Week 14: Waiver Wire Pickups
Players who have been mentioned in this space in the past and are still worth a waiver pickup include: QB Kyle Orton, RB C.J. Anderson, RB Isaiah Crowell, RB Tre Mason, WR Odell Beckham Jr., and TE Kyle Rudolph. Check to see if any of these players are available in your league before consulting this list.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WAS
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Fitzpatrick returned to the field Sunday, just two games after losing his starting job to the injured Ryan Mallett, and his comeback was nothing short of triumphant. Fitzpatrick threw for a season-high 358 yards and an incredible six touchdowns. That's correct, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw six touchdown passes in one game. In a sharp reversal from their typical run-first strategy, the Texans opted to air the ball out versus Tennessee, with great success. Now, Fitzpatrick will probably not throw six touchdowns in a single game again this season or in his career. But he has posted a string of statistically solid performances, and that makes him worthy of starting consideration in fantasy at a time when other, formerly top QBs are playing very poorly. It's easy to see an owner favoring Fitzpatrick over Cam Newton, for example. He's a decent pickup for owners looking to improve their consistency at the QB position.
QB Colt McCoy, ARI
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McCoy got the nod in Week 13 after Redskins head coach Jay Gruden made the decision to bench former starter Robert Griffin III, and McCoy had an excellent statistical day. He ended Sunday's loss in Indianapolis with 392 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. In the two games he's started for Washington this year, McCoy would've been a solid fantasy start both times. He's shown the best command of the offense of any Redskins QB, he's surrounded by excellent receiving talent (although the loss of DeSean Jackson will hurt some), and he looks set to throw the ball plenty as the Redskins continue to chase games due to its awful pass defense. Given the intermittent bad play of some of the top names at his position, McCoy is a reasonable starter in very deep leagues and a solid choice in two-quarterback formats.
RB Marion Grice, ---
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In a very thin week for RB pickups, Grice looks like the best option available. The somewhat flimsy Andre Ellington suffered a hip pointer injury this weekend, wasn't able to return to the game and looks doubtful for Week 14. If he is forced to sit, that would leave Grice as the Cardinals' dominant back. In very limited work on Sunday in Atlanta, Grice managed 16 rushing yards on five carries and 24 receiving yards on three receptions. Assuming Grice is the starter, next week's matchup versus the Chiefs looks particularly tasty as they just allowed 168 rushing yards to the Broncos' C.J. Anderson.
RB Stepfan Taylor, ---
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Taylor vultured a short score from Grice after Ellington went down Sunday, and that makes him worth mentioning in this space. While it looks as though fantasy owners should definitely consider Grice as the top option, it's possible that Taylor will split the work with him in Week 14 and could continue to take the valuable short-yardage carries as well. Still, he's a long-shot option for desperate owners only.
WR Davante Adams, GB
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It's rare for an NFL team's No. 3 wideout to be a reliable factor in fantasy. They generally struggle with consistency as a result of low volume. That's been the case for Adams this season as he's struggled for targets behind Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. But in the games that he's seen more than four targets, Adams has performed well. He had a breakout game Sunday versus the Patriots, catching six of his 11 targets for 121 yards. Adams also had a heartbreaking drop in the red zone that almost surely would've gone for a touchdown. He'll continue to be the third option in the Packers' passing attack, but the team is scoring enough points that Adams could still be an impact player in fantasy over the final quarter of the season.
