Week 15: Pickups of the Week

QB Jake Locker, ---

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Jake Locker impressed again on Sunday as he stood in for Matt Hasselbeck, whose calf injury will likely keep him out of action in Week 15. While Hasselbeck is set to undergo an MRI on Monday, it may be Locker's good showing -- and not the injury -- that ultimately relegates the veteran to clipboard duty for the remainder of the season. Locker is clearly the future for Tennessee at the QB position. And the future could be right now if the Titans agree with general fan sentiment and decide that Locker gives them the best chance at steering the team toward a Wild Card berth. Indianapolis and then Jacksonville give the rookie a nice easy launching point if this marks the beginning of Locker's career as an NFL starter.

RB Ryan Grant, ---

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Subbing for the injured James Starks, Ryan Grant was effective on Sunday -- something we haven't been able to say since back in Week 3 when he carried the ball 17 times for 92 yards. Grant ran hard against the Raiders and made decisive cuts en route to his first two rushing scores of the season. His value going forward is almost entirely dependent on a slow recovery by Starks because the seldom-used Packers running game isn't likely to generate enough fantasy production to sustain both backs in an RB time share. Grant remains a hopeful roster stash for Starks owners and those willing to keep a close eye on Green Bay's injury reports.

RB Kendall Hunter, ---

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We've talked before about Kendall Hunter's value as a Frank Gore handcuff. Now that the 49ers have wrapped up the NFC West, Hunter is seeing an expanded role as the team tries to keep the injury-prone Gore healthy for the playoffs. Hunter had eight carries to Gore's ten during last week's loss to Arizona and the split should remain fairly even going forward. Running lanes will be tough to find for either back over the next two games (PIT, @SEA) -- not that it should stop enterprising owners from giving them a look. At this point in the season, most waiver wires have been thoroughly picked over and there aren't many active running backs still available. In these dire circumstances, Hunter isn't a terrible fall-back option for the many despondent DeMarco Murray owners out there.

WR Jabar Gaffney, ---

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Owners have been increasingly turning to Jabar Gaffney and I can't completely discourage the practice. Gaffney is on pace for his best season ever (though his hasn't exactly had an amazing NFL career). Credit where credit is due: he's held on to the starting job despite a decent push from Anthony Armstrong and more recently Donte' Stallworth; and is coming off his second big performance of the year. Last week he exploited a lazy Patriots secondary for six catches, 92 yards and a touchdown. He'll be hard-pressed to match those numbers against the Giants, though they offer a fairly cushy fantasy match-up themselves. Deep-leaguers could do worse.

WR James Jones, ---

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The Greg Jennings injury likely elevates James Jones to starter for the next few games -- likely through to the end of the season. The talented (if underachieving) Jones should make an immediate fantasy impact working on a consistent basis with the league's most productive passer. Even while splitting snaps with Donald Driver this season, Jones has already matched his career high with five touchdowns. He'll be a solid scoring threat even against the Chiefs' tenth-ranked passing defense and makes one of the more intriguing fantasy pickups in a week where the alternatives are particularly limited.

WR Demaryius Thomas, ---

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A second consecutive big game for Thomas should prove to skeptical fantasy owners that he can maintain value even given Tim Tebow's, er, "unique" approach to quarterbacking. Targeted a team-high 20 times over the last two games, Thomas looks to be far and away Tebow's favorite receiver. And the fact that Tebow surpassed 200 passing yards (and 40 attempts) bodes well for continued production over the fantasy playoffs. Provided he can overcome last week's unfortunate case of the drops, Thomas could be in line for a huge day against a Patriots defense that gives up more than 300 passing yards per game on average.

WR Kevin Walter, ---

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Another injury fill-in, Walter had his best game of the season on Sunday with six grabs for 76 yards and a score. If Andre Johnson can't make it back in time -- and his horrible run of luck this season has to dampen expectations -- Walter will again be the team's top receiving target in Week 15. Carolina has been kind to opposing receivers this season and are still reeling after giving up 320 passing yards and four TDs to Atlanta last weekend. They make an ideal foil for owners who need to press Walter into action as a one week plug and play.

TE Jake Ballard, ---

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Ballard notched his fourth TD of the season against the Cowboys as he continues to be a stealthy source of solid, steady numbers. Where the rest of the Giants passing game is in constant flux thanks to injuries, drops, the emergence of Victor Cruz and the mysterious disappearance of Mario Manningham, Ballard has been a rock of consistency. He's no superstar, but he could fill a temporary gap in two TE or deep leagues. Fred Davis is now on IR and Scott Chandler looks to be out this week, so we know there are owners who need to roll with the strongest available option. Ballard is probably their best bet.

PK Matt Prater, BUF

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If you -- like so many others -- want to pin the ongoing Denver Miracle on the exploits of one man, there might be no better candidate than Matt Prater. After all, he has kicked game-winning field goals in three of Denver's last four games and his leg has accounted for 44 points during the team's improbable six-game winning streak. Prater nailed a 59-yarder last week to seal the deal over Chicago, reminding prospective owners that he has a strong leg made even stronger by the thin Colorado air. With a home game on tap against the defensively challenged Patriots this week, we could be hearing Prater's name called plenty of times.

Cincinnati

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Following consecutive losses (to the Steelers, then Texans), the Bengals will be salivating at the thought of sinking their collective teeth into the Rams. St. Louis was once in the running for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, but has failed even in that dubious pursuit by being just mediocre enough to generate two wins on the season. Shutout by San Francisco in Week 14 (and authoritatively stomped on Monday night by the Seattle Seahawks), the Rams are just the kind of harmless, juicy opponent Cincinnati's defense needs in order to play themselves back into top 10 fantasy contention.