Week 13 Pickups

By: Gabriel Harber

Howdy folks and welcome to the last week we’ll share together.  Sad, I know.  I’ll be traveling for most of December which means I’ll be unable to catch the weekend action in a timely fashion.  I’ll have to rough it like my grandpappy did before the interwebs and all that jazz.  Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be replaced by someone far more talented but much less good looking.  Happy trails and see you in the championship.

Pick Ups

Dan Orlovsky:  Out of nowhere came Orlovsky on Sunday, painting us a picture that made us completely forget Curtis.  Yes it was the Patriots, and yes the playoff schedule is brutal, but if you’ve had injury problems or are in a 2 QB league, any starting quarterback sitting on the wire this late in the season is a godsend.  There’s enough talent surrounding him that he should be able to piece together some reasonable stats in the upcoming weeks.

TJ Yates:  Anyone who watched Sunday’s contest knows that the end result for Yates was much more impressive than the final stats indicated.  The athletic talent from North Carolina was asked to manage the game and allow Arian Foster and the defense to win it.  He looked extremely poised and one can only imagine that as he becomes more acclimated to his role that Gary Kubiak will open up the offense for him a bit.  Keep an eye on Andre Johnson’s hamstring aggravation as it could go a long way towards determining Yates’ value.

Donald Brown:  As predicted, Brown has secured the leading backfield role in an offense that suddenly has a little life to it.  The more the Colts receivers continue to improve upon their hot streak, the more value Brown will hold during the stretch run.

Marion Barber:  In my opinion the must add of the week is Barber.  A reeling Bears team has revealed itself to be less than capable of chucking it through the air and suddenly finds itself without its best offensive weapon, and the facilitator of over 50 percent of its total offense, Matt Forte.  I would grab Barber and hope we see a renaissance over the last four games reminiscent of his time in Dallas that earned him the nickname “Barbarian.”

CJ Spiller/Toby Gerhart/Roy Helu:  These three should already be owned in every league, regardless of format.  I’m simply listing them as a reminder so that if one happened to slip through the cracks you can pounce.  I rate them Helu, Gerhart, and Spiller.  Spiller would be second but there are rumors coming out of Minnesota that the Vikings may shut down Adrian Peterson for the season in order to protect their investment.

Demaryius Thomas:  I had a strong feeling that Thomas would step into prominence this weekend, and stopped myself just short of adding him to last week’s pick ups article and my FanDuel article on another site.  I wish I had pulled the trigger as I would have looked like a genius, but now I just look like another idiot.  Regardless of how you view it, it breaks down like this; Thomas is the Broncos purest talent at wideout and is an impressive physical specimen.  Decker, while providing an excellent safety valve for an emerging Tim Tebow, will fall into a natural WR2 role in Denver as Thomas is simply too good to stay silent for much longer.

Reggie Wayne/Pierre Garcon/Jacob Tamme/Dallas Clark:  You may find that over the course of the season some very impatient owners dropped one of these guys (I dropped Garcon after week 10 myself.)  It really says something about how bad a quarterback is when he can take talent like this and render it waiver wire fodder, but that’s exactly what the Curtis Painter era accomplished in Indy.  Now that Dandy Dan Orlovsky is firing rockets (I kid) the Colts offense resembles a living entity once again.  There’s no guarantees here as the playoff schedule is as rough as anyone’s, but there is certainly some sky-high upside should you choose to take the risk.

Visante Shiancoe:  Shiancoe has been mostly quiet this year, but a few factors have me convinced that he’ll be relevant for the last few weeks of the season.  One, Adrian Peterson may be out for the remainder of the season which means a definite uptick in looks for the other offensive players, and two, his schedule.  Once you get past a Lions defense that hasn’t really been intimidating anyone lately, you have one of the softer set of matchups for any tight end in the league over the last four weeks.

Thanks for reading this year folks and have a great holiday!

Be sure to give me a follow here.

Week 12 Pickups

By Gabriel Harber

I trust everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and that you made it through visiting with your in-laws without any Ndamukong Suh type incidents.  It was a great holiday for football as the Cowboys once it again made a winnable game unbearably nail-biting, Coach Harbaugh took home a victory, and the Packers smacked that ass once more.  Most of you are heading into the playoffs soon and this weekend could be pivotal for your inclusion or seeding.  Fortunately we’ve got some additions that are good for what ails ya.

