5 Players to Pickup for Your Playoff Run

Matthew Stafford – 75.6% Owned – This guy was awesome on Thanksgiving, as he carved up the Eagles like a master turkey carver (if that’s a thing), as he threw 3 TDs to Megatron and 5 total on the day. Much of that was due to the Eagles ineptitude at corner, but nonetheless, we finally saw the Stafford-Johnson hookup we’ve become accustomed to over the years. Calvin is still an elite WR, and Golden Tate has come on strong after a rough start. He’s got Theo Riddick catching passes out of the backfield, and a big, talented, sometimes healthy TE in Eric Ebron. At first, I though that Jim Bob Cooter was nothing more than a cartoon name who wouldn’t make a difference. Who wouldn’t with that name? Much to my surprise, Cooter has made a huge impact. More important than all these positives, Stafford plays the Saints and 49ers in Weeks 15 & 16. That sounds delicious to me. Stafford is always a risk with the high turnover rate, but I’d be happy taking the risk with Stafford against defenses that soft.

David Johnson – 61.7% Owned – David Johnson has 8 TDs. 8! 4 on the ground, 3 through the air and 1 kickoff return. He’s done that in a backup role where he hasn’t received more than 10 touches in any single game. He’s done a lot of damage in the passing game, averaging nearly 13 yards per catch on 19 receptions. With Chris Johnson out for the season, and Andre Ellington out for the foreseeable future, expect Johnson to get upwards of 15 touches a week. He has a fairly average schedule the rest of the way, but with the expected uptick in workload and his nose for the end zone, DJ is a solid RB2 for the rest of the year.

Shaun Draughn – 49.5% Owned – Draughn has filled in nicely as the 49ers primary RB, and appears to be in line for more starts the next few weeks. Reggie Bush is out for the year, and there is no timetable for Carlos Hyde’s return. Over the last three weeks, he’s had exactly 20 touches in each game. In fact, no other 9ers RB had a single carry over the last two weeks. Based on workload alone, Draughn is worth owning on most any team. He plays Chicago next week, then Cleveland in Week 14, the first week of the playoffs for most leagues. This makes him worth owning for most any team, especially those in need of RB depth heading into the playoffs.

Kamar Aiken – 56% Owned – Since Steve Smith went down in Week 7, Aiken has averaged 6 catches on 9.5 targets per game, with 67 yards a game, and a TD every other game. He didn’t skip a beat after Flacco went down, catching 6 balls on 10 targets for 80 yards and a TD last week with Schaub under center. He’s the clear cut #1 WR for the Ravens, and should be targeted 8-10 times a game moving forward. It’s a wonder he isn’t owned in more leagues. If he’s still out there, grab him quickly, as he’s a low end WR2/high end WR3 from here on out.

Richard Rodgers – 48% Owned – Rodgers has been the 13th best TE this season in standard scoring, which is nothing to write home about. With that said, if you don’t have a stud TE, your best option is to stream the position. Rodgers qualifies as the perfect playoff streamer, as he matches up against the Raiders and Cardinals in Weeks 15 & 16, most leagues final two weeks. The Raiders made Gary Barnidge the man he is today, and the Cardinals, while decent on the year, have been been bad as of late against the position. Expect low end TE1 numbers over these two weeks.