I was hit hard by the bye weeks in a few leagues so I had to make several pickups. Most of them worked out nicely, especially Brandon Pettigrew and Shaun Hill (who we’ll talk about later). But while some pickups played well, several of my regulars stunk it up (Cough, cough….Matt Schaub. Cough…Tim Hightower. Cough…Mario Manningham).

And in real football, my Bengals found another way to lose. What’s sad is that they have talent at several positions. But the offense is not flowing. Carson Palmer just doesn’t look the same and they just keep beating themselves. Tampa’s best offense was Carson getting picked off time and time (and time) again.

I’ll stop my Bengals rant now because, seriously, it could really go on for awhile. Let’s get to the pickups of the week:

Kenny Britt (WR, Titans) – Titan receivers haven’t really been counted on for much in awhile. But Britt just had 4 catches for 86 yards and a score. Better yet, he’s scored in three straight games and has Jacksonville’s terrible secondary up next.

Danny Amendola (WR, Rams) – Mark Clayton is gone for the year so Sam Bradford needs a new favorite target. And after targeting him 19 (yes, 19!) times last week, Amendola may be that new favorite. You aren’t going to be able to count on 19 targets again but in a point per reception league, he could be worth a shot. If you need touchdowns, he may not be your guy though.

Tony Moeaki (TE, Chiefs) – The Chiefs like to run. They’d probably like to pass but for some reason, they can’t. No one in the passing game looks great but Moeaki seems to be Cassel’s most reliable option. And looking at the schedule, Moeaki is about to face several defenses that give up points to tight ends.

Golden Tate (WR, Seahawks) – The Seahawks just traded Deion Branch to the Patriots so someone is going to get more playing time. That someone should be Tate, especially if the Seahawks want to win. Of all of their receivers, he has the best chance to get yards after the catch or score.

Nate Burleson (WR, Lions) – He had 4 catches for 56 yards and a score. Sure, that’s not an outstanding line but the touchdown is nice. Burleson is listed here because Calvin Johnson is banged up once again. If he has to sit for any length of time, Burleson becomes the number one receiver. And since the Lions tend to be behind a lot, they tend to pass a lot.

Anthony Armstrong (WR, Redskins) – Armstrong seems to be gaining momentum and could be moving up the depth chart. Last week, he had 3 catches for 84 yards and a score. With the running game banged up, the Redskins will need to pass so there should be more opportunities for Armstrong.

Heath Miller (TE, Steelers) – It’s not the Miller is on fire or anything lately. But look who’s been throwing to him. Big Ben is back now and we know how he likes to look for Miller. So with his return, Miller’s stock goes up quite a bit. And he’s about to face some pretty bad defenses, which always helps.

I said I’d mention Shaun Hill later and here we go. He didn’t play too badly while Stafford was out and I just used him as a spot start that worked out nicely. Detroit passes often and he’s got a guy named Calvin Johnson to throw to, so there are opportunities for points. But (and you knew there was a but) he’s about to face a good pass defense in the Giants, Calvin Johnson might have to sit out, then they have a bye week and THEN Stafford should be able to play. So Hill may have had his last big game for awhile. Since Stafford is the future, he should regain his status as starter.

You should also keep an eye on Mardy Gilyard (WR, Rams). Again, someone will get more catches with Clayton done for the year and Gilyard is getting talked about quite a bit. And in Indy, Joseph Addai is hurt (shocker, I know) so Donald Brown could see a little more action.

Charlie Hustle