Quarterback Eli Manning has been barely startable this year. He ranks as the 19th-best quarterback in fantasy right now. If you've got him, though, this is the week to start him. He's playing the Minnesota Vikings who have the second-to-last fantasy defense for quarterbacks to go against. So far Minnesota has surrendered three three-touchdown games, and the lowest any quarterback has scored against them has been 21 fantasy points. I envision a big game for Manning this week, and he'll be a good call to get into your starting lineup. If you're looking for a bye week replacement, grab Brandon Weeden off your waiver wire. Weeden travels to Green Bay, whose defense isn't as tough as it has been in past years. The Packers give up an average of 314 passing yards per game, and only one quarterback has failed to get multiple passing touchdowns against them. Weeden has been in the mid-to-upper teens for fantasy points this year, so starting him will at least get you some decent points, and with an easy matchup, I think he could break 20. If you need him, start him this week and then dump him back on the waiver wire. Colin Kaepernick is a guy you're going to want to sit, if you've got a decent option this week. Kaepernick plays Tennessee, whose ranked fifth against quarterbacks this year. The Titans are one of those teams who are good against the pass, because most teams just run against them. They rank 23rd against the run this year. So far, the Titans haven't had a quarterback pass for more than 300 yards against them, and just one play-caller has more than one passing touchdown in a game when playing Tennessee. I think Frank Gore and the San Francisco ground game are going to have a big day, but Kaepernick isn't going to get it done for you this week. He's a bad call for you to start. Running Back This week the game I'm most excited to watch is the Denver at Indianapolis game. It should be a good matchup with Peyton Manning returning to Indianapolis for the first time. The game should be close and a pretty high scoring one as well. I think Trent Richardson is going to have a good game. Keeping Peyton Manning off the field is something Indianapolis needs to do to win, which means a heavy dose of touches for Richardson. By now he should have a good grasp of the playbook, and Denver's run defense is in the bottom half of the league. Indianapolis will be looking to move the ball any way possible and Richardson running the ball will be a major part of that....

This bye could not come soon enough for Atlanta. Between the disappointment of a 1-4 start, injuries mounting and defensive woes, Atlanta needs the next two weeks to regroup. Likewise, Miami started strong, but has since lost two straight. But there are no bye weeks in fantasy. So it's time to scour the waiver wire in search of worthy additions to your squad. But are there really any guys available that can actually make a difference? Let's take a look. Below, I'll list a player with some upside for this week, their Week 6 matchup, and the percentage of leagues in which he is owned according to our friends at fleaflicker.com . DISCLAIMER: The hope is that you don't find yourself in a situation like this. The hope is that you dodge the bullet. But hope won't help you come Sunday. Let's move on to this week's targets, keeping in mind that these aren't every week starters. Instead, these are guys that should only be used if you're in some kind of roster emergency. QB Chad Henne at Denver -- 8 percent. The 28-point spread isn't a passive-aggressive Vegas joke. Jacksonville is going to get trounced. But because Denver has been scoring so much this season, their pass defense has actually been on the field quite a bit, and, as a result, they've given up their share of yardage through the air. Henne has a decent shot at putting up some numbers against Denver, but he's also going to need some help from those around him. Justin Blackmon is back, but Cecil Shorts missed practice on Thursday with a groin injury, and Champ Bailey figures to make his season debut for Denver. Nonetheless, I think Henne could hit the numbers we've projected: 260 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Weeden vs. Detroit -- 33 percent. While the Detroit pass rush has been improved this season, the Lions still give up yards. This will be Weeden's first start with Josh Gordon in the lineup, and the offensive scheme will emphasize downfield throws to Gordon, Greg Little and Jordan Cameron . I know it sounds crazy, but I think Weeden can put up some decent numbers this week and should hit the Fantasy Sharks projection of 240 yards passing and a touchdown. I actually think he scores twice. Mike Glennon vs. Philadelphia -- 7 percent. Glennon is a fairly raw rookie, probably needing more time on the sideline to learn the system and adjust to the speed of the game. But if there was any doubt about Josh Freeman not getting the starting gig back before, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have left ...

