If you've made it to your fantasy football championship it's highly unlikely — barring new injuries — that you need a waiver wire grab this late in the game. However, your opponent might, meaning you could still improve your chances of taking the 'ship by preventing your foe of grabbing the right guy at the right time. After all, some unknowns had some very good weeks this past weekend while filling in for stars such as Adrian Peterson and MJD.
Is it a dirty strategy? Meh. Only mere gamesmanship.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him @JHelmuth or "like" CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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Week 16 Top Pickups
Dennis Pitta TE - Baltimore (38% owned)
He had 10 points off six receptions against Minnesota last week and although he hasn't played yet Monday night at the time of this article, I'm confident Pitta will be a major factor for the Ravens offense the last two weeks of the season. Joe Flacco hasn't been shy about speaking about how important Pitta is to his offense; he goes to him more than half the time while in the red zone.
Jordan Todman RB - Jacksonville (19% owned)
Who needs MJD when you have Toddy?! Ok. Bad nickname. But he definitely deserves some sort of clever recognition after rushing for 109 yards and catching 44 yards against the Bills Sunday while filling in for the injured Maurice Jones-Drew. Todman will get a lot of work this upcoming weekend against the Titans if MJD's hammy is still bothering him; monitor closely.
Matt Asiata RB - Minnesota (7% owned)
His yards per carry (less than two) wasn't impressive to say the least, but he managed to score three times Sunday against the Eagles, meaning Asiata needs to be on the radar if Toby Gerhart and Adrian Peterson are both out again this weekend. It may have been the worst three TD performance in history, but if your opponent is desperate for a flex play you might want to add him. Do you really want a guy like this beating you?
Ryan Fitzpatrick QB - Tennessee (13% owned)
He might only qualify for teams battling for a consolation prize, but after Fitzpatrick's Sunday against the Cardinals he sure does make an intriguing bet. Fitzy got tight end Delanie Walker back and ended up exploding for nearly 40 points (four TDs, 402 yards) -- not that it was all Walker, especially considering the Cardinals have a decent defense, but no doubt the quarterback fell into a groove. Still, why would you even consider starting him right now? He has the Jaguars this week.
Zach Ertz TE - Philadelphia (5% owned)
Only teams who are desperate would consider picking up Ertz now, but in a super deep league he is an interesting option considering Philly's wild offense that increasingly trusts the rookie. Ertz had 57 yards receiving and a touchdown against the Vikings Sunday and it wouldn't shock me to see Ertz's role continue to rise.