Pickups of the Week: C-Mike, Karlos and other familiar adds

Each week, we identify six players to target on fantasy waiver wires, plus a lightly owned team defense. These fantasy assets are all available in a majority of Yahoo leagues. Add as needed.

Christine Michael, RB, Seattle Seahawks, 9% owned

Yup, we're really doing this again. All those other times you added Christine Michael to fantasy rosters (only to drop him the following week after a four-carry performance) were preparation for THIS MOMENT, right now, in which we find C-Mike on the threshold of fantasy domination. It's all happening, C-Mike zealots! This time, it's different. This time, he cannot miss.

THE NFL'S CHRISTINE MICHAEL ERA IS AT LAST UPON US, AND WOE UNTO THOSE WHO...

Um ... ahem.

OK, maybe that's a bit strong.

Clearly, C-Mike can miss — in fact, he's never not missed. He's visited the rosters of three different teams this season (Seattle, Dallas, Washington). But you'll note that it was Michael, not Bryce Brown, who led all Seattle backs in touches on Sunday, carrying the ball 16 times for 84 yards (5.3 YPC) against Cleveland. Next week, the Seahawks at home facing a St. Louis defense that happens to have allowed a remarkable 1128 scrimmage yards to opposing RBs over its last six games (188 YPG). We still have no reliable ETA for the recovering Marshawn Lynch (abdomen), which leaves Michael's name atop Seattle's backfield depth chart. His setup is excellent in Championship Week, and his new/old teammates certainly seem pleased with him...

C-Mike is a ludicrously talented athlete — check the combine performance in case you'd forgotten — and he's in line for a significant workload a vulnerable D. Add as needed. Or add simply to keep him away from an opponent.

FAAB bid: Spend it all, every dollar. You can't take it into next year.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington, 23%

To be clear, no one is trying to tell you that Cousins has transformed himself into a no-doubt, must-start fantasy asset, or that he's a flawless passer. The man has thrown 11 picks this year and fumbled eight times; it's not as if every week is a guaranteed quarterback clinic. However, we should recognize the fact that Cousins has completed over 70 percent of his throws in six of his last eight games, tossing only three interceptions during that stretch. He was masterful in the win over Buffalo on Sunday, completing 22 of 28 attempts for 319 yards (11.4 Y/A) and four touchdowns. Cousins also added a TD as a rusher, his third score on the ground in four games. Next week, he faces a Philadelphia D that has allowed multi-touchdown performances to such fantasy luminaries as Matt Cassel, Ryan Tannehill, Matthew Stafford and Jameis Winston. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if Cousins delivered another top-10 (top-5?) positional finish in the season's most important fantasy week.

FAAB bid: It's Week 16, you guys. Splurge.

Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Carolina Panthers, 6%

Someone other than Cam will have to occasionally run the football for the Panthers if Jonathan Stewart (foot) can't make it back in Week 16. Artis-Payne is a rookie fifth-rounder from Auburn who had gone nearly two full months without receiving a touch in any game before carrying 14 times for 59 yards against the Giants, adding two receptions for 34. He out-touched and out-gained both Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whitaker combined, and it wasn't particularly close. (He did not out-gain Newton, however. Cam ran eight times for an even 100 yards. He's a machine.) Artis-Payne is more steady than flashy, but he has a chance to see a substantial workload next week at Atlanta, facing a defense that's yielded the fourth most fantasy points to running backs on the season. Stewart and Whitaker combined for 109 yards on the ground and a pair of TDs against the Falcons just two weeks ago.

FAAB bid: All the FAAB.

Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee, RBs, Buffalo Bills, 31% and 1% owned

The knee injury suffered by LeSean McCoy on Sunday is reportedly a torn MCL, so he's almost certainly out for the remainder of the season. Williams and Gillislee split carries in Shady's absence during the loss to Washington, combining for a healthy 122 yards on just eight totes. The highlight run was a 60-yard TD by Gilleslee, which did not require much heavy-lifting from the ball-carrier — he went untouched, as multiple defenders misread the play. Williams is definitely the preferred add in this backfield, as he's averaging 6.0 YPC for the season and he's reached the end-zone seven times on just 76 touches. But Gillislee has earned a share of the workload, too, after scoring in back-to-back weeks.

FAAB bid: Every dollar.

Markus Wheaton, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, 29%

If you assumed Wheaton's 201-yard binge at Seattle was a ridiculous anomaly, never to be repeated ... well, technically you were right, because he hasn't topped 65 yards in any subsequent week. But he has crossed the goal line in two of his last three games, plus he hauled in six balls on 11 targets against the Broncos on Sunday. Over the past four weeks, since Pittsburgh's bye, Wheaton has delivered 378 receiving yards and three spikes while averaging 9.3 targets per game. Next Sunday, the Steelers face a Ravens defense that has given up a league-high 25 touchdown receptions to wide receivers. It's the friendliest possible match-up, and Wheaton is clearly something more than a one-week wonder.

FAAB bid: Treat yourself.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 14%

Lovie Smith's defense certainly hasn't been anything special for fantasy purposes over the past month. We have to concede the point. But the Bucs are preparing to host Chicago, a team with a struggling O-line and a quarterback who can't stop making hilariously poor throws like this, so it seems reasonable to expect a multiple-turnover performance in Championship Week. The Bears could very well be without Alshon Jeffery, who checked out with a hamstring issue against the Vikes on Sunday. Tampa Bay's D has a clear shot at a top-10 fantasy week, and we can assume Coach Smith won't lack motivation, facing his former employer.

FAAB bid: One dollar should do it.

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