It's Week 6 of the 2013 NFL season, and we welcomed an Individual Defensive Player (IDP) stud back into the fold this past weekend. Arizona Cardinals' linebacker Daryl Washington , who led all players at his position in fantasy points last year, wasted no time getting back at it, shutting down the Carolina Panthers to the tune of nine tackles, two sacks and an interception. Speaking of shutting down, I had a great intro planned this week. A detailed, sure-fire, can't miss way of identifying the top IDP at every position every week. It would have revolutionized IDP. However, the left side of my brain couldn't agree with the right side of my brain about whether I should use "who" or "whom" in the third paragraph, so my brain shut down and I forgot everything. Oh well. Every week during the 2013 season, I'll point out some individual defensive players who could be set to exceed expectations this week (studs) and some that for whatever reason are riskier plays than usual (duds). This isn't necessarily to say that every "stud" is a must-start (it depends on your other options) or that every "dud" should be glued to your bench (just that the odds of a letdown week are greater than usual). Finally, the bye weeks keep rolling along, with the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons taking Week 6 off. No Cameron Wake or William Moore this week. STUDS Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Detroit (at Cleveland): Ansah has been relatively quiet as a rookie, but the first-round pick has a great matchup this week. You could make a sandwich, eat it, digest it, and poop it out in the time it takes Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden to get rid of the ball. Brian Robison, DE, Minnesota (vs. Carolina): Robison signed a $28 million contract extension earlier this week. The 30-year-old will get a chance to start earning all that coin this week against the Carolina Panthers, who have been a top-12 fantasy matchup for opposing defensive linemen this year. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, New York Jets (vs. Pittsburgh): The third-year pro was a monster in Monday night's win over the Atlanta Falcons, tallying seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. The Pittsburgh Steelers and their rotten offensive line should afford Wilkerson a solid shot at two big games in a row. Kevin Burnett, OLB, Oakland (at Kansas City): It's been Burnett, and not Nick Roach , who has emerged as the Oakland linebacker with the most IDP value. The eighth-year veteran logged an eye-popping 12 solos last week ...

Week 5 of the 2013 NFL season started off with a Thursday night game in Cleveland where we found unlikely enthusiasm in the Factory of Sadness. Just over two weeks ago Trent Richardson was exiled and the outlook in Cleveland was as murky as ever. Back-to-back wins led by potential savior Brian Hoyer gave the Brownies hope but his poor sliding technique has forced Cleveland fans back into the arms of former starter Brandon Weeden. Maybe things will go better the second time around. Sunday morning of Week 5 began with panic as Megatron was a mega-disappointment when he was deactivated sending owners filled with despair scurrying to their computers and phones to change their lineups. The shootout at Lambeau was not meant to be. The shootout in Dallas was what we all hoped it would be as the Cowboys gave the Broncos all they could handle. But even while watching that game, I think we all knew deep down how it was going to end. The ending of Tom Brady's streak of 52 straight games with a touchdown pass gave fantasy owners some hard knocks. The knock on David Wilson has been his fumbling, but while he held onto the ball, he remained a pain in the neck for his owners as he had to leave the Eagles game early with a neck injury. Week 5 was capped off with our weekly Matt Schaub pick-six and the Chargers at Raiders AFC West showdown. All in all, there were quite a few interesting performances yesterday, 10 of which are from Names You Should Know. Nick Foles, QB PHI Nick "Not as Quick" Foles stepped in for the Eagles after Michael Vick left the Giants' game with a hamstring injury. In just over two quarters Foles put up nearly 200 yards passing and 2 TDs while looking oddly comfortable keeping the Eagles offense humming. The severity of Michael Vick's injury is unknown, but after watching Foles step up it might not be a bad idea for Chip to let Vick rest for a week. Regardless of Vick's status for Week 6, Foles is a must add this week. He won't give you the rushing yards of Vick, but he'll give you everything else. Rueben Randle, WR NYG How did it get so bad so quickly in New York? That's not an easy question to answer. But after Sunday's 96-yard, 2 TD performance, it looks like we have an answer as to who will be replacing Hakeem Nicks if he doesn't re-sign next off-season. The Giants are 0-5 and it's not too early to be thinking about next year so if Nicks is truly not in the Giants' plans it would make more sense in a lost season to begin the ...

Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills C.J. Spiller- Spiller simply hasn't preformed up at to his first round billing. There really isn't any explanation behind it, either. We can't blame poor play from rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel as he's looked about as good as we could have asked for. There is also plenty of supporting cast to help take pressure away from the line of scrimmage. It all just comes down to Spiller and his inability to get his legs under him. He cost too much to sit but you may be left with a disappointing slot every time you check your roster. Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns Brian Hoyer- There is no way that the backup quarterback can repeat last weeks' performance, right? For now, we're looking at Hoyer as a "fooled me once" kind of player, meaning last week was more of a fluke than anything. But if Hoyer comes out firing again and continues to find Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron for huge plays, we'll be forced to take notice. Brandon Weeden could be forced into backup duty for the rest of the year if Hoyer can stay hot. Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions Ryan Broyles- With Nate Burleson sidelined for at least the next month, one of the other receivers needs to step up for the plays where Calvin Johnson isn't open. Someone needs to take advantage of the one on one coverage they get thanks to Megatron and become a reliable target for quarterback Matt Stafford. Broyles seems like the most likely option but it remains to be seen how he'll react to the extra targets. He can either become the next Eric Decker, exploiting all the single coverage and catching everything throw his way, or fall in line with the likes of Cleveland's Greg Little, catching about 50% of the passes and remaining nothing more than a desperation play. Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans DeAndre Hopkins- With Andre Johnson now battling not only through a concussion recovery but also a shin injury that was bad enough to require a MRI. Even if Andre is able to hit the field on Sunday he certainly won't be at 100%. We could be looking at the same scenario the Atlanta Falcons had to begin the season. Even though Roddy White wasn't up to speed after his high ankle sprain, the Falcons rolled him out to draw coverage and allow fellow wide receiver Julio Jones to roam free. If the Texans employee the same tactics, Hopkins could be in for a huge day. Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars Trent Richardson- With a full week of practice under his belt and his ...

I have to admit that one of my biggest guilty pleasures is award shows. The Oscars, Emmys, Tony Awards and more. I eat them up like opposing defenses eat up Geno Smith pass attempts, sorry Jets' fans but I can tease you now without feeling too bad because you are winning these days. The Fantasys are the awards given out to those who stand out above their peers in the following categories: Best Player, Best Supporting Player and Best Breakout Player. Of course, an awards show would not be worth its weight if it did not have an "In Memorandum" piece. The Fantasys will not disappoint, we have one of those as well. So in the words of one of Fantasy Football's all-time great players, Terrell Owens, "Get your popcorn ready!" it's time for the Fantasys. In typical award show fashion we will start with the lower awards and build up to the biggest throughout the night. The players nominated all come from the waiver wires and should be considered as players to pick up if you need the help. So with no further ado, we present the nominees for Best Breakout Player. The Best Breakout Player award is given to the player whose great play in their last match up came as the biggest shock to the rest of the football world. And the nominees are: Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns, Wide Receiver After a two game suspension Gordon made his first start of the season with back-up QB Brian Hoyer at the helm and no Trent Richardson in the Browns backfield. Gordon came out and delivered the performance of a lifetime with 10 catches on 19 targets for 146 yards and a touchdown. Welcome back Gordon. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans, Quarterback Having two previous bad outings most had considered him a lost cause. Locker came out on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers and completed 23-of-37 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown not to mention he had five carries for 68 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. This true breakout week for locker might prove his last for a while as he gets the Jets, Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers and then a bye in the next five weeks but there is no doubting his breakout performance this week. Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Though he had three interceptions, Hoyer completed 30-of-54 passes for 321 yards, with three touchdowns providing us with a stunning breakout performance while making his first start for the Browns after Brandon Weeden went down with a thumb injury that could keep him out for a couple more weeks. ...

