Fantasy Football Week 13 Pickups

I have lots of teams. Lots and lots of teams. Comes in handy when one (or more) is just plain lousy. And that happens every single year. Like this year.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to hedge my losses. I drafted one team that is really special – so special, it has already secured a bye in the playoffs. I think I did this after week 3. Not really, but I like to think so.  

I have other squads in the hunt. Just barely. And I don’t even think I deserve it. Can you relate? You’re pretty good, but not great. Just good enough… and will need some smart pickups, and a lot of luck to get you to the promise land? Sound like you?

That’s me too.

It’s cool. They can’t all be awesome. After all, that would make awesome, uh, average. But it’s ok being average. Just be better than the guy you’re facing. Sounds so simple. You can start by taking a look at these waiver studs, and then add to your shopping cart. As always, hit me up on Twitter with your questions @erinskelley. Good luck, and happy turkey day… and in my case, Tofurky.

Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets – Right when I started carving this turkey, Powell returns to relevancy after Chris Ivory injures his ankle in Sunday’s Jets-Ravens game. While he managed to gain only 41 yards, he added 24 in the air. And keep in mind, this is while Ivory was playing through the pain. Obviously, it’s too early to tell Ivory’s fate, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Powell start next week against the generous Miami run defense. Available in 61 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Benny Cunningham, RB, St. Louis Rams – Zac Stacy’s early exit provided opportunity for Cunningham who delivered with 109 yards and a touchdown. Of course, estimating Stacy’s return from a concussion is tricky, and really a guess at this point. If you’re thin at RB, he’s a good add, as even before Stacy’s injury, Cunningham was getting more carries. Available in 95 percent of Yahoo leagues.  

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals – I’m totally serious. His 314 yards and two-touchdown performance against the Colts makes Palmer a credible pickup. Really. Love the upcoming matchups too: Eagles and Rams. Available in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Mike Glennon, TB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Before you claim him, please read the warning label. Yes, he had another solid day with 247 yards and two touchdowns. And he has shown consistency over the last several games. But he does face a tough matchup against the Lions. Claim him as a backup, or a QB2 starter only. Available in 80 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Dennis Johnson, RB, Houston Texans – Not a lot went right for the Texans on Sunday. Except for Dennis Johnson, who ran for 74 yards on 13 carries. Starter Ben Tate was only able to muster 1 yard on 7 carries. Johnson will continue to share the load, but with this kind of success, Johnson should see more touches. Available in 89 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Minnesota Vikings – He’s not just a kick returner anymore. Patterson is becoming a bigger part of the offense, with eight catches for 54 yards on Sunday. I realize his quarterback isn’t very reliable and he hasn’t been consistent, but he’s a good grab on a depleted wire. Available in 81 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Mashed potatoes – Yum. This side dish is greatly underrated to the ho-hum Turkey that everyone yaps about. Potatoes makes everything better. Everything. Guaranteed to deliver a Thanksgiving win. Available in grocery stores everywhere.

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 analysts have a purpose. We dig through the statistics, the articles, the updates – the good, the bad, and the nonsense. We do the work to make your decisions easy. Cheers to analysts. But it comes with a price. If you follow any of us on Twitter (and ahem, please follow me… but not in a stalkery way), it can become almost unbearable reading all the “I told you so” tweets. Pretty, pretty annoying.

Of course, you have to be right to do that. And um, yes, I am working on that.

Enter Tampa Bay running back Bobby Rainey, who was touted by every fantasy analyst last week as a waiver wire grab. Kudos to the experts. Most of us also said Brian Leonard was the favorite to start, favorite to score. Rainey – 35.70 points. Leonard – 5.70 points. Experts – 0 points. 

As you hit the waiver wire, here is this week’s shopping list. And true to form, I must point out that last week, right here on HoustonTexans.com, I gave Rainey the edge.

