Expect T.O. to continue surge

Welcome back to Fantasyland, Terrell Owens! It took only 11 weeks of the NFL season to finally see a typical stat line from T.O., one of the most respected fantasy receivers of the past decade.

Through the first nine games, Owens had 26 receptions for 366 yards and one touchdown catch -- definitely not numbers associated with anyone expected to carry a fantasy team's load as the No. 1 or 2 wideout.

After his Week 3 game against New Orleans in which his 185-game streak of at least one catch ended, many fantasy owners relegated Owens to the bench. He hardly ever got off the bench, was traded and in some cases dropped following weeks of futility.

But Owens' resurgence last week, when he caught nine passes for 197 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown, could continue for the remainder of the Buffalo Bills' season just because of the timely firing of coach Dick Jauron.

Bills interim coach Perry Fewell knows the best way to make himself look good and give his team the opportunity to win is to unleash his best offensive weapon, and that was apparent last week.

Look for a happy Owens to work even harder this week in an attempt to win over his coaches and quarterback even more for the final six weeks, not just to help the team, but primarily for himself. He's got a one-year contract with Buffalo and will have to do all he can to put up numbers with hopes of impressing other teams for next season.

Owens and the Bills host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Owens should benefit his fantasy owners down the stretch as the playoffs near.

On the subject of the playoffs, it might be a good time to start maneuvering in any way possible if you have a fantasy team that is a contender.

Chances are, quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are on some contenders' rosters, and those players might be in a position where Weeks 16 and 17 don't mean much to their teams should home-field advantage be locked up by then.

Nothing could be worse than going into your fantasy Super Bowl when your big gun might sit, so have a contingency plan available for that possibility before the trading deadline passes.

A popular player to pick up is Washington Redskins running back Rock Cartwright, who will start this week at Philadelphia. Ladell Betts is out for the season, and Clinton Portis is out indefinitely, giving the steady Cartwright most of the carries.

Cartwright is a hard runner who has great hands out of the backfield. Last week against Dallas he had 67 yards rushing with seven catches for 73 yards -- good for 20 fantasy points in standard-scoring leagues, which most owners would take from a back any week.

It's hard to tell if the tide has shifted in Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini's mind after letting his quarterback, Brady Quinn, unleash several 15-plus-yard passes last week at Detroit. If Mangini is about to open up things offensively, Mohamed Massaquoi could be a good option at wide receiver.

Saints wideout Robert Meacham will be involved in the scoring-fest on Monday night, when New Orleans hosts the New England Patriots. Meacham, still available in many leagues, has scored a touchdown in three straight games, including two last week.

Other good pickups this week include St. Louis wideout Donnie Avery, Cincinnati running back Bernard Scott and Kansas City's Chris Chambers and Jamaal Charles.

Micah Roberts is a Las Vegas-based writer who contributes weekly fantasy football outlooks for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at MM.Roberts7@gmail.com.