The Kansas City Star reports that wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has been suspended for four games Tuesday by the NFL for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
Essentially, for his fantasy owners, their top wide receiver won’t be back until Week 15 at the earliest, since he’s going to start serving the suspension immediately. And almost as bad – he won’t be on performance-enhancing drugs anymore!
The Chiefs can’t catch a break. Herman Edwards has to be loving life at this point. He dodged the Larry Johnson debacle, and now this.
Fantasy owners can look forward to increased production from Chiefs WRs Chris Chambers (three catches, 60 yards in Week 10), Lance Long (two catches, 18 yards in Week 10) and possibly Bobby Wade, who has shown some flashes – when he’s not being inactivated.
But this will adversely affect the numbers of QB Matt Cassel, who has had enough bad games even with a star receiver. Cassel has thrown just three TDs and four INTs in his past four games, and he’s about to face a Steelers team that has only allowed eight passing TDs this season (fourth-fewest in the NFL).
Jamaal Charles will also see more attention, now that defenses can stack eight players in the box. The second-year back is coming off the best game of his career (18 rushes, 103 yards, one TD vs. Oakland).
The Chiefs were pretty thin on viable fantasy players to begin with, and now their best option is out until the fantasy playoffs.
Do you cut Bowe? Not if you are even close to making the playoffs. Plan to be a winner, would ya? Are their any superstar receivers out their on the waiver wire? No. You'll be taking a chance on them, just like you will on Bowe in the playoffs.
The Chiefs will host Cleveland in Week 15, before traveling to Cincinnati in Week 16 (your fantasy Super Bowl week). Both the Browns and Bengals are below average against the pass, but Bowe’s shape might be in question at that point.
If you have roster space to stash him, consider it. What if your opponent picks him up and he beats you? You’ll end up feeling like Scott Pioli, the Chiefs General Manager.
The following players are owned in fewer than 20 percent of FOX Fantasy leagues and could be good additions for your team if you do decide to cut Bowe, and don’t get Chambers:
- Ted Ginn, Jr., Miami: Sure, he has one catch and one start in his past three weeks, but … what as my point? Oh yeah, you have to figure the Dolphins are going to try and get more use out of a former first-rounder.
- Robert Meachem, New Orleans: He’s a speedster out of Tennessee that produces in spurts. In his last five games, he has three TDs and 242 yards – despite just catching 10 passes.
- Chaz Schilens, Oakland: Think back to the preseason when he was the star on an otherwise unwatchable Raiders offense, then he injured his knee and didn’t play again until last week – against Bowe’s Chiefs. He finished the game with the second-most catches (three), yards (27) and targets (four) on the Raiders.
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