Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
So, you made it to the championship, ehh?
And no, I am not Canadian.
Congratulations, but what if you are at a massive disadvantage? You are projected to get smoked, and your team doesn’t match up to the opposition. That’s where you need to consider benching your safe options and going with some sneaky, high-upside guys. It’s the final group of under the radar plays of the year, folks.
Let’s do it.
Rod Streater @ San Diego Chargers: Streater is quietly approaching the milestone receiving number (1,000 yards), and has tremendously benefited from Matt McGloin’s presence under center. Over the last five games, Streater has been McGloin’s clear-cut favorite option, seeing a whopping 40 targets, which easily leads the team. For me, Streater is a top-30 play among wide receivers this week in a favorable matchup. The Chargers are coughing up the fifth-most fantasy points to the wide receiver position, and are surrendering the fourth-most passing yards per contest (267.4). He’s getting all the looks, Oakland will likely have to throw the ball quite a bit, and this secondary is most certainly beatable.
Montee Ball @ Houston Texans: Prior to Thursday night’s meltdown, Ball had seen at least 13 carries in each of his last two games, as the Broncos continue to give workhorse Knowshon Moreno some rest towards the postseason. Denver fell behind, as San Diego controlled the game, so Ball couldn’t get a ton of touches. That should change this week, as Denver will likely blowout the mess that is, the Houston Texans. After a tough loss, I see Denver putting up a 40-spot in this game, which means plenty of running towards the end of the game. That bodes well for Ball, as Houston is surrendered at least 19 fantasy points to running backs in each of the last five games.
Marvin Jones vs Minnesota Vikings: Jones has been rather inconsistent all season, as he disappeared after that monster four-touchdown performance a few weeks back. However, he poked his head back into fantasy land the last two weeks, finding the end zone in both contests. He’s still the number two receiver in this offense, and is a big-time target in the red zone, and the Bengals know how productive he can be when they need points. Last week, he played on a healthy 71.8 percent of the snaps, and if he can play that much against a Minnesota secondary that has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to wideouts, the most passing touchdowns (32) and the third-most passing yards per game (291.1), he could have a very nice fantasy outing. He should see the Vikings’ number three corner, as number one, Xavier Rhodes will not play in this game. A.J. Green may go absolutely bonkers, but Jones should also see opportunities.
Zach Ertz vs Chicago Bears: Ertz is quickly emerging into a viable red zone target for Nick Foles, and with Jordan Cameron out for this week, Ertz may be a very strong replacement option this week. The rookie tight end has scored three touchdowns over the last three games, seeing a solid 15 targets. Fellow tight end Brent Celek is more of the blocking tight end, and prefers that role, so Ertz will likely continue to run more and more pass routes. He’s run a solid 74 pass routes over his last three games, and probably would have ran even more if it weren’t for that snowy game a few weeks back. Chicago is absolutely depleted on defense, but especially at the linebacker position, where Ertz can really hurt them. This game has the highest over/under of the week, so plenty of points should be had. The Bears are also allowing the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends (11.67).
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
