During the NFL regular season the TSN 4-Downs ‘Hail Mary Starts of the Week’ will be based around off the radar players with upside in their weekend matchup. The player must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues, making them more likely to be available on your league’s waiver wire.

Several major fantasy producers are back from their bye weeks as the Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars and Chiefs all return to the field. A collective sigh of relief can be heard from owners worldwide.

However, Minnesota and Tampa Bay sitting out brings its own set of problem absences.

Vikings - Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph, Sam Bradford, Jerick McKinnon

Buccaneers - Mike Evans, Jameis Winston, Doug Martin

One of the toughest tasks about being a fantasy owner is remaining objective and not falling in love with your draft choices. Sometimes a player simply isn’t what you thought they’d be and benching or cutting them turns out to be the best answer.

Flops such as DeSean Jackson, Coby Fleener, Arian Foster and the Carolina defense are perfectly frustrating examples.

The below ‘Hail Mary’ options have an excellent opportunity to be the difference in your Week 6 matchup.

Wide Receiver: Cameron Meredith - Chicago Bears

Funky things can happen to a club’s receiving options when a starting quarterback goes down.

Brian Hoyer taking over for the injured Jay Cutler and the random emergence of wide out Cameron Meredith in the Bears’ offense is an instance of this. Eddie Royal was the breakout star for Chicago last weekend, but Meredith’s skill set lends itself to the possibility of sustained success.

After lining up as the other tower opposite Alshon Jeffery on the outside versus Indianapolis Sunday, the 6’3’’ and 207-lbs NFL sophomore exploded. Hoyer fed Meredith early and often to the tune of nine catches on 12 targets for an eye-popping 130-yards and a touchdown.

Not bad for an undrafted Illinois State alum that had a total of six receptions over the first four games of the season. This might be a case where Meredith simply needed a chance. One which he capitalized on due to Kevin White being placed on injured reserve.

His route running is smooth, his acceleration impressive, and his size makes him a natural red zone bullseye for Hoyer. The stars may be aligning for the big man and WR starved fantasy football owners alike.

He faces a floundering Jaguars defense that’s allowed the ninth most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2016. As of Wednesday morning there’s a 95% likelihood Meredith will be on your waiver wire in TSN/ESPN fantasy leagues.

Strike quick, he won’t last long.

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Defense: Tennessee Titans

Yes a defense makes its ‘Hail Mary’ debut. Defense along with kicker are the two least sexy and most overlooked positions on a roster.

Adding long-term defensive stability off of waivers went out the window after Buffalo dummied the Cardinals for five sacks and four interceptions in Week 3. So now it’s about scavenging for average or inconsistent defenses battling vulnerable opponents.

The Vikings dominating ‘D’ is on the bye and it is time to pull the ripcord on Carolina’s lackluster output. Best available opportunity sits with the Tennessee Titans hosting the Cleveland Browns.

Tennessee is a middling crew at 2-3, but their defense has flashed greatness on a couple of occasions this season. They thumped Detroit and Miami for victories combining 10-sacks and three interceptions with double digit fantasy points in each.

Those were two struggling teams and that makes this game against the rebuilding Browns so enticing.

Due to a plethora of injuries that has ravaged the position; the winless Browns have used five different quarterbacks through their first five outings. They’ve also given up 13 total sacks alongside a slew of QB pressures and deflected balls.

Seems like a recipe for the Titans to smash their projected fantasy point value of 7.72 on Sunday. This group of defenders should be ready and waiting to grab, being owned in only 23% of TSN/ESPN leagues.

Good luck!

Listen to "TSN 4-Downs" on TSN 1050 and TSN 1150 every Saturday at 11am with host Andy McNamara. Tweet Andy your fantasy football questions @TSN4Downs and @AndyMc81. Email: andy.mcnamara@bellmedia.ca