Bye Week Replacements - Week 8

With Chicago, Denver, Minnesota and Green Bay out of action this week, there are a lot of roster holes to be filled. It's Friday and if you're struggling, here are a few largely unowned (according to Yahoo! statistics) players at each offensive position:

QB

• J.T. O'Sullivan - San Francisco - 49% owned: I've picked on the Seattle D the past few weeks. But then again, so have opposing quarterbacks. Look for JTO to drop a couple bombs against a sorry looking Seahawks secondary.
  
• Kerry Collins - Tennessee - 15% owned: Despite being 6-0, owners aren't showing Collins much love. And while you don't want a guy of this vintage as your starting QB every week, this week's matchup against the highly inconsistent Colts makes him a good desperation play if more appealing options like JTO and Matt Cassel have been claimed.

RB

• BenJarvus Green-Ellis - New England - 11% owned: Do I like Green-Ellis's running style? No. Did he look effective in the second half against Denver last weekend? Not really. Why is he here? Because you aren't going to find a less frequently owned starter anywhere else this week. The man of too many names will likely cede third down and receiving snaps to Kevin Faulk, but will still get enough of a workload to fill in for a bye week.
  
• Mewelde Moore - Pittsburgh - 49% owned: With the return of Willie Parker imminent, many of the folks who benefited from Moore's fantasy fiesta last week returned him to the scrap heap. That may have been premature. Parker was returned to Pittsburgh's injury report on Thursday. And even if this is a precautionary measure, Moore played so well last weekend, he will likely steal carries from a healthy Parker.

WR

• Kevin Curtis - Philadelphia - 57% owned: Due to Reggie Brown's ongoing injury issues, this week the Eagles name Curtis and DeSean Jackson as their starting wideouts. The market has been slow to react and the chances Curtis is available in your league is slightly less than 50/50. McNabb has been throwing well this season and if Curtis stays healthy, he may be a permanent add.
  
• Donnie Avery - St. Louis - 17% owned: Apparently a lot of owners missed Avery's coming out party against the Cowboys last week. Apart from his terrible end zone dance moves, everything else Avery did suggests he will be a major part of the resurgent Rams' offense. Avery is another guy that may be a permanent add if his production remains solid.
• HEADS UP PLAY. Steve Breaston - Arizona - 51% owned: A lot of owners have dropped Breaston on word of Anquan Boldin's return. But given Boldin's very recent receipt of medical clearance, and the extent of the injury (required 8 facial plates and having his jaw wired), he will likely be a game-time decision this week. If Q is out, look for Breaston to have another solid outing.
  

TE

• John Carlson - Seattle - 46% owned: After being completely left out of the game plan in week 5, the Seahawks have been conscientious about getting Carlson the ball. And with Matt Hasselbeck out, Carlson is proving to be a favorite checkdown and short yardage option for struggling backups.
• Zach Miller - Oakland - 38% owned: At Baltimore this week, Jamarcus Russell likely won't have many big play opportunities. Look for him to focus the passing game on the slot and to key on Miller for short gains.

K

• Ok, my bad on the Carney call last week. Tynes wasn't ready to come back and shoulder the load of the 6-10 plays per game his talents are actually required.
  
• You got an apology for Carney, but you're still not getting a kicker recommendation. Anyone with an "FA" indicator next to their name will suffice.

D/ST

• New York Jets - 67% owned: I realize that 2/3 of leagues have already wised up to the fact that anybody playing Kansas City is the matchup of the week. However, I'm still throwing it out there in the event you'r in the 1/3 of leagues where this creampuff is still available.
• Buffalo - 33% owned: If last weekend's game at Baltimore is any indicator, opposing D's have figured out Miami's Wildcat offense. So long as Buffalo operates on the continuation of that theme, they could completely shut down the Dolphins.
  

Cleveland: We Do Our Best to Be The Worst

ESPN.com reported this evening that the Cleveland Browns have decided to suspend TE Kellen Winslow for one game following his harsh remarks about the way the team, and GM Phil Savage in particular, handled his recent hospitalization for a staph infection.

I'm not going to speculate about how this may be the most fascist management call of the 2008 season. But I am going to suggest that this may be the most boneheaded management call of the 2008 season. Despite the offensive explosion the Browns demonstrated against the Giants, they have since returned to their previously sub-par play. And now at 2-4, Cleveland needs to rediscover that explosive element immediately, or their promising season may be lost.