In an ideal world, every lineup decision would be a stone cold lock. Easy enough that my mother-in-law could pick my players. Aaron Rodgers, check. Doug Martin, of course. Victor Cruz, yep. Julius Thomas, why not. In reality, injuries are mounting, position battles wage on, defenses are being defined while the weather is constantly throwing a left hook into our game plan. This article covers the last minute news and notes to help us set our lineup along with a few players to watch for next week's waiver wire. Friday's Injury Report Every lineup decision always starts by examining the Friday Injury Report. This simple memo is the best indicator as to each player's participation in the upcoming game. Any of our players listed as "Probable/full participation in practice" are a near lineup lock. Our current list includes; Martellus Bennett, Ryan Tannehill, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Daryl Richardson, Giovani Bernard and Arian Foster. I'm 99% confident these players will be 100% on game day (huh).............Players listed as "doubtful" or "out" should never be relied upon, down and dirty. The list of prominent players who will not take the field in Week 3 include; Maurice Jones-Drew, Eddie Lacy, Mark Ingram (upgrade Pierre Thomas), Danny Amendola, Brandon Weeden, Steven Jackson and Ray Rice (Bernard Pearce is a mid RB2). Feel free to bench them now (I'll wait)........ While losing any player to injury stinks, the real nut busting decisions are players categorized as "limited participation in practice." Any player limited in Friday's practice equates to the infamous "Game Time Decision" (GTD; kinda like STD). These are the last minute coach's decisions that give us the Sunday morning itch. It's our job to predict which of our players are clean to start, and who should left alone on game day. The players I'm penciling into my lineup include; Jermichael Finley, Julio Jones and Andre Johnson. Mike Wallace suddenly found himself "questionable/limited." This is the Fins way of taking a shot at Atlanta's listing of Julio and Roddy as questionable. Start Wallace in what should be a big time matchup (and Hartline). The second class of GTD are those players whose risk exceeds their reward. If you scan across my bench you'll find the names; T.Y. Hilton, Le'Veon Bell, Reggie Bush, Larry Fitzgerald, Rob Gronkowski, Roddy White and Rashard Mendenhall. All week Vernon Davis has been saying he'll be ready to go on Sunday. However, reading between the lines I'm not taking...

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens Bernard Pierce - Even if Ray Rice is all systems go here in Week 3, his role will be limited in order to prevent additional damage to his hip. Expect a time-share with Pierce where Rice receives possibly less than half of the carries. If Pierce can shine against the always tough Houston Texans defense he could earn additional going forward. Pierce has just become the most important handcuff in fantasy football behind only Ben Tate . Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings Willis McGahee - Or whoever will step up and take the carries left behind after the trade of Trent Richardson to Indianapolis. If you're completely totaled at running back and are looking for someone who at least gets touches, this game could be a try out for the remaining members of the backfield to step up and earn work down the line. This game is going to be about as ugly as ugly gets here with Brandon Weeden sidelined with a thumb injury, Richardson sporting a new jersey, and Greg Little being downright terrible, so don't judge based solely on total yards. We're looking for who looks to be next in line that can be used as a bye week or injury filler based completely on the Browns' opposition. "Who can be Cleveland's version of Bilal Powell ?" is the best way to put it. New York Giants at Carolina Panthers David Wilson - And the downward spiral continues. With a week of practice under his belt, Brandon Jacobs figures to cut further into Wilson's value. Last week, Jacobs had four carries while in close to the goal line, which ultimately resulted in a touchdown, and Da'Rel Scott saw action as a receiver. Wilson needs to break a huge gainer for a score in order to restore not only coach Tom Coughlin's trust in Wilson, but fantasy owners as well. If Wilson finishes with another pedestrian day of 60 yards rushing and 20 receiving it would officially be time to panic and maybe even time to find alternative options. Green Bay Packers at Cincinnati Bengals Giovani Bernard - The top drafted rookie runner looked fantastic last week. If Bernard can continue to show his explosiveness, he'll begin to take more and more carries away from BenJarvus Green-Ellis . Andy Dalton would be well served to stop looking for one of his receivers not named A.J. Green to step up and begin to utilize Bernard in a Darren Sproles or LeSean McCoy- type of way. There should be plenty of room to run against the porous Packers defense and also an extreme need to score points to...

