With all that has happened this season in the NFL, it is almost beyond belief that we have come to the conclusion of the fantasy regular season. Yet, we have, and the playoffs are here. As a famous coach once said, playoffs? Yes, it is playoff time for most fantasy platforms and, of course, the time has come for the waiver claims playoffs edition as well.

Congratulations to all that qualified for the postseason! Having said that, it doesn’t mean that there still isn’t work to be done, however. Rosters have to be managed and decisions on what player(s) to pick up must be made. As has been the case the entire way, we here at Belly Up Sports are here to help with any last minute purchases. No other words are necessary, so let’s just jump right into it!

Running Backs

Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams, 34.5% owned

Up until this week, there was a three headed monster at running back for the Los Angeles Rams. After Sunday, however, it looks like the king of the hill is Cam Akers. Against the Cardinals, Akers rushed 21 times for 72 yards while scoring a touchdown. Akers finished the game with around three times the rushes that Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown accounted for. It was announced during the game that Henderson suffered a knee injury. It is important to know the situation involving a team’s players in fantasy, of course. That clearing picture has Akers all alone on it.

Besides him being the lead dog in the backfield, the best news about Akers, however, is his schedule during the fantasy semifinals and championship game. In week 15, the Jets come to town and in week 16, the Rams travel to Seattle. Both teams sport less than intimidating defenses. Having him on a roster could give a real boost to an owner when it is needed most.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago Bears, 4.9% owned

People looking at this must think that I have lost my mind recommending a Chicago Bears offensive player not named Robinson. However, those thinking that did not see the performance that Cordarrelle Patterson put on Sunday against Detroit. Patterson had 10 rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.9 yards a rush. In addition, he also caught a pass. It was the second most rushes Patterson has had this year and the yards were a season high. David Montgomery had a strong game as well with two TDs, but the two can coexist in the same backfield.

Most importantly, the Bears’ schedule is the driving force behind this recommendation. There isn’t a team that has softer games during the fantasy playoffs. Chicago faces Houston, the Vikings and Jacksonville in weeks 14-16. Check it out if there is any disbelief.

Additionally, Patterson’s dual qualification at running back and wide receiver will make him easy to slot into any roster. There is hesitation and that is understandable. However, don’t let that get in the way of adding a player that can make a real difference for a championship contender.

Adrian Peterson, Detroit Lions, 36% owned

Patterson’s Sunday opponent, Adrian Peterson, has apparently found the fountain of youth. Due to the absence of D’Andre Swift, Peterson has stepped in as the starter for the Lions. Against the Bears, Peterson rushed the ball 16 times for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, you read that correctly. Peterson hit pay dirt twice.

And guess what? It was the second straight game that Peterson found the end zone twice. Before week 12, Peterson had two TDs all season. With Green Bay and their suspect rush defense coming to town this week, Peterson needs to be in fantasy lineups. His supposed rival for touches, Kerryon Johnson, had just three.

This is clearly a trend as Johnson has over ten rushes in a game only once this season. Of course, the return of Swift will have an impact, but when that will happen is unknown. If running back help is needed, you could do a lot worse than Peterson.

Ty Johnson, New York Jets, 0.3% owned

It is freely admitted that last week there was a recommendation for Frank Gore. Of course, what couldn’t be known was that Gore would suffer a concussion early and forced to leave the game against the Raiders. After Gore left the game, onto the field stepped Ty Johnson. He almost single handedly carried the Jets to victory with 22 rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also caught both targets for another 13 yards.

Not surprisingly, the rushes and yards were by far his most on the season. In fact, Johnson had just eight rushes going into the game. His TD was his first of the season. His yards per carry was an outstanding 4.72. New York does have to travel to the West Coast for their next game in Seattle. As you may have heard, though, the Seahawks are terrible defensively.

With no one else healthy on the roster. Johnson is the leader in the backfield. At least in this next game, he can really help boost a team’s chances of advancing in the fantasy postseason.

Wide Receivers

Keke Coutee, Houston Texans, 11.6% owned

With all that is going on with the Texans, the question has to be asked- are there any wide receivers still standing in Houston. There are and one of them is widely available. That player would be Keke Coutee. Coutee had eight catches in nine targets for a huge 141 yards Sunday against Indianapolis. He lead the team in targets, catches and receiving yards. The yards set a career high. One of the catches went for 64 yards.

Going into the game, Coutee had just six catches all season. With Will Fuller suspended for six games, Coutee will see his the field frequently and will get his share of targets the rest of the way. Admittedly, going up against the Bears defense on the road isn’t ideal. However, with a thinning waiver wire, there may not be a lot of options out there. If WR help is needed, make the grab.

T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts, 41% owned

T.Y. Hilton was featured in last week’s edition and guess what? Hilton put another solid game together in week 13 against the Texans. That is now 12 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games. After vanishing big time from the planet for much of the season, Hilton is big in a big way.

