Pickups of the Week: Perine, Stills, Booker and other priority fantasy adds

Each week throughout the NFL season, we identify six players to target on waiver wires, plus a lightly owned D/ST. All are available in a majority of Yahoo leagues and approved for immediate use. Add as needed.

Samaje Perine, RB, Washington, 33%

Here’s an updated snapshot of Washington’s depth chart at running back, following the injuries to Rob Kelley (MCL, ankle) and Chris Thompson (broken fibula):

1) Samaje Perine
2) Some dude recently signed off another team’s practice squad
3) TBD

So yeah, this team’s backfield is suddenly a bit thin. Perine is coming off his best and busiest day as a pro, carrying the ball 23 times for 117 and one score in Washington’s narrow loss at New Orleans. He added one catch for nine yards. There’s not much of a wow-factor to Perine’s game, and ball security has been a persistent problem, but he’s the last man standing in this backfield. Based on projected workload alone, he needs to be this week’s priority fantasy add. Over the next three weeks, Perine will face defenses that currently rank No. 30, 22 and 32 against the run. Go get him.

Schedule, next three weeks: NYG, at Dal, at LAC

FAAB bid: $16 of $100 budget

Devontae Booker, RB, Denver Broncos, 7%

As with Perine, we’ve already promoted Booker a time or two around here. He’s forced his way into a significant role in Denver’s backfield committee. On Sunday, Booker actually led the team in carries (14) and touches (19), gaining 98 total yards in the process. He’s now seeing more snaps than C.J. Anderson, too. There’s simply no valid reason he should be so widely available while Anderson is owned in 88 percent of Yahoo leagues. Booker has clearly emerged as the preferred PPR option in this backfield. He’s caught 18 passes over his last six games; Anderson has only five receptions during that same stretch. With a series of neutral-to-friendly matchups ahead, Booker belongs in your flex plans.

Schedule, next three weeks: at Oak, at Mia, NYJ

FAAB bid: $10

Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland Browns, 31%

Coleman exceeded all reasonable expectations in Week 11, considering the game circumstances (ugly weather, bad QB) and the quality of the opposing defense (Jacksonville). He caught six passes for 80 yards on 11 targets, reestablishing himself as his team’s No.1 receiver. No other Cleveland skill player saw more than six targets on Sunday. Coleman has exceptional speed (4.37) and explosive leaping ability (40.5-inch vertical), and he’s attached to an offense generally finds itself in catch-up mode. As long as he remains healthy, he’ll rank as a viable WR3 moving forward.

Schedule, next three weeks: at Cin, at LAC, GB

FAAB bid: $11

Kenny Stills, WR, Miami Dolphins, 37%

Stills led all players in receiving yards in Week 11, hauling in seven passes for 180 yards and one score on eight targets. He’s been targeted 39 times over his last five games, so workload isn’t a concern. Jay Cutler suffered a concussion on Sunday, leaving Matt Moore at the controls of the Miami offense — and when Moore drops back, he often gets radar lock on No. 10. Stills has been on the receiving end of the last four touchdown passes thrown by Moore, and five of the last six. The Dolphins face New England’s user-friendly pass defense twice in the next three weeks, so Stills will remain a high-ceiling fantasy receiver in the near term.

Schedule, next three weeks: at NE, Den, NE

FAAB bid: $11

Bruce Ellington, WR, Houston Texans, 8% owned

Ahead of Week 11, Houston coach Bill O’Brien had said Ellington “needs to get the ball more,” and season-highs in receptions and yardage followed. Ellington caught six passes for 63 yards on seven targets against Arizona, adding one carry for five. He’s a quick-cutting 5-foot-9 receiver who’s been getting easy separation, and he can expect another significant target total if Will Fuller (ribs) is sidelined again against Baltimore in Week 12. The Texans’ schedule then takes a friendly turn in the early weeks of December, with appealing matchups against both the Titans and Niners. Ellington deserves to be a secondary waiver claim for deep league players.

Schedule, next three weeks: at Bal, at Ten, SF

FAAB bid: $5

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills, 40%

The Nathan Peterman era in Buffalo may already have ended. It lasted only one half of one game. The fifth-round rookie completed six throws to teammates on Sunday, and five throws to opponents. Peterman was then replaced by Tyrod Taylor, who never should have lost his job.

Nothing is official as of this writing…

…but the notion of giving Peterman another start seems almost unfathomable. The Bills are about to face three of the NFL’s five worst pass defenses — KC, New England and Indy — so Taylor is well-positioned to deliver a series of useful fantasy performances. He was understandably mass-dropped following his demotion, but he should be mass-added this week (assuming McDermott a logical decision).

Schedule, next three weeks: at KC, NE, Ind

FAAB bid: $6

Cincinnati Bengals, D/ST, 40%

Cincinnati hasn’t quite met expectations this season, but let’s not pin the disappointment on the defense. The Bengals currently rank seventh against the pass, fourth in total sacks (29), and the team is allowing just 3.9 YPC. This week, Cincy faces the winless Browns, a team that leads the league in giveaways (28) by a wide margin. Add the Bengals wherever you can.

Schedule, next three weeks: Cle, Pit, Chi

FAAB bid: $1

Additional adds to consider: QB Case Keenum, QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Corey Clement, RB Tarik Cohen, WR Danny Amendola, WR Josh Doctson, TE O.J. Howard

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