Well that was wild week.
Don't even think about trying to convince me that you had the Jaguars beating the Titans this Sunday… or the Colts getting rammed by St. Louis…or that the Panthers would win in San Fran. Week 10 proved the NFL is still as unpredictable as ever. Below are five pickups I like this week — but don't forget the aforementioned notion. These guys may be the hottest pickups in a Monday morning quarterback sport, but anything can happen. I like to call the following five players my "playoff lottery tickets."
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him @JHelmuth or "like" CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Week 11 Top Pickups
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Case Keenum QB - Houston (29% Owned)
60 points over two games should grab everyone's attention. Sure, he's been bi-polar -- dominant first halves followed by terrible second halves, but the numbers speak for themselves. Keenum has been more efficient than Schaub and has been finding Andre Johnson consistently, something Schaub coudn't seem to do this year. Think how good Keenum will be when he puts an entire solid four quarters together. I love him as a backup on any fantasy team.
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Delanie Walker TE - Tennessee (9% Owned)
Walker is a TE2 in almost all leagues, but by scoring 12 points against Jacksonville Sunday he now has two very solid outings over the last three weeks (he had 11 points against San Francisco Oct. 20). The Titans face the Colts this Thursday; while I like the matchup, there will of course be question marks on how often Walker will get looks from backup quaterback Ryan Fitzpatrick now that Jake Locker is hurt again. The encouraging news is that Fitzy threw all of Tennessee's TDs against the Jaguars Sunday, including the one to D-dubs.
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Dennis Johnson RB - Houston (21% Owned)
Seven yards on four carries isn't anything special (against Arizona Sunday), but now that Arian Foster is going on IR and Ben Tate is playing hurt, Johnson needs to be picked up and stashed on a bench in every league. The Texans like to run the ball and they're not going to give up on the ground game just because their star is injured.
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Mark Ingram RB - New Orleans (15% Owned)
First, let me say it's important not to over-reach for Ingram here. Even as a Bama alum and a therefore a big Ingram fan, it's widely known that the running back will still split carries with two other backs on a team that throws the ball more than it runs. The Saints also face three powerful defenses coming up in Seattle, San Fran and Carolina. While I don't see Ingram exploding, I did like seeing him healthy against a down and out Dallas defense Sunday. Ingram should still be owned as a decent backup flex play.
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Tavon Austin WR - St. Louis (43% Owned)
The hyped rookie finally had his breakout game against a lethargic Colts team Sunday, reeling in two TDs and 138 yards...on two receptions. The performance is surprising considering Sam Bradford is out and Austin only had eight points over his last seven weeks. Is Kellen Clemens the difference? I doubt it. But Austin is crazy fast and the Rams are likely going to be playing from behind during much of their remaining games, meaning they'll have to throw. I like Austin as a playoff lottery ticket.
