Hot Pickups – Week 14

Hot Pickups – Week 14

Its Fantasy Football Playoff Time!

James Starks instantly became the Packers feature back in his debut and responded with 18 carries for 73 yards rushing. James Starks is currently only 6 percent owned and needs to be owned in all leagues. We all knew the Packers coaching staff liked James Starks a lot and viewed him as a potential running back of the future, but most, including Packers beat writers did not envision he would be handed the keys in his debut. Expect Starks to be the primary running down back the rest of the way and for him to emerge with solid flex value down this critical stretch.

Earl Bennett had seven receptions for 104 yards for the Bears this past Sunday and he is now producing commensurate with Jay Cutler’s confidence and favoritism towards him. He was always billed as a possession receiver but his career and fantasy value got a big boost when his former college quarterback Jay Cutler joined him in Chicago. He had eight targets on the day and left the Bears in that category. He is currently available in 94 percent of leagues.

Marshawn Lynch went absolutely nuts this past Sunday for three rushing touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. He finished the day with 21 carries for 83 yards and three scores. He is currently available in 63 percent of Yahoo! leagues and should be added wherever possible.

Sidney Rice is somehow still available in 33 percent of Yahoo! leagues and he needs to be snapped up right away if he is still on your wire. With Percy Harvin out with migraine issues Sidney Rice exploded for five receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He was targeted a team-high six times during the game.

Jonathan Stewart is still, somehow available in 38 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite being back with the Panthers for three weeks and DeAngelo Williams being placed on the I.R. The Daily Show finished Sunday’s game with 21 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. Needless to say, Jonathan Stewart is a must-add if you are one of the lucky ones with him laying on your waiver wire.

Chris Ivory had 15 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns this Sunday and needs to be owned in all leagues. He is still available in 69 percent of Yahoo! leagues and should be added even with Pierre Thomas close to returning. Ivory has a bigger role in the Saints future plans than Thomas and we will likely see that reflected when PT returns.

Tashard Choice is one of this weeks hottest pickups as he was finally let loose with Marion Barber sidelined until at least week 15. Choice exploded for 100 yards and one touchdown off of 19 carries. He is currently available in 90 percent of leagues and should be added, even if just to block rival managers.

Roy Williams had a quiet game against the Indianapolis Colts but is in line to see a significant spike in fantasy value now that Dez Bryant has been lost for the season. Jon Kitna and Roy Williams have chemistry dating all the way back to their time together in Detroit. He projects as a solid flex2 with flex upside in deeper leagues. He is currently available in 54 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Mike Thomas had a quiet game with the extra attention he received functioning as the Jaguars number one receiver and finished the afternoon with 4 receptions for 31 yards. He should be owned in all but the shallowest leagues with MSW dealing with injury issues.

Robert Meachem exploded with three receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. Two of the receptions were big time bombs and highlighted his deep threat potential. He will be inconsistent but afternoons like this one prove that he needs to be on fantasy rosters at the very least. He is currently available in 55 percent of leagues.

Davone Bess had 6 receptions for 67 yards off of 9 targets. Brandon Marshall almost returned this week so Bess should be relegated back to number two duties next week. He is still worth the add in PPR leagues and deeper standard formats. He is currently available in 52 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Benjamin Watson exploded for 10 receptions, 100 yards receiving and one touchdown last Sunday against the Dolphins and needs to be on fantasy rosters. He had a team-high 11 targets on the game and should be in fantasy lineups as a TE2 or even a flex2 in PPR leagues. He is currently available in 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

David Nelson of the Buffalo Bills. You still may not of heard of him, but Ryan Fitzpatrick has made him fantasy relevant in deeper leagues. He now has ten receptions and one touchdown over his last two games and appears to be heating up at the right time. He is currently available in 100 percent of leagues.

Rashad Jennings had 10 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown and seems to be carving out a role for himself as an option at the goal-line. As we saw today, Jennings helps to keep MJD fresh, and a fresh MJD is hard to stop. Add Jennings in the deepest leagues and be sure to add this must-have handcuff if you are a MJD owner.

Toby Gerhart had a solid game backing up Adrian Peterson with 12 carries for 54 yards. He did not turn out to be the game-changer many had hoped when they picked him up last week in daily transaction leagues, but he should still provide some value down the stretch in deeper leagues.

Deon Butler led the Seahawks in targets with seven and hauled four receptions for 43 yards. When in the starting lineup as he will likely be next week he is a weekly threat to score. He should be added in deeper leagues as a flex2. He is currently available in 98 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

James Davis had 9 carries for 40 yards and 3 receptions for 41 yards and functioned as the Redskins top running back for the 2nd straight week. He is not getting the starts but is getting a heavier workload than Keiland Williams. He is currently available in 98 percent of leagues, and is still worth an add even with Ryan Torain set to return this week.

Michael Bush had a great game helping protect the Raiders lead and finished the day with 23 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. His role will likely not be this large consistently but he will be called upon to help protect leads and as a secondary option in the red-zone. Consider him nothing more than a deep league flex2 going forward. He is currently available in 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Brandon Gibson had yet another solid game, this time with six receptions for 54 yards off of seven targets. Gibson needs to be owned in PPR leagues and deeper standard formats. He is currently available in 98 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Derek Hagan is worth a look in the deepest leagues as he is fresh off a 7 reception, 65 yard receiving performance. Hakeem Nicks is expected back next week and Steve Smith is soon to follow so his value may be limited going forward. Keep this in mind when debating whether or not to put in a claim.

Anthony Armstrong had a strong game for the Redskins with 6 receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown against the Giants. He is available in 94 percent of leagues and should be added in deeper formats.

Sammie Stroughter hauled in all six of his six targets Sunday afternoon and looks to be more involved in the Bucs offense during the championship weeks. He racked up 48 yards off of his six receptions and has a solid chemistry with roommate Josh Freeman. Make the add in deeper leagues, especially PPR formats. He is currently available in 100 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Emmanuel Sanders had six targets to Hines Ward’s four and Sanders seems to be seeing his role increase in the Steelers offense. Sanders is someone who the Steelers organization is really high on, even going as far as to say he may be the best rookie receiver they have seen in a long time. Sanders is worth consideration in deeper leagues and should be added immediately in dynasty leagues. He is currently available in 98 percent of Yahoo! leagues.