So if the goal is getting back to .500, why would you bench a guy like Winslow for anything short of a felony? The Browns have made it clear that Phil Savage's vanity is more important to them than fielding the best possible team. Fans and fantasy owners alike should take note.

Week 7 - Early Game Wrapup

Notes and observations from today's early games:

• The Cowboys are in TROUBLE - You can try and pin today's 34-7 beatdown at the hands of the Rams on Brad Johnson, but this losing effort belongs to the entire team. Getting Romo back may help things, but the magic has officially worn off in Big D.
• Steven Jackson put an exclamation point on his comeback when he ran for 160 yards and three scores today. Jackson has been improving rapidly over the past three outings and unless you need to replace your entire roster to try and make the playoffs, you don't sell him at any price.
• Buffalo is the real deal? With Trent Edwards back under center, everybody did their job against the increasingly slow looking Chargers today. Edwards was good for 261 yds passing and a TD strike to Lee Evans. Marshawn Lynch had 92 YFS and a score. If you're a worried owner with a lot of Cowboys, the Bills skill players may be good trade targets.
• Paging Dr. Drew. Has anyone seen Drew Brees? The #1 statistical QB in the NFL didn't show up for today's game against the hot and cold Panthers. The imposter in the Brees jersey put up 231 yards, a pick and no TD's. This is the kind of line that isn't too bad if the running game is clicking. It was not. Aside from Brees owners, the real victims today were all those folks who started Marques Colston, expecting an immediate fantasy payoff after holding him on the bench for the past six weeks. They were sorely disappointed when Colston did not have a single reception.
• Carolina was rolling this week, so expect them to lay down and get destroyed by Arizona next weekend. Williams and Stewart ended with nearly identical lines and both had a score. So it looks as though both players will be serviceable RB2 or flex options down the stretch. Steve Smith's performance (122 yds and a TD) was yet another reason he's the only Carolina receiver I want to own.
  
• Tennesee is living large. And I'm not just talking about Lendale White. The quietly unbeaten Titans racked up 332 rushing yards today against the lowly Chiefs. Both White and Chris Johnson are worthy acquisitions if you're trying to improve your RB depth. Side note from this game: Brodie Croyle went down with a knee injury that is likly season ending. Raise your hand if this seriously affects your fantasy situation. Nobody?
• Minnesota at Chicago. Who saw that one turning into a fantasy feast? AP had his first truly Petersonian game of the season with 121 yards rushing, 2 scores and no fumbles. Kyle Orton continues to look more and more like a real starting quarterback. If you're in QB trouble and Orton is available, pick him up. On the other side of the ball, Gus Frerotte would have had a veyr nice day (295 yds passing and 2 TD's) if weren't for the 4, count'em, 4 interceptions. Frerotte is definitely an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson for the Vikings, but it's unlikely he's an upgrade over whoever you're starting now for fantasy purposes.
  
• I, like a lot of people, thought the Giants would come back from last week's embarassing loss to the Browns by laying the smack down on the 49'ers. So it was surprising when the 49'ers hung tough and kept the game competitive. I'm not suggesting that the Giants are in trouble the same way Dallas is in trouble, but their initial run of dominance may be over.
• If you picked up Mewelde Moore as a bye week plugin, yeah, I called that one. 134 YFS and 3 scores made Moore one of the most valuable RB's of the weekend (and the afternoon games are just getting underway). And Roethlisberger made his whole receiving corps look good while thrashing the Bengals. But Santonio Holmes' continuing lack of TD production is troubling.
  

Fantasy QB Controversy

Aaron Rodgers is a one of the top two scoring fantasy QB's in most leagues. He has played through the pain of a sprained shoulder and put up some decent stats. Rodgers has been my starter since week 3. Why not weeks 1 and 2? Because my designated starter coming into the season was Matt Schaub. The same Matt Schaub who tossed up three interceptions, zero TD's and a whopping 188 yards in week two. After that game, the rapidly improving Rodgers looked like the safe play.

But, now, 4 weeks later, a dilemma arises. Through some creative waiver management, I've been able to reacquire Schaub in my money league. And after two games with decent stats, the return to fantasy dominance of Andre Johnson and the emergence of Steve Slaton as a talented starter, Schaub now has one of the juiciest matchups of the season against the toothless Lions D.

