Crazy Gabey's Week 6 Pick Ups

By: Gabriel Harber

The bye week madness is fully upon us and for those of you sitting at 2-4 or 3-3 this means scrambling on the wire to find a suitable replacement, before you drop too far out of playoff contention.  It’s important to keep your cool in these frantic times as I’ve seen more than one owner in my leagues throw a guy like Steven Jackson or Antonio Gates on the wire for a one week fill-in.

Don’t be that guy.

The human psyche is an interesting place indeed.  Capable of producing the greatest scientific, philosophical, and technological accomplishments, we can also become creatures of base instinct at the first sign of chaos.  I say this all to serve a cautionary tale.  Be careful of the activity you engage in during these trying times.  Should I blow my number 1 priority?  Am I just going to drop him after this week?  Do I think my injured/underperforming stud will get it together after I drop him, not only weakening my team, but strengthening another?  All questions that need to be asked before you make any move from here on out.

Take a slow, deep breath, and let’s look at our options this week.

Remember Us? (Bye Week Steals)

Jackie Battle:  If no one snagged him after his week 4 coming out party, then they most likely forgot about him again because of the bye week.  Against a weak Oakland run defense this represents more than just a bye week fill-in, but a long term option.  The buzz coming out of KC is that coaches have faith in his ability, and as long as he performs, the starting gig is his to lose.  It’s a rare gem indeed to find a feature back this late in the season.

Doug Baldwin:The name isn’t recognizable, and the team is unassuming, but Baldwin has quietly been the most productive offensive weapon on a suddenly surging (and I use that term loosely) Seahawks team.  As the Birds continue to find their stride, I expect more games like he had in week 4.  You’ll want to grab him no matter what.

If They Are Still There

Antonio Gates:  I noticed many disgusted owners dropping him after he posted pathetic numbers followed up with a goose egg against New England.  You can take advantage of those who refused to read in between the lines, as Gates has been planning on returning after the bye week all along.  He practiced Monday and claims that while he can never guarantee how his foot will feel day to day, it currently feels 100%.

Steven Jackson:  This is another guy that was prematurely dropped.  I’m sure most owners had full intentions of riding out the injury on account of their 3^rd round pick investment, but when the Rams started sucking figured it was time to look elsewhere.  SJax has looked as powerful as ever the last two games, and with the addition of Brandon Lloyd on the outside to stretch the safeties, better days are ahead in St. Louis.

Earnest Graham:  He should have been grabbed before this week with report of Blount’s injury ranging from 1-2 weeks to “several.”  An MCL tear of any variety is cause for concern, and with the performance Graham gave on Sunday, the Bucs will be in no hurry to rush their young franchise player back.  If your league is PPR you have an additional interest here as Graham is an exceptional pass-catcher.

Fred Davis:  There was a moment where everyone on the Freddie-wagon was worried that Cooley had swooped in, and in one hunk of a man Fabio moment, stolen his job back.  I scoffed and quietly held onto Davis in two of my leagues.  Now it seems that Cooley is out for significant amount time again, and the Redskins are back to giving their second most talented offensive weapon his due targets.  Davis is a top 10 play from here on out.  If you can grab him off the wire consider yourself blessed.

The Pick-Ups

Demaryius Thomas/Eddie Royal:  With Brandon Lloyd on his way out of town, someone will have to step up in the new Tebow led offense, opposite of Eric Decker.  Both wideouts are expected back against the woeful Dolphins this week, and I actually like Thomas a little more here as the flashes of brilliance he displayed before going down with an injury last season have me excited about his potential.  Regardless, these are more boom/bust than usual, as the offense could take some huge steps backwards and become much more run-oriented.  Proceed with optimistic caution.

Preston Parker/Arrelious Benn:  These two are a little safer as we already know what to expect.  Both receivers have put in an  above average body of work thus far, and I see the Tampa offense continuing on an upward trend from here on out (think Josh Freeman finding his stride mid-season last year.)  Parker probably represents the greater value if you’re PPR, while Benn is the better standard league option.

C.J. Spiller:  Let me start off by saying this is a guy I have never been a fan of.  Do you ever have someone that gets under your skin for no real reason?  That’s Spiller for me, and I suppose it probably has something to with all the hype he has continually received in place of Fred Jackson, whom I’ve been saying is the real deal the past two and half seasons.  Well it finally seemed like the rest of the world had caught up to my genius, and then the Bills coaching staff gives me a reason to actually endorse the guy.  Spiller lined up as a wideout Sunday and played the role to moderate success, especially for those of you in PPR formats.  While I don’t think he’s going to blow our minds and take Stevie Johnson’s place, he could develop into a unique talent with RB/WR eligibility making him a rare breed, and one that you wouldn’t mind rostering for softer matchups or bye week fill-ins.

Jake Ballard:  In a suddenly high flying show in New York, a new tight end has emerged.  Ballard has caught at least 3 passes in the past 3 games, went for over 70 yards twice, and scored a touchdown in two of them.  As long as Nicks, Manningham, and Cruz continue shredding the corners, the seam will stay open and Ballard represents strong TE2 value.

