Fantasy Football 2012: Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups


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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 15

Waiver
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Need to pick up a player for Week 15 action? Looking for a player with a favorable Week 15 matchup? If you said yes to either or both of these questions, the waiver wire can be your best asset for improving your roster and contributing to a Week 15 victory.

Week 15 of the 2012 fantasy football season is all about the playoffs. With all teams now being in must-win mode, the playoffs are the most crucial time of the season. As the elite teams face off against one another, leagues are just one or two weeks away from the championship match. Despite how good a team is, they can always find improvements for these all-important matchups. Especially when looking at this week’s matchups, exploiting favorable games and situations could help owners find unlikely surprises. As always, waiver wire pickups can be the difference between success and failure in Week 15.

Here’s a look at some players that are likely available on the waiver wire and can be played for Week 15 action. These players have favorable matchups this week, find themselves in an improved situation on their team due to an injury or playing time, or possibly have good long-term potential.

* The following players are all owned in under 50% of Yahoo! fantasy football leagues and season statistics are accurate as of Tuesday, December 11, 2012.

Austin Chang is a featured columnist and fantasy sports expert at Rant Sports and you can follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

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QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Wilson
Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks</strong> (at Buffalo Bills, 31% owned)

Season statistics: 2,492 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 310 rushing yards, 3 fumbles lost

Wilson did a good job at managing the Seahawks to a record-breaking win over the Arizona Cardinals. While he did not put up huge numbers in the big win, he could be called upon to do more on offense in the passing game. While Marshawn Lynch will certainly be a big piece of their offense, Wilson could do well against a Bills team that has given up the 8th most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.

Other waiver wire quarterbacks to consider: St. Louis Rams’ Sam Bradford (vs. Minnesota Vikings, 21% owned), Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Foles (vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 8% owned), Cleveland Browns’ Brandon Weeden (vs. Washington Redskins, 13% owned)

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RB Bilal Powell, New York Jets

Powell
Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

RB Bilal Powell, New York Jets (at Tennessee Titans, 10% owned)

Season statistics: 356 rushing yards, 76 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns

Despite receiving only half of the team’s carries, Powell has been quite productive in a running back timeshare with Shonn Greene. Scoring four touchdowns in his last four games, he had a very good outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and has an exploitable matchup this week against the Titans. With the Jets’ passing game going nowhere, Powell should be a good bet for a flex or RB2 option.

Other waiver wire running backs to consider: New York Giants’ David Wilson (at Atlanta Falcons, 33% owned), Detroit Lions’ Joique Bell (at Cardinals, 31% owned), San Francisco 49ers’ LaMichael James (at New England Patriots, 4% owned)

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WR Jason Avant, Philadelphia Eagles

Avant
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

WR Jason Avant, Eagles (vs. Bengals, 36% owned)

Season statistics: 495 receiving yards

With DeSean Jackson on injured reserve, Avant showed what he could accomplish as a starter in Philadelphia. Serving as Foles’ top target, he is a possession receiver primed to receive plenty of looks against the Bengals. With Bryce Brown struggling last week, the Eagles could lean on their passing game and Avant.

Other waiver wire wide receivers to consider: Seahawks’ Golden Tate (at Bills, 42% owned), Indianapolis Colts’ Donnie Avery (at Houston Texans, 29% owned), Kansas City Chiefs’ Dexter McCluster (at Oakland Raiders, 11% owned)

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TE Tony Moeaki, Kansas City Chiefs

Moeaki
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

TE Tony Moeaki, Chiefs (at Raiders, 3% owned)

Season statistics: 396 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Solid since the switch to Brady Quinn, Moeaki has put up good receiving yards this season. While he struggled last week, he has seen a nice number of targets every week and has a good matchup against the Raiders, a team he had four catches for 57 yards against earlier in the season. Although not a flashy option, Moeaki could be a reliable play for some fantasy points from the tight end position this week.

Other waiver wire tight ends to consider: Lions’ Tony Scheffler (at Cardinals, 2% owned), Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Dallas Clark (at New Orleans Saints, 23% owned), Baltimore Ravens’ Dennis Pitta (vs. Denver Broncos, 26% owned)

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K Phil Dawson, Cleveland Browns

Dawson
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

K Phil Dawson, Browns (vs. Redskins, 20% owned)

Season statistics: 7 20-29 FG, 8 30-39 FG, 6 40-49 FG, 5 50+ FG, 25 PAT made

Few kickers have been more reliable than the veteran Dawson over the past five weeks. Making multiple field goals in 10 games this season, he has benefited from the improving Browns offense. With the Redskins offense in question with Robert Griffin III’s health, Dawson could be in for a great week.

Other waiver wire kickers to consider: San Diego Chargers’ Nick Novak (vs. Carolina Panthers, 5% owned), Pittsburgh Steelers’ Shaun Suisham (at Dallas Cowboys, 37% owned), Buccaneers’ Connor Barth (at Saints, 48% owned)

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Detroit Lions team defense

Lions
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Lions team defense (at Cardinals, 38% owned)

Season statistics: 318 points allowed, 30.0 sacks, 10 interceptions, 6 fumble recoveries, 1 blocked kick

No surprise, the Lions team defense is the squad to target for Week 15. Considering what the Seahawks accomplished against the Cardinals in Week 14, the Lions are certainly in a good position to have a solid outing this week as well. This matchup could be the most important waiver wire add of the week for owners needing help at this position.

Other waiver wire team defenses to consider: Miami Dolphins team defense (vs. Jaguars, 30% owned), Titans team defense (vs. Jets, 6% owned), Raiders team defense (vs. Chiefs, 4% owned)

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