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👋 Welcome back, amigos! The fantasy playoffs begin this week for most leagues, so let's help your title dreams become a reality.

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In this edition: We suggest our favorite pickups to give your lineups a boost, players to drop for those shiny new adds, break down the latest news and more.

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Today's Get to the Points! is written by Scott Pianowski. For the web version, click here. To sign up for free, click here.

The best fantasy managers work the wire every week, be it for immediate reinforcements or options that could help down the road. The players in each tier are ranked in order of importance. 

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Priority pickups for leagues of all sizes 👀

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Patrick Taylor Jr., RB, 49ers (5%): Taylor hasn't played or shown much during a four-year journeyman career, but Isaac Guerendo has a foot injury and the 49ers face a quick turnaround, drawing the Rams on TNF. Any back in the Kyle Shanahan offense is forever fantasy interesting.

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Sincere McCormick, RB, Raiders (16%): He's impressed the last three weeks, averaging 5.5 per carry and succeeding on 62.5% of his runs. The Raiders will want to reward that recent production and also evaluate someone who could be part of their 2025 plans. Atlanta is a tricky draw, but the Jags and Saints are juicy playoff matchups to follow.

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Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars (46%): If you've sworn off the Jacksonville offense, we understand — only Brian Thomas Jr. has been trustworthy on a weekly basis. But Bigsby did get in the end zone last week and significantly outworked Travis Etienne Jr. (19 touches against just eight). Volume still dominates most of our running back conversations. 

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Elijah Moore, WR, Browns (22%): We can never promise consistency with the Jameis Winston passing offense, but the Browns might face a negative game script against the Chiefs, and Kansas City has struggled to mark slot receivers. 

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Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots (40%): If not for the Week 14 bye, Henry wouldn't be eligible for this section. The touchdown count is light, but he's been a target hog since Drake Maye took over.  

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Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders (44%): Age is just a number for the Washington veteran with touchdowns in three straight games. His rest of season schedule is just so-so, however. 

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Medium Leagues (12-team leagues) 🥤

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Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Broncos (13%): Backfield bingo is a way of life in Denver, where Sean Payton openly employs a hot-hand situation. But maybe McLaughlin earned more run after a 14-84-0 line vs. the Browns before the bye. The Colts are this week's foe, a poor rushing defense.

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Quentin Johnston, WR, Chargers (40%): He's still raw as a second-year player, struggling with drops and missed assignments. But with Ladd McConkey dinged up and Will Dissly expected to miss time, Johnston might be looking at 7-9 targets vs. a leaky Tampa Bay defense this week. 

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Jerome Ford, RB, Browns (41%): Negative game scripts have allowed Ford to play more than Nick Chubb for two consecutive games. The Browns might be in more of those scripts moving forward, with the Chiefs, Bengals and Dolphins next up on the schedule. 

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Isaiah Davis, RB, Jets (11%): The New York backfield was a 50-50 split between Davis and Braelon Allen last week, which means Davis is a potential streamer if Breece Hall misses more time. The schedule offers a friendly finish for rushing defenses: Jaguars, Rams, Bills.  

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Deep Leagues (Leagues with 14 or more teams) 🔬

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Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers (5%): We were hoping he'd spread his wings during the Mike Evans injury — that did not happen. But McMillan flashed during a 4-59-2 game against the Raiders, playing 79% of the snaps. Perhaps this performance has some stickiness moving forward. 

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Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Falcons (18%): It's risky to trust to Kirk Cousins these days, but the Falcons are sticking with him and McCloud does have 193 yards over the last two weeks while TE Kyle Pitts has essentially disappeared. Receiver is a difficult place to find waiver-wire help, so let's not dismiss McCloud out of hand. 

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Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints (10%): Harder to buy in with Derek Carr hurt, but Johnson has been solid two of the last three weeks (TE8, TE25, TE3).

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Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets (34%): This is merely a Superflex recommendation, given that Rodgers is reportedly playing through multiple injuries. But he did throw for 339 yards in the Miami loss, and now he faces a Jacksonville secondary that can't guard a beach towel. 

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Commanders D/ST (24%): It's been mediocre for fantasy purposes all year, but we need to reevaluate with the Saints set to start an inexperienced backup quarterback.

