Luke Basha fantasy football column: Don’t give up on your team just yet

Well this is it. There’s a sense of finality in the air. I’m not sure if it’s the end of the fantasy football regular season or maybe the impending doom of my law school exams. Either way, I need to buckle up.

There’s one last regular-season game before the playoffs start. If you’re just on the cusp of the playoffs or already in, you know what you need to do. Don’t get cute by playing a risky sleeper, stick with your studs and dance with the ones that brought you (that’s a good maxim for life in general by the way).

And if you’re struggling mightily, don’t throw in the towel completely. Remember that someone has to end up in the game for last place. Some people call this the “Toilet Bowl” or have more colorful names for the league’s bottom-dweller. Don’t be that guy.

Since you clearly either built a playoff-caliber team throughout the season or failed to do so, I won’t really focus on players you can add this week in order to build a team. Rather, I’ll focus on players the either can help you down the road (Pro-tip: pick on the Saints defense) or will fill-in for injuries sustained.

Here’s a few that come to mind:

Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, NYJ): I was a big fan of Fitzpatrick’s majestic beard and was sad to see it go. But I like seeing a QB throw four TDs. I’m tempted to do a analysis of his decision to shave the beard and his play, but I’ll spare you.

Jameis Winston (QB, TB): Worth an add, but reconsider before rolling him out in front of a Falcons’ defense that has been stingy in giving fantasy points to QBs this season. Stash him for next week when he gets to play the fantasy cornucopia that is the Saints’ defense.

Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS): Cousins has been playing lights out this season…at home. Fortunately, the Redskins host the struggling Cowboys for Monday Night Football. The Dallas ‘D’ is not a dumpster fire like their offense. However, three-and-outs could wear out the Cowboys defense as the game goes on, allowing Cousins to connect with big-play threat DeSean Jackson often.

Alex Smith (QB, KC): Smith is the perfect backup/replacement/risky QB for the rest of the season. He gets a string of juicy matchups and coordinates an offense that is finally rounding into form, despite losing the focal point of their offense in Jamaal Charles.

David Johnson/Andre Ellington (RB, ARI): Chris Johnson has broken his tibia but reports haven’t given a clear timetable for his return. There’s a similar lack of clarity on a return date for former Clemson Tiger Andre Ellington, but it seems as if there’s a chance that Ellington might play this week against a Rams defense that has actually been middling in defending the ground game. Either way, David Johnson is primed to get the starting job for this week and maybe a few more. He could be a stop-gap measure for a few weeks, or he may grab onto the starting job and not let go.

Doug Baldwin (WR, SEA): I wouldn’t rely on the volatile Baldwin, but he is the top receiver on a resurgent offense that just lost its All-Pro TE in Jimmy Graham for the season. That injury will likely give Baldwin more targets.

Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN): What a rough week for TEs. Two of the biggest stars at the position, Graham and Rob Gronkowski went down with injury. Reports have confirmed that Graham is done for the season, but the jury is out on Gronk. Should you need a replacement, look no further than Rudolph. He’s been heating up (6 catches in Week 11 and 7 in Week 12 as opposed to an average of 1.8 from Week 3-10). He also gets to face Seattle this week.

Scott Chandler (TE, NE): Again, we don’t know yet exactly if Gronkowski will have to miss any games, and if so – how many. But we do know that Chandler has been making plays even in Gronk’s massive shadow. The talent is there, and we know the Pats have plenty of red zone plays designed to target their TE, making any starter worth considering.

Crockett Gilmore (TE, BAL): In a depleted Baltimore passing offense, Gilmore and WR Kamar Aiken are the only two worth fantasy consideration. You could do a lot, lot worse in looking for a replacement TE.

Zach Miller (TE, CHI): The magic has to end at some point, but it hasn’t yet. The number 2 tight end in Chicago, at the ripe age of 31, has registered 4 scores over the past four games. A prime matchup with San Francisco will give him as much of a chance as any to keep it rolling.

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Luke Basha fantasy football column: Don’t give up on your team just yet."