Bruce Ellington (WR, DET) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team PPR Leagues

OWNED IN: 9% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions offense were in big need of help at the wide receiver position after dealing Golden Tate to the Eagles, and as a result, they took a chance on Bruce Ellington who had been a part of the Houston Texans as recently as week three. He has played in just three games for the Lions but he already ranks fifth on the team in targets (26), receptions (19), and sixth in the team in total receiving yards (115); behind players who have been staples on the field for Detroit all season like Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Theo Riddick, Kerryon Johnson, and Levine Toilolo. It isn't just that Ellington has been active from the moment he joined the Lions, it's that he has been targeted at a high-volume with consistency and has been deployed in diverse situations.

In weeks eleven through thirteen Ellington reached totals of nine, seven, and ten targets and caught six, six, and seven of those passes for an average of 38.3 yards per game. Ellington also received a carry for two yards in week twelve against the Chicago Bears, and even made a pass attempt this past week against the Rams, and though the pass was incomplete it demonstrates the utility-man role that the Lions have been deploying him in. Though he has only been able to gain 6.1 yards-per-reception and he has failed to find the end-zone in one of his many quick looks as a member of the Lions, the fact that Stafford has been targeting him with such frequency so early in his run with the team bodes well as the regular season draws nearer to a close. With all that considered, Bruce Ellington is an excellent option down the homestretch in deeper PPR leagues.