one of the best in the business in Green Bay, Flacco and the struggling Super Bowl Champion Ravens aren’t going to have any luck this week. Flacco is coming off a five-interception performance against the Bills two weeks ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a performance similar to that this week. I think Green Bay is too strong defensively and will get under Flacco’s skin all day. The 2013 version of Flacco has been turnover-prone thus far, and that trend has a real chance of continuing against the Packers this week.

Sleepers

Heath Miller may be worth starting this week at tight end. I think the Pittsburgh Steelers are a lot better than they have played thus far in the season, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should be able to get things going again this week against the lowly New York Jets. The Jets have been consistent, but haven’t beaten a quality opponent yet. I think the Steelers will capitalize on the youth in the Jets’ offense and take advantage early. Miller is a huge red zone target for Big Ben, which makes him a viable fantasy option at tight end this week.

Charles Clay is worth picking up if he’s not already owned in your league. The Miami Dolphins have a bye week in Week 6 but have been utilizing Clay all season on third down situations and in the red zone, which makes him worth picking up if you need depth at the tight end position.

After losing Dustin Keller for the season due to a preseason knee injury, Clay has stepped in and performed well for the Dolphins. If you’re in a tough spot he’s not a bad start because there is a possibility Tannehill will target him in the red zone. If he’s available, add him to your roster and see how he performs on your bench in the coming weeks before giving him a start.

Sitting at 5-3-3 on the season and first in the America East conference standings, the University of Maine women’s soccer team has had a lot of success this year — success they can largely attribute to starting sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Swant.

Swant’s poised play in net this year for the Black Bears has her giving up on average only .8 goals per game in 10 contests. She has also pitched four shutouts along the way. Her youthful and active presence in goal this season will make her team a threat for the America East conference title.

“The expectations I had for my team have been very accurate,” Swant said.

“I think that the team has improved from last year, and even in the last 10 games we have played. We have to work on our mentality going into our next few games, and set little goals for each individual game to help us complete the challenges ahead of us.”

The challenges ahead of the Black Bears are five conference foes, and their performance in these matchups will make the difference in who is crowned conference champion. The road won’t be easy, but Swant and the Black Bears are ready.

“My goal for the remainder of the season is to take each game, game by game,” Swant said.

“Taking things slow, game by game, will ultimately get us to our biggest goal of winning the America East Championship, which is definitely in our reach.”

The struggle of taking the season game by game and focusing on your team’s capability of winning the conference title begins in the same place as it does for every student athlete: juggling school, sports and free time.

Swant, a psychology student at UMaine, can see the difficulties even as a sophomore.

“I always have a practice or a game to be at or school work to be finished, just a constantly busy schedule,” Swant said.

Being able to balance school and sports was the least of Swant’s worries entering this season. Her performance after coming off of an ACL and meniscus tear that lead to surgery last October was what mattered most to her. What she’s accomplished this year after her eight month long rehab process makes her play this year even more special.

“A lot of people may look at my knee injury as a negative, or a setback, but I look at it as a positive and how it has made me stronger as a player and a person,” Swant said. “For me, not playing for eight months was the longest I had not played soccer my entire life. I couldn’t have missed it more. Every opportunity I had to continue moving forward in the rehabbing process, I made sure I did.”

Through this long and difficult rehab process, Swant has progressed physically and mentally into the star the Black Bears are proud to have for two more seasons.

“Everything I did I made sure I did right; every single rep and every aspect of training properly because I knew one day in the future it would pay off,” Swant said.

Swant also found a transformation in character during the preseason this year, where she made the most of her opportunities and earned the starting role in net for the Black Bears.

“I think that going into preseason and having two-a-day practices pushed me mentally and physically. Having pushed myself through that, taking every practice and every moment playing as an opportunity and a privilege, that’s when I saw myself excel. As I continued to watch myself grow as a player and person, I saw my performance on the field improve because I was a lot more confident with the player I had become.”

“Confidence leads to consistency,” she added. “I think being a consistent player is a strong quality for anyone to have.”

Swant is confident and consistent, and the Black Bears look to ride her success through these last five games in hopes of winning their first America East conference title ever.

The University of Maine women’s soccer team beat Hartford University on Thursday before settling for a 1-1 draw against the University of Vermont Sunday afternoon.

