Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 13 (Fantasy Football)

Believe it or not, there are just two weeks left to get your playoff spot secured or be left sitting at home this fantasy postseason! The chances to make those crucial roster moves that could push your fantasy team over the top are becoming fewer and fewer so it’s time to take a look at who fantasy managers should consider adding this week! Luckily, Week 13 is Turkey Week and all 32 teams are in action with no byes to navigate around.

The great Joe Beldner is out this week, so you’ll have to deal with a lesser—though better looking—part of the writing staff to set you up to navigate the waiver wire this week!

• Complete Waiver Wire Rankings
• Weekly Waivers Episode of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast

Running Backs

Jeremy McNichols, RB, Washington Commanders — The potential for opportunity is the name of the game for may be the best RB that the waiver wire has had in a handful of weeks in Jeremy McNichols. While he may not be a household name, McNichols has had a decent fantasy impact already this season, with three top-32 RB finishes in limited roles for the Commanders’ offense. It is encouraging to see a guy like McNichols be able to step in and take advantage of the chances he’s given, even if they are mainly due to injury. The only possible downside to investing in McNichols this week would be the TD-dependent nature that he’s had to be relevant for fantasy managers. McNichols has played more than 20% of snaps in seven different weeks for Washington this season but only finished higher than RB41 whenever he’s found his way into the end zone.

While having a piece of a Commanders’ run game that has the third-most rushing yards in the league this season is intriguing for fantasy managers, McNichols’ fantasy relevance hinges directly on whether or not Brian Robinson Jr. (ankle) and Austin Ekeler (concussion) will be playing this week. Even so, McNichols would have a tough matchup against a Tennessee defense that just held Joe Mixon to his lowest rushing total of the season in Week 12. Overall though, McNichols is highly available and could be a lower-end flex start for fantasy managers in a pinch.

Recommended FAAB: 0-15%

Gus Edwards, RB, Los Angeles Chargers — The return to the lineup for Gus Edwards hasn’t been pretty, but this waiver wire FAAB spending hinges on whether or not he becomes the lead back in the Chargers’ backfield. After J.K. Dobbins left Monday night’s game against the Ravens with a knee injury, Edwards took over the main RB duties, getting into the end zone for the first time this season. With Dobbins’ status up in the air, fantasy managers could get a lead RB for the back end of the fantasy year off the waiver wire which is nearly unheard of at this point in the season.

If the Gus Bus does inherit the starting RB role for the Chargers, he would only be a fantasy option based on volume due to a tough schedule ahead over the next several weeks. L.A.’s next four matchups feature teams allowing negative fantasy points above expectation, including their next two against Atlanta (-2.7) and Kansas City (-8.2). Fantasy managers in need of an RB will have a tough decision to make with FAAB reserves likely low at this point of the year. Edwards is available in more than 70% of leagues so he’ll likely be a highly coveted player come Wednesday morning.

Recommended FAAB: 0-20%

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders — Believe it or not, for the third time this season, Ameer Abdullah has logged a top-24 RB finish for the Raiders, but his Week 12 was about as high-end of a performance as fantasy managers could get from a waiver wire hero. With the Raiders’ top two RBs out with injuries, Abdullah took complete control of the backfield seeing 90% of snaps and handling 62% of the carries on the day. The real value that Adbullah brings to fantasy rosters though is going to come through the air, where he saw six targets against the Broncos and scored his second TD in as many weeks. 

While it’s still up in the air whether or not either Zamir White or Alexander Mattison will be back on the field this week for Las Vegas, Abdullah may have carved himself a more consistent role in an offense that’s been searching for an answer in the backfield all season. The Raiders have rushed for the fewest yards in the league this season and are one of just three teams that have three or fewer carries that went for 20+ yards. While the matchup in Week 13 might not be the best for RBs against the Chiefs, Abdullah may still be able to help fantasy managers down the stretch of the fantasy season with several solid matchups for RBs coming over the next several weeks.

Recommended FAAB: 0-10%

Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers — All it took was a massive snowstorm for Jaylen Warren to finally break the 10 fantasy point ceiling he’d avoided all season. Despite still seeing fewer opportunities than fellow RB Najee Harris, Warren made the most of his chances and got into the end zone for the first time this season. While Warren hasn’t been a game-changer for fantasy rosters, he’s finished as a top-24 RB in three consecutive games and has basically matched Harris’ production in the Pittsburgh running game during that stretch.