The Pick Ups

Kyle Orton:  The artist formerly known as Neckbeard gets a second second (that’d be a third) chance in Kansas City and falls into a situation with some natural receiving talent.  Dwayne Bowe, Jon Baldwin, and Steve Breaston should all contribute to an offense that looks to be exponentially more effective than they’ve been the last three weeks.  I’m sure many owners dumped Orton when he was benched in week five, and rarely do you find a guy with QB1 potential on the wire right in time for the playoffs.

 Steve Breaston:  His value is directly tied to how Orton performs, but with Matt Cassel (and even Tyler Palko at times), Breaston has excelled.  He’s one of the more underrated receivers in the NFL dating back to his days in Arizona.  If you can snag him before he resumes producing you could end up with a solid WR3 for the rest of the season.  Because of shear yardage production I have to believe he finds the endzone at least a few more times.

Caleb Hanie:  He couldn’t make it happen on the field, but from a fantasy perspective he certainly got the job done.  His three interceptions and sacks were offset by two touchdowns and 50 rushing yards, while he also passed for 254 yards totaling 16.16 points.  I wouldn’t expect him to find as much success through the air every week, but I have to believe he’ll get some check down TD’s to Matt Forte and Marion Barber, as well as cut down on the turnovers as he gets more reps with the first team.  All in all, I’m buying here if I need quarterback help.

Roy Helu: 

• Fact: Helu totaled 164 yards and a touchdown on 30 touches.
• Fact: Shanahan came out and said that Helu will make an excellent #2 running back heading into the future.
• Fact: Shanahan also said that he finally thought Helu was ready for a starter’s workload.

If you have any idea what to make of any of this please let me know.  I just know Helu must be owned if he’s getting touches.

CJ Spiller:  At least we have good old Chan Gailey who, staying true to his word, featured Spiller heavily.  Though he was far from effective, the Bills were also playing against a Jets defense that was backed into a corner with their season on the line.  If you have the roster spot available I would definitely pick up Spiller, especially in PPR leagues. Like I said previously, if he is getting touches then he should be owned.

Jason Avant/Riley Cooper:  The Eagles have a short week which means they may be rolling with the same offensive unit as Sunday’s game against the Patriots, most likely.  Cooper and Avant both played well enough to be owned as long as they’re seeing time and targets, and with Vince Young continuing behind center and playing for a contract I have to believe he’ll be showing the world what he can do.  Avant is the safer pick.

Marcel Reece:  Relegated to a makeshift receiving corps, Carson Palmer’s favorite target on Sunday was fullback Marcel Reece.  Reece, who was a wideout in college, shined in his expanded role and may be in line for a repeat performance given the battered and bruised state of Oakland’s offense.

Greg Little:  After weeks of teasing us as one of the highest targeted receivers in the league, Little finally found the endzone, rewarding owners who’ve stuck with him.  Peyton Hillis was back and added another dimension to the offense that the Browns had been sorely missing, opening the passing game up for Colt McCoy and company.  If you’re in a PPR league I would gobble Little up like Grandma’s leftovers.

I’ll see you back here next week!  Until then, be sure to shoot me any questions you might have on Twitter.

Crazy Gabey's Week 9 Pickups

By: Gabriel Harber

I know how to man up.   

Unlike a Cowboys defense or your favorite PeopleOfWalmart.com star’s pants, I know how to make adjustments.  When Miles Austin’s hamstring fell off against the Seahawks, I knew it would only be a matter of time before my prediction of Laurent Robinson being a bust from last week’s article was disproved.  It’s my proverbial half-time, and my advice to you is to snag this guy as quickly as you can.  A hamstring is a tricky, lingering injury and Austin has now had trouble with both legs this year so there’s no telling what the future holds.  Robinson looks pretty swell as the Cowboys number two for a few weeks.

This brings me to something very important that I’d like to discuss.  

No matter what you’ve previously done, don’t be afraid to make adjustments.  I’ve seen many owners make a bad move, or trade away someone only to have them go off for the rest of the season while the guy they received falls off the map.  Too often, these mistakes lead us to a place where we get down on ourselves and begin making more, even worse decisions.  Rarely is a team beyond repair, and if you play the wire carefully and stay in close communication with other owners and their wants/needs, then you will find that you can right the ship much easier than you ever thought possible.   

