Backups for your Backups?

I feel like I am watching an episode of the Twilight Zone! Every Monday, for the last 6 weeks, I find myself wondering through the aftermath of injuries from another day in the NFL. It doesn’t matter how you feel about the violence of the sport, or if you agree with the new rules the Commissioner put in place to help protect the players. The truth of the matter is that at any given time there is a good chance you could lose a productive player for an extended period of time. How do you replace someone like DeSean Jackson, Jermichael Finley, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie or Antonio Gates? Obviously you can not, but you can be prepared in the event if one of your starters goes down for an extended period of time. As a Fantasy Owner, you need to be proactive and plan for an injury to happen. How do you plan for an injury? The short answer is you need to add depth, at all positions, to your roster. The downside to this is that you will be forced to make some tough decisions on whom to drop/trade to add that depth. You will also have to take a chance on players that may or may not make an impact from this point forward. Anyone can give you their opinion on what players to add, but what players to get rid of? Only you can make that decision.
What I mean by being proactive is you need to take a chance on a player before anyone else in your league realizes their potential. I would rather claim a player, and stash him on my bench; then wait for him to have a good game and get into a bidding war to sign him. If he does not progress into the player you thought he would, just cut him loose for another sleeper. To do this you need roster space, and this is where you have to make some decisions. The first order of business is to cut any extra D/ST and Kickers off your roster. If you are saving them to fill in for a starter on a bye week, cut them loose anyways. You can always mix and match these positions when the time comes.
You drafted what you thought was a great team this summer but things have changed! First round selections such as MJD and Michael Turner are not even in the top fifty of the list of top scorers so far this season. Who would have thought that Ryan Torrain would have roughly the same amount of points as those guys?! Is now the time to trade away your first or second round pick? If you can add some depth to your roster in exchange for an underachiever then you should do so.
What can we expect from the helmet to helmet rule change that was instituted this week? Some think that nothing will change; I on the other hand see defenses playing less aggressively. If defenses become less physical then that would be a good thing for Fantasy Football. More catches will be made for more yards and more points will be scored. The NFL is thinking about adding two games to the regular season. At the rate players are getting injured, if they do extend the regular season then I need to get in shape. There might be an open tryout for the Patriots next year!

With injuries so frequent and severe this season, I developed a list of some deep sleepers that have a possibility of having a good second half of the season. These guys will not have an immediate impact for you team but give them time. They can pay huge dividends for the stretch run

V. Jackson-
I know I sound like a broken record about Jackson, but he is that good. Recent reports have Jackson signing his tender and reporting to the Chargers by Oct. 29th. This would make him eligible to play by wk 12. He is one of the best WR's in the game and he should be added for the stretch run if you have the space.

S. Rice-
If his recovery from hip surgery continues to go well, Minnesota's WR is scheduled be activated of the PUP list by wk 10. He had a great year last year and with the addition if Moss he should be able to find space for Favre to throw him the ball.

J. Starks-
The RB from Buffalo was considered a first round pick before an injury sidelined him for his senior season at the University of Buffalo. This year he pulled his hamstring in the preseason and was placed on the PUP list. He has been activated and should be in uniform on Sunday. There has to be a reason why the Packers did not trade for an RB. Most people, myself included, believe that Starks was the reason they did not. If he can stay healthy he could be a difference maker for fantasy owners.

A.Gonzalez(WR), B. White(WR), J. Tamme(TE) , M. Hart(RB) and Javarris James(RB)
The Colts are dealing with a rash of injuries to all of their receivers and both their starting RB’s. Collie had wrist surgery on Thursday and there are reports that Dallas Clark suffered a season ending wrist injury this past Sunday. Addai has nerve damage in his shoulder and his backup, Donald Brown, has been injured since his career began two years ago. The above mentioned players are backups but all have the potential to succeed when Peyton Manning throwing the ball.