Week 7 Fantasy Football: Tim Tebow and More Bye Week Fill-Ins You Must Start

With plenty of offensively-gifted teams like New England, Philadelphia, Buffalo and the New York Giants on the bye this week, fantasy lineups are sure to be decimated. As a result, it is vital to find reinforcements on the waiver wire or on your bench.

Luckily, many new players are getting a shot to put up numbers due to injuries to or the ineffectiveness of the regular starters. This means that there will be no shortage of options for fantasy owners looking for one-week replacements.

Here are three bye week fill-ins that should score quite well for you in Week 7.

Montario Hardesty, Cleveland Browns

Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis appears to have been struck by the Madden curse. He has struggled this season when on the field and often been off it due to injury. The Cleveland Browns running back left Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders with a hamstring injury.

His status for Week 7 remains unknown. However, if he doesn't play, backup Montario Hardesty has proven that he can handle a starter's workload. Even if Hillis is active, Hardesty may get a good chunk of the carries.

Hillis seems to have fallen a little out of favor in Cleveland. New head coach Pat Shurmur has nothing invested in his performance from last season.

Hillis sat out one game with strep throat this season as advised by his agent, so his will has to be questioned a bit. With that being said, Hardesty may soon be transitioning into the starting role.

Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With regular starter LeGarrette Blount out of the lineup due to a knee injury, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham stepped in last week. What's more, he delivered over 100 rushing yards and a couple receptions to boot against the New Orleans Saints.

Blount is assured to be out for at least one more week, so Graham makes for a great play as an RB2 or flex this weekend. The Chicago Bears have struggled against the run this season and the Bucs are a ball-control team, so Graham should receive his fair share of touches.

Furthermore, Graham is second on the team in catches with 25 on the season. He will be even more valuable in PPR leagues. Once Blount returns, Graham will likely go back to being little more than a third-down back. However, until then, he is a very solid fantasy contributor.

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos fans have been calling for it since the beginning of the season and it has finally come to fruition. Tim Tebow officially takes over for Kyle Orton as Denver's starting quarterback on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Tebow played quite well in three starts at the end of last season. He then nearly led Denver to a come-from-behind win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 5. He has an excellent matchup in his first start of the season against a Dolphins defense that hasn't been able to stop anyone, especially through the air.

The reason why Tebow is particularly valuable, though, is because he is capable of racking up points both by passing the ball and by running it. Tebow had at least one rushing touchdown in each of his three starts last season and had one last week as well. Thanks to his versatility, he has great scoring potential in Week 7.