Fantasy Football Lent has begun. From now until Week 11, you will have to do without. You will have to give up your quarterbacks, your running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and, yes, even your defenses and kickers. I know, it hurts ... especially the bond between owners and their kickers (few things run as deep). Last week started off easy; only a few of you felt the pangs of doing without a starter from Pittsburgh or a benchwarmer from Indianapolis. But this week is when you start to notice it a bit more. Really, no red meat for another six weeks; I'm stuck eating fish? I hate the smell of fish (don't we all?). I miss my full lineup. I'm tired of these waiver wire scraps and their 4.5 points per week. So what do you do? Grin and bare it? Pick over the waiver wire one last time? Pray for injuries? All valid options, but there is another...and one of the few vices I'm not expected to give up for fantasy football lent. Trade. Yes, this can be a frustrating time. Your best player is gone for a week and your other matchups suck. Solution: look at everyone else's roster to identify their weak spots. This is where the action begins. Yes, you can autodraft a winning team for the first couple weeks, but can you step away from the bargaining table feeling just as confident about the next few? Have at it, boys and girls. Unlike poker you get to see what everyone else is holding. Does that mean there's no bluffing involved? Hardly. Everyone has a need, or at least a "want." Your job is to ferret it out. Horsepower or fuel economy? Beachfront resort or scenic mountain view? Whatever gets ‘em enticed enough to let you at their goodies, do it. Week 5 BUYS: Joe Flacco remains in the Top 10 fantasy quarterbacks for another week. The Kansas City Chiefs are giving up more than 25 points per week to quarterbacks. Top 10 the rest of the way? Don't get ahead of yourself. Just enjoy this matchup. I normally hate two back systems. What fantasy owner doesn't? Unless you typically wait on running backs and pray for split duty. But this week, both running backs from Chicago are looking like good plays. The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting gouged by the run this year and already gave up 46 fantasy points to the running back duo from Houston. If you are in a tough way this week because of byes, it might be one of the few times it works in your favor to start two backs from the same team. Whoever starts opposite Victor Cruz is about to go off. Hakeem Nicks hasn't ...

After last week recommending the big-bodied Armon Binns, I have started thinking differently about the size of my players and its translation to the red zone. When you see the opportunity that these big men get, specifically because of the size, you can't help but see it as an advantage. While the Cincinnati Bengals won't have that kind of success against every team, there isn't any reason why Binns can't convert three or four targets into relevance per week. We shall just see if he continues seeing the targets and converting them going forward. Many owners will roll their eyes because of the monster games that the feature guys get and argue that guys like Binns don't matter. It depends solely on expectations and what you personally expect to get out of the player. Let's take a look at this week and which guys can help you while your starters are on a bye week. BYE WEEKS: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Wide Receivers: Reggie Wayne, Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace So these are tough shoes to fill this week. All three of these guys have had pretty solid starts to the season. You may not be able to get the same level of production from your bench. That's OK to start a flex player and look for another player for that flex spot. Here are my recommendations as to who you should be looking to plug in as a flex. These players may still be available on your league's waiver wire, so do yourself a favor and take a look. Jerome Simpson, Minnesota After serving a three-game suspension for his off-the-field antics, Simpson is ready to suit up for the Vikings. The way that Christian Ponder played last week tells me that it may be in your best interest to consider him. Simpson has freakish talent and it's going to be hard enough to cover Percy Harvin opposite him. This week he's against a Detroit Lions team that ranks 20th against receivers. There may be a little rust, but trust me when I tell you that Simpson's hands are solid and he has unbelievable body control. I drafted him in three leagues despite the fact that he was going to sit the pine due to suspension. This is one of those nice surprises that my competitors scoffed at on draft day. At 6-foot-2, he is the smallest of my recommendations this week. Ramses Barden, New York Giants So I spent enough time telling you why I like the big-bodied receivers. Barden is a massive target at 6-foot-6 inches, which is enough reason for me. Combine that with the number of targets (10 last week) and the ...

For years, fantasy football was all about running backs. Leagues were won and lost based on who had the best corps of running backs. But that was back when every team had one guy that did everything. Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk were just a few stud backs that always carried their weight, and then some. As the years have passed, big time ball carriers have become scarce, making the few that do really shoulder the load that much more important. Arian Foster, Ray Rice and LeSean McCoy were consensus top picks, and have performed as advertised thus far, but they're now the exceptions to the rule. Week 3 was absolutely huge for running backs, as players emerged from out of nowhere, and studs returned to form. And naturally, injuries would play a part. But don't worry. We'll talk about some other guys, too. And I'm adding something extra this week. Our friends over at fleaflicker.com will provide information on player availability by the percentage of leagues in which that player is owned. If he's in a New York Giants uniform, put him in your lineup. Thursday night's game between the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers was incredibly one-sided, but it wasn't expected to be that way. Hakeem Nicks, Ahmad Bradshaw and Domenik Hixon were all inactive due to injuries. That meant guys like Andre Brown and Ramses Barden would be starting. Yikes. But when the dust settled, the Giants had an impressive road win, and Brown and Barden were focal points of their offensive attack. Brown would start and rush 20 times for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Barden caught nine of his 10 targets for 138 yards. But it was the way they played that was impressive. Brown ran tough, breaking multiple long runs, along with tackles. Barden ran free across the middle of the field and caught everything with his seemingly endless wingspan. Each of them earned more playing time going forward, even when those previously ahead of them on New York's depth chart return. Barden may have played himself into three-wide sets, and Brown may have earned himself at least a share of the backfield workload. And he may even take Bradshaw's job outright. According to fleaflicker.com, Brown is owned in 44 percent of leagues, while Barden is owned in just two percent of leagues. Both are worth a shot, with Brown at the top of the list. Mikel Leshoure is the guy in Detroit. Didn't take long, huh? To be fair, the Lions have little else, with alternatives like Joique Bell and...