 The Black Bears now sit at 5-3-4 overall, 2-0-1 in America East. UMaine has a home matchup against conference foe University of Massachusetts-Lowell Oct. 10.

 L’Abbe’s late tally propels Black Bears to win over Hartford

UMaine defeated conference rival Hartford University 1-0 Thursday night in West Hartford, Conn. thanks to a brilliant goal by sophomore forward Eve L’Abbe with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

 In the second half, the Black Bears amped up their offensive pressure and were able to take a late lead on L’Abbe’s third goal of the season.

 An initial shot on net was blocked by Hartford freshman netminder Jessica Jurg. L’Abbe controlled the rebound and put it home to give the Black Bears the 1-0 advantage.

 Hartford falls to 6-3-3 overall and 1-1-0 in conference play.

 The first half was rather uneventful for both teams. Hartford outshot UMaine 7-6 in the first 45 minutes, but were unable to sneak one by UMaine sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Swant.

 The Hawks nearly scored late in the first half, but a UMaine defender made a great stop near the goal line to protect the scoreless tie.

 Hartford tried to bring pressure after L’Abbe’s late goal, but the Black Bears were able to hang on for the 1-0 victory.

 The Hawks outshot UMaine 13-12 in the contest, but were unable to score on Swant, who made one save in net for her fourth shutout of the season.

Black Bears draw with Vermont 1-1

UMaine battled to a 1-1 tie in double-overtime against the University of Vermont Catamounts Sunday afternoon in Burlington, Vt. Vermont moves to 4-6-2 overall and 1-1-1 in America East.

 The action began halfway through the first period of play when Catamount freshman defender Meg James passed the ball upfield to freshman forward Nikki McFarland, who managed to chip the ball over the outreaching arms of Swant.

 UMaine had a few chances to tie it up in the first half but their attempts were thwarted by Vermont senior netminder Morgan Nichols. The goal gave Vermont the 1-0 lead heading into intermission.

 UMaine tied the game early in the second half when freshman midfielder Arianne Leclerc crossed the ball to sophomore midfielder Charlene Achille who headed the ball past Nichols to even the score at one.

 Nichols had a solid performance, making six stops in net for the Catamounts on the day.

 Neither team was able to find the twine the rest of the way. Both teams had several opportunities to score in the overtime periods to no avail.

 UMaine outshot Vermont 14-10 overall. Swant put in another solid performance for the Black Bears to move to 5-3-3 overall. Nichols moves to 1-1-1 on the season.

Vermont travels to Maryland to take on the University of Maryland Baltimore-County Retrievers at 7 p.m. Oct. 10.

Last week some players put up a ton of fantasy football points. Hopefully you had those guys on your roster. If not, here are some changes you can make to give your team the edge in your Week 4 matchup.

Start ‘em

San Francisco running back Frank Gore: This beast should go off against a porous St. Louis defense this week. The Rams have a stout front four, but Gore is too big and strong to go down at the first level of the defense. Look for explosive runs by this week, picking up 10- to 15-yard chunks at a time. With a couple of touchdown runs and his rushing yards on the ground, look for Gore to put up a 22-point performance.

Oakland running back Darren McFadden also deserves a start in Week 4. Oakland will be facing a Washington Redskins defense that has been arguably the biggest disappointment thus far in the season. The Redskins have been playing as if they have no game plan on offense or defense. It is scary how bad the Redskins have underperformed so far this season.

McFadden will continue to be the only solid offensive weapon the Raiders have and, coupled with their size up front, is always a big-game threat. Three rushing touchdowns will cap McFadden’s day on his way to 26-point fantasy outburst.

Tampa Bay wideout Vincent Jackson should have a great week as well. He is facing the Arizona Cardinals’ less-than-stellar secondary, and should be open for Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman all afternoon. Jackson will be a deep threat in this game early and often.

The Bucs’ struggling offense should get back in rhythm this game, and Jackson’s efforts at wide receiver will help exponentially. Jackson is Freeman’s favorite weapon, so watch for the former San Diego Charger to be targeted regularly in this game. Jackson will catch a pair of touchdowns, as well as a few 30-yard bombs to pace his fantasy owners to big a day.

