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.