The schedule also lines up nicely for Hilton and the Colts in the next two weeks. They face Las Vegas on the road in week 14 and Houston at home the next week. The Raiders are 22nd and the Texans 30th in over all defense in the NFL. Plus, it is unknown what Vegas team will show up from one week to the next. If Hilton is available, drop everything and pick him up today. He is the priority wide receiver add this week.

Laviska Shenault, Jacksonville Jaguars, 11.9% owned

Another player on a terrible real world team that can make a positive impact on a playoff contender is Laviska Shenault. In case everyone wasn’t watching the Vikings-Jaguars game, which is sure to be the case, Shenault stood out among his peers in the game. He caught all three of his targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. Most shockingly, Shenault gained 30 yards on the ground, including a 17 yard run.

Jacksonville has a difficult schedule during the fantasy playoff run as they face tough defenses in each game. They face Tennessee, Baltimore and the Bears. In addition, no one is going to make a statue for quarterback Mike Glennon. All true, but Glennon and Shenault look in rhythm on the field and there just aren’t a lot of options on the wire this late in the season. That why Shenault is included on this waiver claims playoff edition list. Just be aware that Shenault suffered a thumb injury in the game. He is not expected to miss time, but that fact needed to be pointed out.

Other recommendation- There isn’t a large sample size to get a clear reading yet on the Browns’ Donovan Peoples-Jones. However, he caught a 75 yard TD against Tennessee. He also caught a TD against Cincinnati in week seven. The Jets await during fantasy championship week, making Peoples-Jones worthy of consideration.

His teammate Rashard Higgins also caught a TD Sunday, had 110 yards against the Bengals in week seven and is widely available. If Peoples-Jones isn’t the answer, maybe Higgins is.

Tight Ends

Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans, 2.2% owned

Anthony Firkser had a huge game Sunday filling in for Jonnu Smith, as he missed week 12 because of a knee injury. Firkser did an admirable job, catching five of seven targets for 51 yards. All three of those were the most that he has had since week six against Houston. It is unknown how long Smith will be out, but Firkser has produced even when both were in the lineup. Take away his disastrous showing against the Colts in week 12 and Firkser has had a solid season.

The essential factor here is, as is so often the case, is the matchup Firkser finds himself in next week. The Titans travel to Jacksonville to face their tissue paper defense. In fact, Firkser isn’t the only Tennessee player that should be in fantasy lineups this week. Firkser is one of the most available, though, and that’s why he is included in this waiver claims playoff edition.

Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals, 0.8% owned

How in the world can someone recommend any of the Bengals’ offensive players? Simple, Drew Sample forced his way onto this waiver claims playoffs edition list by his play. The rest of the Cincinnati offense went into hibernation against the Dolphins, but Sample was their shining star. Sample caught all seven targets for 49 yards Sunday.

The way that tight ends have fallen off the planet this season makes anyone who is targeted seven times a legitimate fantasy claim. Backup quarterbacks tend to look to their tight ends on quick passes and that’s the situation here. As has been the case throughout this edition, the schedule is also a dominant factor in this recommendation. The Bengals face the Cowboys at home this week. Their defensive struggles have been well documented this season and they don’t have much time to prepare after playing Baltimore Tuesday.

Quarterbacks

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears, 13.4% owned

Do we dare recommend Mitchell Trubisky at any time, let alone the fantasy playoffs? As mentioned above with Patterson, look at the schedule that the Bears face and the answer has to be yes. Trubisky did his part to show that he is ready for fantasy rosters, even though Chicago lost the game. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown.

This is the second straight week that Trubisky had 26 completions. He had three TD passes in his previous game. After not attempting a pass since week three, Trubisky has shown he is clearly the Bears’ starter over Nick Foles. All that are reading this may well be shaking their heads in disbelief. However, Chicago’s next three games demand Trubisky be included here. Go ahead, take a chance.

Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts, 14.7% owned

After week nine against Baltimore, most everyone was ready to write off Philip Rivers as worthy of fantasy rosters. His last three weeks of play demand otherwise. Rivers is coming off a stretch where he has thrown two of more touchdowns in three straight games. He has completed 75 of 113 passes for 868 yards in those games. Rivers completed 77 percent of his passes against Houston, his highest since week three. In addition, Rivers threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns.

The schedule has been harped over and over again, but it is a factor here as well. The Colts travel to Las Vegas this week. The Raiders were lucky they weren’t the first team to lose to the Jets Sunday, giving up 28 points in the process. The Vegas defense has allowed 106 points in their last three games. After that is a rematch against Houston at home. The Colts just put 26 on them. Add it up and Rivers is out there just waiting to help a fantasy team. Give him a home, won’t you?

Thanks all for joining me for this fantasy football waiver claims playoffs edition. Always feel free to leave a comment or suggestion on the players that should be added to or removed from the list. I welcome input. Have a great fantasy football week thirteen! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!