Week 6 Fantasy Update

It happens again next week, when St. Louis, New Orleans and Chicago are among the missing six.

Usually only four teams are off for each bye week, but the NFL schedulers wrapped up the byes a week earlier this year, adding the extras into the upcoming two-week span.

For fantasy players saddled with depleted rosters because of the byes, the solution, as always, is to remain calm.

You may not be happy or proud inserting David Carr or J.P. Losman into the lineup, but this is no time to panic and trade your stars just because they're off. Don't pass up a good trade if one actually presents itself, of course, but don't worry if you need to muddle through with a lineup of waiver-wire scraps. One bad week won't kill you, but a shortsighted trade might.

As you prepare for a relaxing weekend off, here are some players to start in Week 6, some to avoid, and a few long shots that just may pan out:QUARTERBACKS SAFE BET

- Is Washington's Mark Brunell awful like last week (109 yards passing) or the world-beater from the two games before that? Since he's playing the Titans, let's go with the latter.

- After getting taken to the woodshed by the Bears, Buffalo's Losman gets a look at the lighter side of the NFC North. He should find plenty of holes in the Lions' pass defense that has yielded an NFL-worst 11 TD passes.

- Dallas' Drew Bledsoe, who also spent much of last week in the woodshed, should bounce back against the Texans' NFL-worst pass defense. (In an interesting side contest, Bledsoe and David Carr will vie for the title of best sack-taker.)

- Jake Plummer of Denver, coming off an awful night statistically, faces a Raiders pass defense that somehow is ranked second in the NFL. Plummer should fix his stats and help the woeful Raiders return to their natural spot lower in the rankings.

- San Diego's Philip Rivers looked composed against the Steelers, and his coach actually might let him throw again. He faces a 49ers defense coming off the remarkable double humiliation of allowing TD passes to Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo.TAKE A SHOT

- Surely the Steelers can't go 1-4, and Ben Roethlisberger can't go forever without scoring. Look for him to get his first touchdowns against the Chiefs.

BACK AWAY SLOWLY AND NOBODY GETS HURT

Please, in the name of Kyle Boller, don't start these guys:

- The Giants' Eli Manning faces the only defense that hasn't allowed a TD pass in Atlanta. Plus, the erratic Giants were good last week so they probably won't be this week.

- Matt Leinart was so good in his debut that the Cardinals just barely lost. They'll go back to getting stomped as the brutal Bears continue their stomping ways.

- Tampa Bay's Bruce Gradkowski looked sharp against the Saints in his debut, but the rookie will be forced into errors while playing catch-up or spend all day handing off to Carnell ``Cadillac'' Williams.---RUNNING BACKSALL DAY LONG

- Kansas City's Larry Johnson only ran for 36 yards last week, missed some practice this week after nearly getting his head twisted off, and now faces a brutal Pittsburgh defense. Still, don't overthink this one and just start him every week unless he's out.

- Speaking of Johnsons, the Bengals have had a week off to look at film showing them they should just feed the ball to Rudi Johnson. He'll be running on a Tampa Bay defense that gives up 163 yards a game.

- When the Bengals aren't running, the Bucs will be. Cadillac Williams apparently has figured out how to run again (111 yards last week), and the Bengals still haven't figured out how to stop anyone (144 yards per game, 7 TDs).

- So you coach the Dolphins, who have no quarterback, and you play the Jets, who can't stop any running backs and have allowed an NFL-high 11 rushing scores. What do you do? Hmm, I'm thinking Ronnie Brown gets about 40 carries.

- Give Seattle's Maurice Morris a start against the Rams' run defense, which in the past two weeks has allowed huge games by the likes of Noah Herron and Kevin Jones.HE COULD FIND A SEAM

- Normally the Ravens are one of the few defenses you consider benching starters against, but Carolina's DeShaun Foster could be worth a shot. There were plenty of holes in the Ravens' run defense last week, and he won't be sharing any carries with the injured DeAngelo Williams.RED FLAGS

- Tennessee's Travis Henry is coming off his first 100-yard game since 2003, but he faces a decent Washington run defense and the long odds against good things for Titans on consecutive weeks.

- Don't get too excited about Leon Washington's 100-yard day with the Jets. He was mostly just trying to kill the clock and end an embarrassing shutout loss.

- You still have to start Chicago's Thomas Jones, but you also have to be concerned that the two rushing TDs by Cedric Benson last week could spell fewer carries for Jones

.---WIDE RECEIVERSTHROW HIM THE DARN BALL!

- We're going to see endless close-ups of Terrell Owens on the sideline regardless of the outcome, but this week against the Texans we'll see him chuckling and gleeful during his first huge game as a Cowboy.

- Chicago's Bernard Berrian doesn't catch a lot of balls, but he makes the most of them. He's scored in four of five games and averages 21.7 yards a catch.

- The Jets' Laveranues Coles, who's been hurt and griping about his lack of receptions, should come back from last week's disaster. He has scored a TD in his last three games against the Dolphins. (Check his injury status Sunday, though, because he's listed as questionable.)

- Buffalo's Lee Evans should go over 90 yards for the fourth straight week against the winless Lions.

- Start an Eagle, any Eagle, against the Saints. Four Philadelphia receivers have at least one touchdown catch, and three of them already have posted 100-yard games. Donte' Stallworth is doubtful, though, so rookie Hank Baskett should get another start.MAYBE THROW HIM THE DARN BALL?

- People have been able to throw on the vaunted Steelers defense, so Kansas City's Eddie Kennison could make another appearance.SHOW HIM THE DARN BENCH

- Rest all Cardinals receivers, who will spend most of Sunday night turning around to see exactly how Matt Leinart got flattened by the Bears.

- The Dolphins won't throw much against the Jets, but when they do, look for Joey Harrington to throw lots of balls at Chris Chambers' ankles, calves and lower back.

- Antonio Bryant sure has vanished after a fast start for the 49ers, and the Chargers' top-ranked pass defense should keep him invisible this week.---FREE AGENT SHOPPING LIST

Roll the dice on these guys if they're still available in your league:

Noah Herron of Green Bay (106 yards rushing, TD), Bryant Johnson of Arizona, Hank Baskett of Philadelphia (112 yards receiving, TD), Leon Washington of the Jets (101 yards rushing).---WHAT DO I KNOW?

Here's the best and worst of last week's projections:

Big Hits: I endorsed starts for Alex Smith (3 TDs), Fred Taylor (111 yards rushing, TD), Donovan McNabb (354 yards passing, 2 TDs, 1 rushing TD), DeShaun Foster (106 yards rushing) and Julius Jones (100 yards). I also suggested benching then-league rushing leader Willis McGahee (50 yards).

Big Misses: I once again was amazingly wrong on Mark Brunell and Santana Moss, who combined for zilch. I expected failure for Bucs Joey Galloway (110 yards receiving, TD) and Cadillac Williams (111 yards rushing). I also saw success for Drew Bledsoe (147 errors) and Isaac Bruce (23 yards).

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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