Tag Archives: New Orleans Saints

Catching Fantasy Football Playoff Fever

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A few weeks ago, RookieBlitz.com brought you the best backup Running Backs to target for your fantasy football playoff run.  If you took our advice, you were ahead of your league on Beanie Wells, Justin Forsett, Bernard Scott and Mike Bell.  Each one of those players will play a vital role in your potential playoff success with excellent matchups and a great opportunity on their respective teams.

We’ll now shift our focus to some under the radar Wide Receivers that could also enjoy playoff success with some great matchups.  I’ll go into detail for each player why we feel they’ll succeed in the playoffs and why you need to grab any of these players off the waiver wire if they are available.

There are always receivers that breakout in the fantasy football playoffs that are outside the top 30 scorers that can lead your team to a championship.  There is no greater example than the 2004 season and the Tennessee Titans WR Drew Bennett.  In a three game stretch during Weeks 13, 14 and 15; Bennett totaled 28 receptions for 517 yards and 8 touchdowns.  He single-handedly won several championships for owners that were savvy enough to have grabbed him off the scrap heap prior to his offensive outburst.

We have yet to see another Drew Bennett, circa 2004, in the fantasy football playoffs since; but the hope is that RookieBlitz.com can help you find another key piece to your Fantasy Football Championship title run.  The percentages for each player indicate the percentage of leagues they are owned in according to ESPN.com.

Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles (42.6%)
@ATL, @NYG, SF, DEN

Jeremy Maclin should be your number one waiver priority this week if he happens to still be on the waiver wire.  Maclin has the best opportunity of all of these wide receivers listed because of the concussion suffered by DeSean Jackson.  Maclin will see an increased number of targets even when Jackson returns so the Eagles can rest him for the playoffs.  Maclin has had solid fantasy performances so far, but the best may yet to come in the fantasy football playoffs.

Robert Meachem – New Orleans Saints (27.6%)
@WAS, @ATL, DAL, TB

Robert Meachem is coming off a great game against the New England Patriots in which he grabbed 5 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.  He is tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with 7, and is averaging an astonishing 19.1 yards per reception.  The Saints displayed the type of performance that makes you wonder if they have what it takes to go undefeated in the regular season.  Head Coach Sean Payton is not they type of coach that will rest his players in Week 16, and that makes Meachem a great bet to dominate the Buccaneers in Week 16 at home in the Superdome.

Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts (36.0%)
TEN, DEN, @JAX, NYJ

Any concerns about Pierre Garcon’s role in the Colts offense have been put to rest.  Garcon has passed Austin Collie on the depth chart, and with the prolonged injury concerns with Anthony Gonzalez, Garcon is the best bet to remain the Colts third receiving threat behind Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.  It remains to be seen if Jim Caldwell will rest his players once they have their playoff seeding determined, but Garcon remains a likely candidate to maintain his current role and possibly see an increase in targets in Week 16 versus the Jets.

Steve Breaston – Arizona Cardinals (78.3%)
MIN, @SF, @DET, STL

Steve Breaston is the most owned player I’ve mentioned, but if for any reason he is on your waiver wire make sure to put in a claim for him.  The Cardinals have one of the easiest remaining playoff schedules against the suspect pass defenses of the 49ers, Lions and the Rams.  If the Cardinals decide to shut down Anquan Boldin to rest up for the playoffs, Breaston makes a great option for your fantasy team.

Mark Clayton – Baltimore Ravens (10.6%)
@GB, DET, CHI, @PIT

Mark Clayton remains a long shot to have any relevant fantasy value for the remainder of 2009, but he is coming off a game against Pittsburgh where he was targeted 10 times and caught 7 passes for 129 yards.  If you are in a deep league, Clayton is worth a flier and could have big days against the Packers, Lions and Bears if those teams key into stopping Derrick Mason.

Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers (60.6%)
@SEA, ARI, @PHI, DET

Our favorite rookie WR is still available in 40% of leagues on ESPN.com.  Michael Crabtree has undeniable talent at the wide receiver position, and for the remainder of the season the 49ers appear to be moving to a spread offense to maximize the skill set of 2005 first overall pick Alex Smith.  Crabtree has earned the top spot on the depth chart for the 49ers, but he must fight TE Vernon Davis for targets still.  Crabtree makes a great bet to have a monster day versus Detroit in Week 16.

Kevin Walter – Houston Texans (62.9%)
@JAX, SEA, @STL, @MIA

Kevin Walter is finally coming around this season after missing the first two games due to injury.  He has helped fill the void created by the injury to Owen Daniels and is making the most of his opportunity.  Walter still has to play second fiddle to stud WR Andre Johnson, but he has the potential to have a nice fantasy football playoff run against Seattle, St. Louis and Miami.

Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans (8.6%)
@IND, STL, MIA, SD

Kenny Britt finally had a breakout performance Week 12 against the Cardinals with 128 yards receiving and the game winning touchdown from Vince Young.  Britt is starting for the injured Justin Gage, and the white-hot Titans would be wise to leave the rookie from Rutgers in the lineup for the remainder of the season.  Britt has a lot working in his favor to be a viable option in the playoffs.  Vince Young and Chris Johnson are putting added pressure on the opposing defenses, and Britt has the room to work downfield on deeper routes to exploit matchups against smaller defensive backs.  The Titans remain a run first team, and is the biggest reason Britt comes in last on this list.  He has the talent to exploit weak matchups and the Titans need to keep winning and they could take advantage of the Rams in Week 14 and the potentially playoff set Chargers in Week 16.