The challenge for fantasy managers investing in Warren to be on their rosters is that there isn’t much opportunity for Warren to be a week-winning type of player for them. Pittsburgh’s offense has thrown the ball the third-fewest times in the league so there should still be plenty of opportunities for their RBs to contribute to fantasy lineups, but the ceilings for both Warren and Harris feel capped as long as the other is healthy. If there’s an argument to be made against Harris, it’s the tough stretch of games the Steelers have coming ahead and into the fantasy playoffs. In their remaining seven games, Pittsburgh faces a team allowing negative points above expectation every week. With another big set of byes coming in Week 14, Warren might serve a purpose better in two weeks than in the immediate future.

Recommended FAAB: 0-15%

• Complete Waiver Wire Rankings

Wide Receivers

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers — After finishing as a top-30 WR in three straight games, Quentin Johnston came back down to earth in Week 12, putting up a complete goose on the night despite seeing five targets against the Ravens. As disappointing as it was given a great matchup, Johnston should still be on fantasy managers’ radars as a decent flex play going forward. Quge’s bad Week 12 ended a three-week stretch where he’d caught a TD and was averaging 13.7 fantasy points per week. With the Chargers continuing to throw the ball at a higher rate, Johnston shouldn’t be available anywhere just due to the opportunity that should continue to come his way.

The main argument for prioritizing Quge hinges on the great schedule the Chargers have down the stretch of the year. In three of L.A.’s next five games, they’ll face a defense that’s allowing at least 2.2 fantasy points above expectation, including a great matchup in Week 13 against the Falcons. Fantasy managers may have a tough time trusting Quge after getting a big zero in their lineups this past week, but if he’s hanging out on waivers, it’s hard to imagine not making sure he’s on a roster for the back stretch of the season.

Recommended FAAB: 0-25%

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans — At this point, there’s really no reason that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine isn’t already on a fantasy roster in your league. Westbrook-Ikhine has been on an absolute tear in a struggling Titans offense, finishing as a top-24 WR in three of his last four games and finding the end zone in six of his last seven. Since Tennessee traded DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City, NWI’s usage has been massive, playing 93% of snaps and averaging 11.3 fantasy points per game. If Westbrook-Ikhine remains involved like he has been over the last month for the Titans, he very well could put himself into a great position to be a huge late-season addition for fantasy managers trying to make a playoff push. 

If a ton of involvement wasn’t enough to convince you, a look at Tennessee’s schedule to end the season should be enough to push you over the edge into opening up that FAAB wallet. In their remaining six games, the Titans play a team allowing positive points above expectation to opposing WRs in every game, and four of those matchups are allowing at least 2.2 points above expectation. With just 21% of leagues rostering NWI currently, he should be a priority pickup for fantasy managers this week, especially if they’re running into bye week troubles in Week 14.

Recommended FAAB: 0-0%

Devaughn Vele, WR, Denver Broncos — One of the emerging pieces in the Denver offense is rookie WR Devaughn Vele. While he’s had to find his footing in the NFL and battled a rib injury earlier in the year, Vele has become the most consistent WR option for the Broncos behind Courtland Sutton. Over the last three weeks, Vele has finished as a top-24 WR twice and is averaging nearly five receptions and 61 receiving yards during that stretch. The 6’5” WR has also started seeing red zone targets from rookie QB Bo Nix, getting a target inside the 20 in two of the last three weeks, one of which he turned into his first career TD. 

For fantasy managers in need of a high-end WR option to start this week, Vele has a great matchup against Cleveland. The Browns are giving up nearly 30 fantasy points per game to opposing teams’ fantasy WRs and that includes the 27 they allowed during a snowstorm just last week to the Steelers. While it may just be a spot-start for Week 13, Vele is still pretty widely available and could prove to be a flex-worthy pickup.

Recommended FAAB: 0-0%

David Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers — While he isn’t the Panthers’ WR that we may have expected to be looking to pick up this week, David Moore’s Week 12 performance may be worth chasing. Moore led Carolina’s receiving game against the Chiefs with 81 yards and a TD as the WR11 on the week. The 17.1 fantasy points that Moore put up Sunday is the third-highest fantasy output for any Panthers WR this season and seeing as how the two highest fantasy days came from Diontae Johnson, he’s the only WR currently on the team to score more than 17 points in a given week all season. 

