Fantasy Football: Week 14 Must-Haves Off the Waiver Wire
Week 13 in the NFL was one that saw some of fantasy football’s most reliable players come up very short for their owners.
Browns running back Peyton Hillis missed crossing the chalk for the first time since Week 6 and ended up with a meager 7.7 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues, a season low against a Dolphins defense that seemed to be keying in on him all day.
Although Hillis had just 22 receiving yards, he did manage seven catches on the afternoon, so at least those in PPR leagues saw marginal production from one of this year’s biggest surprises.
Furthermore, Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was held without a catch in a divisional showdown against the Denver Broncos.
Bowe has seemingly scored at will every time he’s touched the ball in the red zone for the past several weeks, so the Broncos decided that the only solution was keep him from touching the pigskin at all.
Champ Bailey was all over Bowe the whole game, a move the Broncos should have utilized when the divisional foes met in Week 10—Bowe torched their secondary for 13 catches, 186 yards, and two touchdowns.
Denver could not capitalize, though, as their usually explosive passing attack looked anemic, with Kyle Orton completing less than a third of his passes (9 for 28) for just 117 yards.
Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd of course suffered as a result, just reeling in two catches for 31 yards.
The most unlikely hero of the week was indisputably Dallas’ third string running back Tashard Choice. Choice, an extremely talented back out of Georgia Tech, has been buried on the depth chart of a crowded Cowboys backfield.
However, when called into duty as a lead back due to injuries, “The People’s” Choice has been extremely effective.
He again lived up to expectations against a porous Colts run defense, notching 100 yards and a score on the ground on 19 carries.
Choice outperformed teammate Felix Jones (22 carries for 83 yards) and looks like he has earned himself a larger role in Jason Garrett’s offense, even after Marion Barber returns from a calf injury.
This make Choice the fantasy add of the week (as well as a Week 12 recommendation), and while he is probably gone in just about every competitive league out there, grab him right now if he is still sitting on the waiver wire.
If you missed the boat on Choice, take a look at some other free agents in your league that can lead your team on a fantasy playoff run.
James Starks, RB Green Bay Packers
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The rookie out of Buffalo could be your imaginary team’s Iron Man during the most critical time of the fantasy season.
Starks started the season on the PUP list with a hamstring injury, and although he was activated after Week 6, he was still in recovery mode for several weeks after.
The Packers, of course, lost running back Ryan Grant to injury on opening day, and back up Brandon Jackson has been anything but consistent for the Pack Attack.
Starks saw a ton of work against a formidable 49ers defensive front, gaining 73 yards on 18 attempts. Jackson saw just four carries and gained only 13 yards, so it looks like he is again being relegated to a third down back role.
Jackson is still a viable option in deeper PPR leagues, as he also had four catches for 63 yards in Week 13. But Starks is clearly the Packers running back you want to own right now, so put in a claim for him today.
Roy Williams, WR Dallas Cowboys
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As excited as Cowboys fans were to see Dallas take down Super Bowl runner-ups the Indianapolis Colts in a back-and-forth battle that went to overtime, they had to be equally disappointed to see Dez Bryant suffer a serious ankle injury.
Early reports indicated that Bryant’s ankle is fractured, and therefore will require season ending surgery.
This means that Roy Williams will see a big spike in targets for the remaining four games of the season.
Williams was already getting the nod over Bryant in two receiver sets, but Bryant was still clearly the preferred target of quarterback Jon Kitna.
The former Detroit Lions (Kitna and Williams) should thrive again, as Kevin Ogletree is not likely to steal any targets away from Williams.
The Cowboys have a very favorable schedule for throwing the ball the rest of the way, facing the Eagles (twice), Redskins and Cardinals, teams that have all had serious issues with their secondary.
While Williams will probably never live up to the expectations the Cowboys set for him when they hoped he would be the replacement for Terrell Owens, he should be a useful commodity in fantasy circles for the rest of 2010.
James Davis, RB Washington Redskins
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Anyone who claims to know what Mike Shanahan is going to do with his running backs is lying to you, but Davis has seen more touches than Keiland Williams in consecutive weeks.
While the ‘Skins were thoroughly decimated by the Giants in Week 13, Davis quietly had 81 yards from scrimmage on 12 touches.
Compare that to Williams’s seven touches for 31 yards, and it is clear that Davis is the preferred option at running back for the time being.
If Ryan Torain returns from a hamstring injury this season, Davis becomes an even bigger risk, but for teams with some roster space and a need for running back depth, Davis is worth a gamble.
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Earl Bennett, WR Chicago Bears
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Bennett made this column in Week 10, so of course he was basically non-existent on the field in Weeks 10 and 11.
However, Bennett is again looking like a top option in this revitalized Bears passing attack in the past couple weeks.
In Week 12, Bennett had four catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns, and then had career highs in Week 13 with seven grabs for 104 yards.
While Johnny Knox is certainly the preferred option in this passing attack, Cutler has again built a rapport with his former Vanderbilt teammate (Bennett) in recent weeks and could be a nice sleeper from here on out.
The Bears face very beatable New England and Minnesota defenses in the next couple weeks, although be aware that Chicago closes out the season against the Jets and Packers.
Nevertheless, Bennett has at least proved that he can exploit a good match up so he is worth adding to your line up this week if wide receiver depth is an issue.
Anthony Dixon, RB San Francisco 49ers
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While Brian Westbrook put on a clinic against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12 against the Cardinals (23 carries, 136 yards and a score) when Frank Gore succumbed to a season ending hip injury, rumblings arose that the 49ers rushing attack would be a committee situation.
This proved to be the case in Week 13 against the Packers, as both Westbrook and rookie Anthony Dixon received 9 carries.
Touches were tough to come by in this one as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense seemed unstoppable, forcing the Niners to be pass heavy on offense.
Dixon gained 33 yards to Westbrook’s 31, so neither guy really made a campaign to be the lead back for the final four games of the season.
The remaining San Francisco schedule is very run friendly, with the Seahawks, Chargers, Rams and Cardinals on the slate.
While the meeting with the Chargers may not be a cake walk, Raiders running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush showed that the Bolts are very beatable on the ground.
Westbrook will get his, but do not expect Dixon to be left out in the cold during this end of the season stretch. He will be a nice surprise for owners in this year’s fantasy playoffs.
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