Bobby Rainey, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – It was a coin flip call, that’s for sure. And if you called Rainey over Leonard, you won big with 163 rushing yards and three touchdowns. As long as fickle Bill Belichick or Mike Shanahan isn’t coaching Tampa Bay next week, look for Rainey to tote the rock again. Available in 74 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Jarrett Boykin, WR, Green Bay Packers – Another solid performance for the Green Bay receiver who reeled in eight catches for 91 yards. And this was with Scott Tolzien at the helm! Aaron Rodgers is scheduled to come back in the next two weeks, which should boost Boykin’s value even higher. Boykin is a solid WR3 play, on the verge of WR2. Available in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

Donald Brown, RB, Indianapolis Colts – It’s Brown – and not Trent Richardson – who has emerged as the lead back for Indy. On Thursday, Brown finished with 80 yards on 14 carries, nearly twice as many as Richardson. It’s definitely a timeshare, but with Brown as the lead back. Consider Brown an RB2/3 start. Available in 74 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Jericho Cotchery, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – Another touchdown for Cotchery puts the Pittsburgh receiver back on this list. His score did come with a short-handed Emmanuel Sanders, but Cotchery has five touchdowns in the past three games. Hard to ignore. Consider Cotchery a strong add for deep leagues. Available in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers – It’s speculated that this is the week that Crabtree makes his return. Like Percy Harvin, he will likely ease back into his role. I wouldn’t expect a lot the first week, but he should earn a WR2 spot within a couple of weeks. Crabtree is still available in 72 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Dallas Cowboys, DEF – The Cowboys face the New York Giants, who are 23^rd in the league in total offense. Add to that, the Giants O-line has allowed 26 sacks to Eli Manning, tying Eli for ninth in the NFL. If you need a defense, I like this matchup. Available in 58 percent of Yahoo leagues.

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

So now do you feel my pain? Most of us in fantasyland deal with the weekly ups and downs of our players. From injuries to slumps to stupid penalties, it’s part of the game. All of us deal with this. Show me someone, anyone not impacted.

Oh right, almost all of us.

That is, unless you own Peyton Manning. That lucky little elite club is coasting through a peachy 2013 season with a playoff berth already secured. I mean, what could possibly derail Peyton’s season? He doesn’t slump, so yes – yikes – an injury is the only answer. During Sunday’s Broncos-Chargers contest, Manning received a questionable blow to the leg. As he gripped his ankle, Broncos’ fans and Manning owners could be heard across the country. NOOOOOO!

Don’t worry, he’s fine. Might have a little limp as he torches his next opponent for 400 yards. Might have a little skip in his step as he throws for 200 more touchdowns this year. Blindfolded. But he’ll be just fine. You can exhale. 

I do want to remind you that most of the faux football community deals with drama like this EVERY SINGLE WEEK. So, of course, I’m glad your little trophy quarterback will rebound. But please, for Peyton’s sake, I insist that you rest him the duration of the season. You know, for Peyton.

Here are this week’s waiver wire pickups for poor fools, like me, whose teams are battered, bruised or just not performing:

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles – This is a repeat automated announcement. Pick up Foles. So he didn’t toss seven touchdowns this time, but I’ll settle for three. Next up is Washington who has a weakness for quarterbacks. Available in 33 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Andre Brown, RB, New York Giants – I can’t keep up with all these Giants running backs either. The Giants desperately needed Brown to rebound from a pre-season leg injury, as their other running options have disappeared. Brown answered the call with 115 yards and a touchdown. Strong recommendation on this guy. Available in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Bobby Rainey and Brian Leonard, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Which one do you choose? Tampa Bay backs contributed Monday night when Mike James left early with a season-ending ankle injury. Leonard looked like the early favorite, finishing with 57 yards on 10 carries. But Rainey dazzled with a 31-yard run, and a 1-yard touchdown, totaling 45 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries. It appears to be timeshare, with Rainey being the favored back. Rainey and Leonard are respectably available in 97 percent and 95 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Riley Cooper, WR, Philadelphia Eagles – I know he made the list last week, but I only kinda meant it. Now it’s legit. His 139 yards and 3 touchdowns last week were respectfully matched with 102 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Thinking Foles has a favorite target. Available in 49 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Case Keenum, QB, Houston Texans – Another tough loss for the Texans but another solid outing for Case, who threw 201 yards for three touchdowns. Lots of good matchups ahead for the second-year Coog, including week 11 opponent, the Raiders, who surrender the ninth most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.  

