Bye weeks are the worst

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

It’s true. I dread when bye weeks begin in the NFL season because it totally puts my fantasy football lineup in a mess.

In fact, I requested to push back my deadline on this column just so I could rearrange my lineup and make sure I had enough players starting.

There I was, when I was supposed to be writing on deadline, combing through the waiver wire in search of a kicker and a defense.

But now that we’re halfway through the Fantasy Football season, it’s time to reassess where your team is at.

Somehow, I’ve managed to scratch and claw my way into third place in my 10-team league, and first place in my six-team league. (The latter is not that impressive since there are few teams and the waiver wire is so deep.)

But, as with all sports, there are injuries.

Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson, whom I drafted with my second pick in the 10-team league, got injured and missed a few weeks. Fortunately, that’s the worst I’ve encountered so far.

While the opportunities might be few and far between on the waiver wire, it might be a good time to start putting together trade packages, too.

And so, as we head into the second half of the fantasy season, here are a few players you might consider picking up off the waiver wire as the season continues into Week 7.

Tim Tebow, New York Jets: No, not for quarterback, although I wish that was the case. Rex Ryan and the New York Jets seem adamant that Mark Sanchez is their guy under center. At least for now. But, rumor is the Jets, who have injuries all over the place, are considering using Tebow as their running back, starting with these weekend’s AFC East matchup against the New England Patriots. Of course, it could be a publicity stunt by the Jets and an attempt to have the Patriots alter their defensive game plan. And honestly, I don’t expect Tebow to score many points.

Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta Faclons: It’s tough to start a running back on a pass-heavy team, especially when they have Michael Turner as their starting running back. But Rodgers has seen opportunities as the third-down back. Although he hasn’t done much in the running game, he makes up for it on screens and dump-off passes. If he can continue to produce, it’ll stay that way.

Andrew Hawkins, Cincinnati Bengals: Playing across A.J. Green is always a good thing. But Hawkins, who is owned in about 49% of Yahoo! leagues, could be available in yours. He hasn’t scored much in the last three games, but he has had two big games. He also has seen an increase in targets. If you don’t jump on him yet, you might want to keep an eye on him.