Fantasy Football Week 16 Waiver Pickups

Three yards. Three measly yards. That was Rashad Jennings’ stat line on Sunday. Jamaal Charles wasn’t as bad, although he still greatly disappointed with 52 yards and no touchdowns. Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green laid fantasy eggs too. Johnny Manziel was a total bust as well with 80 yards for zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Perhaps not really a bust. We knew the risks.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the day was Aaron Rodgers who threw for 185 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. One of his worst games ever. Even Derek Anderson fared better.  

But nothing caused more fantasy pandemonium than Peyton Manning being removed from the game temporarily. Nothing brings out the worst in humankind than the injury of an elite player during the fantasy playoffs. A stadium T-shirt toss is a close second.

Congratulations to those still alive in the playoffs. Here are a few picks to round out your drive to the Super Bowl:

Joseph Randle, RB, Dallas Cowboys – DeMarco Murray owners celebrated his 81 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, but the celebration could be short-lived if he is unable to play this week. Suffering a hand injury late Sunday, DeMarco underwent surgery Monday. While he could play just a few days after surgery (yeah, seriously), the Cowboys have said Randle would step in for DeMarco. If that happens, consider Randle a Murray Lite at the RB2 this week. 

Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins – Here we go again! With Colt McCoy’s neck injury, RG3 found himself back at the helm again, and fared well with 236 yards and one touchdown. Do I have confidence that RG3 is the quarterback of the future for Washington? No. Do I have confidence in him against a shaky Eagles pass defense? Of course.  

Andre Williams, RB, New York Giants – If you’re still reeling from Jennings’ three little yards, get it together and claim Williams. He wasn’t brilliant on Sunday – 18 carries for 44 yards – but Jennings’ re-injury means more time for Andre. And he’s had his moments. Consider Williams an RB2 vs. St. Louis this week.    

Harry Douglas, WR, Atlanta Falcons – In Julio Jones’ absence, Douglas caught 10 passes for 131 yards. If Jones misses again, expect Douglas to serve as a decent substitute as a WR2. The Falcons take on the Saints, who have been generous to opposing receivers. Expect their generosity to continue this holiday season.

Green Bay DEF – The wildly inconsistent Packers defense may scare you, but they play the Bucs, who give up the third most fantasy points to defenses. Merry Christmas.

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.

Fantasy Football Week 15 Waiver Pickups

 After all the draft preparation, waiver wire stalking and creative lineup maneuvering, you not only earned a playoff spot, but you’ve advanced to the next round. Congrats to all those who made it this far. And for those who didn’t, I would offer up some inspirational and comforting remarks, but come on, I know you’re not reading this. To the victorious, it doesn’t really matter if you were lucky or good. Either way, it wasn’t easy. Especially if you drafted Doug Martin, Zac Stacy, or any Jacksonville Jaguars.  

As you enjoy your Gatorade shower, I hope you can multi-task the waiver wire, as the road to the Super Bowl doesn’t get any easier. Here are a few waiver suggestions to the lucky few still interested.   

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers – I’m not kidding. Jonathan Stewart! Look, you probably haven’t been paying attention to the Panthers. And I understand why. But Stewart has put together back-to-back good games. And Sunday’s was really good with 155 yards and a touchdown. Consider Stewart a strong add for the playoff drive.

Marquess Wilson, WR, Chicago Bears – Brandon Marshall’s painful ribs and lung injuries were equally painful to fantasy owners (including me). Wilson will step in for him, and he’s worth a look as a WR3/flex. Nice little matchup against New Orleans too.

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders – Two weeks after going bonkers against the Chiefs for 112 yards and two touchdowns, Murray returned from his concussion to take on San Francisco. With 76 rushing yards, it wasn’t quite the same performance we saw last time, but keep in mind the 49ers have a solid run defense. And there’s a little bonus for claiming him. He takes on Kansas City once again next week.      

Mychal Rivera, TE, Oakland Raiders – Right when you benched or dropped him, Rivera suddenly lands on this list again. Catching seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown will do that.

Tennessee DEF – J-E-T-S. JETS! JETS! JETS!  

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.

