WAIVER PICKUPS
Jay Cutler QB CHI (Owned in 36% of Yahoo! leagues)
Marc Trestman has been a blessing to Chicago; he’s done a tremendous job of maximizing the potential of his weapons with two different quarterbacks. Those two quarterbacks, Cutler and Josh McCown, have combined for 206 fantasy points, which 306 would rank just ahead of Matthew Stafford for third place among quarterbacks this season. Cutler's percentage owned indicates that he should be widely available and Trestman has already confirmed that when "(Cutler) is ready to play, he'll be playing." When that time comes, he’ll be worth starting, especially in a Week 16 matchup at Philadelphia.
Jason Campbell QB CHI (6%)
In the four starts that Campbell has finished this season, he's averaged 298.5 passing yards, 2.25 passing touchdowns and 0.75 interceptions. Those are QB1 numbers that would project to 4,776 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions over a full 16-game season. Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron are terrors for opposing defenses and make life much easier for their quarterback. While Campbell may only be a mid-QB2 versus a tough Chicago pass defense, he will get a chance to take on the Jets poor secondary in Week 16.
Cleveland has been using a carousel of runners, but a Willis McGahee concussion may clear things up. McGahee has averaged 12.5 carries in his 11 games played this season, including 14 carries in each of the past two games. His absence would leaves more touches to go around for the two former Longhorns, Ogbonnaya and Fozzy Whittaker. Ogbonnaya is currently next in line on the depth chart and has already been averaging nine touches per game as the third-down back. If McGahee is out this week, Ogbonnaya should see 12-15 touches, making him an RB3/Flex versus a Bears’ run defense that has allowed an NFL worst, 5.13 yards-per-carry.
Daniel Thomas RB MIA (12%)
Last weekend, Thomas rushed for a season-high 105 yards on 16 carries, while also finding the end zone once. Miami’s lead back, Lamar Miller, did suffer a concussion and although there is optimism surrounding his Week 15 availability, owners in desperate need of a running back may want to keep an eye on whether Miller is cleared to play. If he isn’t cleared, Thomas would find himself with enough touches to merit usage as an RB3/Flex in Week 15 versus New England.
Toby Gerhart RB MIN (10%) / Matt Asiata RB MIN (0%)
After Adrian Peterson exited last Sunday’s game with a foot sprain, Gerhart filled in quite admirably, going on to rack up 89 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. On the year, Gerhart is now averaging a gaudy 7.9 yards on his 36 carries. With a start versus Philadelphia, Gerhart would be an RB2, but unfortunately he suffered a hamstring strain that clouds his outlook. If neither of them are able to suit up, then Matt Asiata, who has seen just three snaps and zero touches the entire season, would be thrust into the starting role. Asiata is a slow, bruising back that would top out as an RB3/Flex with the starting nod.
Julian Edelman WR NE (73%)
Up from 55% owned last week, owners have taken notice of his production and began to reap the rewards. He’s now ranked 24th among wide receivers on the year even in standard scoring. The unfortunate ACL injury suffered by Rob Gronkowski should help ensure that plenty more targets flow Edelman’s way, who has averaged 10.7 of them the past three weeks. He should be locked in as a WR2 from here-on-out and be scooped up anywhere he is available.
Cordarrelle Patterson WR MIN (27%)
The rookie is easily Minnesota’s best weapon outside of Peterson and the Vikings have been getting him more involved of late. He’s now seen 43 plus snaps in each of the past four games, with a season-high 50 this past week en route to a career high 141 receiving yards on five receptions and seven targets. With Peterson on the shelf, Patterson should only be expected to see his role continue to grow and is now on the WR3 radar. The NFL's leader in kick return yards is already on the map as a WR2 in those formats.
Ace Sanders WR JAC (3%)
Sanders has been quietly racking up targets of late, averaging eight of them over his past four games. For comparison, Cecil Shorts has only seen 7.25 targets over that same span of games. Sanders has even notched two carries and one passing attempt that he connected on for a touchdown. With a friendly matchup versus Buffalo on tap, Sanders finds himself on the WR3/4 border as Jacksonville continues to look for more ways to involve him.
DaRick Rogers WR IND (2%)
At one point, Rogers was a potential first round talent at Tennessee. He then received an indefinite suspension and found his way to Tennessee Tech, going undrafted this past April. Rogers did not see his first NFL action until Week 13, when he played 13 snaps, but did not merit a target. Then in Week 14, he blew up for 107 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. In total, he played 41 of Indianapolis’ 61 snaps and saw nine targets in that game. He has the opportunity to carve out a substantial role in the Colts' offense, but is hard to trust as more than an upside WR4 with such a small sample size.
Jacob Tamme TE DEN (13%)
With a hat tip to Rotoworld, Jacob Tamme played on 45-of-46 snaps following Wes Welker's departure with a concussion and recorded 47 yards on four receptions. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Welker is very unlikely to play in this week’s Thursday night matchup against the Chargers, which would create an opportunity for Tamme to fill in as a high-end TE2.
Dennis Pitta TE BAL (6%)
As outlined by C.D. Carter, Pitta had plenty of promise in the preseason, but a hip injury derailed that potential. Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offense have long awaited Pitta’s return and wasted no time in getting him involved. Last week, he saw 10 targets on 36 snaps, racking up 48 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens will face a stout Detroit run defense this upcoming week and will have to keep pace with the Lions' offense. As a result, Pitta should rack up targets once again and finds himself back in TE1 territory.
*All snap counts and targets in this article are courtesy of ProFootballFocus.com
You can find me on Twitter, @KyleWachtel, where I’d be happy to answer any of your questions.
