by Mike Harmon

Comment

Sure, there are two teams on bye this week, but the number of players taken off the board because of the schedule is far smaller than in any week in the recent past. Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub owners will miss that electric combination. Owners of pretty much anybody else on those squads can do without the head-scratching that has become such a part of those investments. Steve Slaton, Brandon Jacobs, Kevin Walter or the Giants defense, anyone?

Of course, at this stage of the season, we must also account for a myriad of injuries, ranging from the seemingly innocuous to quite severe. Two backs who are no strangers to the injury list but generally battle through, Clinton Portis and Brian Westbrook, are dealing with concussions. The league's emphasis on this matter probably sends owners looking in another direction this week. Let's begin the Baker's Dozen review for Week 10 with Portis' replacement in Washington.

Ladell Betts, RB, Washington Redskins

Portis had been working through a myriad of leg injuries throughout the 2009 season, thereby relegating Betts to the role of bystander. Portis is listed as doubtful because of the concussion sustained against the Falcons.

Prior to relieving Portis in Sunday's loss to Atlanta, Betts had more receptions than carries in 2009. He ran well in his first extended action against the Falcons, piling up 70 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. The former 1,000-yard rusher will likely start this week's game, a tough test against the Broncos.

Kolby Smith, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

The release of Larry Johnson solidifies Jamaal Charles' (still available in a few leagues) place in the Kansas City backfield. However, you wouldn't necessarily know that based on his Week 9 workload (nine touches, including three receptions).

While Charles might see more touches overall, Smith might see the carries that count. He carried the ball four times for 17 yards, adding one reception for four yards. The third-year back from Louisville just might be in line for goal-line touches.

Andre Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals lost Chris Henry for the year with a broken forearm, moving Caldwell and Laveranues Coles (dumped in a ton of leagues) up more than a few notches for the second half of the season. Coles piled up receptions in Sunday's win over the Ravens (six catches for 72 yards), while Caldwell remained a red zone target for Carson Palmer. He's caught multiple passes in every game this season with three touchdowns.

Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The rookie quarterback from Kansas State demonstrated great poise in the pocket and touch in delivering three touchdowns passes in the huge upset win over Green Bay. Granted, Freeman's lone interception was a terribly thrown ball, but those errors in judgment were few in his first start. He completed 14-of-31 attempts for 205 yards, adding 20 rushing yards to offset his interception. Freeman won't match that level of production consistently, quite obviously, but the return of Antonio Bryant and his poise have me intrigued.

Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

I banged the drum for Wallace for several weeks and some of you climbed aboard my makeshift bandwagon. Perhaps Monday's effort against the Broncos will bring the rest of you along for the ride. Denver matched up with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward in man coverage as expected (and unsuccessfully, I might add) and left Wallace to wander downfield.

Wallace scored on a 25-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger, his sixth consecutive game with a catch of at least 25 yards. He's also scored in three of the past four weeks. The rookie from Mississippi is still available in a good number of leagues despite the frequent targets he's receiving from Roethlisberger. Wallace caught seven passes for 102 yards in the first meeting with Cincinnati.

Justin Gage, WR, Tennessee Titans

Gage posted his best game since the season opener with a four-catch, 97-yard effort in Sunday's win over San Francisco. It was his second straight game with at least three receptions. Vince Young's return to the starting lineup is evidently working for Gage, as he's become a more frequent target downfield in the rejuvenated offensive attack. He's worthy of consideration of a third slot this week against the Bills in deeper leagues.

Earl Bennett, WR, Chicago Bears

The Bennett bandwagon is going strong following his seven-catch, 93-yard effort against the Cardinals. I've been manning the bullhorn for quite some time. Bennett has caught multiple passes in every game this season, averaging four receptions and 53.4 yards per game.

Justin Forsett, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Forsett posted his largest workload since Week 5 with six touches for 59 yards. The second-year speedster out of California represents an intriguing bench addition for the near-term. Forsett is the second man behind Julius Jones, but his efforts as a pass receiver in Week 9 are intriguing (five receptions for 45 yards). He's not worthy of activation right now, by any stretch, but there are several matchups down the road with promise if he's used as he was against Detroit.

Dustin Keller, TE, New York Jets

Keller posted his first significant fantasy numbers since Week 1 in the Week 8 loss to Miami (eight catches for 76 yards and a touchdown). However, it should be noted that Keller had been a frequent target for Mark Sanchez for several weeks prior to this breakout performance. I expect more consistent production from Keller in the second half of the season, particularly coming out of the bye.

The aforementioned Sanchez has a tremendous matchup on Sunday against the woeful Jacksonville pass defense. In two games prior to the bye, Sanchez accounted for five touchdowns (two rushing) with zero turnovers. Jacksonville's weak (read: non-existent) pass rush gives me hope for a big performance.

Eddie Royal, WR, Denver Broncos

Do you want maddening? Royal's five receptions for 74 yards against the Steelers came as a surprise given his lack of production in the Broncos' previous two games. However, I have to believe that the efficiency of the first half (lack of point production aside) remains part of the game plan going forward. Quick-hit slant routes were effective against the Pittsburgh corners and got Royal back involved. He's available in a ton of leagues to just stash.

Pierre Garcon, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Garcon's back on the radar again following the revelation that Anthony Gonzalez underwent arthroscopic surgery last week. Fantasy owners did indeed drop Garcon in a very large number of leagues. I'm not sure why that happened, but the numbers don't lie.

He's caught three or more passes in six of eight games this year, including a current streak of three games in which he's recorded a total of 12 receptions for 137 yards. Austin Collie's Week 9 injury thrusts Garcon into an even more prominent role in this week's showdown against the Patriots.

Chris Chambers, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

He was claimed by the Chiefs and played and excelled after three practices. Chambers made a splash in his first game with the Chiefs, hauling in three passes for 70 yards with two touchdowns against the Jaguars. He's officially on the radar as a waiver wire addition for this week as Chambers operates opposite Dwayne Bowe.

I'm encouraged about the long-term prospects for this combination now that the Chiefs have turned the page on the offense. Matt Cassel (available in far too many leagues) has thrown multiple touchdown passes in four of his past five starts and should remain a consistent option with Bowe, Chambers and rookie Lance Long (big game in Week 9) in the mix.

Jason Hill, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Owners looking deep for receiver help at the end of the bench might take a look-see at Hill. The third-year receiver became the third option for Alex Smith against the Titans and delivered a huge game with four grabs for 50 yards and two touchdowns. I'm intrigued to watch him going forward, as Hill and Smith had worked extensively in workouts prior to Smith's promotion back to the starter role.

Smith posted an uneven performance against the Titans, passing for 286 yards and two touchdowns with four turnovers. There's clearly reason to be concerned about the offensive line going forward, but Smith has more options emerging in the receiving corps. He's certainly worthy of an addition as an insurance card.