Fantasy Football Week 13 Waiver Picks

Consider me your fantasy coach. With only one game before playoffs in most leagues, I thought you could use a little pep talk. I must caution you, though. True to form, I will channel my inner “coach speak” and use a few friendly clichés to help deliver my point. I’m not trying to annoy you. Just trying to separate the men from the boys (remember, I warned you).

As we enter the home stretch, you need to turn up the intensity and take care of business. As tempting as it is to play two or three games at a time, you will have to take one game at a time, focus on what lies ahead and put yourself in a position to win. And of course, the intangibles will be the key to winning….whatever that means.  

If you haven’t already thrown in the towel (sorry, now I can’t stop), here are some players for your consideration as you shop the waiver wire. And hang in there. It’s ok if it’s an ugly finish, as long as you get the W.  

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders – Poor guy. Thursday’s contest had the makings of a breakout game for the Raider running back. After rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns, Murray exited the game early with a concussion. While he must undergo concussion testing – and could possibly miss a game – he’s worth an add in all leagues as it appears he’s arrived. And sorry, I can’t shake this cliché thing.    

Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins – In case you missed it, Landry reeled in seven receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. He has quietly put together four games with 9+ points. I realize that’s not a ton of points, but he’s consistent and a good safe add. Consider him a solid WR3.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins – Yeah, the guy slinging the ball isn’t so bad either. On Sunday, he threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns, adding another by foot. It was an especially good day for the Tannehill, who has put up nice numbers all season, ranking seventh in fantasy points among all quarterbacks. Still available in about a third of all fantasy leagues.

Daniel Herron, RB, Indianapolis Colts – With Ahmad Bradshaw’s injury, I expected to Herron to eventually become a relevant back, I just didn’t expect it on Sunday. Herron delivered with 96 combined yards. He out-touched Trent Richardson, and just all around looked better… although Richardson did score. Herron has a great shot at becoming the lead back moving forward, although a time share is also to be expected.

LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots – Sorry about the Jonas Grey advice last week. I can see why you’d question my Patriot du jour. I’ve warned you before, it is running back roulette in Belichick Land. With Blount running for 78 yards and two touchdowns, surely he will be the favorite next week, right? You know the risks.  

Tim Wright, TE, New England Patriots – I just warned you about Blount. Feeling lucky? Claim Wright, who has six touchdowns since week 5. Definitely a risky move with Gronk as the favorite, but worthy of a deep-league claim.

New York Giants DEF – They play Jacksonville. You know the drill.  

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.

Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Pickups

Fantasy is a tricky game. It’s a game of chance. A game of disbelief. And a game of madness. Guessing is an art and a science. If you’re kicking yourself for starting the Denver defense on Sunday, you already know this. Picking the premier players each week isn’t easy. Take Andy Dalton, for instance. He was week 10’s goat with 86 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Felt like even more, right? Yet last week, Dalton threw for 220 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. I didn’t see that coming.  Jonas Gray, who mustered only three fantasy points week 10, tallied a whopping 48 points on Sunday. Did you see that coming? Did you even know his name? And J.J. Watt, who makes a habit of stopping other offenses, contributed with a touchdown of his own, his forth on the year. Never mind, we all saw that coming.

Like I said, choosing the hot hand is complicated. It’s ideal to be smart. But if not, luck works too. Here are some smart waiver picks. And perhaps lucky too. Where’s a leprechaun on a bed of four-leaf clovers when you need him?   

Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans – Of course, I’m starting with Blue. He deserves lead billing on HoustonTexans.com after his gutsy performance, filling in for an injured Arian Foster. Facing a suddenly decent run defense, Blue plodded for 156 yards on 36 carries. Arian Foster is expected to return this week. In the meantime, Blue is worth a stash.

Jonas Gray, RB, New England Patriots – Alright. Gray’s performance was noteworthy too with 38 carries for 199 yards. That’s almost two football fields! Leaning on Gray instead of Shane Vereen proves once again that Bill Belichick hates fantasy football. Even with a fickle head coach, count on Gray to land the lead role once again week 12.

