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The WR Patriots Julian Edelman is about to play his first game in two years.(Photo: Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports)
The conclusion of the first quarter of an NFL season coincides with an influx of talent in the ranks of the league. Why? Because the fifth game usually marks the end of a litany of suspensions.
Here is a ranking of 10 returning players that could make the biggest difference in the future:
10. Chargers DT Corey Liuget (4 games / performance enhancing drugs): It's been several years since he's a disrupter, and Liuget also returns from a foot operation suffered during a season. But he can play a lot of cliches and should improve the Bolts' inner line, where Darius Philon needs help.
9. RB Robert Turbin Colts (4 games / PED): He only managed 1334 yards and 3.8 assists in six seasons. However, Indianapolis would like this type of production, his attack allowing only to lose 3.6 yards in the race, he has the fourth worst league match in the league and asked Andrew Luck to launch 62 career passes in the defeat of Sunday in overtime.
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8. Giants DL Josh Mauro (4 games / PED): This is not a big name, but he brings his experience (24 starts) to the system of the new coordinator James Bettcher since they spent together in Arizona. As Alvin Kamara showed on Sunday, New York could certainly use Mauro to strengthen the defense of the race.
7. Cowboys DL David Irving (4 games / substance abuse): He is not reliable off the field, missing the first four games of 2017 for violation of the PED. But Irving is a force between the lines, collecting 10 sacks in his last 11 games in the regular season. With opponents ready to stop Demarcus Lawrence (5½ NFL bags) and a third-ranked Dallas pass with 14 sacks, Irving could feast right away when he's right personally.
6. LB Thomas Davis Panthers (4 games / PED): Caroline has just left her leave, so she has another week left. The man of the year 2014 with Walter Payton, Davis' suspension was one of the offseason knockouts. Shaq Thompson, who is expected to continue to play extensively (especially in the bases), has managed to keep the fort alongside MLB star Luke Kuechly. But even at age 35, Davis, a Pro Bowler of the past three seasons, should give a boost to the defense.
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5. Ravens CB Jimmy Smith (4 games / personal behavior): The rich get rich as Baltimore's second ranked defense brings back a stellar corner. CB Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey and Tavon Young played very well, but Smith is the best of the pack and goes one step further.
5. Saints RB Mark Ingram (4 games / PED): He is due to join Kamara a year after the Pro Bowl duo became the first teammates to beat the 1,500 yards of the scrum in the same season. It might seem complicated given that Kamara leads the NFL with 611 yards in the scrum after taking over as a starter for an offense that now beats in a run of three consecutive wins. But Ingram and he proved that they could perfectly coexist and serve interchangeably, even though Kamara tended to inflict most of his damage as a receiver, while Ingram usually got most of the losses. Attending four matches could serve Ingram well with his cool legs, especially since he should be a free agent in 2019.
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3. Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict (4 games / PED): Forrest Gump could have said, "Life is like Vontaze Burfict – you never know what you are going to get." This is the third consecutive season that Burfict started with a suspension (the others were for a collection of illegal hits). When he is on the field, his mental and physical abilities translate into the Pro Bowl's ability … but all too often, he fails to reach this threshold because he is prone to losing his temper. Cincinnati is 3-1, but his defense has steadily deteriorated, Sunday revealed in Atlanta a pike in a thriller 37-36 that the Bengals had the chance to win. They need Burfict and have to hope he keeps himself from them if they want to keep what seems like a playoff run.
2. Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston (3 games / personal behavior): He came back on Sunday, replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick at halftime in the brutal Los Angeles 48-8 loss to Chicago. Little surprise, Winston was a mixed bag while inheriting a deficit of 35 points. He completed 16 of 20 passes and brought Tampa Bay back to the end zone, but was also eliminated twice.
He has the week of rest to get his bearings before embarking on a sequence that could determine the season of this club as well as Winston's future. After winning two early defeats thanks to Fitzpatrick's spectacular play (Bucs fans will no doubt claim more from Fitzmagic if Winston falters), the team has regressed to .500 and will play three of its next four clashes against formidable opponents (Atlanta , Cincinnati, Carolina) during the Browns' takeover in Week 7. Winston is the only quarterback of the Bucs under contract in 2019. But he's not showing a more stable approach on and off the field, the # 39; team could decide to cancel the fifth year option the sound rookie agreement. High stakes on the high seas indeed.
1. Patriots WR Julian Edelman (4 games / PED): New England started 2-2 in the past two seasons and Edelman was out each time (a pre-season tethered ACL ended his 2017 campaign prematurely). He played his last match in the Super Bowl LI against Atlanta. The Patriots came back to life Sunday, sending the Dolphins to the front row 38-7. However, the hasty attack resulted in an offense in 22nd place in the final standings and 23rd overall. Tom Brady has not amassed more than 300 yards in a game this season, and most of his targets are of the lower variety, with 53 of his 87 finishes scored at the back and ends tight. Edelman will likely continue this trend as he usually occupies the position. Expect Brady's most trusted target to keep channels moving while creating space for Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Josh Gordon, and Co. And Edelman's return could come at a perfect time with Gronk's status for Thursday due to an ankle problem.
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Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis
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