Post Week Seven Waiver Wire Pickups

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Your fantasy football season is officially beyond the halfway mark. Fantasy playoffs will be under way in the less than two months. Are you in position to make a run or are you cemented at the bottom of the league? There’s always a chance to get on a winning streak with a few key additions.

Quarterbacks

Josh McCown
The Bears offense didn’t skip a beat when McCown stepped in with Cutler’s groin injury. McCown is a capable starter that has plenty of them under his belt. As a Cardinal he staged comeback wins and has been a quarterback teams have wanted to retain in case an injury pops up. Count on McCown to make less mistakes and run the offense the way Trestman wants.

Andy Dalton
You could see Dalton’s confidence reemerge after a deep ball completion for a touchdown early against the Lions. Over the last four weeks Dalton had been erratic. It looked like the offense may cave under his guidance. He picked himself up and put on a show against a Detroit defense that has performed better as of late. A key reason for Dalton’s slide was the fact that defenses had shielded AJ Green nicely. Great players like Green won’t be held down permanently.

Running Backs

Chris Ivory
A lot of crucial plays went the New York Jets way against New England. An area they had consistency though came with the legs of Chris Ivory. He brought stability to the run game even though his yards per carry average doesn’t showcase that. Bilal Powell did an admirable job in a few games and may still have an impact but Ivory brings the punch teams look for from an every down back. Rex Ryan wants to stay in games and will do so using the running game and defense.

Roy Helu
Washington can score offensively. If they weren’t a potent offense I would have just considered Helu a one week wonder. They’ve always been a team that carries the football a lot. With Alfred Morris not having the campaign he did a year ago, it has opened up the opportunity for Helu to steal some carries. Touchdowns won’t come as easy as they did Sunday, but you want to get Helu just for the volume of runs Washington does.

Jacquizz Rodgers
With Steven Jackson still shelved with an injury the Falcons have resorted to what the Chargers and Saints do. That is utilize the short passing game with their receivers and running back Jacquizz Rodgers. For Rodgers he was able to ignite the Falcons Sunday with two touchdowns and nearly 50 yards receiving. Rodgers has dotted the fantasy radar before but never could be relied upon with the Falcons weapons. Well now Rodgers is one of their main weapons with Julio Jones down and Roddy White missing time as well.

Tight Ends

Marcedes Lewis
Lewis made it back onto the field for the first time in 2013 Sunday. The results were only one catch for 31 yards. This is a chance to grab a tight end if you’ve had issues throughout the season in that department. He is a big athletic target that looked solid in the preseason. He will have more involvement in the Jaguars passing game that has been better since Justin Blackmon returned from suspension.

Jordan Reed
You could see the breakout game coming weeks ago from Reed. The Redskins involved Reed just enough to get you to think he was on the cusp. He is the new age tight end breed that presents matchup problems for defenses every down. With RG3 now regaining his form the offense is looking much better. It did help that Reed was facing a Bears defense that could not slow any series down Sunday.

Wide Receivers

Jarrett Boykin
After a few drops last week against Baltimore it didn’t appear Boykin would be capable of a big game. Facing the Browns secondary which has been solid even made it more daunting for Boykin to have success. He caught eight of ten targets Sunday and had the dagger touchdown in the fourth quarter. Rodgers can make a name out of anyone, and Boykin is just the latest to move up the ranks with injuries present.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
The more and more that Trent Richardson continues to disappoint the less carries he has been getting. That lives an easy summation that the Colts are going to remain a passing team. They’ve been a dependable fantasy team that can have three wide receivers be fantasy worthy. Bey hasn’t been a statistical standout but he is showing progress as the season goes on. He could propel into a nice flex option or bench option when a solid start presents itself.

Riley Cooper
Two weeks in a row now Cooper has emerged as a go to target in the Eagles offense. Mike Vick if he is fully healthy he may be renamed starter after the team’s woeful offensive performance. DeSean Jackson’s numbers are coming down a bit as teams are defending him better. Cooper will have continued opportunities to be a fantasy threat.

Harry Douglas
Fantasy owners that inserted Douglas got more than they bargained for in fantasy points Sunday. Obviously the Falcons injury woes have stricken the team at running back and wide receiver. Matt Ryan is still upright and that means the Falcons are going to throw no matter if they have practice squad receivers on the field. Douglas has played his role throughout the years as a Falcon and now gets to prove he can be a force.