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Week 15 Pick Ups    PDF Print E-mail
Written by Andrew Fiorentino   
Tuesday, 11 December 2012 23:16

Nick Foles

 

 

 

Well, if you've made it into your fantasy playoffs and are still reading pickup articles with Week 14 in the books, I salute you. I hope this advice has been of some help to you over the course of the season.

 

Now, let's see about making it to next week, shall we?

 

 

 

 

 

Quarterbacks

 

Nick Foles, PHI – It took some time, but Foles finally came into his own against the Buccaneers on Sunday, leading the Eagles to an inspiring fourth-quarter comeback in which he threw two TD passes in the final 3:55 of the game, including a beautiful completion to Jeremy Maclin on the side of the end zone with no time left to win it. I don't think anyone picked Foles to be Sunday's most prolific passer (381 yards!) even against the NFL's worst pass defense, never mind channeling a bit of Michael Vick with three rushes for 27 yards and a touchdown. His remaining matchups aren't Bucs-quality, but they're not bad – Cincy, Washington and the Giants (if your league happens to count Week 17).

 

 

Running Backs

 

 

David Wilson, NYG – If you missed Wilson's coming-out party, well, it was quite a show. Something for everyone – a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown, then 13 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns -- an easy six-yarder against the buckling Saints defense and a sick 52-yarder to punctuate the rout. Ahmad Bradshaw's having an MRI on his knee, and if he's out of action, Wilson's got RB1 upside. Even if he splits carries with Bradshaw, Wilson's very playable this week against Atlanta.

 

 

Montell Owens, JAC – There's always someone you've never heard of who comes along and is there to save, and it's not wholly inconceivable that Owens could be that guy. Considering that he's 28 and has never really touched the ball much, Owens really answered the bell against the Jets on Sunday, rushing 14 times for 91 yards and a touchdown – along with a bonus 11-yard catch. Maurice Jones-Drew just doesn't seem very likely to return, so this is Owens' backfield.

 

 

DuJuan Harris, GB – Signed by the Packers just a week prior to address their injury-riddled RB corps (James Starks went on IR in the middle of last week), Harris got seven carries as Alex Green's backup and made 31 yards and a touchdown out of them against Detroit. It'll be tough sledding on the ground this week against the Bears, but poor weather conditions could keep the ball on the ground, which means more touches for Harris. And, of course, if Green goes down, Harris and John Kuhn will be the only men left standing.

 

 

Wide Receivers

 

 

Kenny Britt, TEN – This comes with a disclaimer: I don't like Britt much this week against Antonio Cromartie and the Jets, as Cro has delivered Darrelle Revis-like production with the league's top corner out and matches up well against Britt in terms of both height and speed. That said, Britt's got three straight weeks of fantasy relevance going, including eight catches and 143 yards against Indy last week. And we all know he's got the tools. The Week 16 matchup against Green Bay looks better, as you have to figure the Titans will be going to the air plenty.

 

 

Jason Avant, PHI – We've seen flashes from Avant before, so I'm not going nuts here, but he played like a man possessed against Tampa on Sunday, making several spectacular catches that helped make Nick Foles' fantasy day and give Eagles fans something to cheer about. The final line: seven catches for 133 yards, and though he didn't get into the end zone, his brilliant catch at the one-yard line with only seconds left set up the winner. With the Eagles' receiving corps decimated, Avant should continue to see plenty of looks. And if Jeremy Maclin's groin injury keeps him out this week, Avant falls into the role of de facto No. 1 receiver.

 

 

Kevin Ogletree, DAL – Remember this guy? Ogletree, along with Dwayne Harris (a bit of a deeper pickup, but another guy with a chance to pick up looks), stands to see more passes come his way thanks to Dez Bryant's fractured finger that could land him on IR. Aside from those who owned him in Week 1 (which, to be clear, is nobody), no one's been happy with Ogletree's production in most of the games since, but with Dez out, someone's got a chance to step up as the No. 2 receiver for the Cowboys, who have a fairly tasty remaining slate: Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Washington.

 

 

Jon Baldwin, KC – Dwayne Bowe's got broken ribs, which is about the last thing the Kansas City offense needs, but a boon for Baldwin, who's been obscured fantasy-wise thanks to Brady Quinn's less-than-inspiring quarterbacking. It's pretty much just Baldwin, Dexter McCluster (another reasonable pickup) and Tony Moeaki left standing in the miserable Chiefs passing game. No one's ever questioned Baldwin's physical tools; last year's first-round pick (26th) is a nearly Calvin Johnson-sized beast, but he's yet to flash anything resembling first-round production. Maybe this opportunity is just the thing to get him going. Quinn certainly has to be hoping so.

 

 

Rod Streater, OAK – That's right, we've got you covered on both sides of the super-exciting Chiefs-Raiders game on tap this week, as Streater's got two straight weeks of fantasy relevance and a matchup against a giving Chiefs defense. The question will be whether Kansas City can put enough points on the board to keep Carson Palmer throwing.

 

 

Tight Ends

 

 

Clay Harbor, PHI – What is this, the Eagles edition? Brent Celek is just the latest Eagle to fall victim to a concussion, and he's already been ruled out for this week, which means Harbor starts at tight end a week after catching all six targets for 52 yards and a touchdown.

 

 

Tony Scheffler, DET – After Brandon Pettigrew suffered an ankle injury, Scheffler saw 10 targets (though he caught just three for 20 yards and a TD) against Green Bay. If Pettigrew remains out this week, well, we've seen Scheffler be fantasy-relevant before, and he certainly has a favorable team context.


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Andrew said:

Andrew
...
Allow me to add the Detroit defense to the list. Facing Arizona. 'Nuff said.
 
December 12, 2012
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Last Updated on Friday, 14 December 2012 08:57