Week 14: Pickups of the Week

QB Christian Ponder, ---

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His mistakes (a fumble and two interceptions -- one coming on the Vikings' last possession of the game) may have sunk his real life team this week, but they will be no doubt be overshadowed in the fantasy world by a hefty stat line that carried many imaginary teams to victory. Ponder finds himself on this list by virtue of his three-TD, 381-yard performance in a losing effort against the Broncos on Sunday. While he's shown the ability to make big plays, he's been somewhat hit or miss so far this season. If you're considering this free agent pickup, we hope it is to back up a more reliable QB1 option.

QB T.J. Yates, ---

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That Yates, an unheralded rookie third-stringer thrust into the starting lineup after injuries to the Matts (Schaub and Leinart), didn't crash and burn in his first NFL action was surprise enough. That he played solid ball and led his team to victory over the tough Atlanta Falcons as a starter the following week was absolutely astounding to most casual viewers, though Texans insiders and die-hard Tar Heels knew all along (or, so they claim) that Yates was the real deal. He graduated as UNC's single-season and career record holder in passing yards and was a four-year starter in Carolina's pro-style offense. He's ideally suited to run Houston's conservative offense, even if Andre Johnson misses more time due to injury. Even though he may not put up huge passing numbers, Yates could be an option in deep leagues or on teams where Rex Grossman and Caleb Hanie are being rostered.

RB Marion Barber, ---

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After performing solidly as a complementary player, Barber should see a significant uptick in carries now that Matt Forte will be on the shelf for a few weeks. The Bears are totally dependent on the running game right now and will need to continue leaning on Barber just to keep Caleb Hanie (coming off a second consecutive three-interception game) from further crippling the team. Chicago faces some relatively stout rushing defenses over the next four games, but Barber's expected volume of carries -- in particular, red zone carries -- will make him a solid fantasy option and this week's most sought-after fantasy free agent.

RB Toby Gerhart, ---

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Rumors continue to swirl and uncertainty abounds over Adrian Peterson's Week 14 (and rest-of-season) availability. Coach Leslie Frazier insists that Peterson is close to returning; however, we all know how debilitating the dreaded high ankle sprain can be for a running back. With the 2-10 Vikings staring down an early offseason, there's no need to rush Peterson into action. Gerhart has filled in nicely and could very well continue to get the call while Peterson works on getting healthy.

RB Ricky Williams, ---

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Ricky Williams is officially the backup, but any team willing to run the ball 55 times in a game (as the Ravens did against the Browns on Sunday) can sustain multiple running backs as fantasy assets. This team functions best with Joe Flacco as a game-manager. They have the luxury of fielding one of the league's fiercest defenses and can afford to stay conservative while pounding the rock all day long with their talented RB tandem. Those who fear Baltimore will regress to the mean of around 30 rushes per game should consider the following facts:
1) The Ravens have won their last two contests while compiling a run-pass ratio of nearly 2:1.
2) They are buoyed by a defense that ranks in the top five in yardage allowed, points allowed, takeaways and sacks.
3) Their Week 14 opponent, the Colts, are currently giving up an average of 144 yards per game on the ground and have allowed an NFL-high 17 rushing touchdowns.

WR Andre Roberts, ---

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Andre Roberts has clearly moved ahead of Early Doucet on the depth chart and his big game against the Cowboys (six catches for 111 yards) makes him a player of interest during these waning weeks of the fantasy football season. With most waiver wires picked clean, emerging talent is gobbled up quickly. Roberts' ownership won't stay below ten% for long, though he's probably only worth the risk in deep leagues given QB Kevin Kolb's inconsistency and the fact that Larry Fitzgerald should hog the majority of targets.

WR Golden Tate, ---

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Sidney Rice was placed on injured reserve before last week's game, opening the door for Tate to earn the first start of his fledgeling NFL career. He responded with his second TD in as many weeks and, while the modest stats (four catches for 47 yards) don't show it, he made some electrifying plays and energized the Seahawks' passing game. He drew considerable praise from coach Pete Carroll after the game and seems locked in as Seattle's WR1 for the remainder of the season. This week's match-up against St. Louis offers a fine opportunity for interested owners to test Golden Tate's mettle.

WR Demaryius Thomas, ---

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After Week 8, we thought that a healthy Demaryius Thomas and a newly anointed Tim Tebow were a match made in heaven. We were wrong as Thomas slipped behind Eddie Royal on the Denver depth chart and disappeared from fantasy relevance for the next five weeks. The hope is that Thomas' big day against the Vikings will be enough to elevate him to regular starting duties in favor of Eddie Royal -- who, by the way, has been a been fantasy non-entity despite being the nominal starter.

TE Jermaine Gresham, ---

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At press time, Jermaine Gresham is hovering around 69% ownership. The glut of Fred Davis owners rushing to replace their suspended player should push Gresham past the 70% threshold and bring to an end his stranglehold on Pickups of the Week status. Even though he only had three catches last week, he was targeted seven times, including some crucial end zone looks. He also had a touchdown called back because of an A.J. Green penalty (manifest subconscious jealousy, perhaps?). He could be in store for bigger things in Week 14. On Sunday Gresham faces a defense that allowed a fellow tight end, Tony Gonzalez, to rack up 100 yards on seven catches.

Seattle

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When David Hawthorne picked off a Vince Young throw and returned it 77 yards to the house, he sealed Seattle's improbable destruction of the visiting Eagles. He also put the exclamation point on what had been an outstanding performance by a Seahawks defense that held the league's leading rusher to just 84 yards and harried Vince Young into tossing four interceptions. The Seahawks next host a team they embarrassed back in Week 11. Whether you call it Qwest or CenturyLink Field, the result is the same: Seattle's home turf remains one of the toughest locales for visiting NFL teams. This motivated Seahawks D should have no problems beating up on the hapless Rams, who are still licking their wounds after being shut out by the 49ers.