Hot Pickups – Week 7

Hot Pickups – Week 7

Deion Branch is only 35% owned as of Sunday night, shockingly low, but understandable as he was only 4% owned last week. After his breakout 9 catch, 98 yard ad 1 TD performance he needs to be added in all leagues. Tom Brady and Branch have an obvious chemistry from their previous time together and Branch is a viable WR3 the rest of the way. Check your wire just to be sure.

Mike Williams of the Seahawks re-cemented himself as the Seahawks #1 WR with a 10 catch, 123 yard performance where Hasselbeck displayed a lot of confidence in his big target, throwing it his way 15 times on the day . Expect his production to become more consistent for he rest of the season. When healthy Mike Williams is a solid flex option with WR3 upside  and is mysteriously only 9% owned.

Chris Ivory ran wild on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the tune of 158 yards on 15 carries. He will likely never repeat this 10.5 YPC again in his career but is a solid pickup as long as Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are nursing injuries. He is only 13% owned as is worth an add.

Colt McCoy looked good enough in his NFL debut to warrant another start as the Browns owe it to both their franchise and their fans to see if they have a potential franchise QB in Colt McCoy.

Danny Woodhead rushed 11 times for 63 yards against a tough Ravens D and earned himself a bigger piece of the workload going forward in the New England Patriots backfield. View him as nothing more than a bye week filler for now, but he is running alot better than incumbent ‘starter’ BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Patrick Crayton started in place of Legudu Nannee and responded with 6 receptions for 117 yards including a team-high 29 yard hookup. Crayton is a viable flex2 as long as he remains in the starting lineup….or in other words until week 12 when Vincent Jackson returns.

Danario Alexander had 4 catches for 72 yards and also caught his first NFL TD pass. Sam Bradford and Alexander showed a solid chemistry and we expect to hear more from him in the coming weeks. Add him to your watch list in shallow leagues and make the add in deeper formats.

Mardy Gilyard had a quiet week with only one 21 yard reception but as the most talented of the healthy Rams receivers Gilyard’s time is coming sooner than later. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur predicted that Gilyard will be the one to step up in the absence of Clayton and I believe his breakout performance is only a week or two away. He left with a hamstring injury which slowed down his hype machine. Make the speculative add and stay ahead of the curve.

Stephen Williams will get another start at wide receiver for the Cardinals and we expect to see a marked improvement from him coming out of the bye week. He is no more than bye week filler material for now but if Steve Breaston is out for a few more weeks he may start to sniff flex value.

Deon Butler found the end-zone yet again for the Seattle Seahawks and is worth an add for receiver needy teams. I still like Golden Tate better but Butler has a penchant for making plays in the red-zone which should keep him fantasy relevant for the rest of the season. I like him as a flex2 in deeper leagues and he is solid bye week filler material. His 4 reception, 47 yard day should be improved upon in the coming weeks.

Michael Jenkins is back and was targeted often by Matt Ryan. Jenkins needs to be in fantasy lineups immediately as big days seem to be inevitably be on the horizon with how much love Ryan was showing Jenkins in week 6. Jenkins finished the day with 5 catches for 99 yards and a monster week is on the way. Add as a flex option.

James Starks should be added in all leagues. It is only a matter of time before he is activated from the PUP list and is given a shot at the starting gig in Green Bay as the Brandon Jackson experiment has not worked out. I like Starks as a solid flex option down the stretch and he may help push fantasy teams over the top. Make the speculative add…..I made mine 4 weeks ago. Starks should not be available in any dynasty leagues.

Nate Burleson is back with the Lions and is a good post-waiver add as the Lions are heading into a bye week. Burleson found the end-zone Sunday and finished the day with 6 receptions for 50 yards and a score. Burleson is quite effective in long-ball and red-zone situations and is worth a pickup. Add as a solid flex option the rest of the way.

Marshawn Lynch is still 44% unowned as of Sunday night and fantasy owners need to take notice. Lynch is the starter in Seattle and should be added to all rosters. If you are in one of those leagues where he is still available make sure you make your rival G.M’s pay for their ineptness. We like him for low-end RB3 vakue the rest of the way.

Mike Thomas is gaining the trust of David Garrard and is becoming a solid fantasy option. He is a solid bye week filler and flex2 in deeper leagues. With opposing D’s keying in on MJD and MSW Thomas is the main beneficiary out wide.

Devin Thomas was picked up by the Carolina Panthers and with the bye week to help familiarize him with the offense I expect rookie QB Jimmy Clausen to take a liking to this big down-field threat with Steve Smith expected to be out this week. He is nothing more than a roster stash with flex upside for now. He is a must-add if he is available in your dynasty league.