Heading into Week 6, it took a lot of balls (or desperation) to plug Dwayne Bowe into your lineup. On the season, he was only averaging 2.3 catches for 38 yards and 0.3 TD, but there was a sense that he’d have a chance for a nice game against the Texans, who have been bad against the pass this season. Well, Bowe (6-108-2) did have a nice game, and owners that were ballsy (or desperate) enough to plug him in were well rewarded. Looking at the KC backfield, Thomas Jones (20 touches, 110 yards, TD) and Jamaal Charles (20 touches, 117 yards) split the duties evenly, though Jones got both carries inside the Texans’ five yard line. Meanwhile, it looks like Matt Cassel (201 yards, 3 TD) is coming on after a poor start to the season. He now has six pass TDs in his last three games, and should have had another last week if not for a Bowe drop in the endzone. For the Texans, Andre Johnson (8-138-1) looks fine, and Owen Daniels (5-79) seems to be getting back to his old self. He was the second most targeted (7) Houston receiver. Kevin Walter was shut out. (He wasn’t even targeted.)

It looks like Seattle plans to use Marshawn Lynch (20 touches, 53 yards, TD) quite a bit. Justin Forsett (11 touches, 56 yards, TD) also got a lot of work. I’m starting to see him hit the waiver wire in a few leagues and he’s definitely worth rostering. Mike Williams 1.0 (10-123, 15 targets) was the big winner with Deion Branch gone, but Deon Butler (4-47-1) made the most of his four targets. Johnny Knox (5-120) was the only standout fantasy player for the Bears, who struggled offensively.

Speaking of Deion Branch (9-98-1), Tom Brady (292 yards, TD, 2 INT) certainly made him feel welcome, targeting his new/old receiver 12 times, which was the most of any Patriot player. I think it’s safe to cut Brandon Tate (0-0, 4 targets) whose potential value was torpedoed by the Branch trade. I actually had to start Danny Woodhead (16 touches, 115 yards) in two PPR leagues and was rewarded with a nice day thanks to his five catches. He actually got one more carry (11) than BenJarvus Green-Ellis (10 carries, 20 yards, TD).

I’m a Packer fan, and it was tough to watch Green Bay’s fairly impotent performance against the Dolphins. The Packers said this week that they wanted to get Greg Jennings (6-133-1) involved, and they succeeded. Unfortunately, that was their only success of the afternoon. Davone Bess (5-37-1) scored again for the Dolphins, but Brandon Marshall (10-127) was the big story for Miami in the passing game.

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Anthony Stalter (under TheScoresReport) and I (under fantasytips) will be tweeting throughout Week 3. Feel free to ask us questions, call us names, whatever…

Updated 10/15/10

These are subject to change as we get closer to kickoff, so be sure to check back if you are having trouble with a particular decision.

Quarterbacks

1. Peyton Manning (IND @ WAS)
2. Philip Rivers (SD @ STL)
3. Drew Brees (NO @ TB)
4. Aaron Rodgers (GB vs. MIA)
5. Eli Manning (NYG vs. DET)
6. Kyle Orton (DEN vs. NYJ)
7. Tony Romo (DAL @ MIN)
8. Joe Flacco (BAL @ NE)
9. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT vs. CLE)
10. Tom Brady (NE vs. BAL)
11. Jay Cutler (CHI vs. SEA)
12. Vince Young (TEN @ JAC)
13. Donovan McNabb (WAS vs. IND)
14. Matt Ryan (ATL @ PHI)
15. Matt Schaub (HOU vs. KC)
16. Mark Sanchez (NYJ @ DEN)
17. Josh Freeman (TB vs. NO)
18. Alex Smith (SF vs. OAK)
19. David Garrard (JAC vs. TEN)
20. Kevin Kolb (PHI vs. ATL)
21. Shaun Hill (DET @ NYG)
22. Matt Cassel (KC @ HOU)
23. Brett Favre (MIN vs. DAL)
24. Jason Campbell (OAK @ SF)
25. Sam Bradford (STL vs. SD)

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Wondering who to add/drop or whether or not a trade is fair?

I’m here to help.

After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later today when I’ll release my official Week 6 rankings.

And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week you pick up a defense that is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position.

Last season, my top pick averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. My second pick averaged 9.1 and my third pick averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game, which equate to DT5 numbers — all for the price of a few waiver wire pickups. In 2008, my top two picks averaged DT6-type numbers. (Note: To calculate fantasy points, I use this scoring system.)

