Week 14 QB and RB Pickups
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

In the wake of the communist overthrow and the preseason abolition of the socialist waiver system, our spirits were high. Ready to embrace free enterprise and autonomy over our own futures. Prosperity was to be determined individually by intellect, hard work, and a willingness to take calculated risk. So, we thought.

As it turns out, under the guise of liberty and democracy, the new regime was cunningly constructed a fiefdom. I still had ambitions for success, nonetheless, sharecropping my way to the castle door with visions of splendor; where I was to storm through and gain access to the lavish and tempestuous lifestyle of the aristocracy. The Feudal Lord did not take kindly to my advances. He is the king of his castle. I was assaulted by his henchmen, tossed in his moat, and relegated to his dungeon as an indentured servant.

(Editor’s Note: Byron is not a fan of an “NFL-style” tie-breaker system in fantasy football.)

Yeah. That’s what happened to my fantasy season. I’ll still be working from the dungeon, though. It’s my nature. Here are the Week 14 QB and RB pickups of the week. Of course, the pickin’s are slim the week you need them the most:

Quarterbacks:

Russell Wilson (vs ARI), QB Seattle Seahawks
5 games in a row with 18 or more points, 3/5 being 21+ point performances. Wilson is coming off of two strong road games, ending with a win and 26 fantasy points at Chicago. He finally gets to come home. Wilson is a strong play.

Jake Locker (@ IND), QB Tennessee Titans
The sophomore has registered double digit points in every game he’s played this year. I like him a lot at Indy in a high scoring game.

Brandon Weeden (vs KC), QB Cleveland Browns
He got back on track with 15 points at Oakland in Week 13. I expect 15 more at home against KC this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (vs STL), QB Buffalo Bills
FitzPeePee is coming off of a 20 point performance at home. He stays at home this week. While I don’t love him against an opportunistic Rams defense, he is a serviceable option.

Sam Bradford (@ BUF), QB St. Louis Rams
Same matchup, different quarterback. Bradford has scored double digit points an impressive 8 games in a row. Buffalo has been a bit tougher than you would expect lately. Still, I expect 10+ points from the Okie.

Running Backs:

Jonathan Dwyer (vs SD), RB Pittsburgh Steelers
Dwyer is right at 50% owned, so I went ahead and put him on here just in case. Overall, he was unimpressive in Week 13, but he scored a nice touchdown. He outcarried Isaac Redman 2:1 and Rashard Mendenhall was m.i.a. Expect that to continue. He will be better against easier matchups. Dwyer is a really nice late season add with Big Ben coming back.

Joique Bell (@ GB), RB Detroit Lions
In the end, the Lions are always in a hurry-up situation. Perfect for Joique Bell. We’ve said it all along, he does the most with the least. He had another 10 points on 10 touches in Week 13 and still only 30% owned. I expect him to be used heavily when Detroit is behind against Green Bay.

Green Bay Running Backs (vs DET)
It’s hard to really like either of them, both should probably be owned and right now they are on 75% of waiver wires. James Starks played 33% of snaps and Alex Green played 35% of snaps in Week 13. They both had around 60 yards but Starks got the TD. I’m not expecting much from either guy but the Packers offense is too good to ignore. Both players are respectable desperation plays. ** UPDATE – James Starks has a knee injury that could put his season in jeopardy. As bad as he is, this makes Alex Green a solid pickup. **

Bilal Powell (@ JAC), RB New York Jets,
The deck is being reshuffled in New York and I think Powell might come out on top. As it is, he scored 6 points on 12 carries on Sunday. All respectable numbers. Jacksonville is a nice matchup. This is a real snakey play that has a good chance of paying off. Do it.

Justin Forsett (@NE), RB Houston Texans,
Forsett had as many carries as Arian Foster in Week 13. Probably a precautionary measure, it’s worth noting. At this point in the season Foster owners should consider putting on the handcuffs and grabbing Forsett. If he’s already gone you may still be able to find Ben Tate, who is returning to health.