Running Down the Fantasy Football Playoffs

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Ladell Betts.  Ron Dayne.  Pierre Thomas.  Michael Bush.

If these names look familiar, they led many fantasy football owners to league titles the past few seasons.  The thing that they all have in common is they were all late season waiver wire additions that paid off in a huge way.

I’ve looked ahead at every NFL team’s schedule for the remainder of the season and found these backup running backs that could join that illustrious list of fantasy football playoff studs.

If any of these players are on waivers in your league, pick them up immediately.  If some of these players aren’t available on the waiver wire, you should be able to acquire them for very little prior to your league trade deadline.  I’ve listed all their matchups from Week 10 to Week 16 to also show some great matchups leading up to your playoffs.  For some owners on the cusp of making the playoffs, a few of these players could give them an edge in a key matchup to be in position to worry about whom to start in the fantasy football playoffs (Weeks 14, 15 and 16 in many league formats).

Without further adieu, here are the best backup running backs the remainder of the season that should be available in many fantasy football leagues.  Each player is ranked in order based on talent, opportunity, and remaining playoff schedule. 

Beanie Wells – Arizona (Owned in 64.9% of Leagues)

SEA, @STL, @TEN, MIN, @SF, @DET, STL

Beanie Wells has the easiest remaining schedule out of all of these running backs.  Wells has some great matchups versus Seattle, St. Louis and Tennessee leading up to his playoff run.  In the fantasy football playoffs he will feast on San Francisco, Detroit and finally the Rams in Week 16.  Wells can be had very cheap right because the perception is the Cardinals cannot run the ball effectively.  Wells has averaged over 5 yards per carry his past few games, and it is only a matter of time before he relegates Tim Hightower to a third down option with Hightower’s fantastic hands out of the backfield.  Wells must learn to pick up the blitz better to increase his playing time, and he has struggled to do so early this season.  All of these players listed are lottery tickets, but if this one hits they payoff will be greater than any of the other backup running backs I’ve listed here.  Wells will be a key contributor to many championship winning teams as a RB2 or strong flex option down the stretch.

Mike Bell – Saints (Owned in 67.3% of Leagues)

@STL, @TB, NE, @WAS, @ATL, DAL, TB

Mike Bell has seen his play slip in recent weeks as Pierre Thomas has been surging ahead of him.  If the Thomas owner in your league does not also have Bell on their roster, grab him now while you can.  The Saints only have three potential tough games the remainder of the season against New England, Atlanta, and Dallas.  New Orleans draws the Buccaneers twice, St. Louis and Washington so Bell is worth owning in any league format.  Pierre Thomas also had a similar role to Bell for the past several seasons, and after untimely injuries to both Reggie Bush and Deuce McAlister, Thomas led many owners to fantasy football titles.  Thomas has struggled with minor injuries, so it is not out of the question he may miss some time and Bush has proven he cannot carry the load of a NFL running back.  Stash Bell away, if for any reason than having a fantastic title game matchup with Tampa Bay.

Chester Taylor – Vikings (Owned in 50.1% of Leagues)

DET, SEA, CHI, @ARI, CIN, @CAR, @CHI

Chester Taylor doesn’t get much playing time thanks to a guy named Peterson.  If you haven’t heard Mr. Peterson is pretty good, and the Vikings are looking like a lock to make the playoffs so far.  If you are in a shallow league, Taylor may be on your waiver wire and is worth a pickup in any format.  The Vikings may decide to limit Peterson’s carries later in the season to save him for the NFL playoffs.  The Vikings have some great matchups in Week 15 and 16 with the Panthers and Bears respectively and Taylor could be a viable option in your lineup those weeks.

Justin Forsett – Seahawks (Owned in 1.5% of Leagues)

@ARI, @MIN, @STL, SF, @HOU, TB, @GB

With the release of Edgerrin James, Forsett has been the primary backup to Julius Jones for Seattle.  Aside from the matchup with the Vikings in Week 11, it appears to be smooth sailing for the Seahawks for the remainder of the year.  Jones had a tough time getting started against the Lions last week, and only a rushing touchdown saved his day from being abysmal.  If the losses keep mounting for Seattle, Forsett is a good bet to get some late season starts so the coaching staff can see what they have for the future at the position.

Bernard Scott – Bengals (Owned in .70% of Leagues)

@PIT, @OAK, CLE, DET, @BAL, @SD, KC

Bernard Scott is the first of my extreme long shots to have any fantasy value the remainder of the season.  Cedric Benson is on pace for over 390 carries, so Marvin Lewis will want to rest him at some point.  Scott would be a good bet to get some additional carries, and should Benson miss any time it would be Scott getting the bulk of the work and not Brian Leonard.

Willis McGahee – Ravens (Owned in 72.8% of Leagues)

@CLE, IND, PIT, @GB, DET, CHI, @PIT

Willis McGahee hasn’t been seen in the box score much lately with the emergence of Ray Rice.  McGahee was a touchdown vulture for the first part of the season, so it stands to reason that he could have some good games against the weaker teams on their schedule like Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago.  He should be the handcuff if you own Rice at this point, but we’ve seen that the Ravens like run the ball even more when the weather gets colder.

Kolby Smith – Chiefs (Owned in .40% of Leagues)

@OAK, PIT, @SD, DEN, BUF, CLE, @CIN

Kolby Smith would be ranked higher on my list if the Chiefs had a better offensive line.  If you look at the matchups, Smith could be useful as an emergency starter versus Oakland, San Diego, Buffalo and Cleveland.  Jamaal Charles will get the first crack at the feature back job with the departure of Larry Johnson, but Smith has proven he can carry the load in the past when given the opportunity.