So here's the question: Do I play Rodgers at Indy, knowing he may get shut down by a resurgent Indy D? Or do I go with Schaub despite the many times (this season and last) he's let me down in the past? I've seen how effective Detroit can be at making mediocre offenses look explosive, so right now I'm leaning towards Schaub. But I won't make a final decision until game time Sunday. Comments are welcome.

Bye Week Replacements - Week 7

If you're sticking around long enough to read any of the following, go ahead and post a comment. Tell me I'm right, tell me I'm an idiot, doesn't matter. Just let me know you're reading. I got a lot of local love and hate for my week 6 replacement recommendations, so here we go again...

(percentage owned based on Yahoo! statistics)

QB

• Brad Johnson - Dallas - 33% owned: Recent news out of Dallas suggests that following a pep talk from Brett Favre, Tony Romo has told head coach Wade Phillips he is prepared to play this weekend. Even with a broken pinkie finger. However, the same reason Wade Phillips probably won't play Romo is the same reason this week is Brad Johnson's best bet for a productive outing: The Cowboys are playing St. Louis. This user friendly defense pulled off an upset over Washington last week, but don't expect the trend to continue. Provided Romo doesn't force his way onto the field, Johnson's access to the Cowboy's formidable receiving corps makes him a great bye week plug-in.
• Jeff Garcia - Tampa Bay - 24% owned: In week 7, Garcia and the Bucs face a Seattle team devastated by injury and reeling from consecutive beat-downs by the Giants and Packers. Tampa's offense has been surprisingly productive this season and Seattle is starting to look like a great defensive matchup for any quarterback with a pulse (this of course excludes Brodie Croyle).
  

RB

• Dominic Rhodes - Indianapolis - 30% owned: As of writing this entry, most leagues have not yet been clued in to the fact that Joseph Addai (hamstring) will definitely be out this week, and possibly through week 11. Rhodes had a productive outing in relief of Addai last week. And with the passing game starting to click in Indy, increased pressure in opposing secondaries should open holes for the ground game. If you're in need of RB help this week, check RIGHT NOW to see if Addai is still available. I'll wait.
• Mewelde Moore - Pittsburgh - 16% owned: Late breaking news out of Pittsburgh suggests Willie Parker may have experienced a serious setback to his knee injury after stepping in a hole during Monday's practice. If this situation prevents Parker from taking the field, a rested Moore will get the chance to carve up the winless Bengals this weekend.

WR

• Devin Hester - Chicago - 46% owned: Hester will likely start this week in place of the injured Brandon Lloyd. And against a tough Minnesota run D, Kyle Orton will look to air it out frequently. Hester's receiving numbers have improved throughout the season, and the twitchy-fast return specialist is beginning to look like a legitimate WR. Wideout talent is at a premium this season, so Hester may be the most attractive available option for bye week purposes.
• Lance Moore - New Orleans - 52% owned: With the highly anticipated return of Marques Colston this week, many owners are abandoning their Saints wideouts. But in his first week back from thumb surgery, Colston is going to need help (if he's at all effective). Moore had a great outing last week against the Raiders, leading the team with 97 yards receiving. He will likely start opposite Colston and has the chance to outshine his counterpart this week.

TE

• Jeremy Shockey - New Orleans - 65% owned: Still available in over a third of leagues, Shockey may return to action against Carolina this weekend. If he does plan to start, grab him and play him in place of your bye week absence.
• I'm only recommending one TE this week, because if you're starting any of the TE's on a bye this week (except for maybe L.J. Smith) you're probably better off just leaving a hole in your lineup.

K

• What did we learn last week? Any old kicker will do. Except John Carney. The Giants will release him this week to start a healthy Lawrence Tynes. Look for Carney in a Saints uni shortly.

D/ST

• Miami - 19% owned: Miami's much improved defense has a nice matchup this weekend against a Baltimore O lacking in explosive firepower.
• Houston - 18% owned: With a resurgent offense, Houston's D may get a chance to rest for a few minutes this week. That should enhance their performance against the Detroit Kittens.
  

