Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

WIDE RECEIVERS — PICK THEM UP

Austin Collie (Indianapolis Colts)

When the injury to wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez happened, the Indianapolis Colts knew somebody would step up but they weren’t sure who. Pierre Garcon has been an explosive deep threat but apparently isn’t ready to play on every down. Rookie Austin Collie, however, appears ready for that job. In Week 4 Collie caught six passes for 65 yards and a touchdown and in the Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans he caught eight passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Seeing him be a consistent performer the last two weeks has us believing he’s earned quarterback Peyton Manning’s trust. We’ve seen what that’s done for other players in the past so go ahead and pick up Collie if you’re in need of a receiver.

Miles Austin (Dallas Cowboys)

Entering the season Dallas wide receiver Miles Austin was one of the guys a lot of people identified as a sleeper. Through the first four games, however, Austin had just five catches and it appeared Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Jason Witten were the main targets for the Cowboys. That all changed in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs. With Williams out, Austin needed to step up and he did in a big way as he caught 10 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to those gaudy numbers, Austin also dropped two other would-be touchdowns in this game. Given how well he played Austin will continue to be targeted though it will be interesting to see where he fits in the picture once Williams returns. For now Austin is good to pickup in most leagues though his consistency issues leave us a bit concerned.

Nate Burleson (Seattle Seahawks)

Though Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson has been playing well this season it appears he’s flown under the radar as he was still available in a lot of leagues as of Sunday night. In the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week Burleson caught six passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Burleson is clearly heavily involved in the passing game as he’s caught four or more passes in every game despite quarterback Matt Hasselbeck missing some time. If Burleson is available in your league he should be picked up immediately and is good for any size league. Consider yourself lucky to be getting a low-end WR2 off your fantasy football leagues waiver wire.

KICKERS — PICK THEM UP

Olindo Mare (Seattle Seahawks)

As long as the Seahawks continue playing like they did last week against the Jaguars then kicker Olindo Mare is a good play. In the win over the Seahawks, Mare was 2-for-2 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points. Typically in fantasy football you want to target kickers on good offenses because their teams put them in position, consistently, to score points. Because of that Mare is worth a look in any league.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS — PICK THEM UP

Cincinnati Bengals D/ST

Apparently the Cincinnati Bengals are for real. We know quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco are good players but it’s been the defense that has led the Bengals this season. In the last three weeks the Bengals defense has four interceptions, one fumble recovery and two touchdowns. The additions of linebacker Rey Maualuga and safeties Chris Crocker and Roy Williams have helped but it’s been the defensive line, led by end Antwan Odom, that has really been the strength for the Bengals. Considering Cincinnati still has games left against Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City there’s a lot of opportunity for some big points from this unit.

Week 6 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to read)

Week 6 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 6 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

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