With the bye week period ended, there will be many professional teams that will have no fantasy starters in Week Ten. There is also going to be a reevaluation of which fantasy football teams in each league are the best.
This results from seven weeks of tweaking rosters for the actual performances of the various skills players in 2006. What the byes have done is hide the true talent of each team by forcing line-up shuffling.
Proof? Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew likely grabbed a handful of starts. Will he now? If he does, then his owner likely has a poor team for the stretch run. The same can be said about the Cowboys Marion Barber III.
If your team must start either Ravens' RB Jamaal Lewis or Titans's RB Travis Henry, then you're a weaker team coming out of the byes.
Nevermind QBs Steve McNair or Vince Young. Yech!
Buffalo at Indianapolis 1:00 p.m.
RB Anthony Thomas looks like a good play against the Colts' run defense. For Willis McGahee owners, do not be surprised to see the A-Train run in two scores. That is the way fantasy football works.
RB Joseph Addai has apparently grabbed the full-time RB role. Will he disappoint?
Cleveland at Atlanta 1:00 p.m.
Cleveland is another team that shouldn't have a player starting for fantasy teams with the exception of TE Kellen Winslow. In very deep WR leagues, Braylon Edwards may be starting.
The Falcons are another team with just the TE as a sure-starter. Michale Vick and Warrick Dunn are likely starting, but their owners don't feel great about it.
Green Bay at Minnesota 1:00 p.m.
Will RB Ahman Green have a 4th consecutive 100-yard game? Which fantasy teams are now doubting the certainty that Green was a good reserve back and are now thinking of starting him over their post-draft RB2?
Outside of RB Chester Taylor, there will be no Vikings starting on fantasy teams - not even the TE. Woe is be the fantasy team that is starting any Vikings WRs!
The Texans are a team that emerged from the byes with a new fantasy starter, TE Owen Daniels. Whoever has him has likely upgraded their post-draft team and is slightly stronger for the stretch run.
The Jaguars have a new starting QB, David Garrard. This shouldn't change the post-bye strength of his owner nor weaken the post-bye strength of Byron Leftwich's owner. Unless that owner is forced into starting Vince young every week!
Kansas City at Miami 1:00 p.m.
Now if that Byron Leftwich owner has Chiefs Qb Damon Huard, he is likely a stronger team - with the post-concussive Trent Green threatening his job.
Teams that drafted Dolphins QB Daunte Culpepper are certainly weaker than they thought they were post-draft. Fortunately, Culpepper played so poorly that picking-up any QB but Vince Young has likely made that team stronger.
nevermind the doubt now sown by those fantasy teams that drafted Ronnie brown as an RB1 and now question whether he should start at RB2 over Ahman Green!
N.Y. Jets at New England 1:00 p.m.
Rb Leon Washington has emerged from the bye period as an OK RB2. I caution that he broke-out against the league's worst teams and may struggle now. Espeically given that Qb Chad Pennington's opening 300 yard games are a thing of the very distant past. He is essentially a bottom-tier QB and his owners are weaker coming out the byes. (155.5 yards passing per game.)
The Patriots still have no starting fantasy WRs, and, after nine weeks, none is going to arise. However, this is fantasy football, and the lowest-seeded fantasy play-off team will suffer an injury and be compelled to pick-up one of them and that receiver will have a three TD week and help topple the top-seeded one!
San Diego at Cincinnati 1:00 p.m.
QB Phillip Rivers is a legitimate Top 10 QB. Interestingly enough, none of his WRs are fantasy starters despite this.
Two-thirds of the Bengals Top Three Rounds Triumvirate of QB Carson palmer, WR Chad Johnson and RB Rudi Johnson have disappointed. If you don't know which two those are, then you're a weaker team coming out of the bye period.
San Francisco at Detroit 1:00 p.m.
After the first two weeks (pre-bye period), RB Frank Gore was being touted as a Top 10 RB. He had scored three TDs already. Coming out of the bye period, he still has three TDs. If he's you're RB1, you're a weaker team.
The same thing applies to QB Alex Smith. He took the fantasy world be storm after his first three games (271 ypg and 3 TDs). Like Chad pennington, he had fantasy fottball experts eating humble pie. (This one ranked Pennington and Smith #s 30 and 32 respectively.) Since? 142.2 ypg.
Washington at Philadelphia 1:00 p.m.
If you counted on QB Mark Brunnell and WR Santana Moss to contribute middle-of-the-pack production, you are likely worse off right now.
Did yopu know that Moss has no TDs other than the ones he caught in his 3-TD game in Week Five/ Did you know he has been a 49.5 ypg receiver minus that game?
If you own him, you do. If you own him, he's the reason you struggle as you start him every week hoping for a Week Five performance and get a 3rd WR one - that is an actual 3rd WR rather than the fantasy WR3!
If you own WR Reggie Brown, your team has emerged from the bye period as a stronger one. given the relive weakness at the position, you've come out with a WR1 to boot.
Denver at Oakland 4:05 p.m.
Obviously, Mike Bell owners are better off post-byes, but aren't y'all living in fear of the next capricious whim of Mike Shannahan?
Anyone who drafted RB Lamont Jordan and WR Randy moss are worse off, but that was apparent weeks ago. If you have been hanging-on, other teams post-bye strength will bury you.
The change in QBs has made Tony Romo a decent fantasy QB while bringing TE jason Witten back to the status he had immediately after fantasy drafts.
The Cardinals haven't improved anyone's value post-draft. RB Edgerrin james is defintely amongst the bottom tier of RBs right now, though.
New Orleans at Pittsburgh 4:15 p.m.
QB Drew Brees is a Top 5 fantasy football QB and was likely drafted very late, if at all. Obviously, he has taken rookie WR Marques Colsten with him.
If you are forced into startin RB Reggie Bush, it is time to plan for 2008.
Rb Willie Parker has improved his post-draft value as the Steelers haven't needed to give his goalline carries to some fantasy non-starter.
St. Louis at Seattle 4:15 p.m.
QB Marc Bulger is an every-week starting fantasy QB as is WR Torry holt and RB Stephen Jackson. 2nd WR Isaac Bruce is on pace for more than 1000 yards, but one TD limits any excitement.
WR Deoin Branch has emerged as a better fantasy option than the one he wa sin New England. Coming out of the bye period, he is a legit WR2. (Recall he was unsigned and did not play until Week Three.)
Chicago at N.Y. Giants 8:15 p.m.
QB Rex Grossman has seemingly emerged from the bye period as a Top 10 QB but 2 of his last three games (against the league's worst teams) have brought back pre-season expectations. Is he heading towards Pennington and Smith status?
With the season-ending injury to receptions leader Amani Toomer, is WR tim Carter going to emrge for the fantasy play-off run as a WR2 or will WR Plaxico Burress elevate his game to the 7+ balls per week level?
Tampa Bay at Carolina 8:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay has a solid WR2 or 3 in deep threat Joey Galloway, but the Bucs' offense doesn't seem to be effective from any closer than 30 yards. This makes RB Cadillac Williams a RB2 question mark - quite a fall from RB1- level post-draft.
With the return of rookie over-hyped sleeper, RB D'Angelo Williams returning, RB DeShaun Foster enters the post-bye period with less value.