Bye Week Replacements - Week 6

Week six seems to be especially punishing in terms of bye week roster holes. If you're still scrambling for a bye week fill in, here are several largely unowned (based on Yahoo! statistics) options at each position to get you through the weekend:


QB

• Kyle Orton - Chicago: Not only is Orton beginning to look like a legit starter, but his consistency has been pretty amazing. With Forte's emergence creating a balanced offense, Orton has racked up 1100 passing yards and 7 TD's on the season. And he has the potential for another stat-boosting outing in Atlanta. Even on Saturday, he's only 54% owned.
• Matt Schaub - Houston: Schaub's breakout game came in week 4, when he threw for 307 yards, 3 TD's and no picks. But due to the illness that prevented him from playing in week five, he was dropped from a lot of rosters. Since Sage Rosenfels managed to win the starting job in quarters 1-3 of last week's game and then lost it in the 4th, owners have been slow to reacquire Schaub. This weekend he's facing a Miami D that has been effective against the run, but is also giving up long pass plays. Schaub is 55% owned.

RB

• Correll Buckhalter - Philadelphia: Andy Reid's decision to hold Brian Westbrook out Sunday's game against the 49'ers presents a great opportunity for owners strapped at RB in week 6. Buckhalter has been very effective in relief of Westbrook and is a better option than just about any timeshare RB available this week.
• Tim Hightower - Arizona: When the best you can hope to get out of a last minute replacement are some goal line carries and maybe a TD, Hightower is your man. The Arizona red zone specialist has had five touchdowns in his first five games and is 39% owned.
• Chis Perry - Cincinnati: CAUTION, Perry is a risky play this week. However, he is a generally unpopular option after fumbling away a win for the Bengals last weekend, and may be available in leagues where owners were astute enough to grab Buckhalter and Hightower. Because Fitzgerald is in for Palmer this week, expect the passing game to struggle. If the Bengals are going to make anything happen on offense, they're going to lean heavily on Perry.

WR

• Kevin Curtis - Philadelphia: With Reggie Brown out for the week, Curtis's return from a hernia offers some promise. We have yet to see how effective Curtis will be coming off a serious injury, but there aren't a lot of better starting options available.
• Antwaan Randle El - Washington: One thing the Rams are very good at is making opposing receivers look like Randy Moss (circa November 2007). Randle El is 42% owned and is a strong candidate for a monster game against one of the worst secondaries in the league.

TE

• Donald Lee - Green Bay: Did anybody watch the whole Giants at Seattle game last week? Eli Manning was making it rain (completions, not Pacman style). Expect Aaron Rodgers to do the same thing this week. Donald Lee should be one of the beneficiaries.
• L.J. Smith - Philadelphia: OK, so I'm high on Philly position players as fill-ins this week. Smith is playing despite a sore back. But with the iffy receiving corps available to Donovan McNabb this week, L.J. might still be a weapon of choice. He's 37% owned.

K

• Just pick one, ok? They're all pretty much the same.

D/ST

• Washington: Play the matchups. And this week, Washington has a great matchup against a sorry St. Louis offense. At only 37% owned, Washington is a steal if you want to hold Tennesee or Pittsburgh through the bye week.
• New York Jets: With the recent news that Carson Palmer will sit out the week six contest against the Jets, this matchup suddenly becomes very appealing for defensive purposes. At only 34% owned, the Jets are the most widely available D with a favorable matchup.
  

Rookie Roll Call

It's common knowledge in the NFL that the only rookie players to consistently make an impact are running backs. While rookie QB's Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco have shown tremendous promise, this year seems to be no exception. The '08 crop of rookie running backs is making a lot of noise. Below are some thoughts about the performance of the ten highest scoring (Yahoo! standard settings) rookie RB's so far this year:

• #1 - Matt Forte - Chicago: Hanging out just outside the top five overall RB's, Forte broke out in week 1 against Indy and has been developing into a solid RB1 ever since. Forte's recent sub-par outing at Detroit says less about his talent and more about the fact that Chicago was able to exploit the Lions' secondary to maximum effect. When not matched up against cupcake passing D's, expect to see Forte continue to get around 23 carries per game.
  
