Now the fantasy fun begins. With week four of the NFL comes the beginning of bye-weeks. This is when fantasy football championships are won. Maybe you’ll get lucky, and the guy you play forgets that Kurt Warner and Michael Turner are sitting at home just like him this Sunday. But, please, don’t be that guy.
It’s time to show how smart your late-round draft picks were. It’s time to scour the waiver wire. These are the weeks that get you to the championship. Now, here are some guys I’m high on and a few more I’m low on with a bye-week flair. Don’t forget the Falcons, Eagles, Cardinals and Panthers are all on bye this week.
Jason Campbell QB/WAS – He’s still in available in a ton of leagues, and lost amongst the embarrassing loss to the Lions last week is the fact that Campbell actually had a really good day fantasy wise. He’s no every-week starter; but if you need a fill-in this week, Campbell is playing the Buccaneers and their 30th ranked defense. That’s a good thing.
Glen Coffee RB/SF – Frank Gore is out with an injury, and Coffee steps in as the starter against one of the few teams worse than the Bucs-The St. Louis Rams. The 49ers run like there is no tomorrow, and Coffee will be the feature back against a forgettable Rams defensive line. Drink the Coffee now while you still can.
Kevin Walter WR/HOU – When teams play the Raiders, one thing almost always happens: Their No. 1 receiver gets shut down by Nnamdi Asomugha. The result is the team’s No. 2 receiver has a huge day. I expect Steve Slaton to have a big day, too, but Walter will get plenty of looks in the pass-first Texan offense.
David Garrard QB/JAC – The list of QB’s who tear apart the Titan secondary is growing. Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Schaub and Mark Sanchez have all done it. David Garrard will be the next one on the list. Pass defense is a serious problem for the Titans.
Julius Jones RB/SEA – You can’t pass on the Colts. Plus, Matt Hasselbeck is still out for the Seahawks. However, you can run on the Colts all day. Put Julius Jones in your fantasy lineup. He will get tons of touches with Seneca Wallace at the helm, and the Colts won’t be able to stop him.
Andre Johnson WR/HOU – As mentioned above, the “Curse of Nnamdi” will strike again. The Texans have way too many weapons in that offense, and the rest of the Oakland defense is pretty rough. Johnson won’t be happy, but Schaub likely won’t be sending many balls his way.
Philip Rivers QB/SD – I can’t honestly say I have a statistical reason to back this up, but I don’t think he will have a good day against the Steelers. Pittsburgh, in case you haven’t been tracking, has actually been very susceptible to the pass this year. But, at 1-2, I think the Steelers are way too dangerous. I expect Mike Tomlin to light a fire underneath this defense and have the Charger offense shut down from the get-go.
All Your Chiefs – Against the Giants last Sunday, the Bucs finished with 86 yards of total offense. 86! In the NFL! You can’t give the Giants all the credit for that as the Bucs looked horrible, but Tampa’s offense actually looked pretty good before Eli and company came to town. The Chiefs’ offense is not that much better than Tampa’s. I expect more than 86 yards, of course, but nothing that would warrant any Chief a spot on your team.
A few more guys I’m high on: Derrick Ward, Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Randy Moss, Kerry Collins, Matt Forte, Thomas Jones and Tashard Choice.
And a few more I’m low on: Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden, Ronnie Brown, Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.