"In A Pinch" for Week 6

I've decided one of my weekly columns will be titled, "In a Pinch," which refers to players that may or may not be available in your league at this point, but are worth a look for a bye week fill in.  Some of these players may even be worth a pickup for the rest of the season, dependent upon how your roster looks. 

So enjoy!

QBs

I imagine most of you already have a backup QB on your roster, but if you don’t there are 3 guys you could target:

Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers):  Sure, the Niners fans were booing Alex Smith relentlessly and shouting “We want Carr,” during the Sunday night game against Philadelphia in week 5, but overall, Smith didn’t have a terrible day fantasy wise.  He threw for 309 yards with 3 touchdowns,  the downside of course being that he threw 2 interceptions and lost one fumble that was returned for a touchdown, but don’t let the turnovers deter you.  Facing an Oakland Raiders defense that is ranked 23^rd in giving up points to Fantasy Quarterbacks, it would seem that Smith has a solid matchup.  I’d look for at least 225 yards from Smith with 1 touchdown.

David Garrard (Jacksonville Jaguars):  If you’re thinking about starting David Garrard this week, you obviously don’t have many better options.  Luckily he’s not playing a top 10 defense in giving up points to opposing Fantasy Quarterbacks, but the Tennessee Titans are ranked 15^th (most likely because of Tony Romo’s 400 yard passing game in Week 5).  So obviously Garrard is no Romo, but with Tight End Marcedes Lewis scoring a touchdown per week, it’s possible that trend continues.  And if he happens to connect with Mike Sims-Walker or Mike Thomas on another, all the better for you.

Shaun Hill (Detroit Lions):  So at the bottom of the I Need A Quarterback and Everyone else not named Colt McCoy or Matt Flynn Pile, is Shaun Hill.  Now Shaun Hill has been posting rather decent fantasy numbers, but he hasn’t quite faced a defense like the New York Giants.  Potentially without Calvin Johnson, normally you wouldn’t think it would look good for Hill’s production, but there is a silver lining.  With no run game to help relieve the pressure the Giants defense is sure to produce, and the Lions are sure to be trailing, don’t be surprised if Hill throws the ball over 50 times.  With that amount of throws, who knows what kind of stats he might put up, but you’re surely rolling the dice if you’re picking him up.

RBs

The running back position is extremely thin most seasons, but it seems to be almost non-existent this year.  Donald Brown and Jason Snelling are the only two that even remotely intrigue me, and read further for the reasons why.

Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts):  If Addai remains banged up going into this weekend, you could look for Brown to get the carries, and if that’s the case, even though Manning will be throwing a lot, Brown might be able to get 12 to 15 carries for about 60 yards and a touchdown.

Jason Snelling (Atlanta Falcons):  If you’re hurting for a second running back, or a flex play this week, Jason Snelling may be worth a shot.  Atlanta is facing a defense ranked 27^th for points given up to opposing running backs in the Philadelphia Eagles.  So the touches that Snelling gets in relief of Michael Turner and on occasional third downs, could go for solid yards.  He may be able to total 100 combined, which wouldn’t be bad for a flex play. 

WRs

Brandon Tate (New England Patriots):  Same reason as Aaron Hernandez.  No Randy Moss and he’s stepping into the starting role.  With the action that he has seen so far this season, Tate has made the most out of his opportunities, especially on special teams.  With Tate still expected to be a return man, and an increased role in the offense, Tate would be a good bye week fill in and potentially further, but the addition of Deion Branch via trade makes that sort of iffy.  For week 6, he’s a good guy to bet on.

Kenny Britt (Tennessee Titans):  In my opinion, Britt’s effectiveness is completely linked to how the Titans choose to game plan this week.  After watching the week 5 game against Dallas, where they decided to throw in order to set up the run, I’m convinced that is the way to go, to not only loosen up the defenses to allow Chris Johnson more room, but to get the most out of the athletic receivers Tennessee has.  I think Britt is potentially the biggest beneficiary of this scheme (especially against Jacksonville), so if he’s available, and you need someone to fill in during a bye week, he’s a solid pick up, and should be at worst a #3 receiver the rest of the year.