Kenny Stills, WR, New Orleans Saints – Brandin Cooks bum thumb means a promotion for Kenny Stills. On Sunday, Stills reeled in four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Cooks is expected to miss several weeks. Consider Stills a good pickup in all formats as a WR3.

C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos – Anderson started the game splitting carries with Montee Ball, as expected, but an early exit to Ball (and other Broncos) meant more work for Anderson, who ended the day with 115 combined yards. Ball and Ronnie Hillman should miss at least another week, which means Anderson should shoulder the load next week.  

Cecil Shorts III, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – With Allen Robinson done for the season, Shorts is the next man up. Even with Robinson in the lineup week 10, their last game, Shorts fared nicely with 119 yards on five receptions. Shorts is still widely available.

Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis Rams – I like the uptick in usage.  Mason led all backs with 29 carries for 113 yards. All other RBs combined for five total carries. Hmmm. Could he possibly be the lead guy? Come on Fisher, just give him the rose.

Cleveland Browns running backs – This “hot hand” approach is getting old. Not really sure which one will start, lead in carries, points, etc. Play with extreme caution.

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.

Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Pickups

That noise you just heard was a collective sigh of relief from the fantasy community. Week 10 is behind us, and we can hopefully resume a somewhat normal fantasy week. Many owners were forced to deal with a player or two on byes last week. These were the lucky ones. I know owners who had four players on byes. Imagine if you also had injured players taking up valuable bench space. I’m guessing you know this feeling. It’s a low place to be.

Pat yourself on the back because the most grueling weeks are behind us. Now we’re onto week 11, where it is hopefully a little easier for you with only four teams vacationing. Still, with other challenges like injuries, poor play and fickle coaches, there really isn’t a such thing as an easy week. As you shop the waiver wire, here are a few players for your consideration:    

C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos – Ronnie Hillman owners were freaking out Sunday. Just look at the Twitter transcripts. His early exit meant Anderson became the featured back, and wow, what a performance: 90 yards on 13 carries, plus 73 receiving yards and a touchdown. It’s too soon to tell who will be the lead back Sunday, but it appears to be Anderson, with some Montee Ball action too.

Josh McCown, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – I understand the Falcons aren’t the most formidable pass defense, but still, McCown impressed on Sunday with 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. And there’s a bonus, he faces a weak Redskins pass defense this week. And week 12, he has another nice matchup in the Bears.  Very nice, indeed.

Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Look, it’s the Tampa Bay Bucs and they don’t play favorites. So Martin has a chance to resume his starting role, when he recovers from his ankle injury. With a fumbling Charles Sims and a mediocre Bobby Rainey on Sunday, the door is open once again for Martin, who could return this week. Keep in mind, this is a revolving door. You probably knew that already.

Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis Rams – Like the Bucs, the Rams are standing by “the hot hand” approach. On Sunday, Mason rushed for 48 yards on 13 carries. He added another 33 receiving yards. Consider him the favorite. But keep in mind there is vulture-prone Benny Cunningham, who makes this a little more complicated. Jeff Fisher loves toying with our emotions.

Martavius Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – Six touchdowns in four weeks, and 15+ fantasy points in each of his past three games, yet he’s still available in 40 percent of fantasy leagues. I don’t get it.  

Terrance West, RB, Cleveland Browns – No matter which RB you picked, you fared well. But leading all the Cleveland running backs on Sunday was West, with 26 rushing attempts for 94 yards and a touchdown. And like the Bucs and the Rams, the Browns are also using that pesky “hot hand” approach. Consider this your warning.

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.

Fantasy Football Week 10 Waiver Pickups

It was ugly. It was exhausting. And I’m just glad it’s over. I’m talking about week 9, of course, when six teams enjoyed a bye week. Who didn’t enjoy it? Fantasy owners, that’s for sure. Including me! In my super deep league, I was forced to start Brandon Weeden in Hail Mary-like fashion. He was ok… well maybe less than ok. Surprisingly, he was spectacular compared to my other quarterback, Phillip Rivers, who perhaps thought he was already on a bye and got manhandled by the Dolphins.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners, here we go again. Round two is here. Six more teams sit out week 10 before returning to somewhat normal order. The byes mean headaches and hassles, but they’re also an opportunity to take advantage of other owners’ problems. Enjoy shopping the waiver this week. Go back often as you never know who will be dropped.  

