The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

We’re coming down the home stretch for the regular season here, with only four games left in many league formats. At this point, your team may already be out of contention, but for those still in the hunt, trying to survive the last week of teams on a bye, here are some players that might help your cause…

BYE: Houston, New England, NY Jets, Tampa Bay

Running Backs

Priest Holmes (KC): It appears that Larry Johnson will be out for at least a week with a foot sprain, so backup Priest Holmes will start in the meantime. While there are concerns about the Priest’s durability, he should provide some decent fantasy stats as he’s a better pass catching back than LJ was.

Justin Fargas (OAK): Out of the dust that is the Oakland backfield arises Justin Fargas, who has proven that he is the most reliable of the Raiders running backs at this point. In his past two games, Fargas is rushing for almost 5 yards a carry and has 216 yards combined (rushing/receiving) and a TD. This week they are playing a Chicago defense that Adrian Peterson made look like a bunch of high schoolers during week 6, and while Fargas is no Peterson, he should still get some decent stats.

Chris Brown (TEN): He’s listed as questionable for this week, but with teammate Chris Henry’s suspension looming, Brown should resume his role as chief backup to LenDale White upon his return.

Wide Receivers

Sidney Rice (MIN): Rice has been inconsistent all year long, but if you’re nearly eliminated from your keeper league, now is the time to pick him up and keep him for next year. If the Vikings can get any average quarterback in the offseason, Rice should have a great sophomore campaign in the league and would be great as one of your 14th round picks.

Chris Henry (CIN): If no one in your league bothered to pickup Henry last week because he wansn’t eligable to play yet, then you should definitely pick him up this week. He’s finally done with his suspension and should immediately make an impact on an offense that has been severly disappointing this year.

Reggie Williams (JAX): When my co-blogger Matt thought of the idea for his "Shockers" article, he may have been predicting Reggie Williams week 9 performance. Last weekend, Williams piled up 128 yards and a touchdown, but most of it came on an 80 yard bomb. While Williams has been ridiculously inconsistent this season, he still has four touchdowns in 8 games. Maybe you think he can repeat his performance from last weekend? Keep in mind that Williams is a HUGE stretch play this week and is only to be used in emergencies.

Quarterbacks

Damon Huard (KC): If you’re in a bind at quarterback, you could do worse than plugging in Huard for a week or so. This past weekend, Huard threw for over 200 yards and had 2 TDs (2 INTs), but he plays some tough pass defenses coming up, so hopefully you won’t need him.

Kurt Warner (ARI): Another quarterback you might consider if necessary is Kurt Warner. While he played poorly last week, he’s playing a Detroit defense this weekened that any team not named the Denver Broncos has been able to exploit this year. You shouldn’t expect anything too amazing from Warner, but he should be able to get you 200 yards and a touchdown.

Team Defenses

Seattle, Buffalo, New Orleans, Cincinnati: I don’t usually put defenses on this list, but I figured because this is a do-or-die week for many managers, I might provide all the help I can. Each of these defenses is playing a team who’s offense has been terrible as of late (San Francisco, Miami, St. Louis, Baltimore) and could be decent bye week plug-in’s to get your team jump started for a playoff run. Good luck!