Week 15: Pickups of the Week

Waiver Wire Watch: Looking Ahead to Week 15

As we all head into Week 15, most head to head type leagues have either already started their league's playoffs or are heading for the playoffs this weekend. In some leagues, most league's free agent pickup deadlines have either passed or are rapidly approaching and some leagues have already stopped allowing pickups and frozen all the teams rosters. But if your league is still allowing free agent pickups, then here are some possible pickups that might still be available in your league...

QB Todd Collins, ---

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It appears Todd Collins will be the starter for Washington with Jason Campbell expected to miss the next few games (and possibly the rest of the season) with an injury. He was 15 of 20 for 224 yards, plus 2 TDs in relief of Campbell and led the Redskins to a win over Chicago in week fourteen. Collins faces a tough matchup on the road versus the NY Giants this coming week, but if you need a QB play, he is worth considering adding to your roster.

QB Trent Edwards, OAK

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The rookie QB from Stanford was renamed the Buffalo starting QB two weeks ago and after leading them to wins in both of those games, it appears that the Bills' coaching staff consider him their future QB. Edwards was 11 of 23 for 165 yards and 4 TDs, in this past weekend's win over Miami. He has a favorable matchup this coming week as the Bills face Cleveland's #30 pass defense, so he could be worth picking up (fantasy owners in Dynasty or large Keeper Leagues should add him to your roster prior to the league's deadline for next year).

QB Luke McCown, ---

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McCown got the start for the Buccaneers again this past weekend with Jeff Garcia still sidelined with an injury. In the past two games, McCown was 29 of 37 for 313 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 interception in a win over the Saints and on Sunday against Houston, he was 25 of 38 for 266 yards, 0 TDs, and 0 interceptions. It is possible Garcia could return this week, so keep an eye on that situation before picking him up, but Tampa Bay's next two games are against Atlanta and at San Francisco.

QB Sage Rosenfels, ---

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With Matt Schaub out again with an injury, Rosenfels got the start against a very good Tampa Bay pass defense and he was 27 of 36 for 209 yards, plus 3 TDs to lead Houston to a big win this past weekend. The Texans play at home on Thursday night against the Denver #9 pass defense, so keep an eye on Schaub's status for the game; but if Rosenfels is the starter again, he could give fantasy owners desperate for a QB someone worth picking up for a roster spot this week.

RB Chris Brown, ---

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Since returning from a mid-season injury, Brown has gotten more involved in the Titans' offense over the past few games. Although LenDale White remains the Tennessee starting RB, Brown is in the mix getting a TD in each of the past two games. I would not expect much production each week, but if you are heading into the playoffs looking for RB depth, then Brown could be worth picking up for a roster spot on your team since he is probably available in almost all leagues.

RB Samkon Gado, ---

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Jesse Chatman was inactive for this past weekend's game and Sam Gado was the Dolphins' starting RB against Buffalo. Gado only got 12 carries for 52 yards, but he had 2 rushing TDs, plus 2 receptions for 41 yards. The Dolphins have a very tough matchup with Baltimore in week fifteen and Chatman's status is unclear at this time, but if you are desperate for a RB, then fantasy owners can consider adding Gado to their rosters.

RB Aaron Stecker, ---

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Stecker plays on Monday night, so it is unclear exactly what his role will be as Reggie Bush's replacement in the offense against Atlanta. It is possible Bush could miss the rest of the season, although Pierre Thomas could be in the mix, it's assumed Stecker would be the Saints' starting RB if that were the case. If you have a roster spot available, I recommend grabbing up Stecker to see what develops, because you can never have too many starting RBs.

RB Darius Walker, ---

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Ron Dayne left Sunday's game with an injury and with Ahman Green already on injured reserve for the year, Houston turned the rushing duties over to the rookie from Notre Dame. Walker had 16 carries for 46 yards, along with 6 receptions for 35 yards in the win over Tampa Bay. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on Dayne's status for this week, but if you have a roster spot available I would recommend grabbing up Walker to see what develops this week. He faces Denver and their #31 run defense on Thursday night this week, so he is definitely worth a roster spot based on the matchup, especially if he is the starting RB.

WR Nate Burleson, ---

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With DJ Hackett out, its Nate Burleson that has picked up the slack for the Seahawks. In the past two games, Burleson has 9 receptions for 121 yards and 2 TDs. Check on Hackett's status for this week, but if he remains out again this week, Burleson is worth picking up for fantasy owners in need of WR help (especially if your leagues starts 3 WRs).

WR Anthony Gonzalez, ---

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Surprisingly, Gonzalez is still a free agent in many leagues. Although he missed a couple of games with a mid-season injury, since returning the rookie has 13 receptions for 261 yards and 2 TDs in the Colts' last three games. As long as Marvin Harrison remains out (which will probably be until the playoffs, if then), expect Peyton Manning to continue to get Gonzalez the ball in favorable matchups. If Gonzalez is available in any of your fantasy leagues and you need WR help, then pick him up.

WR Shaun McDonald, ---

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McDonald has had a good year for the Lions (he actually leads the team in receptions) as their third receiver and he is still surprisingly available in some leagues. Roy Williams could miss the next few games or even the rest of the season for the Lions with an injury, thus McDonald has moved into the starting lineup. On Sunday, McDonald had 8 receptions for 93 yards in the loss to Dallas and on the year he has 67 receptions for 800 yards, plus 4 TDs. I expect him (and Mike Furrey also) to see an increased role in the Lions' offense over the last 2 weeks of the fantasy season, so grab him immediately if he is a free agent in your leagues.

WR Reggie Williams, ---

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Williams leads the Jaguars with 540 receiving yards with 31 receptions, plus 7 TDs this year. In his last four games, Williams has gotten more involved in the Jacksonville offense getting 12 receptions for 280 yards, plus 3 TDs during that span of games. He has two tough matchups versus Pittsburgh (#1 pass defense) and Oakland (#5 pass defense) in the next two weeks, but he is worth considering if you need WR help in very large league formats.

Week 15 Defense: Some fantasy owners were not able to draft one of the top defenses and will just pick up a defense for the best play of that week every week. In week 15 a few to consider (that may be available in your league at this point in the year) are: Seattle (favored on the road against 5-8 Carolina); Minnesota (playing very good lately and favored at home against Chicago); or Tampa Bay (at home against 3-9 Atlanta).