With the trade deadline passed in most leagues, all acquisitions will have to come from the waiver wire from here on out. Leagues are getting down to the final weeks in the regular season, and soon heading to the fantasy playoffs. For those looking to make a last-second push, or solidify your team to make a championship run, here are five players to help win your fantasy league.
Five Players to Help Win your Fantasy League
5. Your running back handcuff
This is no particular player, but at a position that has been beaten up all year, there are bound to be some big injuries to the running back spot coming up. There’s nothing worse than having a top 10 fantasy running back get hurt and not having the guy to replace him.
The bye weeks are all but over; only the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns still have a bye in week 13. With that said, one of those bench spots being used to roster a fill-in player can now be used to grab that handcuff to a top back. This is especially the case with backs like LeSean McCoy, Le’Veon Bell, David Johnson, and Ezekiel Elliott, all of which are in the top ten running backs this year.
4. Kenneth Dixon
Terrance West has been at the helm of the Baltimore Ravens backfield position all year. He has put up some good numbers for them as well. However, some recent struggles have led to a slight emergence of rookie back Kenneth Dixon. Dixon missed the first part of the season due to injury, and with that and him being a rookie, the Ravens have eased him back. But it finally seems like they are trusting him more.
In his last four games, West has had just 138 yards on 52 carries with just one touchdown. That comes out to an average of 2.6 yards per carry. In Dixon’s last three games, in which he was much more involved, he’s carried the ball 21 times for 91 yards, 4.3 yards per carry. Dixon has performed much better on paper and even looked better in-game than West. Don’t be surprised if Dixon’s workload continues to increase each week.
3. Dion Lewis
Dion Lewis was a key factor in a lot of championship pushes last year before his injury. He gathered 234 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and 388 yards and two touchdowns through the air in seven games in 2015. The Patriots backfield can always be a mystery week-to-week, but Tom Brady built some real chemistry with Lewis in a short amount of time last year.
Dion Lewis played his first game of the 2016 season in week 11. He carried the ball just five times for 23 yards and caught three balls for 26 yards. Lewis was just eased back into playing in week 11. The stellar play from LaGarrette Blount may mean that Lewis doesn’t get as many touches on the ground, but he’s a dual threat whenever he’s on the field.
The Patriots running backs have been very predictable this season. When Blount is on the field it’s mostly run-heavy drives. When James White, the other Patriots back, is on the field, the Patriots attack through the air. Lewis brings a more even approach when he’s on the field, due to his ability as a runner and a pass catcher.
2. Kirk Cousins
Most fantasy teams that are still in the hunt have either streamed quarterbacks all year based on matchups, or have one of the top guys in the game. Guys like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Ryan have been consistent week in and week out. One quarterback that teams should pick up if they’ve been streaming is Kirk Cousins. Cousins has been a top ten fantasy quarterback all season, putting up huge games against opponents. He’s thrown for over 3500 yards and has a 20:7 touchdown to interception ratio.
Cousins has six straight games with either 300 yards or multiple touchdowns, and just one game in which he failed to reach one of the two. His upcoming schedule isn’t awful either. He plays a tough Arizona pass defense in week 13 and another tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 14. Then he comes home against an average Carolina defense who may be losing Luke Keuchly for the year. His week 16 is on the road against the Bears, and finally at home against the Giants.
Cousins’ has the weapons to be a dominant quarterback for the rest of the year. Jordan Reed is arguably the best tight end right now, though he suffered a separated shoulder in the Thanksgiving game. He has an emerging rookie in Jamison Crowder, a deep threat in DeSean Jackson, and a possession receiver in Pierre Garcon.
1. Sammy Watkins
Sammy Watkins may be a game changer for the rest of the season. He was placed on the injured reserve a couple of months ago, and it seems he’s finally healthy enough to play. Watkins has joined his team at practice this week, and Rex Ryan believes he could return. He may not be a full go yet but could return as a top receiver in a week or two.
Watkins was drafted as a wide receiver one at the beginning of the year. However, his foot injury has caused him to be a total bust to this point. He’s caught just six balls for 63 yards in the two games he’s played. His foot injury may have been the issue, though, as he has the same injury that held back Dez Bryant in 2015 and Julian Edelman this year. If Watkins can come back healthy then he can put up numbers that will be the difference down the stretch.
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