NFL Football - Pick Up Artist

Quarterbacks

Carson Palmer (Raiders)                                                      Yahoo: 12%               ESPN: 1%

With the trade deadline approaching the Oakland Raiders decided to pull a shocking move and trade a pair of first-round picks (2013 being conditional) for Palmer. What does this mean for fantasy owners? PICK PALMER UP! He is a veteran with tons of experience and has familiarity with the Raiders offense and he has the potential to excel on a team that is very adept at running the football. Palmer will either start this weekend or Nov 10^th vs the Chargers, and he has a bunch of favorable matchups going forward and his playoff schedule (STL, ARI, HOU) are great matchups also. If you don’t trust your starters matchups Palmer is an excellent pickup.

Colt McCoy (Browns)                                                           Yahoo: 35%               ESPN: 26%

The fact that McCoy is owned in such a small percentage of leagues is travesty. McCoy may not wow you with tremendous amounts of yardage through the air, but this second-year QB out of Texas is very reliable. He has proven that he has the ability to play mistake-free football and Sunday was no different. This young gunslinger tossed for 215 yards and two scores. In Week 7 the Browns will play the Seahawks who are currently 23^rd against the pass which is a great matchup. He is a great start for you this week for a bye week fill-in and going forward.

Tim Tebow (Broncos)                                                           Yahoo: 48%               ESPN: 41%

Tebow will make his first start of the season, and it could not come against a better team or at a better time. In Week 7 the Broncos will play the Miami Dolphins who rank near the bottom of the barrel in regards to pass defense (31^st in the NFL). An added bonus for starting Tebow is his ability to run the ball effectively, particularly in the red-zone. He is another bye-week fill-in you need to target with the potential to be solid matchup play going forward.

Running Backs

Jackie Battle (Chiefs)                                                            Yahoo: 37%               ESPN: 27%

Before the bye week, Battle was very impressive against the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for over 100 yards. With the injury to Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones’ struggles thus far this season, Battle is worth a strong look in deep fantasy leagues. The Raiders give up over a 100 yards rushing per contest, and this week has the potential to be a breakout game for Battle.

DeMarco Murray (Cowboys)                                               Yahoo: 16%               ESPN: 4%

With Felix Jones suffering an ankle injury in last week’s game, Murray should be in line for the start this week against the worst run defense in the entire NFL Even in 10 team leagues, Murray is possibly worth starting as an RB2 option  while being a no doubt flex starting option. 100 rushing yards and 1 touchdown is definitely within reach. Murray has managed just 71 yards on 24 carries this season, but could be in line for a few games with an increase of snaps. I don’t have faith in picking up Tashard Choice, because the Cowboys have shown in the past they favor Murray over Choice, and let’s be honest the only reason Choice wasn’t traded today was the injury to Jones.

Montario Hardesty (Browns)                                               Yahoo: 19%               ESPN: 16%

Hardesty was highly touted coming out of the draft from Tennessee. Due to injuries, this young RB has not seen the field as much as many would have thought. With Peyton Hillis struggling to stay on the field this year, Hardesty has averaged 11 carries in each of his last three games and rushing for 143 yards on 40 carries for the season. I would suggest starting Hardesty at the flex position, if your starter is injured or on a bye week.

Wide Receiver

Michael Crabtree (49ers)                                                      Yahoo: 42%               ESPN: 61%

Crabtree had one of his best games as a professional over the weekend, showing off his hands by hauling in 9 catches for 77 yards. Crabtree missed all of training camp and was plagued by injuries through the first part of the season; however, he now appears to be finding his groove, especially with quarterback Alex Smith. That said, keep in mind this coming week is a bye week for the 49ers, and he has a favorable schedule for the most part going forward.

Danario Alexander (Rams)                                                  Yahoo: 12%               ESPN: 5%

The Rams have a lack of depth at WR, particularly with Danny Amendola lost for the season, and Mike Sims-Walker cut, and not knowing what to expect out of Brandon Lloyd. Alexander, on the other hand, has been impressive in the little amount of playing time he has received. The Rams have not been in many games this year, and that equates to airing it out more to try to win games. He is worth a roster spot with a very good schedule going forward.

Steve Breaston (Chiefs)                                                        Yahoo: 23%               ESPN: 7%

After a slow start, Breaston has steady production for the past couple of week and Breaston will receive a significant amount of single coverage, particularly with Dwayne Bowe on the other side of the field garnering the double teams.  If this trend is to continue Breaston is a decent matchup play/flex going forward barring Breaston going against a very good cornerback.

Editor's Note: Greg Little (Browns)

Tight Ends

Fred Davis (Redskins)                                                          Yahoo: 47%               ESPN: 46%

After all the early season hype, Davis has seen his fantasy football stock fall to below 50% ownership in Now Chris Cooley is out for the foreseeable future and  this week’s matchup is enticing as the Panthers LB corps is in shambles, and the QB situation in Washington is once again up in the air. My gut says Beck will be the signal caller, and Davis could easily be the beneficiary of a bunch of dump off passes. I like him going forward if you don’t have an elite TE on your team.

Jake Ballard (Giants)                                                            Yahoo: 11%               ESPN: 3%

Ballard has been a surprise thus far this season, Ballard has over 150 yards receiving and a TD in his last two games. Ballard is a big target in the red-zone, and for that reason he is worth a roster spot. It is clear that Ballard is being worked into the offense and, at 6-foot-6 and 275-pounds, he gives Giants quarterback Eli Manning a big, physical target.