Sit ‘em

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson will not likely have a great day against the New York Jets. Although the Jets have struggled thus far, New York head coach Rex Ryan has proven to be a defensive genius in the past, and regardless of what players are on his roster, he will make sure they are in the right place on that side of the ball to make the plays they need to win.

If there is one thing Ryan likes, it’s stopping the run. The Titans are also in a transition period in their offense as they attempt to move to a more balanced attack. It is no longer just the Chris Johnson Show in Tennessee. Johnson’s rushing attempts will be thwarted at the line of scrimmage. I see a Jets victory 18-13, with Johnson only earning eight points on the afternoon.

Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Philadelphia’s losing streak should continue this week when they face what may arguably be the best team in the league in the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have an experienced secondary with the likes of cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Defensive end Robert Ayers will also dampen Philadelphia’s high tempo offense by creating pressure from the edge. Eagles quarterback Mike Vick will be forced to make quick decisions all afternoon because of that pressure, something that’s hampered Vick in the past. Jackson will likely catch only a few balls, maybe one for a touchdown. Regardless, the odds aren’t in Jackson’s favor, and I don’t see him putting up any more than 10 points against Denver’s defense.

Houston Texans wideout Andre Johnson won’t have a successful Week 4 either. He’s coming off a concussion suffered against the Titans in Week 3, not to mention the Texans are facing the best defense in the league in the Seattle Seahawks. Houston QB Matt Schaub will be under constant pressure due to Seattle’s aggressive defensive schemes.

Johnson also may not be at 100 percent from his recent injury, and it may be hard for him to add to his league-leading receiving totals with cornerback Richard Sherman draped all over him. Don’t expect him to surpass 10 fantasy points this week.

Good luck in Week 4.

This shortened NHL season is almost finished, and playoff hockey is almost here.

It seems as if we already know which teams will be playing for the Stanley Cup: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Both teams have been tearing through their respective schedules all season long, but Chicago appears to be the favorite, after their blistering start of 24 straight games without a loss. With only four games left for their season, they still have only tallied five losses.

Their dominance, in both offense and defense, can be seen with a spectacular plus-52 goal differential. Goaltender Corey Crawford has had a breakout season, seemingly acting as a brick wall in net. Crawford has had a lot of help from his forwards, especially the trio of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, who have tallied 59 goals and 67 assists between the three of them.

However, Chicago’s great season thus far doesn’t mean anything about what’s in store for the playoffs. Seeding ultimately means nothing in hockey — last season the Los Angeles Kings won the cup as a No. 8 seed. What’s most important about playoff hockey is who’s hot when the playoffs begin.

Right now, the Washington Capitals are heating up, thanks to the stellar play from their star left wing, Alexander Ovechkin. I look for the Capitals to make a deep run into this year’s playoffs. They are capable of giving the Penguins all they can handle for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The playoffs always seem to be the time of the year we see the best play out of the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask has exceeded all expectations in net this year and has really made Boston a more complete, formidable team in the Eastern Conference. They’ll have to go through — including the No. 5 seed, the winner of Pittsburgh and the No. 8 seed — but in a seven-game series, their depth could be the factor in pulling an upset on a higher seeded opponent.

For the West, assuming that Chicago doesn’t accomplish what is expected of them, I believe the Sharks can make a good run as the No. 5 seed. Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski are all great goal scorers, and they have great a great leader in seasoned veteran Joe Thornton. Goaltender Antti Niemi is one of the best in the business, only giving up an average of 2.10 goals per game.

Ultimately, I believe Chicago will play Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Blackhawks taking home the cup in six games.

A swarm of media attention has developed this past week regarding Mike Rice and his three-year tenure as head coach of the Rutgers men’s college basketball team, largely due to the circulation of a leaked video, via ESPN’s Outside The Lines program, that showed Rice’s use of vulgar language and abusive actions which ultimately led to his firing.

In the video, Rice is seen throwing basketballs at full force towards his players, hitting their bodies and heads; pushing them around; and using profane and homophobic slurs. Repercussions from the video being leaked have ended the careers of Rice, Rutgers’ men’s basketball assistant coach Jimmy Martelli and Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti.