Unlike Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC), which is for those owners who prefer low maintenance teams, DTBWW strategy allows fantasy owners to virtually ignore DTs on draft day and focus on picking up an extra RB/WR flier instead.

To be eligible, defenses have to be available on the waiver wire in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s see how my Week 5 picks fared:

#1 Chargers: 3 SK = 3 fantasy points
#2 Panthers: 3 SK + 4 INT = 7 fp
#3 Rams: 1 SK = 1 fp

My original post had the Falcons (18 points) at #3, but I’m not going to include them because heading into the weekend I had them fourth overall. I’m not trying to sugarcoat this deal. On the season, my top pick is averaging 6.6 fantasy points, my #2 pick is averaging 10.8 and my #3 pick is averaging 5.2. On the whole, DTBWW is averaging 7.5 fantasy points. I’m not real happy with the performance of DTBWW over the last three weeks save for the Charger’s 24-point explosion in Week 4.

Let’s take a look at my Week 6 picks:

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I’m going to change things up on the Waiver Wire Watch and start including players that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% (instead of 50%) of ESPN leagues.

I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Matthew Stafford (23.4)
He’s not quite back yet, but in 12-team leagues it’s time to start thinking about picking him back up if you are past your QB’s bye. Starting in Week 8, the Lions’ schedule gets pretty favorable for the next eight games.

Josh Freeman (11.9)
Throwing out that game against the Steelers’ suffocating defense, Freeman has thrown for at least 280 yards or two TDs in three of his first four games. He’s a solid start against all but the toughest pass defenses, and his remaining schedule is very favorable (including WAS, DET and SEA during the fantasy playoffs).

David Garrard (40.8)
I used to think he was one of the most underrated fantasy QBs playing today. Then he posted a total of 278 yards, one TD and five INTs against the Chargers and Eagles. I was done with him. Then he threw for 341 yards, five TDs and one pick against the Colts and the Bills. Now I don’t know what to think. His upcoming schedule isn’t bad, but it isn’t terribly good either.

Matt Hasselbeck (21.1)
Hasselbeck’s schedule the rest of the way is largely mediocre, making him a middle-of-the-road fantasy QB2.

Alex Smith (10.6)
If the 49ers let him be himself (i.e. run the offense out of the shotgun) then Smith will continue to post good fantasy numbers. I don’t know if he’s going to win any games, but he will continue to post good numbers. His upcoming schedule should get easier.

Kevin Kolb (58.8)
He played pretty well in a good matchup against the 49ers, but I wouldn’t want to start him against ATL or TEN in the next two weeks. (Though it should be noted that neither matchup is dreadful.)

Sam Bradford (39.1)
Things were looking good for the rookie, with four straight games of at least 235 passing yards or two TDs. But Mark Clayton’s knee injury is going to knock him down a few pegs in my rankings. And he has a rough matchup with SD this week.

Shaun Hiill (12.2)
There’s no arguing that Hill has been on fire of late, but with Calvin Johnson possibly out for a Week 6 date with the Giants (who just shut down the Texans’ offense), he’s not a good pickup this week.

Matt Cassel (9.9)
Had Dwayne Bowe held on in the endzone, Cassel would have finished with respectable numbers. With HOU, JAX and BUF coming up, Cassel is a sneaky good (yet undependable) play.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (6.3)
He’s going on his bye, but Fitzy has averaged 198 yards, 2.3 TDs and 0.7 INT since taking over as the starter. He has a rough upcoming schedule (BAL, CIN, PIT, MIN in his next seven games), but a great matchup in Week 16 (NE).

Jason Campbell (4.2)
Campbell filled in for an injured Bruce Gradkowski and threw for 159 yards and a TD in a pretty tough matchup with the Chargers. With SF, DEN and SEA coming up, he’s a decent start in two-QB leagues.

Max Hall (1.0)

Jimmy Clausen (1.5)

Colt McCoy (0.4)

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- What can I say about Tom Brady (380 yards, 6 TDs)? This was the kind of day fantasy owners were expecting when they took him as the first QB off the board back in August. He completed 29 passes while the opposing QB, Kerry Collins, went just 2/12 for -7 yards.

- Matt Schaub (392 yards, 4 TD, INT) looks like an every-week start as long as he stays healthy. I’d keep a good backup on my bench, however.

- Predictably, Aaron Rodgers (358 yards, 2 TD, INT) torched the Lions.

