Waiver Wire Pickups and The Dump List for Week 13

Pickups

Mike Goodson, RB, CAR – We are back to a two-headed beast at RB for the Panthers, but now Goodson is the lead back.  He has a lot of value added from his involvement in the passing game, so even though Stewart was the better rusher this week… Goodson scored the TD and racked up 81 receiving yards.  Stewart and Goodson must be owned but if you got them both, Goodson is the guy you want to start.

Deion Branch, WR, NE - This guy is only owned in 53% of Yahoo leagues and I heard a rumor once that Tom Brady is pretty good.  This type of performance can not be expected weekly, the reason being he only saw 5 targets on the entire game.  On his 5 targets, he caught 3 passes for 113 yards and found the end zone on 2 of them.  He is a flex play in deep formats, but quality depth for your bench in a standard league.

Maurice Morris, RB, DET – Jahvid Best’s turf toes are too much to keep him on the field for the Lions’ thanksgiving day loss to the Patriots. Maurice Morris saw just 9 carries for 55 yards, but he scored twice.  I expect him to keep getting the goal line work and with the Lions offense being more than capable of moving the ball down the field, he should maintain some value the rest of the time that Best and Smith are injured.

Ben Obomanu, WR, SEA – Mike Williams was out in week 12 and Obomanu caught 5 balls for 159 yards and a score.  That makes 3 TDs in his last 4 games and an average of 85 yards per game over the same time frame.  Ben’s value takes a hit when Williams comes back, but he should be sure to see snaps as a slot receiver when he is back and is worth owning in standard formats as well as deep leagues.  Also Seattle is in a weak division, so their schedule the rest of the way is favorable and they will be clawing for their division title.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD – I know your thinking that he shouldn’t be on this list, because he isn’t available… but in about 20% of Yahoo leagues he is unowned.  After back to back 100 yard performances, I am not even too scared about Mathews coming back and eating away at his workload.  Tolbert has been by far the best running back on the Chargers and should still see a lion’s share of the carries when their number 1 draft pick returns.

Toby Gerhart, RB, MIN - He is one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football.  The AP injury doesn’t seem to be bad, so I wouldn’t rush to go and pick him up… unless you own Peterson.  If your a Peterson owner, you are asking for trouble if you don’t go pick up Gerhart right now.  Moves like this ensure depth going into the playoffs and can save your season from ending early due to injury.

Jacoby Ford, WR, OAK – Ford racked up 324 all-purpose yards in a loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.  The concern here is always consistency, The Raiders went with Bruce Gradkowski at QB in this game and the pressure came early and often to force Bruce to have just over 50% completion percentage.  Also, over 200 of Ford’s yards came from kickoff returns, so if your league counts those… then Ford is a flex start for you right away, go scoop him up!

Dump List

Michael Bush, RB, OAK - If you are fighting for a playoff spot in your league, then you can’t afford the hold onto a handcuff like Bush.  The Raiders have a carousel at the QB position and Bush has not been able to contribute to their rushing attack since DMC (Darren McFadden) returned from injury.  If your a McFadden owner, and have your playoff spot locked up, then hold him… or go out and pick him up!

Zach Miller, TE, OAK – Planar Fascia injuries are really painful, and now he has added a fibula injury to the mix.  Expect him to miss some time and once he is back, the playoffs are not the time to take a risk on an injured guy.

Steve Smith, WR, CAR - In a week where playoff hopes hang in the balance, feel free to cut this under achiever from your team in favor of someone you might actually want to start.  The QB position is the reason for his downfall in production, but since the running game is clicking and he still isn’t able to produce… I don’t know what the Panthers could fix to change this.

Jerome Harrison, RB, PHI - Record-setting performances can make a lot of people look good.  Harrison hasn’t been able to be productive since the huge game against the Redskins and I can’t see a situation where he is again, apart from McCoy getting hurt.

Donald Driver, WR, GB - He is old and slowed by his injury.  He is still the 2nd WR on the depth chart, but I expect James Jones to take most of the targets and eventually the starting job from Driver over the course of the season.

Keiland Williams, RB, WAS - If you’re clawing for a playoff spot, Williams is probably too risky for you to trust as a starter.  Don’t worry about dropping him after a terrible performance, Torain will be healthy soon enough!

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD – Early reports today say that Jackson has suffered injuries to both of his calves.  We don’t yet know how severe it is, but he is clearly not in game shape.  He is just too risky for my liking this late in the fantasy-season.