Fantasy Football Fix: The bye weeks are here

The bye weeks are coming. In fact, they’re already here. Six NFL teams are out of action this weekend, and their absence is very apparent to fantasy football players everywhere. Denver, Arizona, Seattle, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Cleveland have a combined 12-6 record between them, and now they all get the week off. That means marquee names like Peyton Manning, Andre Ellington, Marshawn Lynch, Giovani Bernard, Zac Stacy and, um, someone from the Browns will all be unavailable in Week 4. If you built a deep roster, now’s your chance to make up ground on the owner in your league who got a little lucky over the first few weeks. And if you’re the guy who played me when I left Brandon Marshall on the bench in Week 2, well, things have a funny way of evening out in fantasy football. Not that I’m bitter.

The key now is to piece together a competitive lineup while 19 percent of the NFL goes on vacation. Hopefully, you’ve already been hitting the waiver wire over the first couple weeks and can plug in guys like Kirk Cousins or Donald Brown as needed. If not, you may need to chase down the Lorenzo Taliaferros and Matt Asiatas of the world. Whatever helps you weather the storm this week.

Of course, the quickest path to fantasy success is to find the strong players that are facing weak opposition and cash in. With that in mind, here are the Money Matchups for Week 4…

QB: Drew Brees, NO (@ DAL) Yes, Brees has gotten off to a slower start than usual. And yes, the New Orleans offense seems a lot better at home than on the road. But that’s more of an indoor/outdoor split than anything else, and the Cowboys play inside a giant stadium with a roof that looks like Jerry Jones’ head from outer space. Dallas had the worst pass defense in the entire league last season and, while it’s been a little better statistically this season, it’s still shaky. And the Saints are always a threat to go off.

Honorable Mention: Colin Kaepernick, SF (v PHI) Based on what we’ve seen so far this season, we can pretty safely pencil Kaepernick and the 49ers in for a good first half. It’s that second half that’s been the issue. San Francisco absolutely has to have this game though, so you’d hope to see one of Kaepernick’s better performances. And offenses playing against the Eagles always tend to put up more points — either because they’re able to exploit Philadelphia’s defense, or simply because Chip Kelly has found a way to cram 500 plays into a 60-minute game.

RB: Donald Brown, SD (v JAX) With Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead out, Brown is basically San Diego’s only option at running back. To that end, he got 36 touches in Week 3 (six less than Eddie Lacy has all year, if you’re keeping track at home). Now he faces Jacksonville. At home. He’s not a superstar by any means, but he doesn’t have to be — especially in a week where so many of the NFL’s top tier running backs are sitting.

Honorable Mention: Matt Forte, CHI (v GB) Forte hasn’t really gotten going yet this season, facing some solid run-stopping units over the first few weeks. He’s still on pace for 1,500 yards from scrimmage though, and now he meets a Green Bay front seven that sorely misses B.J. Raji. In two games against the Packers last season, Forte put up 336 total yards and four touchdowns. He’s certainly capable of doing some more damage here.

WR/TE: Calvin Johnson, DET (@ NYJ) Nobody can cover Calvin. But the Jets really can’t cover Calvin. New York does some good defensive work up front, but quarterbacks have been able to throw all over them. In fact, only four teams are allowing more fantasy points per game to opposing receivers than Rex Ryan’s squad. Enter Megatron who, at 6-foot-5 and 236-pounds, towers over everyone in the Jets secondary. Plus, he hasn’t crossed the goal line since his Monday Night outburst in Week 1, so he’s hungry.

Honorable Mention: Antonio Brown, PIT (v TB) Remember when I said only four teams are allowing more fantasy points per game to opposing receivers than the Jets? Well, the Buccaneers can beat that. No defense is more charitable to pass catchers than Tampa Bay, and now they have to deal with a guy who hauled in 110 receptions in 2013 and already has 296 yards and three scores this season.

D/ST: San Diego Chargers (v JAX) The Jaguars have been outscored 119-27 over the last 10 quarters. And now they’re throwing a rookie quarterback behind an offensive line that has allowed an NFL-worst 17 sacks already. Other than that, they’re fine. Start the Chargers defense.

Honorable Mention: Pittsburgh Steelers (v TB) The Pittsburgh D hasn’t been anything special this season but a) they’re available in most leagues and b) did you watch the Buccaneers play football last week? As an added bonus, Pittsburgh gets Jacksonville next week.

The Fantasy Football Fix podcast is available on ArizonaSports.com every week during the NFL season, with Luke Lapinski, Jordan Byrd and Paige Dimakos giving you all the insight you need to rise to the top of your league.