Giants' Bradshaw hits his stride

• Ahmad Bradshaw shows his old form as a No. 1 back in fantasy
• Wes Welker, Tony Gonzalez reel in 13 receptions
• Andrew Luck, Brandon Weeden have surprisingly strong days

Week 5's contests began slowly with several low-scoring affairs, until several second-half offensive outbursts benefited fantasy football enthusiasts.

Less-heralded quarterbacks came through for fantasy owners that were in a bye-week pinch, with San Francisco 49ers passer Alex Smith chucking 303 yards worth and connecting on a triplet of scoring tosses. Some guy named Andrew Luck led the Indianapolis Colts to an unexpected victory on the way to making fantasy owners rejoice. The No. 1 overall pick of April's draft threw for 362 yards and accounted for three total scores in what was an aerial slugfest at Lucas Oil Stadium. Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden even notched 291 yards and a pair of scores.

The New York Giants' running game was alive and well against the Browns, who caught the G-Men off-guard by opening with 14 unanswered points before New York settled down. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw ripped off 200 yards on the ground, scored once and chipped in 29 yards on four grabs through the air ... not a bad effort considering he came into the game with just a 133 rushing yards on the year.

With a series of touches in between Bradshaw's gashing of the Cleveland defense, rookie running back David Wilson earned more playing time after stepping up on special teams. Despite only two carries, he posted career numbers following a 40-yard touchdown jaunt. Week 3 darling, Andre Brown, may lose any meaningful role in the offense with Wilson's performance and the team's lack of confidence in the burly rusher's ability in pass protection.

All of that ground game was accentuated by three Victor Cruz's touchdown receptions from quarterback Eli Manning on a day in which Hakeem Nicks (knee) and Ramses Barden (concussion) were both inactive.

Several wide receivers produced for fantasy owners that play in point-per-reception leagues. Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez and wideout Julio Jones both recorded double-digit reception totals. Gonzo's 13 grabs tied a Week 5 best, going for 123 yards and a touchdown, while Jones authored a 10-94-1 line to rebound from a Week 4 stinker.

Cleveland's Jordan Norwood was targeted 10 times a week ago but was able to snag just four passes. He was heavily involved once again as the Browns tried to make a comeback against the Giants by snaring nine passes for a modest 81 yards -- PPR gold for savvy owners brave enough to play him in their flex spot.

Speaking of reception machines, New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker enjoyed one more week of an Aaron Hernandez-less passing game, registering 13 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown grab. That could change once the dynamic tight end is back on the field.

Another star receiver enjoyed a big day when Reggie Wayne lit up a maligned Green Bay Packers secondary for 13 receptions, 212 yards and a score. That was the second most receiving yards in Colts history, behind Hall of Famer Raymond Berry.

If you're starting to sense a theme here, many stud receivers came through for their fantasy owners. Brandon Marshall's 12-144-1 line should have you drooling over thoughts of what is ahead for the enigmatic WR1.

A few pass-catchers managed respectable fantasy totals in Week 5 action simply by producing one or two big plays.

Veteran Washington Redskins wideout Santana Moss hauled in a 77-yard scoring strike from rookie backup quarterback Kirk Cousins after Robert Griffin III (undisclosed) fell to injury.

The aforementioned Norwood wasn't the only Browns receiver to make brave fantasy owners smile, as rookie Josh Gordon caught two passes that were both good for scores.

In the same vein -- trying to make up for an injured receiving mate Greg Jennings -- the Packers' James Jones found the end zone twice on just four nabs, rewarding fantasy owners with four TD catches in the last two weeks.

Cory Bonini writes for KFFL.com, a USA TODAY Sports Media Group affiliate