If you're thinking about one-injury-away backs to roster for the fantasy playoffs, here are five names to consider:

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1. Blake Corum, Rams: Sean McVay is awfully good to his primary fantasy players.
2. Tyler Allgeier, Falcons: Proven grinder who also might have a little bit of stand alone value even if Bijan Robinson never gets hurt.
3. Cam Akers, Vikings: Ripped off impressive runs late in the Atlanta win, and the Vikings don't want to overwork Aaron Jones Sr. 
4. Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles: No one wants to see Saquon Barkley's historic season get derailed, but this team is going to be run-heavy no matter who the players are.
5. Ray Davis, Bills: He's made several splash plays as a rookie, though Josh Allen maintains a lot of the goal-line equity. 

A players-to-drop column will never be one-size-fits-all, so season these recommendations to taste. 

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Russell Wilson, QB, Steelers (56%): It's been a nifty comeback for Wilson, with a 6-1 record and mostly positive metrics as a passer. But the Steelers are never going to be a high-volume passing team as currently constructed, and he no longer offers anything as a runner. The Eagles (with George Pickens reportedly looking unlikely to go) and Chiefs await, and even the Ravens draw might not help — Wilson face-planted vs. them last month.

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Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons (83%): Remember, our game is about numbers, not names. Pitts has a paltry seven catches for 89 yards over his last five games, with zero touchdowns. Kirk Cousins has eight picks and zero touchdown passes over his last four games. And even if Cousins gets it going again, Pitts will usually be behind three teammates with respect to opportunity. I realize tight end is generally a hairy position, but you still shouldn't have to visit this wishing well.

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Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Titans (41%): We had a lot of fun with NWI during his improbable touchdown streak, but all along he was a depth player who was best used as a rotational piece during bye-week season. The byes are finally over and now we're in the fantasy playoffs; your wide receiver room probably has several better options. Use his roster spot on one of those December specialty plays, like running back insurance or an extra D/ST. Receiver depth no longer means much. 

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Alexander Mattison, RB, Raiders (40%): The Raiders probably already know he's not a part of their 2025 plans — he's averaging an anemic 3.3 yards per rush, and is on a one-year deal. It's time to evaluate future pieces, with Sincere McCormick starting to emerge in the backfield. 

Cole Kmet, TE, Bears (51%): It's painful to include Kmet because he was good to us during strong 2022 and 2023 fantasy seasons. But he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, he didn't even draw a target in the San Francisco loss and the Chicago passing game has three obvious options ahead of him in the pecking order. 

MNF fallout: With the exception of Tee Higgins (2-23-0), the big fantasy names came to play on Monday night. Cincinnati got the win, but Dallas helped us, too. Here's what you need to know.

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• Ja'Marr Chase had another blow-up game (14-177-2), and could be the No. 1 overall pick in 2025 fantasy drafts. Joe Burrow's also in top form: QB1, QB1, QB2, QB11, QB3 the last five weeks. The rest of the schedule is so-so (Titans, Browns, Broncos), but it doesn't matter with talents this electric.
• Chase Brown has the Cincinnati backfield to himself and continues to produce every week (RB5, RB4, RB10, RB10, RB6). He's game-script proof, since he plays in all packages.
• The Cowboys took forever to lean into Rico Dowdle, but it's been fun of late (RB19, RB5, RB15). QB Cooper Rush struggled, but at least he got CeeDee Lamb somewhat involved (6-93-1). We would like more than seven Lamb targets. The Dallas schedule gets fun; Carolina and Tampa Bay the next two weeks.

Injuries of note:

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• Kenneth Walker III is no longer dealing with an ankle injury, but the Seahawks have been doing tests on his calf. Zach Charbonnet was outstanding in Walker's absence last week, piling up 193 total yards and two touchdowns. Seattle draws Green Bay this week.
• Cedric Tillman was still in the concussion protocol as of Monday. The Browns have leaned into Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore while Tillman has been out.
• Will Dissly (shoulder) is expected to miss multiple weeks, which means Stone Smartt figures to be the primary tight end for the time being. Smartt had a useful 3-54-0 line at Kansas City on Sunday.

1. Allen: He just authored the best QB game in fantasy football history, and he likes to run more late in the season. 

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2. Charbonnet: Given how sluggish Kenneth Walker III has looked for months, maybe Charbonnet can push for the starting gig. 

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3. Guerendo: Those aggressive FAB bids were merited, but he has a foot injury and a short Thursday turnaround. 

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4. Addison: Justin Jefferson is obviously the alpha here, but Addison's Week 14 tape was gorgeous, too. 

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5. Nacua: Elite target earner, may be a top-five pick in 2025 fantasy drafts.