There is a lot of luck in fantasy football. Thankfully, the bloated bye weeks are here to separate the men from the boys.
With a different six teams taking the week off, the talent pool is sapped. Owners that built deep benches will be rewarded, while those that haven’t been grinding will be punished.
If you’ve been slacking, it’s not too late to get your bench in shape. In fact, there are even some guys out there that can help you right now — also known as “plug-n-plays”:
Sir Isaac Redman
As NFL teams enter the heart of the season, it often becomes a battle of attrition. Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring) and Mewelde Moore are both likely to miss Sunday’s game against the Titans, leaving annual camp darling Isaac Redman as a potential workhorse. Any back looking at 20-25 touches is worth a play during the bye weeks, even third-stringers.
Cruz past Mario?
Mario Manningham was demoted in the middle of last week’s win over the Cardinals. No one knows if that will stick, but the worst-case scenario for Victor Cruz is that he gets a bump in snaps as the No. 3 wideout. The best-case scenario is Cruz lines up across from Hakeem Nicks full-time, pushing Manningham into the slot.
Down goes Andre
The Texans are a run-first team now behind their dominating offensive line, but someone has to catch the ball. With Andre Johnson (hamstring) out at least two weeks, the talented yet inconsistent Jacoby Jones is getting his chance. Jones averaged 5.0 catches for 92.5 yards in the final two weeks last year when Johnson sat out.
NFL stock watch
Need to turn your season around? Sell high on these guys:
1. Frank Gore, RB, SF — Don’t buy into Gore’s breakout. The Eagles’ run defense is anemic, Gore is a shell of himself and Kendall Hunter is coming on strong.
2. LeGarrette Blount, RB, TB — Blount ran over the Colts on Monday night, but falls out of the game plan too often.
3. Ryan?Fitzpatrick, QB, BUF — Fitzpatrick is an annual fast starter whose poor arm strength gets eaten up by Buffalo’s weather late in the year.
