Bye Week Alternatives – Week Seven

Quarterbacks

Matt Hasselbeck, Kyle Orton, and Joe Flacco are the biggest concerns to replace, but it shouldn’t put you in too much of a bind.

High-end Alternatives:

Jay Cutler & Carson Palmer—Borderline starters that square off against each other.  Unless you have a stud QB, it’s pretty much a no-brainer that you roll with either of these guys.  If I had to give someone the edge I’d go with Palmer, who is at home.

Solid Alternatives:

Matt Cassel—Faces San Diego at home.  Will likely get down early and have to pass a lot.
Shaun Hill—He hasn’t had to do too much yet, but will likely need to throw a bit more to keep up with Houston.  Having Frank Gore back should help.
Brett Favre—Favre has played outstanding, but Pittsburgh is tough.
Chad Henne—Looked great on MNF.  Will have to be on his game to keep up with New Orleans.
Mark Sanchez—Faces Oakland, which should be heavy on the run, but is building a rapport with Braylon Edwards.

Desperation Time:

Josh Johnson —Belichick has a way of mixing up young QBs.  Be very careful using Johnson.
Jason Campbell—I don’t love him against Philly, but odds are he’ll have to throw a lot as Philly rolls.
Derek Anderson—You aren’t using DA are you?  Do you want to lose?
Jake Delhomme—Will he complete more to Steve Smith or Buffalo defenders?  Though, he is better than some of the options this week.
Mark Bulger—Indy gets up big.  Bulger is forced to pass.  Indy knows it and brings the heat.  It doesn’t end well.
JaMarcus Russell—You’re almost better off using Julian Edelman and hoping he catches a TD pass from Tom Brady.

Running Backs

Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Knowshon Moreno, Kevin Smith, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Chris Johnson will leave you short at RB this week.

High-end Alternatives:

Joseph Addai—Should put up good numbers against St. Louis.
Thomas Jones—Shockingly flew under the radar again this year.  He’ll destroy Oakland.

Solid Alternatives:

Donald Brown—They’ll be plenty for Brown too against the Rams.
Jonathan Stewart—Buffalo has gone in the tubes.  J-Stew should finish them off.
Ricky Williams—Two-headed RB attack with Ronnie Brown is devastating.  They have that Wildcat rolling.  There’s enough for both backs.
Marshawn Lynch—Rounding into shape.
Ahmad Bradshaw—Arizona is tough against the run, but the G-Men’s line is nastier.
Rashard Mendenhall—Minnesota presents his first challenge.
Tim Hightower—Should catch plenty of passes as Warner checks down to avoid the Giants pass rush.
Leon Washington—Will make a dazzling play and then Al Davis will want him.
Laurence Maroney—Welcome back to fantasy rosters Mr. Maroney.  Should put up decent numbers against Tampa Bay.

Desperation Time:

Jamal Lewis—The Browns are setting back the game of football.
Larry Johnson—LJ was decent last week.  Can he pull it off again?
Reggie Bush—It’s sad he’s fallen this far off.
LeSean McCoy—Hard to get cleanup duty against divisional foes, but you never know.
Justin Fargas—He should start if you need a warm body.

Wide Receivers

Derrick Mason, Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnon, Mike Sims-Walker, Nate Burleson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are the toughest bye week losses this week.

Solid Alternatives:

Austin Collie/Pierre Garcon—Depends on Anthony Gonzalez’s availability, but if he can’t go they are both solid options against the Rams.  If he can go, bump them down a bit.  I rank Collie higher than Garcon.
Miles Austin—Roy Williams will probably play, but Austin showed he can be relied on for the big play in what should be a shootout against Atlanta.
Braylon Edwards—Sanchez likes his new toy.  This week he’ll see plenty of Nnamdi Asomugha though.
Percy Harvin/Bernard Berrian/Sidney Rice—Farve is going to make some plays.  All are capable of making plays.  Rice’s size makes him my favorite of the three.
Steve Breaston—The Giants are going to bring the heat, but Arizona is going to have to throw early and often to put up a fight.
Antonio Bryant—Josh Johnson is smart enough to know to get him the ball.

Desperation Time:

Santana Moss—I don’t like him against Philly this week.
Hakeem Nicks/Mario Manningham—Steve Smith is the constant in the Giants offense.  Either of these guys are capable, it’s just a matter of how many looks they get.  Nicks has been better of late.
Jeremy Maclin—Capable of the big play.  McNabb spreads it around though so starting him is a risk.
Terrell Owens—It’s hard to count on T.O. anymore.
Mike Wallace—Minnesota is tough, but Pittsburgh is going to have to throw to move the chains.  Wallace could be a sneaky play.
Lee Evans—Came to life last week.  Does he have more in  him?
Ted Ginn, Jr.—Very inconsistent.
Mohamed Massaquoi—Up, down, up.  Hopefully the trend doesn’t continue.

Tight Ends

Todd Heap, Tony Scheffler, Brandon Pettigrew, Marcedes Lewis, John Carlson, and Bo Scaife are the Tight Ends you’ll need to replace.

High-end Alternatives:

Heath Miller—He’s quietly been one of the best TEs this year.  MN has allowed plays to TEs.
Vernon Davis—He’s had a solid year.  They’ll need him against Houston.
Brent Celek—He’s been a must-starter.

Solid Alternatives:

Visanthe Shiancoe—Favre could choose to use his big target against the Steelers.
Jeremy Shockey—Solid, not spectacular.  New Orleans is rolling.
Sean Ryan—San Diego has struggle with TEs.  Ryan has been surprisingly adequate.
Dustin Keller—Must miss Brett Favre.  Should produce against the Jets.

Desperation Time:

Benjamin Watson—Mr. All or Nothing takes on Tampa.
Jermichael Finley—Same as above, but Cleveland.
Zach Miller—Hard to count on a Raider, especially against the Jets who are going to blitz heavily.
Anthony Fasono—Finally had a good game.  Can he repeat?

Originally published at LestersLegends.com .