Martelli was also seen in the same video treating players on the team abusively, which earned him the media nickname of  “Mike Rice Jr.” After the scrutiny he received, he resigned. The same action was taken by Pernetti last Friday. Pernetti was also panned due to his knowledge of Rice’s abusive coaching style, handing him only a three-game suspension with a $50,000 fine instead of firing him.

This is an absolute atrocity for college sports.

As seen in the video, Rice’s actions were beyond what is acceptable of a coach at any level. His job is not only to make the men on his team better basketball players, but he is supposed to be a role model to these young men. His behavior only teaches them how to be vulgar and abusive.

Anybody who has played or coached any sport at any level understands the proper conduct between players and coaches. There should be a mutual level of respect between the two. Players should listen, follow instructions and give 100 percent to the team and its cause. The coach should be constructive, teach the players how to grow in their sport, and beyond all, should be trustworthy. It is evident that Rice did not have respect for his players, and it is impossible to think the student athletes he coached at Rutgers could trust him. Even worse than that, there’s no way a player in Rice’s system during his tenure could have felt safe in his presence, on or off the court. His actions in the video are nearly psychotic. The language he uses is worse than a sailor’s. How this man even got a job is beyond my process of thinking.

There are plenty of great coaches out there at the professional, collegiate and high school levels, and Mike Rice gives a bad name to each and every one of them. Because of this fiasco, athletic directors will be on high alert with their sports teams, critical to all coaches and do everything in their power to ensure incidents like this don’t occur at their institution. I wouldn’t be surprised if some athletic directors even went to the extent of giving applicants for coaching positions mental or psychiatric evaluations because of what transpired last week at Rutgers.

People like Mike Rice hurt sports. His actions hurt the morales of humans, especially his former players. A man in his position should never overuse his power, resorting to violence and abuse to mold the minds of collegiate athletes. It’s disgusting. Under no circumstance should a man like this be hired for a coaching position.

In the most recent meeting among NFL owners, decisions were was made to abolish the “tuck rule” and to create a new 15-yard penalty for ball carriers and tacklers who initiate contact with the crown of their helmet outside of the tackle box.

The “tuck rule,” known to some as the Tom Brady rule, states that a pass will be ruled incomplete — not a fumble — if a quarterback’s arm was moving forward as the ball was being hit out of his hand. The connection to Tom Brady stems from the 2001 AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. Because of the tuck rule, a Brady fumble was overturned to an incomplete pass, since Brady’s arm was moving forward when the ball was being hit out of his hands from behind by Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson. This ruling ultimately helped the Patriots beat the Raiders and eventually the St. Louis Rams in Superbowl XXXVI.

Of the 32 owners voting, 31 voted to rid the NFL of the tuck rule. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney voted to keep the tuck rule, stating he liked the way the rule was previously officiated.

Appealing to player safety — a new trend among NFL owners involving rule changes — ball carriers and defenders are no longer allowed to create contact using the crown of their helmet. This means they cannot lower their heads to hit anyone with the top of their helmet. Owners view their players as investments and feel that using the top of a helmet as a way to tackle or break a tackle is dangerous, leading to the potential for causing serious injury to themselves or another player.

This rule change has been very controversial.

Current Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte and former running back for the St. Louis Rams Marshall Faulk have publicly opposed this rule change, saying it’s more dangerous for ball carriers to run with their heads up, as opposed to having their heads down. They also argue that not allowing a runner to lower his pad level and helmet disables him from breaking tackles and running through defenders.

Although there is a massive player opposition to the rule change, 31 of the 32 NFL owners voted to make this change. Only the Cincinnati Bengals owner, Michael Brown, voted against it.

With the intention of making the game of football more safe at the professional level, owners voting on these rule changes are making the game less appealing to watch as a spectator. Kickoffs have almost been taken out of the game completely — an aspect of the game that appeals to spectators for its hard hits and blocks by special team players. During the same season, a rule was implemented which states that defenders can no longer hit a receiver who was considered defenseless.

The reason why the NFL is so popular today among Americans is its physicality. Spectators love seeing two grown men, a running back and a linebacker, collide in an attempt to lay out the other. They love seeing quarterbacks crushed into the turf by a defensive end. They love seeing wide receivers get hit by a cutting safety the second he touches the ball.

Rule changes made by owners are hurting the NFL. I predict years from now, football will no longer be the most popular sport in America.