Quarterbacks:
T.J. Yates — Texans ($10 FAAB value)
The good news? Yates threw for 300+ yards against Cincinnati, leading his team to a come-from-behind victory to clinch their first playoff berth. The better news? He gets to play against Carolina and Indianapolis to close out the fantasy season. If you are in need of a playoff hero, you may not need to look further than the rookie quarterback who has taken the opportunity by the horns. Yates is spreading the ball around well, and if Johnson can get back and stay healthy, his arsenal is going to be fully stocked to boot.
Dan Orlovsky — Colts ($1)
He fell back to earth against the Ravens, but he gets a decent matchup against the Titans before finishing the fantasy season against the tough Houston Texans defense. The Colts might be throwing a lot over the next couple of weeks so he may get a lot of volume points.
Running Backs:
Keiland Williams — Lions ($6)
The Lions backfield is a M.A.S.H. unit. With Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure, Kevin Smith, and Maurice Morris sidelined to varying degrees, Williams become the next man up. It is likely that Smith and/or Morris will be back soon, but Williams would be good insurance for those two, especially since Smith cannot seem to stay on the field for a full half. He represents yet another pass-catching threat for the Lions, making him more valuable in PPR leagues.
Marion Barber — Bears ($7)
Aside from getting Tebowed as the Bears were trying to run the clock out on the Broncos, Barber had a pretty good game against a defense that was lining up to stop him. He bulldozed his way to a 108-yard, 1-TD performance that was overshadowed by one boneheaded play and a costly fumble. The Bears get a Seattle defense that has fallen off against running backs in recent weeks, and a Green Bay team that may or may not be resting its starters in week 16. The Bears do not have much else at the position and they will be running the ball a lot with Caleb Hanie at the helm.
Felix Jones — Cowboys ($25 or the rest of your budget)
Fair warning: last time I said you should spend the budget — for Kevin Smith — he got injured in not one, but two games in a row. Considering Felix Jones’ injury history, I will add this caveat: buyer beware. Jones, however, is the last man standing in the Cowboys backfield, and he will put up great numbers if he can stay on the field. Jones torched the Giants defense after Murray exited with an injury to the tune of 6.6 YPC, and he gets good matchups in Tampa Bay and Philadelphia through championship week. Jones is going to win a lot of fantasy championships if he stays on the field.
Ryan Grant — Packers ($9)
Brandon Saine’s day was cut short by injury, but Ryan Grant had already posted a big fantasy score by then. He is the de facto lead back in Green Bay, and could be getting into clock-killing mode a lot if the Packers continue to get big leads over the next couple of weeks. Now for the salt: the Packers have not run the ball the way they did against the Raiders all season, so there is a good chance Grant crashes back to earth faster than a Tim Tebow opponent during the last four minutes of a game.
Wide Receivers:
Donald Driver / James Jones / Randall Cobb ($5 / $4 / $8)
Father time has apparently been kind to Driver, and he has experienced a fantasy resurgence over the past couple of weeks. Is it sustainable? Now that Greg Jennings is out and opposing defenses are sure to get wise, I would say no, but the way Aaron Rodgers is playing any receiver could have a great game. On that train of thought are Jones and Cobb as well, both of whom should see an increase in playing time with Jennings out. Driver has been more consistent in recent weeks, but Cobb represents all of the upside in this group, and there is always the threat that James Jones will go off for 25 fantasy points. All of these are good pickups in that offense, but Cobb might be the one on the field the most if the Packers decide to rest their starters toward the end of the season.
Demaryius Thomas — Broncos ($5)
If you are a pyromaniac, then Thomas is the pickup for you! You would be playing with fire by picking up any Broncos receiver, as evidenced by Eric Decker’s stinkers the past couple of weeks after seemingly being Tim Tebow’s only target. Thomas has been the beneficiary of Tebow’s unending late-game heroics, though a lot of his damage has come on busted coverage because of offensive scheme and Tebow’s rushing ability. Thomas was targeted a whopping 13 times, albeit he dropped three of those and had a poor -1.2 rating for the game. Defenses are likely to adjust to Thomas like they adjusted to Decker by doubling him, so do not be surprised if Decker bounces back to lead the team in fantasy points at receiver the rest of the way.
Robert Meachem / Lance Moore — Saints ($4 / $5)
Marques Colston hogged all the fantasy points this week, but Meachem and Moore still have great fantasy value. The fact is that Brees is going to spread the ball around, and any one player can have a huge fantasy day.
Mario Manningham — Giants ($13)
There is a decent chance Manningham’s owner dropped him after he missed several weeks and was even rumored to be out for the season. He is well worth the pickup as he seems to have re-integrated into the Giants offense without much of a hitch. The Giants get another great defensive matchup in the Redskins before drawing Revis & Co., but that might work out to Manningham’s favor if the Jets would rather focus on Nicks and Cruz defensively.
Golden Tate / Doug Baldwin — Seahawks ($5 / $8)
While Tate was on the field a lot more than Baldwin and Obamanu last week, Baldwin was on the field for many more plays this week, and Jackson targeted the rook often enough to net him a big fantasy game. Tate had a decent game as well while not getting into the end zone. Unfortunately, the Seahawks get Chicago and San Francisco to close out the fantasy season, so expect all offensive statistics to take a hit.
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