Quarterbacks:
T.J. Yates — Texans ($4 FAAB value)
The rookie stepped in and delivered a victory for the Texans against a Falcons team fighting for their playoff lives. His stats were not particularly gaudy, especially for fantasy purposes, but he looked much better than the numbers. With Andre Johnson back — hopefully his hamstring injury does not keep him out of any games during playoff season — Yates has a huge weapon at receiver. With a fantastic offensive line and rushing attack, Yates stands a chance of putting up good numbers against a depleted Cincinnati defense and the woeful Carolina and Indianapolis defenses.
Brett Favre — Bears ($4)
Just kidding.
A.J. Feeley — Rams ($2)
I wish I was kidding. The entire St. Louis offense has been one big disappointment after Josh McDaniels was supposed to take them to the next level, but the quarterback position in particular has been awful. Bradford reportedly aggravated his ankle severely, opening the door for Feeley to start the remainder of Rams games. His broken finger might be problematic — the team is threatening to run Tom Brandstater out there if Feeley isn’t up to the challenge — but it seems the injury is minor. This is a desperation pickup, to be sure.
Dan Orlovsky — Colts ($1)
Poor Orlovsky, he will likely go down in history as the only quarterback to start on two different 0-16 teams. I would say Orlovsky is a decent fantasy pickup after his big game in week 13, but there are two factors that scare me off: his fantasy explosion came against the Patriots pass defense in a game where garbage time may have started a little too early, and the Colts get the Ravens, Titans, and Texans, not exactly the best matchups. At least Feeley gets to face the Seahawks before getting the Bengals and Steelers.
Matt Moore — Dolphins ($9)
Dan Orlovsky just torched the New England defense, as did Chad Henne in the season opener for the Dolphins. Moore gets his shot during fantasy championship week. Will you take the risk? It could have a huge reward. Really, he is a much better pickup than everyone else on this list, and there is still a decent chance he is available.
Running Backs:
Maurice Morris — Lions ($6)
In case you missed the memo last week: Kevin Smith is made of glass. This week marks two in a row where the Dainty Dancer got off to a good start only to give way to Morris — who has performed quite well when inserted — because of an injury. Smith’s injury is, once again, reportedly minor enough to where he may start this week. Do you trust Smith to last the entire game? Morris would be a decent start if Smith does go, but he would be a solid RB2 should Smith miss time. Matthew Stafford has developed an affinity for throwing to his running backs in recent weeks, and Morris has wound up a big beneficiary because of it.
Marion Barber — Bears ($4)
One thing is for sure, Marion Barber is no Matt Forte. Unfortunately, Mr. Strong is out for 2-6 weeks with a MCL sprain, likely meaning he will miss the fantasy playoffs. This is a huge blow for your fantasy team if you own Forte, and Barber is not going to fill the gaping hole in your starting lineup, but you have to pick him up if you can. For non-Forte owners, Barber represents good depth, but hopefully you have at least three better options on your team lest you be grasping at straws at the worst possible time.
C.J. Spiller — Bills ($12)
As I may have said last week, Spiller got things going against the Titans and had a nice day. Spiller averaged 8.8 YPC en route to 123 yards and a touchdown, boosting his season average to 5.4, on par with the season-departed Fred Jackson. If Spiller is somehow available in your league, he is plainly worth picking up. He gets a good matchup against the Chargers before his schedule toughens up against the Dolphins, who roughed the Bills up a few weeks ago.
Ryan Grant / Brandon Saine — Packers ($5 / $ 3)
Trivia: how many touchdowns have Packers running backs not named John Kuhn scored? The answer is one, by James Starks. Kuhn has four, but he is not utilized enough to merit serious fantasy consideration. Instead, we must deal with plodding Ryan Grant and plucky Brandon Saine. The latter rookie actually contributed a decent amount after Starks went down with injury, carrying the ball six times and catching four passes. Grant got most of the workload, though, making Saine a risky start if you do pick him up — he makes much more sense in PPR leagues. Unfortunately, Grant does not possess any upside and he is not a pass-catching threat.
Wide Receivers:
Robert Meachem / Lance Moore — Saints ($3 / $5)
And the winner of the Saints’ week 13 fantasy receiver lottery: Robert Meachem! Lance Moore had a pretty good game as well. Drew Brees is slinging the ball as good as anyone (anyone being Aaron Rodgers), but outside of Jimmy Graham it seems like anyone can have a big day in that offense in any given week. That means there is a fair amount of uncertainty at the receiver position, as it has been for years in New Orleans. Meachem’s breakout came a week after a zero-target game, so there is risk involved in starting him. Moore has been more consistently involved in recent weeks, making him the safer pickup with perhaps a bit less upside.
Brad Smith — Bills ($6)
Smith responded to being named starter with a decent 72-yard performance. He played the second-most snaps at wide receiver, just behind Stevie Johnson, and it looks like he will retain that role in a Buffalo offense that seems to have gotten its groove back.
Golden Tate / Ben Obomanu / Doug Baldwin — Seahawks ($3 / $5 / $2)
Which Seahakws receiver should you trust? Has Golden Tate finally started to realize his potential? One good week is not a trend, but the fact that Tate led all Seahawks receivers in snaps by a good margin bodes well for the sophomore receiver. One man’s boon is another man’s bane — men, in this case — as Doug Baldwin and Ben Obomanu saw just 12 and 8 snaps respectively. Part of the problem for Baldwin is that the ‘Hawks were rushing the ball so well, meaning less multiple-receiver packages. One has to wonder if Tate has ascended to top Hawk in the Seattle receiving corps, though.
Tight Ends:
Logan Paulsen — Redskins ($2)
Fred Davis toked away the rest of his season during the lockout, and with Chris Cooley on IR, it’s Paulsen time in Washington! Paulsen is a blocking tight end, but he will be on the field in a lot of passing situations, giving him some value in a Redskins offense that figures to be in passing situations a lot.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @PFF_Alex.
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