Depending on the Panthers’ receiving game isn’t prescriptive for fantasy success lately, but Carolina has a string of matchups heading into the fantasy playoffs that could set Moore up to be able to repeat his big day again. In their next six games, Carolina plays four teams that are allowing at least 1.2 fantasy points over expectation, including Week 13’s matchup against Tampa Bay. Moore is widely available in fantasy leagues and could be worth a dart throw to see if something in this Panthers’ passing game finally sticks.

Recommended FAAB: 0-0%

• Complete Waiver Wire Rankings

Tight Ends

Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints — If he wasn’t picked up last week as a stash, Taysom Hill has to be the top TE priority for fantasy managers needing TE production. Hill’s ridiculous 37.5 fantasy points in Week 11 won’t be easy for fantasy managers to forget, though it likely came on either the bench or waiver wire in most leagues. Despite the changes in the coaching staff in New Orleans, the usage of Hill has stayed the same, if not even better for fantasy. What could be a positive difference for Hill is his career-high 10 targets. With the Saints in need of pass-catching options, if Hill continues to be involved in the passing game, it should only raise the likelihood that he can explode again for fantasy managers.

The path forward for Hill looks to be lined with matchups that should give him the opportunity to keep his hot streak going. For the remainder of the season, Hill will face a team that allows at least 1.4 points above expectation to either the TE or RB positions. Hill was either supposed to get a carry or was the first-read target on 32% of the Saints’ offensive snaps last week, and a repeat of that involvement should be another great fantasy week for this utility player fantasy managers may be able to get if he’s still hanging out on waivers.

Recommended FAAB: 0-25%

Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Dallas Cowboys — For the second week in a row, Luke Schoonmaker made the most of the opportunity given to him in the Dallas offense. After being relatively uninvolved for a majority of the season, the Skoon-Man has played at least 53% of snaps in back-to-back weeks and has seen an average of 16% of the teams’ targets during that stretch. While there should be plenty of concerns about the Cowboys’ offense and the limited ceiling it may provide for Schoonmaker, the Dallas defense has allowed at least 27 points in their last six games, so they’ll need to continue throwing the ball plenty.

It’s never ideal to set a fantasy lineup with a risky play on a Thursday night situation, so Schoonmaker may need to be an “add and wait” type of player for fantasy lineups this week. That said, after Week 13, the Cowboys have three straight games against teams that are allowing at least 1.9 fantasy points above expectation to the TE position. Schoonmaker is only currently rostered in 19% of fantasy leagues, so getting him as a potential stash for Week 14 may be the best play here.

Recommended FAAB: 0-0%

Noah Gray, TE, Kansas City Chiefs — It feels like fantasy managers have been keeping a close eye on Noah Gray for years, but the time may finally be emerging for the Chiefs’ backup TE. Gray has doubled his career TD total in the last two weeks, getting into the end zone four times in the last two games. While Travis Kelce is still plenty involved in the Kansas City offense, Gray may have emerged as a valuable red zone target for the Chiefs, seeing three targets inside the 20 over his last two games. 

For fantasy managers searching for a high-upside play in Week 13, Gray could be one of the cheaper, although riskier players to nab off the waiver wire with a matchup against the Raiders ahead on Black Friday. Las Vegas has allowed at least 23.8 fantasy points to opposing teams’ fantasy TEs in three of their last four games. The biggest concern for fantasy managers considering Gray this week might be the lack of need for the Chiefs to throw the ball against the Raiders since they’re favored by nearly two TDs.

Recommended FAAB: 0-0%

• Complete Waiver Wire Rankings

Quarterbacks

Team DEF/ST

• Complete Waiver Wire Rankings
• Weekly Waivers Episode of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast

Final Thoughts

When we get this late into the fantasy season, having a waiver wire pool that could feature several startable players should be viewed as a great week! Fantasy managers that aren’t in need of hole-filling this week would be savvy to look ahead to the bye-pocalypse that is Week 14 since many of these options will be gone before then. As a reminder, if none of the bigger name players pique your interest, it’s always a decent move to make sure the high-value insurance policies—Blake Corum, Braelon Allen, Trey Benson—aren’t hanging out there before they become super valuable due to injury.

Now is the time for great fantasy teams to begin executing their final moves to make their run throughout the playoffs! Regardless of what Jameis Winston says, you can’t go buy that W on Amazon, it’s got to be earned!