When NBC took over the Sunday Night package away from ESPN, they wanted some flexibility in the schedule so they could have a meaningful matchup as the season waned on [something that killed of ABC's version of Monday Night football was bad games late in the year].
The NFL obliged and opened up the final 8 weeks of the season for those flexed games. However, in doing so, they shaved off a week of byes. Now, we will pay for that. In Weeks 6 and 7, the NFL will have SIX teams on a bye each week. This really cuts into a fantasy team at a crucial time.
This weeks byes: Browns, Packers, Colts, Vikings, Patriots and Jaguars.
That means no Peyton Manning, Brett Favre or Tom Brady. It means no Reuben Droughns, Chester Taylor, Corey Dillon, Laurence Maroney or Fred Taylor. No Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Troy Williamson or Matt Jones [who? Matt Jones]. And some of the top defenses on the board are gone.
Of course, after last week where the Falcons, Bengals, Seahawks and Texans were off and took away some of the biggest fantasy players with them, many fantasy owners won't see an unforgivably huge hit. A few waiver wire moves....and they're fine.
Good fantasy owners forsaw this coming and were prepared prior to this week. Hopefully, you were one of them.
