Fantasy pickups: Nick Foles, Wayne Gallman among championship week adds

Each week, we highlight six recommended fantasy pickups, all unowned in a majority of Yahoo leagues. Let’s go win a ring.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles, 25%

Foles turned back the clock to 2013 on Sunday, in a low degree-of-difficulty matchup against the Giants. He completed 24 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns on 38 attempts. Foles didn’t give away the football and he took only one sack. It’s hardly reasonable to ask for more from a backup QB. Foles completed passes to seven different players, feeding ten attempts to Alshon Jeffery while targeting Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor nine times each. He’s clearly skilled enough to keep all of Philly’s fantasy assets relevant in our game.

Next week, Foles gets a home matchup with Oakland, a team that’s allowed 7.7 yards per attempt and an opponent’s passer rating of 102.6. There’s a decent chance that Foles will again deliver a top-ten positional finish. If you have a need at QB, go get him.

Schedule, next two weeks: Oak, Dal

FAAB bid: Whatever it takes. This is championship week, people. You can’t save it for next season.

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills, 38%

If you aren’t able to snag Foles (or Bortles) in title week, then take a look at Taylor. He travels to New England to face a defense that ranks No. 29 overall against the pass, and has allowed five TD passes over the past two weeks. The Pats have given up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. And it can’t hurt that New England is coming off an emotional, nail-biting, refs-guessed-at-the-catch-rule victory.

Tyrod led the Bills to a win over Miami in Week 15, passing for 224 yards and one score, adding 42 rushing yards and another TD. He’s averaging 4.74 fantasy points per game as a rusher this season, providing a decent fantasy floor.

Schedule, next two weeks: at NE, at Mia

Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants, 5%

Gallman led the Giants in rushing on Sunday (which is no great achievement) while also catching six passes for 40 yards on seven targets. Over the past two weeks, he’s hauled in 13 receptions on 16 targets and produced 178 scrimmage yards. It’s tough to believe there’s not a spot for him in every PPR league. Many of you no doubt have better/safe running back options if you’ve made it to the championship round, but, if you’ve been starting sketchy flexes, consider adding Gallman. Or get him simply to prevent an opponent from improving their roster. Gallman has a clear shot to claim the featured role in New York’s backfield next season.

Schedule, next two weeks: at Ari, Was

Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit Lions, 42%

At this point, it seems clear that fantasy owners should be looking for any opportunity to exploit Cincinnati’s defense. The Bengals collectively checked out two weeks ago. Cincy has allowed 67 total points and a ridiculous 828 total yards in Weeks 14-15. Next Sunday, Detroit rolls into town, and there’s no reason to expect the Bengals’ D to suddenly stop an opposing offense.

Ebron may have frustrated you in the past, but he’s been excellent in back-to-back weeks. He’s caught 15 balls for 127 yards and one score on 18 targets over the past two games. In fact, over the past month, Ebron has 23 receptions on 26 targets, demonstrating uncharacteristic competence. At a tricky position, he’s trustable in title week. The matchup is a gift.

Schedule, next two weeks: at Cin, GB

Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens, 40%

If you’ve lost Antonio Brown (calf) yet somehow made it through to Week 16 … well, hey, you had a nice run. Second-place money ain’t bad. There’s no replacing AB. We aren’t going to try to convince you that a December waiver add can possibly deliver Brown’s expected contributions. But you’ve gotta play this thing out, because you never really know. So…

Wallace caught six passes for 89 yards on 10 targets in Baltimore’s win over the Browns, which gives him three straight games with at least 70 receiving yards. He now leads the Ravens in targets (73), receiving yards (648) and plays of 20-plus yards (10). Wallace gets a fantastically friendly matchup with Indianapolis in Week 16. The Colts rank dead-last in the NFL in yards per attempt allowed (8.3), and they’ve given up the seventh most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Indy has also allowed 20 different wideouts to gain at least 60 receiving yards, so Wallace has a relatively high fantasy floor in the season’s most important fantasy week.

Schedule, next two weeks: Ind, Cin

Kendall Wright, WR, Chicago Bears, 4%

To be clear, we are not actually encouraging you to watch this week’s Cleveland-Chicago matchup. We simply feel it’s our duty to mention the fact that Wright has seen a whopping 24 targets over the past two weeks, catching 17 passes for 188 yards. What kind of offense would target a guy like Wright so often? Not a good one, obviously. We will make no promises about Wright reaching the end-zone, but there’s a decent chance he’s in for a solid PPR day against a woeful pass defense. Cleveland ranks No. 23 in yards per attempt allowed (7.3) and next-to-last in passing TDs (27). If you need a deep-league desperation PPR heave, Wright should again be peppered with targets.

Schedule, next two weeks: Cle, at Min

Arizona Cardinals, D/ST, 40%

The Cards have been a strictly middle-of-the-pack defense in most meaningful ways this season, but the Giants have been a generally lousy offense. New York ranks No. 30 in total points (16.3 PPG) and bottom-third in total yards (311.0 YPG). Eli Manning has thrown four picks over his last three games, and I’m willing to guarantee another turnover or two (or three) in Week 16.

Schedule, next two weeks: NYG, at Sea

Additional recommended adds: QB Blake Bortles, RB Mike Davis, WR Randall Cobb, WR Martavis Bryant, WR Keelan Cole, WR Dede Westbrook, WR Geronimo Allison, WR Damiere Byrd, TE Benjamin Watson, Detroit D/ST, Chicago D/ST

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