Even if you are out of it for this season, set a goal for yourself and focus on achieving it.  Practice is always good (unless you’re Allen Iverson) and you never know when a situation will happen again, only maybe next time it will be when you’re 7-4 and fighting for a playoff spot.

The Pick Ups

Laurent Robinson:  See above.

Antonio Brown:  This guy has been here for a few weeks but I’m including him because if he’s on your wire you need to stop reading this and go submit your claim now!  The Steelers passing attack has turned into one of the NFL’s premier units and Brown’s emergence has been a major reason why.

Roy Helu:  It looks like Shanahan finally sees what us fantasy football owners have known all along.  A whopping fourteen receptions on seventeen targets shows the game plan was definitely tailor made to Helu, and he delivered in a big way.  He becomes an instant low end RB2 and a solid flex play until we get Shanahaniganed.

Matt Moore:  Moore had been flirting with not being as bad as we thought he was (don’t worry, she’s not into him) for the past couple weeks, and Sunday was sort of a mini breakout session for the embattled veteran.  I wouldn’t expect that sort of production every week, but ten to fifteen points is reasonable from a suddenly awakened Dolphins offense that only stands to improve once Daniel Thomas returns to full health.

Jake Ballard:  Anyone who watched this guy play has to be scratching their heads at the production he’s 

exhibited thus far this season.  With more lumbering than running, Ballard has been quietly solidifying himself as a solid tight end play with significant upside in a fast paced Giants offense.  At this point in the season, he’s probably the best bet to salvage the likes of Dallas Clark or Vernon Davis owners.

Joshua Cribbs:  With Mohamed Massaquoi feeling woozy, Cribbs provided his second strong effort in a row.  He won’t give you consistency, but he has home run potential written all over him that can post fifteen points any time he sees enough snaps.  If your league has return yardage he becomes a very appealing option.

Steve Breaston:  Breaston was featured here a few weeks ago, so I won’t beat a dead horse (you would call PETA anyways).  It’s tough to predict Kansas City’s offense from week to week, but the numbers show that Cassel is looking his way.  If nothing else, his contract assures that he’ll continue to be a featured part of the offense and the Chiefs remaining schedule is a cakewalk of secondaries.

Torrey Smith:  The young man has all the talent in the world, and if he ever drops the pass dropping (see what I did there) he’s got future WR1 written all over him.  Sunday’s game winning touchdown was a big step for Smith and the second week in a row he’s come through in the clutch.  As his teammates continue to rally around him, I believe he’s poised for a huge second half.

Denarius Moore/Jacoby Ford:  As Carson Palmer experiences a renaissance, the playmakers for the Raiders should begin to shine as well.  Moore was targeted a ridiculous twelve times and Ford made the most of his looks with a touchdown and a twenty one yard per catch average.  Both are of course gambles, but Palmer should only get better and Oakland seems dedicated to involving the young duo on offense. (Note: Darrius Heyward-Bey was benched in this game, so that will be a situation you might want to keep an eye on.)

Chris Ogbonnaya:  Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty have already been ruled out of next week’s contest with the Rams, which makes Ogbonnaya the default workhouse against a sloppy St. Louis run defense.  I would temper expectations here, but if you’re banged up and need a spot start, then you might be able to scratch out enough points to make it worthwhile.

Earl Bennett:  Fully healthy (obviously), Bennett looked extremely impressive in Monday night’s win.  Showing exceptional rapport with Cutler, it’s obvious that he’s in no danger of losing his job to Sanzenbacher yet (though he would definitely lose the coolest name contest.)  Proceed with caution as it’s only a one game sample size, but if you’re lacking wide receiver depth you could do much worse than taking a flier on Bennett.

With many of you fighting tooth and nail for those last few playoff spots, it’s easy to kick yourself for making mistakes and for things that happen outside your control, just remember to stay calm and not allow the situation to compound itself.  If you focus on the negative you’ll be too wrapped up to notice the opportunities to turn it all around.  Thanks for reading and stay positive! 

Have a question? Ask Gabe on Twitter (@CrazyGabey).