The officiating may not be very good, but we are officially on to week 4 in the NFL. This week the bye weeks start and you may be wondering who to pick up? There are some key injuries moving forward, and some sneaky players looking to step up. These guys you want on your football team.
Quarterbacks
1.) Christian Ponder – I never thought I would say this, but he has done very well. Not to mention he gets back the very athletic, and great deep threat Jerome Simpson.
2.) Ryan Fitzpatrick – Both of his starting RB are currently injured. Look for Fitzpatrick to air it out. He has been consistent around 20 points a game. This number should rise to 27 points per game.
3.) Kevin Kolb – Arizona is shaping into a great team. Kolb is finally getting the ball to Fitzgerald, not to mention they have a very athletic receiving core. Kolb will only increase his production the more comfortable he gets.
If Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco or Ben Roethlisberger are still available you better grab them!
Running Backs
1.) Bilal Powell – Shonn Green has been struggling and Joe McKnight just moved to corner back. Bilal is in perfect position to shine in the Jets backfield.
2,) Shaun Draughn – This kid runs very hard. You will see his role increase as Dexter McCluster went down do to injury. This could be a fantasy sleeper as Charles will not get 39 carries a week.
3.) Danny Woodhead – He played 26 more snaps then Steven Ridley. Shane Vereen is injured, Woodhead could be a great pick up. He had solid production last year as a Patriot as well. He also is the only veteran RB in New England’s offense.
Keep an eye on;
Lamar Miller
Felix Jones
Denver Running Back situation
Jackie Battle
Wide Receivers
1.) Jerome Simpson – Simpson is now done with his 3 game suspension. This guy is clearly going to be the #2 WR in Minnesota and he can make plays. He is sneaking in under the radar but look for Simpson to take the top off of the defense and create big plays.
2.) Nate Burleson – He caught 6 passes week 1 and 10 in week 3. The Lions like to air it out and with teams keying on “Megatron” it leaves Burleson open.
3.) Ramsus Barden – He clearly solidified his #3 role on the Giants. Eli loves his 6’6″ body frame and will look to go to him in any mismatch situations.
4.) Brian Hartline – He leads the team in targets, including 9 last week. He only caught one but look for Hartline to have great fantasy value. Especially with Reggie Bush hurting right now.
5.) Derek Hagan – Carson Palmer really trusts his 6’2″ WR. He tends to be looking his way a lot. With Darrius Heyward-Bey going down to injury, he will miss at least one week. Hagan’s stock rises, and look for him to have a big game this week.
Tight Ends
look to capitalize on GM’s dropping their drafted tight ends.
1.) Heath Miller – Big Ben trust his Tight End a lot. He has 4 touchdowns in 3 games. Get him on your squad especially if you have Roethlisberger.
2.) Jermaine Gresham – Very talented and athletic tight end. Gresham can make big plays, not to mention his Quarterback is the #1 fantasy QB in football.
3.) Greg Olsen – He is a huge target and Newton loves to feed him the ball when they have good match-ups on DB’s. Olsen is going to have a big year.
4.) Brent Celek – Vick has been struggling a little, but do not freak out. Celek is a great option especially with eagles WR’s hurting.
Defense
If you do not have a defense you trust by now its going to be tough. There are some defenses that will pick it up this year. First on my list is the New England Patriots. They are coming off of back to back losses. Look for them to avenge this on who ever they play. Giants are a solid option as well. They get after the football and sack the Quarterback. Finally the Falcons have brought in a great defensive coordinator. Atlanta will draw up some great defensive game plans.