Other Notables:  John Beck, Greg Little, Danario Alexander, Greg Salas, Torrey Smith, Visanthe Shiancoe.

Take a deep breath, consider your options carefully, and click that “add” button with confidence.  Until next week gentlemen, g’day.

Questions?  Follow me on Twitter.

Crazy Gabey's Week 5 Pickups

 by Gabe Harber

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, well at least until February.  The beginning of the bye weeks are a critical time where the course of entire seasons can hang in the balance.  A timely addition can be the difference between taking a few Ls and winning your division.  Luckily though, you have the Fantasy Football Addict to guide you through these confusing times as your stars get some much needed rest and relaxation.  Let’s roll up our sleeves.

Steve Breaston:  I had him here last week too, and his stock is still going up.  Cassel is finally showing signs of life, and the Chiefs as a unit have looked decent since the contest with San Diego.  Don’t get me wrong, they won’t get to play Indy every week, but sometimes a confidence boost is all a team really needs to develop synergy.  With Dwayne Bowe swinging into midseason form and the Chiefs finally sporting a running game worth mention, you have a real chance for this criminally underappreciated talent to put up some WR2/3 numbers.

Jackie Battle:  If you want to talk about things coming out of left field, pull up a chair and we can chat about Battle all day.  In the mindless maze of mediocrity that was the discussion on whether Thomas Jones or Dexter McCluster would be the beneficiary when Charles went down, no one even mentioned the guy that showed more promise in one game than the other two showed all last season.  He’s not a particularly dazzling runner, with most of his yardage coming on brute force between the tackles, but the RB situation in Kansas City is desperate enough that the coaching staff is likely to stick with the hot hand.

Doug Baldwin:  I love tooting my own horn, so I’ll do it again here.  I sensed Baldwin was ready for a breakout performance, and while some may believe he’s peaked, I foresee good things for the future in Seattle.  Lynch, Rice, and Tavaris Jackson are all developing chemistry, and the offense is starting to consistently move the ball downfield.  Baldwin is unowned in most leagues and finding a receiver with three 80+ yard performances is too much to pass up on.

Jason Avant: This one was the one I was most unsure about.  He clearly has a connection with Michael Vick, but how much longer will his QB and coaching staff continue to trust him if he can’t secure the ball?  There are a few things I see working in his favor though.  For one, his teammates seem to have the same problem in securing the football, and Andy Reid, possibly coaching for his job, will probably be willing to put the most productive players on the field in an attempt to pull the Eagles out of this downward spiral.  There’s a high risk, high reward addition to be made here for those of you looking for a big payoff at WR.

Jared Cook:  I wasn’t ready to jump on his bandwagon quite yet after last week, as he hadn’t gone for more than 2 receptions in any game this season.  It just felt like his 2 catch, 93 yard and a touchdown performance could too easily be the product of luck.  All that changed this week, because even though he didn’t find the endzone, he caught 4 balls for 59 yards; a big improvement on weeks 1-3.  It’s not like he wasn’t targeted in the red zone though; he saw two passes come his was in the red zone this week. As long as Matt Hasselbeck continues playing at a high level, Cook is a viable option in deeper formats.

Curtis Painter:  Peyton who?  Alright, maybe Painter only looked good for one half of football, and maybe Pierre Garcon is artificially inflating his statistics, and maybe the Colts are still really (I mean REALLY) bad, but you could do a whole lot worse than Painter for your bye weeks.  I don’t expect he’ll “go off” for a huge game at any point this season, but 15-20 points is a perfectly reasonable expectation.

Michael Crabtree:  As one’s season goes, so emerges another.  Losing Josh Morgan was a huge blow to a surprisingly good 49ers squad, and now the spotlight, and a large portion of the offensive responsibilities fall on another player.  We’ve caught glimpses in the past of what Crabtree is capable of (weeks 5, 10, and 16 last year) and now the show will be all his to steal.  Always at risk for injury, and with an elite level of talent, Crabtree could be one of those additions that win you a championship, or one that has you sending him back into the talent pool after 3 weeks, he’s just that enigmatic.  Still, despite all the risk, he’s a must own in all deeper formats.

Kendall Hunter:  I’ve mentioned him here before, but I want to make sure everyone realizes exactly how important it is to pick up Hunter if he’s still floating around on waivers.  In the past 3 contests he’s averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and even broke off a long reception.  If Frank Gore goes down, which isn’t too much of a stretch, Hunter immediately moves into the realm of RB2.  Add him with confidence and reap the benefits down the road.

Victor Cruz:  If he’s still on waivers, snag him immediately.  It looks like all that talk about Manningham taking his job back was exactly that, talk.  I’ve watched him play in the last 3 games and I can personally attest to the fact that dude is the real deal.  I’m starting him from here on out until Manningham puts him back on the bench or the G-men slow down.

If you have any questions about your lineup, or just want to chat fake futbol, stop by my Twitter, or you can just mention me: @CrazyGabey.  Thanks for reading folks and best of luck this week!