PHILADELPHIA — One of the more inexcusable violations in fantasy football is having players on bye in an active lineup.

It shows disregard for the integrity of the league and can upset the balance of competition. It's also damned ignorant. Fantasy football might not be the most important thing in life (oxygen is), but if you join a league, you owe it to the other members to field the most competitive team possible.

Let's see that made into one of those Miller Lite man-laws.

The league I run charges $3 for drop/adds and a $10 fine for playing a guy on a bye. The economics alone are usually enough to dissuade owners from committing a fantasy flagrant foul. Other leagues have different solutions.

"If active players are available on the bench, then they will be substituted," said Jason Berk, of Silver Spring, Md., and the commissioner of the Atlantis Fantasy Football League run by Yahoo! "If, for instance, an owner has only one tight end and he's on bye, then that player will be cut and replaced with the highest-ranked available tight end on the waiver wire."

Though it's extra work for the commish, Berk says he has remedied the problem. Berk also uses compassion; he would not cut Antonio Gates to pick up Bo Scaife.

Joe Hammond's Garvey League in Springfield has a postseason consolation prize that helps persuade the also-rans to keep playing. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs in his 12-team league.

"The remaining four have the Toilet Bowl playoffs," Hammond explained. "The loser of the Toilet Bowl has to bring the food and beer to next year's draft. So even if a team has no realistic chance of winning the championship, it keeps everyone interested to avoid the Toilet Bowl."

Whatever the solution, the transgression needs to be accounted for in the rules and should be reiterated on draft day.

Contest of the Week

One intriguing matchup on Sunday is Peyton Manning and the Colts at Denver. Manning is coming off a 342-yard, four-touchdown performance against Washington at the cozy RCA Dome. Meanwhile, the Broncos have allowed an NFL-low two passing touchdowns all season.

How many yards will Manning throw for on Sunday? One reader who comes closest will win a Daily News fantasy football T-shirt. The tiebreaker will be how many TD passes Manning has. If we're still deadlocked, a winner will be chosen at random.

E-mail your guess to fantasyfootball@phillynews.com by noon Sunday. Include your name and hometown.

Stuff to Consider

n Before running out and picking up Charlie Batch as insurance for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, it's worth noting that the Steelers have some unfavorable matchups coming up and finish at Carolina, home against Baltimore and at Cincy.

n The feeling out of Baltimore is that the Ravens will run the ball more now that Brian Billick has taken over for Jim Fassel as offensive coordinator.

n This is an unpopular opinion, but new Dallas starting quarterback Tony Romo is worth picking up. While the offensive line hasn't performed, the Cowboys have weapons at the skill positions. Throw in Romo's mobility and the fact Dallas finishes the season with three home games in its final four. Even if they wind up playing out the string, it should be Romo in there racking up the numbers.

n Robert Ferguson is out for the year with a foot injury and Greg Jennings (ankle) is doubtful, meaning Ruvell Martin could get the start at wide receiver for Green Bay against visiting Arizona. Martin was a teammate of Eagles guard Todd Herremans at Saginaw Valley State.

n The Lions have a favorable second-half schedule after this week's bye, meaning Kevin Jones could be worth trading for and Jon Kitna worth picking up.