Tavon Austin, WR, St. Louis Rams – And that’s why he’s a first-round draft pick. Like you, I’ve been scratching my head all season wondering when we’d see the speedy rookie do something. So yes, two receiving touchdowns on 138 yards, and a 98-yard punt-return TD are fantastic. But buyer beware, prior to Sunday he had only 207 yards and one touchdown. Deep leagues only. And P.S., he’s on a bye this week. Available in 56 percent of Yahoo leagues.

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

In a game that left Texans fans disappointed – and even scared – it’s easy to overlook a bright spot in an otherwise heart-wrenching Sunday night. Case Keenum electrified Reliant Stadium, leading the Texans to 21-3 half-time lead on three touchdown passes, all of them to Andre Johnson.

Unfortunately for Case and the Texans, they were met after the half with a rejuvenated Indy defense, and eventually fell to Colts 27-24 in their sixth straight loss. Still, Keenum dazzled with 350 yards, completing 20 of 34 passes. He launched deep, deep touchdown passes to Andre. And zero interceptions, zero fumbles.

Keenum’s performance is worthy of a waiver grab this week. Below, in my waiver gems, I break down his upcoming matchups and how the University of Houston product can be a nice spot start. Check out this week’s waiver wire adds:

Case Keenum, QB, Houston Texans – Quarterback is a deep position this year, which is why Keenum won’t be a bigger draw at the wire this week. But he has shown in consecutive weeks that he can produce – 271 yards against Kansas City, the top-ranked fantasy defense, and 350 yards vs. Indy. And when you look at his remaining matchups, four of them (Arizona, New England, Oakland and Denver) are very generous against the pass. Plus, he plays the Colts again. Giddy up. Available in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues.  

Rashad Jennings, RB, Oakland Raiders – Here we go again. Find and replace. Darren McFadden out, Jennings in. The McFadden handcuff has always been a reluctant replacement, but he showed on Sunday that he’s a viable backup with 102 rushing yards and a score. He also added 74 receiving yards. Yes, some of those yards were during garbage time, but even half that production is worthy of a look at RB3. Available in 91 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles – Let me list his stats for you: 406 yards on 22-of-28 passing for seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Those are video game numbers. Those are Peyton Manning video game numbers. Admittedly, he was facing the woeful Raiders secondary. And understandably, he can’t play Oakland every week, but his performance in week 9 tells me he’s a top 15 guy. This week he faces a tough Green Bay pass defense, but next up is the yummy Washington secondary. Available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

Riley Cooper, WR, Philadelphia Eagles – Foles was very generous to Cooper, gifting him three touchdowns in his romp over Oakland. Cooper hasn’t done much this year, and so I have less confidence in his ability to pile on the fantasy points. But he’s a good deep- league add as long as Foles is at the helm. Available in 89 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets – Think he enjoyed pummeling his former employer for 141 yards and a touchdown? Wish I could say with confidence he’ll do that again and again and again, but he’s another chancy add. If your wire is thin at RB, then I probably don’t need to convince you. Available in 55 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

Mike Brown, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – I admit, I thought Brown coached for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Turns out, he also plays for the Jags. Will he really replace Justin Blackmon? No. But again, if you’re deep or desperate, why yes. Brown looked good in week 8 with 43 yards and a touchdown. Available in 93 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

Note to self: Must brush up on the Jags’ depth chart. 

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