Hot Pickups: Week 16

FIVE STARS (Out of five)

- RB JEROME HARRISON, Browns: I know, I know. I told you to pick up Harrison for Week 5, after he had just run for 129 yards, and he went on to do nothing special for the next 8 weeks. Then I told you to get him for Week 14, after he had just caught 2 TD passes, and he went out and had a 9-yard game. Now I'm telling you to get him one more time after his 286-yard, 3-TD blockbuster of a game. Third time's a charm? I guess we'll see.


FOUR STARS

- RB JASON SNELLING, Falcons: Here's another former Hot Pickup making a return appearance. I suggested Snelling back in Week 11, and he rewarded my thought with 2 TDs against the Giants. But a subsequent stinker against the Bucs (4 carries, 8 yards) dropped him off a lot of people's radars. Snelling's carries have quietly increased, however, the past three weeks (10, 10, 16), and with Michael Turner still hobbled, Snelling seems ripe for a big day against Buffalo.


THREE STARS

- RB MICHAEL BUSH, Raiders: Bush has actually been quite effective when he gets a decent amount of work against bad teams (14 carries for 119 yards vs. K.C. in Week 10; 18 carries for 133 yards, TD vs. Denver last week). I'm not sure how many carries he'll get this wek - but I do know the Browns are a bad team. Feeling lucky?

- WR JOSH MORGAN, 49ers: This just in - Alex Smith isn't as terrible as we thought. The QB was actually looking pretty good up until last week in Philly, and his improved play helped boost the value of Morgan, who has 2 TD catches in his past three weeks. And it gets better - Morgan faces the Lions this week, and the Rams in Week 17.

Start 'Em: Week 14

- RB JAMAAL CHARLES vs. Buffalo: Did you realize the Bills have allowed opposing running backs to run for 100 yards or score a TD in every game this year? I'm optimistic Charles can do both this week. He's scored in four straight weeks, and the trend should continue.

- RB RYAN GRANT at Chicago: Yeah, RG's last game was disappointing (41 yards on 16 carries), but the Ravens defense is actually still good. Chicago's is living off its reputation from a few years ago and is pretty ghastly nowadays. Grant had 61 yards and a TD against them in Week 1 and should easily duplicate, if not better, those numbers here.

- WR KENNY BRITT vs. St. Louis: The kid from Rutgerse has scored a TD in each of his past three games. Bet he does it again this week against a middle-of-the-road Rams secondary that just lost its best player, safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, for the season.

LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Alex Smith threw for a season-high 310 yards and two more TDs in a win over the Jaguars.

- Knowshon Moreno racked up 86 yards and, more importantly, scored twice against K.C.

- Pierre Garcon caught 6 passes for a season-high (and career-high) 136 yards. Boo yah.

Photo by The Associated Press

Start 'Em: Week 13

- QB ALEX SMITH at Seattle: The kid's thrown for 459 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT in his past two games and faces the Seahawks' 25th-ranked passing D. If I'm fed up with my QB (Jay Cutler, Eli Manning ...) Smith is the guy I'm going to.

- RB KNOWSHON MORENO at Kansas City: Denver's rookie RB has topped 80 yards rushing in each of his past three games, and the Chiefs aren't exactly known as great run-stoppers.

- WR PIERRE GARCON vs. Tennessee: Indy's second-year receiver has scored a TD or topped 100 yards in each of his past three games, and the Titans aren't exactly known as great pass-defenders.

LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Matt Hasselbeck was a bomb (14-for-25, 102 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) as RB Justin Forsett did all the heavy lifting. My apologies.

- Jason Snelling got only 4 carries for 8 yards as the Falcons decided to go with an ineffective Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood for the majority of the rushing attempts.

- Chris Chambers caught 7 passes for 70 yards and a TD, solidifying his status as the Chiefs' No. 1 receiver.

Start 'Em: Week 10

- RB LAURENCE MARONEY at Indianapolis: Maroney had 20 carries last week against Miami - his most since December 2007 - and has scored a TD in three straight weeks. Of course the Pats could completely switch things up and throw the ball 55 times this week or decide to give Kevin Faulk 20 carries out of nowhere, but Maroney seems to be on a hot streak.

- WR DERRICK MASON at Cleveland: The veteran Ravens receiver had his best yardage total of the year in Week 3 against the Browns (5 catches, 118 yards, TD) and could do it again on Monday night.

- TE KELLEN WINSLOW at Miami: He seemed to show some chemistry with new Bucs QB Josh Freeman last week (4 catches, 57 yards, TD) and should again serve as his safety valve. The Dolphins have also had trouble defending tight ends this year.


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Joseph Addai caught a TD, ran for a TD and racked up 112 total yards against Houston.

- The Boom-or-bust DeSean Jackson decided to go bust again (2 catches, 29 yards) after three straight weeks of booming.

- Michael Crabtree only caught 3 balls for 30 yards, though he was targeted eight times. Niners QB Alex Smith decided to concentrate on throwing to Vernon Davis (10 catches) and Frank Gore (7 catches) and somebody named Jason Hill (2 TDs) and the other team (3 INTs).

Hot Pickups: Week 8

FOUR STARS (Out of five)

- RB SHONN GREENE, Jets: Leon Washington's loss is Greene's gain, and the Jets have smartly morphed into a power rushing team before our eyes with a rookie QB running the offense. The rejuvenated Thomas Jones isn't going anywhere, but I think there's enough room for the two of them to be productive down the stretch (probably after this week's tough matchup against Miami).

- RB BEANIE WELLS, Cardinals: It was a bit of a mixed bag for the rookie Sunday night - he scored his first NFL TD but also lost another fumble, his third in 49 pro carries. Still, he outperformed Tim Hightower and might officially pass him on Arizona's depth chart with another good outing against Carolina.


THREE STARS

- RB JAMAAL CHARLES, Chiefs: In case you hadn't heard, Larry Johnson is at it again. Charles, one of my preseason sleepers, has been the more effective back this year again (5 yards a carry to LJ's 2.7), albeit in limited duty, and Johnson's latest antics may have finally forced K.C. into starting him after Week 8's bye. The Chiefs' line is awful, of course, but I still want to see what the little guy can do.

WR MIKE WALLACE, Steelers: The rookie from Ole Miss has made his fair share of big plays this year (17.5 yards a catch) and is coming off a big game against the Vikings (3 catches, 72 yards, TD). He's been kind of hit-or-miss, but he could be worth a start after this week's bye if you're in a pinch and rolling the dice on a TD.

QB ALEX SMITH, 49ers: It only took five years, but Smith may finally be fantasy relevant. A three-TD game coming off the bench will do that, and it's not as if there isn't talent around him (Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis, who caught those three TDs). Grab him, watch how he fares against Indianapolis this week and then plug him in against Tennessee in Week 9 if you like what you see.