• #2 - Chris Johnson - Tennessee: With 381 rushing yards, the only thing Johnson is missing at this point is the goal line. Goal line carries for the Titans still reside with The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Lendale White. However, White's recent injury troubles suggest Johnson may start stealing an even greater percentage of the workload. Although Johnson had a rough game last week against the Ravens stingy run D, look for him to bounce back with a monster outing in Kansas City after Chicago's week 6 bye.
• #3 - Steve Slaton - Houston: On an 0-4 Texans squad, Slaton is shaping up to be the lone bright spot this year. He quickly replaced Ahman Green in the starting role and has put up 100+ YFS in the past three contests. Even with Green back from injury on Sunday, Slaton still looked dominant, netting 93 yards on the ground and two scores. The Houston passing game has shown signs of the life the past two weeks. Having a legitimate pass threat, could open up additional holes for Slaton as the season rolls on.
• #4 - Felix Jones - Dallas: In week 4, Jones failed to touch the ball once, and the Cowboys lost at home to the Redskins. In week 5, Jones was handed the ball 9 times and reeled off 96 yards and a score. The Cowboys already have a RB beast in Marion Barber. But Jones is a speedy outside runner with enormous potential. Expect to see him get 5-10 carries per game going forward, plus return duties. Jones's workload may not cement him as an RB1 or even an RB2 this season. But if you're looking for a great flex play or bye week fill-in, Jones fits.
• #5 - Jonathon Stewart - Carolina: Stewart is quickly emerging as the MJD to DeAngelo Williams' Fred Taylor. Williams' starter status and week 5 explosion notwithstanding, Stewart has managed to look like the more attractive of the two backs with 269 yds on the ground and 4 scores to his credit. The 329 return yards also haven't hurt. Stewart's bowling ball build and running style and his fairly even share in the Carolina committee make him a solid RB2. He has RB1 potential, but not until he clearly surpasses Williams as the starter (which may or may not happen this season).
• #6 - Tim Hightower - Arizona: The heir apparent to Edgerrin James, Hightower has already been a fairly productive fantasy RB even in the backup role. Although he only has 11o yds on the ground, most of those yards have been gained on goal line plunges that have netted five TD's in five games. It's clear that Edge is past his prime and you hate to see Hightower sitting unowned while he racks up touchdowns. But he's still a risky play until his carries per game start getting into double digits on a consistent basis.
• #7 - Darren McFadden - Oakland: Anointed in the pre-season as this year's Adrian Peterson, McFadden has been something of a letdown through the Raiders' first four games. Netting 272 yds and only 1 score, McFadden has been plagued by injury and an inability to shake competition from Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. Provided McFadden loses the boot soon and gets healthy, he still has potential to finish the season as a good RB2 or flex play. But for now, you're not starting him and if you jumped early to draft him, well, I hope you're in a keeper league.
• #8 - Kevin Smith - Detroit: Kevin Smith has definitely had the most drama of any of these rookies in his first year of NFL play. Late in training camp, it appeared Smith had completely snatched the starting job from Tatum Bell. Them the Bengals fired Rudi Johnson and all hell broke loose. Detroit hired Rudi and cut Bell. Bell stole Rudi's duffel bag. Smith kept the starting gig, then it looked like Rudi had taken it away. Smith starts anyway and has the better game against Chicago. You get all that? It's starting to look as though nothing is going to go Detroit's way this season, but if you really want to invest in their RB corps, it appears Kevin Smith is still the man to buy.
• #9 - Mike Tolbert - San Diego: The #3 RB behind LT and Darren Sproles, Tolbert has been used primarily as a receiver this year. If you're in a league deep enough to care about this guy, it's time to find another league
• #10 - Jamaal Charles - Kansas City: With LJ getting on in years, and having just dropped a 2 yard stinkbomb against Carolina, his current backups are just waiting for the infirm alpha to weaken further and they will drive him from his territory and subjugate his progeny. Right now it appears Charles has supplanted Kolby Smith as the #1 backup. But since it looks like Herm Edwards has changed his coaching philosophy from "we play to win the game" to "we play for a high draft pick" you probably don't want any Chiefs you didn't already draft.
  

Turf LT and his Toe

After another very un-Tomlinson performance this weekend featuring a goal line stuff by the Miami D, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported LT's turf toe injury was aggravated in the course of Sunday's game. CBS fantasy expert Jamey Eisenberg posted this article yesterday, extolling LT's virtues and imploring owners to stick with him. But I'm not buying it. I think LT is in trouble and if you own him, you need to deal now. Right this second LT is a big name coming off a poor game. But if his toe limits his playing time next week, or he drops another stinker, that injury-case label is going to hurt his trade value. This week, you can probably get a twofer. But if things go south in the coming weeks, you may have to add a sweetener to unload him in a bye-week reorg.