Mike Williams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers):  If you haven’t noticed, Mike Williams is the #1 weapon that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers possess, and he’s showing that he can be productive week in and week out.  He doesn’t have the best match up against the New Orleans secondary in week 6, but if for some reason he’s out there, gobble him up as fast as you can.

Danny Amendola (St. Louis Rams):  I’ll tell you right now.  I’m picking up Danny Amendola is one of my leagues the moment the waiver wire opens up.  With the season ending injury to Mark Clayton, Amendola steps into the #1 role in St. Louis.  He’s very much Wes Welker like, but unfortunately without Tom Brady throwing to him.  That being said, Sam Bradford has proved to be accurate, and with Clayton out most of the game, Danny Boy was targeted a total of 19 times (catching 12 for 95 yards), vaulting him into the #7 overall rank in targets.  So I expect big things from Amendola the rest of the season, and if you need a solid flex play week in and week out, Danny Boy is your guy.

Jabar Gaffney (Denver Broncos):  With Darelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie covering Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal, that leaves either a nickel cornerback or a linebacker in certain situations against Jabar Gaffney.  Look for Gaffney to have a nice week.  There’s a good chance he’ll end up with the most targets and the most production because of that.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up with 10 catches for a little over 100 yards and a touchdown.  Needless to say, a good flex play this week, if not a #2 receiver if you’re in a pinch during a bye.

Steve Johnson (Buffalo Bills):  Johnson has a bye this week, and unfortunately has Baltimore in Week 7 after the bye, but he is the #1 targets receiver in Buffalo, and Ryan Fitzpatrick (HARVARD!!!!), always seems to be able to string together a solid game.  So I expect Steve Johnson’s production to continue (obviously not 2 touchdowns every week), but you could see good flex production out of Johnson.  Definitely worth a pick up if your flex position is struggling to put up points.

Davone Bess (Miami Dolphins):  Yes, Brandon Marshall is the better of the two and most likely will get more targets, but if you need a bye week fill in, he’s not a bad option.  With 26 targets in 4 games, which averages a little over 6 targets a game, the ball is being thrown to him.  He was targeted 11 times in the Monday night game against New England, and ended up with 8 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.  With a lackluster and beat up Green Bay secondary, Bess could be in for another productive game.

Dexter McCluster (Kansas City Chiefs):  Dwayne Bowe is not who we all thought he was.  He has a big body, but appears to have little receiving talent to back that up.  With Houston’s atrocious pass defense (ranked 31^st in fantasy points given up to opposing wide receivers), and Bowe’s unproductivity, look for McCluster to get a lot of looks and give you production from them.  I could foresee 7 catches for 115 and a touchdown.  He might even be a good pickup for the rest of the season as a flex starter.

TEs

Aaron Hernandez (New England Patriots):  With no more Randy Moss, Tom Brady is going to be going heavy and often to his Tight Ends, and out of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, I like Hernandez much better.  He has the better overall skill set, and can get good yards after the catch.  I’d say he’s good for at least 6 catches for 60 yards, with one of those being a touchdown, as he’s good down at the goal line as well.

John Carlson (Seattle Seahawks):  You may not like Matt Hasselbeck, and you can count me amongst his many detractors, but he’s got to throw the ball to somebody, and John Carlson has received the most targets out of any Seattle receiver or tight end so far this year.  Look for that trend to continue.  If you need a bye week fill in, take him.

Marcedes Lewis (Jacksonville Jaguars):  All this guy does is catch touchdowns.  Seriously, that’s what he does.  Every week he seems to get in the end zone (5 touchdowns in 5 weeks).  So if you need a little bye week fill in, or a Jermichael Finley replacement, Lewis wouldn’t be a bad bet.

Todd Heap:  With Jermichael Finley a gaping hole currently in my lineup, and my backup Jermaine Gresham on a bye for me this week, I’ve been forced to choose between John Carlson, Benjamin Watson, or Todd Heap.  Out of those three, I think Todd Heap as the biggest potential this week.  Carlson and Watson are facing top 5 defenses , and Heap is facing the 25^th overall ranked defense in giving up points to opposing tight ends.  It was a easy decision once I saw that, and I assume you would think so to.  So if you’re in a situation like myself, or you have one tight end who happens to be on a bye, think Heap.