Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Nate Washington and More Unheralded WR Stars

With the Packers and their wealth of receivers on a bye week, it's hard to imagine fantasy owners everywhere not scrambling to fill their WR spots.

As if that wasn't enough, the Falcons, Bears, Buccaneers, Jets and Raiders have plenty of receivers that will leave owners looking for replacements.

The good news is that there are options. You may not think of these guys as great receivers, but they are quality bye week plays.

Antonio Brown

Brown had a big game last week against the Cardinals, and I don't see a huge drop off here against the Patriots.

I see this game going one of two ways.

One: The Patriots will win and and the Steelers will have to spend a lot of time passing the ball.

Two: The Steelers will win, but will win because of a strong passing game.

Either way, Brown is in a good position to get points for fantasy owners. Hines Ward is out, which will only increase New England's attention on Mike Wallace. I expect a nice day from Wallace, but Brown will get plenty of points based on a good matchup.

Victor Cruz

Crux has been a bit of a hit or miss option this year. His games are either stellar or dismal. Rarely does he have an OK performance.

But against the Dolphins, I am certainly leaning towards a stellar performance. I like Eli Manning and I like receivers that he throws to.

This is just a good matchup for Cruz to have a big day. He's certainly capable of highlight reel caliber plays.

Nate Washington

If Chris Johnson can't be depended on, the Titans are going to have to look elsewhere for yardage. I really like the way that Washington matches up against the Colts defense. I just don't see many weapons on Indianapolis to shut him down.

This offense leaves a lot to be desired with me, but we're not talking about playoff predictions. Right now, all we care about are good matches.

Washington has been in tough matches against good defensive backs this season. Now, he's getting a break. Look for the numbers to reflect that in a big way.