FANTASY PICKUPS FOR WEEK 16

December 20th, 2005 9:00 AM ET

Even though the 2005 fantasy football season is wrapping up, you can't afford to just lick the stamp and mail in your lineup. There are plenty of trends, good and bad, that could impact your final standings. We wouldn't dream of leaving you hanging, which is why we're back with another edition of Stock Watch.

QB: Josh McCown, Cardinals - Kurt Warner's season is done, leaving McCown to throw to Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. McCown is averaging 271 yards per game in four starts this season, including a pair of 300-plus-yard outings, so it's not like he isn't familiar with Denny Green's air-it-out approach. Neither the Eagles nor Colts will be playing for much of anything meaningful over the final two weeks, giving McCown ample opportunity to pad his stats—and those of astute fantasy folks who pick him up and put him to work.

RB: Jonathan Wells, Texans - Domanick Davis has little incentive to hurry back from the knee injury that's bothered him much of the season. Wells, meanwhile, has four touchdowns in three starts in relief of Davis. Assuming Davis shuts down the rest of the way, Wells could provide a spark to fantasy squads in need of a little late-season kick .

WR: Drew Bennett, Titans - Welcome back, Mr. December! Last year, Bennett's monster three-touchdown outing vaulted many teams into fantasy championships; this year, he scored just twice in week 15 to reward those who stuck by him during his dry spell. With Bennett one of the few Titan receivers still healthy, Steve McNair is more than willing to look his way on a regular basis.

TE: Doug Jolley, Jets - Remember when the Jets traded a first-round pick to get this guy? We expected big things, and instead we were let down big-time. However, over the past month Brooks Bollinger has involved Jolley in the reindeer games; almost two-thirds of his yardage for the season have come in the last month, and last week he posted his first 100-yard receiving game and notched his first touchdown of the season. Clearly, things are looking up.

K: Nate Kaeding, Chargers - There was plenty of concern about Kaeding's state of mind heading into the season, what with his critical misses in last year's postseason. Now, as the Bolts push for a return trip to the playoffs, Kaeding is hitting his stride. He's connected on six straight kicks, including four in San Diego's upset win over the Colts, and looks to be in fine form for any playoff run San Diego may hope to get on.

QB: Eli Manning, Giants - Manning has posted two sub-200-yard outings in his last three contests, throwing six picks and just two touchdowns over that span. In fact, he's had just three multiple-touchdown affairs in his last 10 games—and a similar number of multiple interception efforts. That's not exactly the kind of stat line you want from your quarterback if you have designs on the NFL postseason or a fantasy title.

RB: Julius Jones, Cowboys - At this time last year, Jones was on his way to becoming one of the more productive backs of the season's second half. Fast forward to 2005, and Jones is struggling mightily. He hasn't scored since week three, hasn't reached triple-digits all season, and is currently sharing carries—most disturbingly, at the goal line—with rookie Marion Barber III. Barring an injury to MB3 or a change of heart by the Big Tuna, Juice is virtually unusable in your fantasy postseason.

WR: Reggie Wayne, Colts - Not only will the Colts be resting their starters over the next couple weeks, when the regulars are on the field Reggie is clearly second fiddle to Marvin Harrison. While both Wayne and Marv had 22 catches over the past month, Harrison is averaging 44 more yards per contest (115 to 71) and has four touchdown's to Wayne's one. That's a bad combination heading into the final fortnight of fantasy football.

 

TE: Jermaine Wiggins, Vikings - We expected Wiggy's numbers to jump when Brad Johnson took over for the injured Daunte Culpepper, and initially that was the case. Lately, however, Wiggins has been a virtual non-entity: just five catches and 27 yards in his last two games combined. Add in the fact that Wiggins hasn't scored all season and you can see why we're not getting Wiggy with it.

K: Sebastian Janikowski - What happened to the Oakland offensive juggernaut we were supposed to see this season? In lieu of the billions of PATs we didn't get, Seabass could at least throw a few triples our way. Sadly, Janikowski has missed fully half of his last dozen attempts. Moreover, the large-legged kicker hasn't connected from beyond 49 yards this season, and he's a woeful six-for-14 from outside of 39 yards.

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