- Brett Favre (278 yards, 3 TD) had a very nice game against a Ravens defense that has traditionally been pretty good against the pass.

- Drew Brees (369 yards, 4 TD) rewarded owners who had faith in the Saints’ offense despite a tough match against a very good Giants’ defense.

- The Steelers let Ben Roethlisberger (417 yards, 2 TD, INT) throw, and he turned in a nice fantasy day. He’s a solid every-week starter going forward.

- The Redskins benched Jason Campbell (89 yards, TD) and finished the game with Todd Collins (75 yards). This is a bad sign for the Washington pass offense.

- The Eagles’ offense was terrible against the Raiders. Oakland brought a lot of pressure and Philly didn’t adjust. Donovan McNabb (269 yards) had a decent day yardage-wise, but didn’t throw a TD.

- Coming into the game, Arizona had the worst passing defense in the league (in terms of yards allowed), but they held down Matt Hasselbeck (112 yards, INT), who torched Jacksonville last week. It just goes to show you how quickly things can change in the NFL.

- Trent Edwards (43 yards) was knocked out of the game with a concussion and Ryan Fitzpatrick (116 yards, TD, INT) was pretty shaky in his stead.

- Surprisingly, the NFL’s leading rusher, Cedric Benson (16-44-1), had a pretty quiet game against a suspect Texans rush defense.

- Steve Slaton (25 touches, 145 yards, TD) didn’t do much in the rushing game, but had 6-102-1 through the air.

- Maurice Jones-Drew (38 touches, 178 yards, 3 TD) had a day worthy of the second overall pick in fantasy leagues this year.

- Steven Jackson (22 touches, 128 yards) didn’t score, but the Rams got him involved in the passing game.

- Ray Rice (20 touches, 194, 2 TD) had a monster game against a pretty good Minnesota rush defense. Rice did much of his damage through the air (10-117).

- He didn’t score, but Adrian Peterson’s Week 6 performance (26 touches, 166 yards) is nothing to sneeze at. (Does anyone ever “sneeze at” anything?)

- The Saints’ RBBC worked out this way: Pierre Thomas (15 carries, 72 yards), Mike Bell (15 carries, 34 yards, TD) and Reggie Bush (7 touches, 24 yards, TD). When the Saints were inside the five, it was Bell who got most of the work. Thomas appeared to score on one play, but the replay did not show enough for the Saints to challenge.

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- Fresh off his “lady-friend rendezvous” suspension, Mike Sims-Walker (9-120) posted another nice game. He is averaging 7-100-0.8 per game over the last four games played. Torry Holt (5-101) was also a factor against his old team.

- Donnie Avery (1-17-1) started the day with a TD catch, but left the game with a bruised hip. The guy just can’t seem to stay healthy.

- Sidney Rice (6-176) is turning into a pretty startable wideout. He is averaging 4.8-91-0.5 over the last four games and Brett Favre looks his way often.

- Derrick Mason (7-97-1) scared some people off with his goose egg last week against the Bengals, but he posted 5-118-1 in Week 3 and 7-88-1 in Week 4 to go along with a nice performance this week.

- Lance Moore (6-78-1) finally looks completely healthy and seems to be the Saints’ WR2 once again. Meanwhile, Marques Colston (8-166-1) made it clear that he’s the team’s WR1.

- Steve Smith 2.0 (4-44) had a quiet game, while rookie Hakeem Nicks (5-114-1) and Mario Manningham (4-50-1) both had nice games. Eli Manning just missed Smith on a TD pass in the first half. He’s still an every-week start.

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Be sure to check back for some random fantasy thoughts about the QB, RB and WR positions.

- Owen Daniels (7-78-2) is turning into one of the very best pass-catching TEs in the league. He is averaging 5.3-62-0.7 this season.

- Jermichael Finley (5-54) had another solid game and is starting to look like a starting-caliber TE.

- Visanthe Shiancoe (4-48-2) has four TD in the last three games. Brett Favre has always loved to throw to his TE around the goal line, and that hasn’t changed now that he’s quarterbacking the Vikings.

- Heath Miller (5-80-1) has been on fire of late. Over the last three games, he is averaging 6.0-68-1.3 and should be in starting lineups until he cools off.

- Zach Miller (6-139-1) has started to hit waiver wires, but he shouldn’t last long. Even with the erratic JaMarcus Russell throwing the ball, he’s worth rostering.

- Greg Olsen (5-57-1) has caught a TD in each of the last three games.