Week 13 just wrapped up with the Seattle Seahawks winning against the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints.
The Seahawks stated their case to be considered Super Bowl contenders when their defense shut down the Saints offense, limiting the team to seven points and limiting quarterback Drew Brees to just 147 yards passing and one touchdown throw.
What was originally considered an even matchup between two very good teams quickly turned into a rout, forcing football analysts everywhere to reconsider their entire National Football Conference playoff picture, and boosting popular opinion of how good the Seahawks are.
One player on the Seahawks that has been hot lately is wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who has scored three touchdowns in the last four games. Baldwin has also made a decent amount of catches in the past few games, making him a viable player if you are in a Points Per Reception league.
He has not yet gotten over 100 yards receiving this season, but his red zone production has made up for this fact. Baldwin is by no means one of the best players in fantasy football, but he is owned in 13.4 percent of ESPN leagues, and with the playoffs beginning in many fantasy leagues, he could be taken as a bit of insurance in case one of your top receivers goes down with an injury.
I would suggest looking into placing a waiver claim for Baldwin, especially if you have an injury-prone player on your roster.
Could Carson Palmer be making a return to fantasy relevance? It is possible, as he has been playing very well for the Arizona Cardinals of late. The ex-Bengals quarterback has passed for 1,276 yards in four games since his bye week, an impressive average of 319 yards per game.
Although he has averaged only just more than two touchdown passes per game and has been rather turnover-prone, Palmer has put up decent numbers by virtue of his many passing yards per game. For any who are in need of a quarterback because of a tough matchup or because your quarterback isn’t trustworthy anymore (I’m looking at you, Andrew Luck), Palmer may just be your man.
He is owned in just 12.5 percent of ESPN leagues, so you should be able to nab him off of the waiver wire if you want him.
Atlanta Falcons running back Steven Jackson has played very well since becoming fully healthy. The former St. Louis Ram had been dealing with a nagging injury, which was diminishing his play, but has been much better since recovering.
Over the past two games, Jackson has rushed for three touchdowns, which is very impressive. He seems to have reclaimed his role as starting running back from Jacquizz Rodgers, and should continue to produce in the future.
He is available in 9.5 percent of ESPN leagues, and if anybody in your league dropped him because of his injury, you should be quick to pick him up. He could be a top waiver wire target, so I would put in a claim for him as soon as you can.
Finally, Michael Floyd of the Cardinals has recently become a useful fantasy player. He has scored two touchdowns in the last three games, and has become one of Carson Palmer’s top receiving targets not named Larry Fitzgerald.
Floyd makes lots of catches each game, making him especially valuable if you are in a PPR league. In my league, Floyd has scored 31, 17 and 20 points in the last three games, which is impressive for somebody who can be had on the waiver wire. He is available in 28.4 percent of ESPN leagues, so I would recommend taking a look at him and deciding if he is a good fit for your team.
Those are all of the suggestions I have for this week, I’ll be back next Wednesday as we head into the fantasy playoffs.
Leave a Reply