News came screaming out of left field this afternoon that Dwayne Bowe has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. As a Bowe owner in couple leagues, it’s pretty solid straight right hand to the jaw. It’s not a knockout blow as Bowe was ranked just 26th among fantasy wideouts in non-PPR leagues this season. But it still hurts.

Apparently, Bowe went all soccer mom on us and put on 30 pounds this offseason. That probably explains why he was in Todd Haley’s doghouse earlier in the year. Here’s the scoop from Kansas City Star beat writer Kent Babb:

“He plays a position that hinges sometimes on a swing of three or four pounds, and Bowe had packed on 10 times that amount of weight in only a few months. Haley demoted Bowe, bullied him, disparaged him, embarrassed him. Somehow, it worked. Or seemed to. Bowe lost the weight and became the chiseled wideout that Haley envisioned so many months ago. It really didn't take that long, either.”

So it looks like Bowe used PEDs to lose that weight. Allegedly, of course.

Bowe is eligible to return in Week 15. That’s the first week of the fantasy playoffs for me. Will Haley just throw him right back into the lineup in his first game back? Will he start? Will he get enough targets to be used? Should we keep him on our rosters?

Even though Haley doesn’t seem like the very forgiving type, I’m going to hang onto Bowe because the rosters are pretty deep. The Chiefs play the Browns in Week 15, so in the off chance Haley says, “He’s paid his dues, we’re going to give him 60 snaps in his first game back,” I can use him. If not, I won’t.

Considering the Chiefs play the Bengals outstanding corner duo of Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph in Week 16, Bowe will probably be on my bench that week.

So consider your roster size and what you need down the stretch if you own Bowe. We’re really just hoping against hope for one good week at this point.

* Also, click here for the player news pages for Lance Long and Chris Chambers for Chris Wesseling’s take on the short-term effects of Bowe’s suspension.