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins – Facing Rivers and the Chargers, it was Tannehill who shined on Sunday with 24-of-34 passing for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Have Brady, Luck or Rivers? You need a filler this week. Tannehill is filler fantastic! Available in about 40 percent of fantasy leagues.

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs – Tannehill isn’t available? Consider Smith, who completed 21 of his 31 passes on Sunday, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Still available in about half of all fantasy leagues.   

Mark Sanchez, QB, Philadelphia Eagles – With 202 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, he could possibly, just maybe be a good option for you. And his matchup isn’t too shabby. Carolina gives up the ninth most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals – Gio Bernard’s backup rushed for 154 yards including two touchdowns on Sunday. Bernard is expected to miss at least one more game, so Hill should enjoy another big day. Only still available in about 20-30 percent of fantasy leagues. Get him while you can.

Terrance West, RB, Cleveland Browns – Ben Tate may have lost his starting job. On Sunday, West received a team-high 15 carries for 48 yards. Do I think Tate is out of the picture? No. What about Isaiah Crowell? No, he’ll get his carries too. This is pretty much a mess. If you’re desperate, claim West. 

Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – On Sunday, Hurns struck gold with 112 reception yards and two touchdowns, giving him five total for the year. He’s had some spectacular games and some dud games. Good luck guessing correctly. If you’re struggling with the byes, you could do worse though. Consider Hurns a plug-and-play this week 

Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans – Arian Foster’s hammy flared up again on Sunday. The extra rest this week will serve him well, but we can only speculate when he’ll return. Even if Foster returns week 11 as the starter, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Foster to get a little rest here and there. Consider Blue an investment pick.

Dallas DEF – If you’re able to look ahead, Dallas faces the Jags week 11.

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.

Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Pickups

Brace yourself. The eye of the bye weeks is here. And it’s going to be ugly. With the exception of week 4, the byes so far have been relatively painless, with only two teams on vacation each week. Pfft! Anyone can handle a few add/drops. But weeks 9 and 10, a total of 12 teams will be resting.

The really crafty owners master the bye weeks. They poach the wire looking for discarded jewels. They look ahead a week and grab the good defensive matchups. But this little plan is ruined. How can you plan for week 10 if you’re forced to play without a kicker this week?

On the bright side, you are not alone. In fact, it’s possible your opponents are even worse off than you. But most teams will require a few adjustments. So with that, here are a few friendly suggestions:

Brandon LaFell, WR, New England Patriots – I dismissed his performance week 4 when he snagged six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. And then again week 6, when he totaled 97 yards and two touchdowns. But it’s hard to deny this fantasy free agent much longer after catching 11 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown from vintage Tom Brady.     

Martavius Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – If you were able to overlook the awful uniforms, you noticed Pittsburgh wideout Martavius Bryant burn the Indy defense with five receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. And the Colts have a solid pass defense. Bryant now has three touchdowns in two weeks. He’s a good claim, especially with the bye week pains. I’ve already claimed Bryant in one league, but do plan to talk to him about his attire. It’s the right thing to do.  

Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars – Two weeks in a row, Denard has dazzled with 100-yard performances, this time with 108 rushing yards. This week, he faces a Cincinnati defense that is generous to running backs. Consider Robinson a Jag  you can trust.  

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs – He wasn’t spectacular on Sunday. But he also wasn’t bad with 226 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Yes, it was the Rams defense. But guess what, he plays the Jets on Sunday. Kyle Orton threw four touchdowns against them week 8. Yes. That Kyle Orton.   

Lorenzo Taliaferro, RB, Baltimore Ravens – It appears the Ravens have replaced TD vulture Bernard Pierce with new TD vulture Taliaferro. On Sunday, Zo cashed in on two touchdowns on 69 combined yards. This little surprise is worth an add, especially for deep leagues or bye week blues.  

Cleveland DEF – They play Tampa Bay. I’ll leave it at that.

Erin Skelley joins Texans Radio every week on SportsRadio 610. Follow her on Twitter @erinskelley. She’ll babble fantasy to anyone who will listen.