It’s getting to the nitty and the gritty of the fantasy football season. Unless you’ve had a really rough go of it, you’re probably at least in the running for a postseason spot and possibly a league championship.

But it’s also likely that you’re dealing with bye-week issues and injuries, and scrounging for starters as a result. (A sampling of some of the key performers sitting out this week with the bye: Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Cam Newton and Steve Smith.)

We’re also at the point of the season where it’s getting hard to find gems on the waiver wire. For that reason, you’ve got to exploit some advantageous matchups sitting out there on the schedule. Pinpointing these matchups means that you might be able to get useful starts out of some guys whom you might not otherwise consider. Here is just a sampling.

ST. LOUIS at ARIZONA

Joe Flacco and the Ravens passing game had been anemic until busting out last week against the Cardinals. Early reports are that Sam Bradford might return to the lineup for the Rams, and he could be useful as a spot start this week.

Along those same lines, it’s time to consider Brandon Lloyd as well, considering that he has scored touchdowns in his first two games in St. Louis and should be running wild against the porous Cardinal secondary. Throw in red-hot Steven Jackson, and you start to realize that the Rams could be a surprisingly productive source of fantasy talent this week.

KANSAS CITY vs. MIAMI

All Chiefs should be considered against the Dolphins, who are all kinds of banged up and are having a hard time stopping the pass. That means that Matt Cassel is a worthy start, and rookie receiver Jon Baldwin might be worth a flier in deep leagues as a possible flex play.

Obviously, Dwayne Bowe should be in your lineup, and running back Jackie Battle should be in a position for scoring opportunities. Don’t forget kicker Ryan Succop, who should be getting plenty of action.

DALLAS vs SEATTLE

Don’t let your frustration over the way the Cowboys performed on Sunday night affect how you view Dallas this week. Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin had to deal with the stacked Eagles’ secondary and their numbers suffered for it, but the Seahawks should provide easy fodder.

In addition, don’t be fooled by the fact that DeMarco Murray’s stats dropped against Philly; his yards per carry were fine, and he should be over 100 yards with more touches against Seattle.

OAKLAND vs. DENVER

Lost in all the Tim Tebow hoopla last week was the fact that the Bronco defense put up precious little resistance against the Lions. With Darren McFadden out for Oakland, Michael Bush should be added in all formats as a spot starter. In addition, I wouldn’t be averse to giving new Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer a look this week as a possible starter, especially if your other options are so-so.

He’s had the whole bye week to acclimate himself to his surroundings, and he won’t face a softer defense.

NEW YORK JETS at BUFFALO

I’m not sold on the Bills defense based on their shutout of a Redskins team that was seriously undermanned. Before that game, Buffalo was involved in mostly shootouts. That means that Mark Sanchez and company, who’ve had the bye week to shake off their doldrums, could be primed for their biggest offensive game of the year.

Sanchez, Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes, and Dustin Keller should all get consideration as starts this week.

Let’s hope that these matchups provide some big numbers for your Fantasy team. After all, I still feel bad about recommending John Beck last week, so I’m hoping this will make up for it and we can be friends again.