Bye Weeks: Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville, Minnesota

Start 'Em

The D-Bowe Show should be in full effect against the Dolphins.

Dwayne Bowe vs. Mia
Dwayne Bowe used to be known as a classic boom-or-bust receiver, but Bowe has developed into an every-week starter in 2011 despite his team’s mediocre offensive output. Sure, he hasn’t scored or gone over 100-yards in either of his past two games, but now is not the time to panic. With the emergence of rookie receiver Jon Baldwin, Bowe could begin to see significantly more one-on-one opportunities this week and going forward. He and the Kansas City passing game will have an opportunity to light up the scoreboard against a Miami pass defense that has been torched through the air this season. Twice have the Dolphins allowed opposing receivers to make a ridiculous total of 18-or-more receptions as a unit, including last week when the Giants receivers did so, and in Week 1 when Wes Welker and the Patriots did it. Kansas City may not have as high-powered of an offense as the Giants or Patriots, but the passing game should still be in full-effect and Dwayne Bowe stands to benefit the most of any Chiefs receiver.

Darrius Heyward-Bey vs. Den
I know, the name is gross, but the results could be great for those willing to take a chance on this former first round pick. Heyward-Bey has broken out as the clear top target in the Oakland passing game and even remained so in the Raiders’ blowout loss to Kansas City which was Carson Palmer’s first game in the silver-and-black. The Raiders’ offense as whole might struggle to put up points this year, but the Broncos’ pass-defense has been horrendous. Other than Champ Bailey, it doesn’t appear as if anyone in the Denver secondary has a clue what is going on. If Heyward-Bey is lucky enough to not end up matched up with Bailey all day, look for him to have a nice performance, worthy of a start if you’re in a tough spot at wide receiver.

Antonio Brown vs. Bal
He came into the season as the fourth-highest drafted receiver on his team, but Antonio Brown has surprised many by hauling in an impressive 16 passes over the past two weeks. Still, it might surprise some to hear that the most-targeted receiver in the Steelers’ offense on the year is in fact not Mike Wallace, nor is it Hines Ward. It’s actually Antonio Brown whose 63 targets are six more than the next-closest receiver, Wallace. Hines Ward may be back this week, but make no mistake about it—Antonio Brown is the only Pittsburgh receiver aside from Mike Wallace who is worthy of a start in Week 9. Baltimore’s defense may be good, but if there has been a week point, it has been stopping opposing wide receivers. They currently rank 14th in the NFL in that department and have allowed over 100 yards to opposing wide receivers in every game but one this season.

Victor Cruz @ NE
Just when we thought the Victor Cruz show was over, he sucks us back in. After three straight big performances, Cruz fell off in Week 6 when he caught just two passes for 12 yards against the Bills and their mediocre pass-defense. He bounced back in Week 8 though when he caught 7 passes for 99 yards and a score against the Dolphins with increased playing time due to an injury to Hakeem Nicks. Nicks is listed as questionable this week and if he is unable to go, Cruz could be in-line for another nice fantasy day as the Giants go up against one of the worst pass-defenses in the league in New England. Even if Nicks does play, it will likely be in lower-capacity than usual, so expect Cruz to get a good number of targets.

Bench 'Em

Brandon Marshall vs. KC
The transition from Chad Henne to Matt Moore has not particularly affected the team in the wins column, but it certainly hasn’t done good things for the fantasy value of their top wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Though Marshall continues to be a playable receiver in PPR leagues, his statistics took a sharp decline once Moore took over behind center. Marshall averaged 10 fantasy points per game (non-PPR) with Henne at QB, but that has fallen to just 6.5 points per game with Moore. Though Marshall is still unquestionably the team’s top offensive weapon, defenses know it too and cornerback Brandon Flowers won’t make things easy on the former Pro Bowler when the Dolphins host the Chiefs in Week 9. Flowers is coming off a great performance in Week 8 where he helped to hold the Chargers’ Vincent Jackson to just three catches on the day. Look for him to do much of the same against Brandon Marshall.

Vincent Jackson vs. GB
Speaking of Vincent Jackson, he also makes the “Sit ‘Em” list due to his complete lack of consistency this year. Typically known for being one of the top boom-or-bust receivers in the league, Jackson’s 2011 season has seen way more valleys than it has peaks thus far. The Chargers’ top wide receiver has caught three or fewer passes in four straight games including two games against Miami and Denver who are among the worst pass defenses in the league this year. His monster Week 2 performance leaves us with hope that he will still turn things around and the Chargers will likely be passing a lot this week to keep up with the Packers’ offense, but the Packers will know it’s coming and Charles Woodson is still one of the elite cornerbacks in the game. He’s one of the best deep threats in the game, but those who are starting Jackson are likely hoping for that one long score to remedy what will otherwise be a mediocre fantasy day.

Santonio Holmes @ Buf
He was drafted as the Jets’ top wide receiver in fantasy this year, but Santonio Holmes has not had the production that one would have expected. His 40 targets rank just third on the team behind tight end Dustin Keller (46) and fellow receiver Plaxico Burress (45). Keller leads the team in targets isn’t all that surprising given who is behind center, but the surprising one to note is that Burress, who is new to the Jets in 2011 and coming off of significant time out of the game, is ahead of Holmes. What’s even worse is that Burress is being targeted significantly more than Holmes in the red zone, which helped him get into the end zone three times in three catches in the Jets’ most recent game while Holmes was stuck with table scraps, catching only two passes for 24 yards and no touchdowns. Holmes has only caught more than three passes in a game twice this season and just doesn’t appear to be the team’s top WR anymore. The Bills might be bad against the pass, but it’s not like Holmes and Mark Sanchez are clicking right now. Let him sit on your bench this week.

Quarterbacks