Bye Weeks: Bills, Bengals, Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Patriots

Start 'Em

DeMarco Murray vs. StL
There has not been an official statement from head coach Jason Garrett regarding the Cowboys carry distribution in the wake of RB Felix Jones’ high ankle sprain. It would be a surprise if the brittle Jones was back in 2 weeks, so this is a huge opportunity for Murray to prove his worth to his team and his fantasy owners. As far as matchups go, it couldn’t be better for the University of Oklahoma’s all-time TD leader. The Rams have allowed an average of 163 rushing yards per game (worst in the NFL) and 4.9 yards per carry (25th in NFL). I’m not going to predict a 100-yard effort from Murray as RB Tashard Choice will also be in the mix, but I think a player of Murray’s caliber should be able to seize the moment and have a solid game.

Chris Johnson vs. Hou
The Titans rank last in the NFL in rushing yards (333), average yards per carry (3.0) and they are tied for 25th with just 2 rushing TDs. Translation: Chris Johnson has been a major disappointment; his 3.01 yards per carry is a career worst. Head Coach Mike Munchak indicated that working on the running game was a priority during the bye week, and it is likely that the extra practice time will go a long way to helping Johnson and the Titans offensive line. This week presents a good opportunity for the unit to get back on track. The Texans have allowed opposing RBs an average of 4.6 yards per carry and 5 TDs, both numbers are in the bottom ten of the NFL. Let’s not forget that Johnson has averaged 12.7 TDs per season over his first three; with just 1 TD this year, there is only one way to go.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

Ryan Torain @ Car
It is no secret that it is nearly impossible to trust Head Coach Mike Shanahan when it comes to fantasy RBS. For the sake of argument, let’s say you picked up Torain after his big Week 4 effort in St. Louis (19 carries, 135 yards, TD) because you have a RB (Fred Jackson, Cedric Benson, Frank Gore, Ahmad Bradshaw) on a bye this week. Torain then proceeded to stink it up last week (10 carries, 22 yards) against the Eagles and now you are torn. Still, he seems to be the favorite to garner the most touches, even if RB Tim Hightower has gotten healthy. As such, Torain makes for a risky, but intriguing flex play against a Panthers team that has been shredded for an average of 140.3 rushing yards per game and 8 TDs. Fool me twice, shame on me…

Mark Ingram vs. Ind
The Saints backfield, much like its receiving corps, has too many mouths to feed, and although Ingram has led this RBBC in carries, his fantasy value has taken a hit. On the season, Ingram has three games with less than 10 carries and three games with 13 or more carries. The good news is that drew the start in the Week 6 game, his first start since Week 1, and Head Coach Sean Payton continues to try to involve Ingram. Darren Sproles’ play has made it hard to take him out of the lineup, but Pierre Thomas has regressed in recent weeks, which should be good for Ingram and his owners. Although the yards probably won’t be there to produce big fantasy numbers, Ingram has scored a TD in 3 of 4 games and is RB2/flex worthy this week against the Colts. Indianapolis has allowed 136.7 rushing yards per game and 7 ground TDs.

Bench 'Em

Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Bal
MoJo has had at least 84 yards rushing in each game this year and his average of 95.3 rushing yards per game is a career-high. His 4.8 yards per carry is the second best mark of his career (5.7 in 2006). These are impressive achievements considering that rookie QB Blaine Gabbert is under center for the Jags. While his catch totals are down, owners should still expect Jones-Drew to receive 18-24 carries against the Ravens, who have been very tough to run on. Baltimore has allowed just 1 TD to opposing RBs and an average of 3.3 yards per carry. Monday night’s game will be Jones-Drew’s toughest test of the season; his top-tier RB status does not lend itself well to an outright benching, but don’t expect a whole lot if and when you plug him in. Texans RB Arian Foster’s numbers (15 carries, 49 yards @ Ravens) last week are a reasonable comparable.

Montario Hardesty vs. Sea
Hardesty’s value is on the rise as RB Peyton Hillis came out of last week’s game with a hamstring injury. The Browns are still holding out hope that Hillis might be available in some fashion, but it is looking like Hardesty could receive the bulk of the carries against an underrated Seahawks run defense. Seattle has allowed 5 rushing TDs but just 3.1 yards per carry to opposing RBs, the lowest average in the NFL. Hardesty did not capitalize against the Raiders substandard run defense (11 carries, 35 yards) and it is hard to think that will change against the ‘Hawks.

Steven Jackson @ Dal
Last week, Jackson declared himself 100% healthy and certainly seems to have healed from a quad injury that held him out in Week 2 and limited him in Week 3. He trumped the odds last week, garnering 96 yards on 18 carries against a stout Packers run defense, yet faces another daunting task in Week 7. The Rams head to Dallas and again will face one of the top run defenses in the league. The Cowboys have allowed an average of 69.6 rushing yards per game and just 1 TD this season. They boast the only defense in the NFL that has not allowed a run of 20 or more yards. Without a clear-cut better option, it may be prudent to roll with him and hope for a TD plunge, but don’t expect the yards to be there.

Wide Receivers