We are down to the final week in a lot of leagues, hopefully you still have something to play for, even if it's just to maintain a shred of dignity in not finishing last among your peers or knob-head mates!
If you are not in a keeper league, you might use this week's waiver wire to suck up any decent pickups that your opponent might use to strengthen any of their weaker roster spots or banged up players. Just be careful the dead weight you toss overboard can't be used against you, or worse still, be needed next week if you have another week in your league - think especially if you need to cover for an injury.
Another dirty tactic might be to drop a particularly strong player if the opponent of your biggest rival has a high waiver priority - they can then pick them up and fight half the battle for you - kind of like an illicit, underhanded trade but in fact is totally fair and legal in the paranoid and backstabbing world of fantasy football!
If you like that, and you have another week to go, you might consider teaming up with someone to intentionally not pick anyone up this week so you go into next week with a high waiver priority, ready to pick up their droppings. That came out wrong. Or do this vice versa as in the previous example.
If it is going to come down to week 17, you might want to do your research now for that streaming defense or kicker or whatever and pick them up this week, getting in ahead of anyone with higher priority next week.
I am assuming in the above cases that your waiver priority is based on who uses waivers least to most, which might not be the case for you. Make sure you check this before doing anything. Another good idea is to check who wins if you are tied, just so if possible you can give yourself an edge.
Who to pick up:
QB
Kirk Cousins plays the Cowboys this week. I would pick him up and play him over most other QBs, just to make sure I get 20 points in that position. Unless you have Peyton Manning, Nick Foles or Ryan Tannehill I would seriously consider him. Drew Brees has the Panthers and that makes me nervous - you've come too far at this point to take that risk. Nick Foles also makes me nervous, but I seem to trust him more. Philip Rivers should have his best week since week 12.
RB
It's slim pickings right now but if Ryan Mathews is still available, snap him up. He should continue his run of form against the Raiders. He also has a decent matchup against the Chiefs next week. I am even thinking of starting him over Eddie Lacy but still weighing it up.
Danny Woodhead is a high risk play, he might pay dividends but the stats point to Mathews earning more points. That being said, you could do a lot worse and he has plenty of up-side - maybe he will buck the trend on that one week you need him to.
Dennis Johnson becomes the feature back for the Texans this week as Ben Tate's season ends with another cracked rib. Go pick him up and play him with confidence.
Joique Bell, if still available and you have a week 17, pick him up now as we know how prone to injury Reggie Bush can be.
Matt Asiata had a darn good week 15, wait and see if Peterson and Gerhart are fit, but if one or both are out, he should be a good shout for some carries if you are struggling at RB.
WR
Are there any decent wide receivers left?
If Garcon is still out there, take him - Cousins manages to find him where RGIII couldn't.
Julian Edelman and Antonio Brown are not likely to be out there but if by some chance they are, they still have some value. Michael Crabtree is a bit of a risk as the stats just aren't there yet but the good news is he is trending up. The bad news is, he is up against Arizona.
Andre Caldwell should see more action if Welker stays out with concussion - follow the ticker on the right hand side of this page for more up to date news.
Cordarelle Paterson is a decent flex play if you are struggling around the 5 point mark, he should net you around 10.
TE
Dennis Pitta - a low score in week 15 but he was up against Detroit who give up the second least points to this position. He is up against the Pats who are in the top four teams in giving up points to tight ends over the last 5 weeks. Beware though - Charles Clay scored a doughnut against them last week.
Jason Witten - He should be found in the end zone this week in what could be a bit of a shootout. Possibly some snow in this game (I know I was wrong last week - the weatherman needs shooting), so Romo could be even more unpredictable which means it might be Witten's day.
Charles Clay - I mentioned before, did badly last week. Pick him up if desperate, he may reward your faith. The sound of him being dropped this morning across all leagues could be heard over the noise Ira Curry made when she discovered she'd won $648 million on the lottery. If you picked him up and he did well, what a stroke of genius that would be... wait a minute, Clay, isn't that what poker chips are made of? Hell yeah, It's a sign - take the gamble!
Andrew Quarless - It looks like Rodgers is out for another week, which means one of Matt Flynn's favourite guys is still in business. Up against Pittsburgh, should be fine.
Zach Ertz - There should be plenty of points flying about in Philly, and some should come his way.
Anthony Fasano - Again, should get you 8 points rather than the 4 your current guy gives you, that could be the difference maker.
K
Well, I just dropped Gostkowski, who wants him? He is up against the Ravens this week who give up the least points to kickers - 3pts on average. I know he will probably score more than that, but I can't take that kind of chance, you see, I must win this week to win my league. Losing is no good. Especially when that hands the league to my wife. And if he also wins this week, my Father-in-law.
So who do I pick up?
Matt Prater - I can't believe he is available, but he is, so I grabbed him. He should get me 6 - 9 points, anything else is a bonus.
Hauscha - If still out there, could be a decent shout.
Tucker has probably been snapped up already.
If it's a sneaky play you are after, Josh Scobee is up against the Titans who have given up an average of 15 points over the last 4 weeks to kickers - that's incredible. Can the Jags get within field goal range though, especially with their injured offensive weapons?
DEF
I have several here to pick up and plug in if you don't have the Seahawks or Chiefs:
Cleveland Browns - They face the Jets, and with 2 TDs in their last game will be hungry for more.
Detroit Lions - A bit of a gutsy choice, however, they are up against the mighty Eli , who we all know is gunslinging picks right now, so suit them up and release them onto your team.
Denver Broncos - Up against Houston. Case Keenum has thrown his fair share of picks but has he ironed them out completely?
Miami Dolphins - A sneaky play based on the backup QB at the helm.
That's all for now, check back later for more morsels.
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