I always like Week 3 of the season. After this week, we're finally able to see the trends of players and teams. We can see if there was a fluke game by some player or if teams really are using that player in their game plan. We get to see which defenses are weak against the pass or the run. Sleepers aren't sleepers anymore, and players that you drafted with upside are either panning out or wasting roster space on your bench. After this Sunday we can finally see where our fantasy teams stand and get into the next fun part of fantasy football, trading. Now on to the calls for the week. Quarterbacks The Green Bay at Cincinnati game is chock-full of fantasy potential this week. The Packers have allowed 412 and 320 passing yards in the first two weeks, along with three touchdowns in each week to opposing quarterbacks. I'm thinking Andy Dalton is going to have a big game this week. Dalton looks to have plenty of receiving options at his disposal this season. Drafting Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard to go with A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham looks to have been a good move by the Bengals, and it would be a good move to have Dalton in your lineup this week. The Baltimore Ravens defense doesn't look as stout as it has in past seasons. Currently, they rank as the third easiest defense for quarterbacks to go against. Even Brandon Weeden had 233 passing yards versus them last week. Combine that with the fact that Matt Schaub has been playing some good football through the first two weeks of the season and I'd say Schaub is a good call for you to start this week. Schaub has thrown three touchdowns in each of his first two games, and I don't see why he couldn't do it again. Jay Cutler is a bad call this week. His trip to Pittsburgh is going to be a rough one. The Steelers have allowed just one passing touchdown this season, and allow an average of just 203 passing yards. Cutler has five touchdowns on the year already, but hasn't passed for more than 300 yards, yet. I don't see that happening this week, and I think he'd be lucky to throw for more than one touchdown. Cutler is a bad call this week and you should look elsewhere for your starting quarterback. Running Backs Darren McFadden hasn't done much on the ground this year, but he has been involved in the passing game. Catching passes is what's going to help McFadden's value this week. Oakland travels to Denver and should be playing catchup all game. Ray Rice had eight catches in Week 1 against Denver and I...

St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons Jared Cook - If the Rams' tight end can string together a set of highly productive games he'll quickly become one of the best options at the position. Atlanta is very capable of running up the score, especially with Steven Jackson playing with a little extra something to prove. This could force St. Louis to throw to stay in the game. Cook could finally live up to the hype that's surrounded him for the last couple of seasons and would benefit greatly by finding consistency. Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens Jordan Cameron - Much like the Rams' Cook, Cameron could become a top-five option at the position if he can put together back to back good outings. Brandon Weeden is looking for someone to trust and Greg Little certainly doesn't fit that mold. If the Ravens trip up Trent Richardson and Weeden needs to air it out, Cameron would be in for another big fantasy day. If not, he could fall back down into the rest of the pack of hit and miss tight ends. Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills E.J. Manuel - The Bills' rookie quarterback didn't look half bad last week. Granted, the Patriots defense isn't exactly top of the class, but they do offer exotic looks and can get pressure on the quarterback. The effectiveness of Manuel was even more evident as fellow rookie Geno Smith got smashed by that same Patriots defense four days later. If Manuel can finish the week with 200 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers he'll find himself climbing toward the head of the QB2 rankings. Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears Greg Jennings - There was a big fantasy day for a Minnesota wide receiver last week, but unfortunately it wasn't Jennings. Jerome Simpson went off, helping no one in fantasy. Christian Ponder looked a little better than expected as he was able to compile more stats than his talent would leave you to believe, so not all is lost for Jennings, just yet. If Ponder can just be an average NFL quarterback, which will be tough for him, there is still a chance for production. This week against the mighty Bears defense likely leads to two bad games in a row, leaving Jennings' value at an all-time low if he doesn't show something. Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers Leonard Hankerson - We've been looking for someone not named Pierre Garcon to step up and become a viable fantasy option out of the Redskins receiving corps. We could finally have that answer as Hankerson is coming off a multi-touchdown game in ...