Adam Strangis NFL Waiver Wire Week 13
Between Covid and injuries, we have another week full of havoc and potential opportunity on the waiver wire. Most leagues will be entering the playoffs this week or next at the latest, so getting players that can help are at a premium. Most of these players might not be likely to have a spot in the starting lineup right away for playoff teams. However, we’ve seen it only takes one play to change everything and games to be put in danger of not being played. Let’s dig in to the NFL Waiver Wire Week 13!
*Note* The ownership referenced will be based on Yahoo and if this needs updated after Monday Night Football, it certainly will be before your waivers run.
Teams on a bye – Panthers, Bucs
Quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins – 20% rostered
Rookie Tua Tagovailoa could potentially miss more time with a thumb injury and that leaves Fitzpatrick as a solid starter in any format. He’s had just really one poor start in the first game of the season. Past that, every single start other than the Seattle game has featured at least two touchdown passes. Against the Seahawks, he ran in a score so that saved his day as well. He’s not flashy but you can feel good about 250 yards and two touchdowns just about every game out. The Bengals are up next and likely won’t given much resistance.
Kirk Cousins, Vikings – 40% rostered
Cousins was mostly a punch line at the start of the season but that’s changed for Cousins. The mergence of rookie Justin Jefferson has helped immensely and Cousins is playing much better. In 11 games, Cousins has thrown two or three touchdowns in eight of them and he’s now seventh in touchdown passes in the NFL. The yards are middling but he has six games with 20 attempts or fewer. he next two weeks feature Jacksonville and a suddenly very vulnerable Tampa Bay defense. Cousins should also get Adam Thielen back, raising the chances for touchdown passes.
Honorable Mention
Jalen Hurts, Eagles – This could go either way as I’m writing this before Monday Night Football kicks off. Hurts is slated to see more plays and with the wildly unstable play of Carson Wentz…maybe Hurts gets more run. I would absolutely not be too excited here as long as Wentz and Hurts are both active.
Running Back
Devontae Booker, Raiders – 9% rostered
This is mostly an opportunity play. Starter Josh Jacobs is facing a potential absence with an ankle injury. If that’s the case, Booker stands to benefit the most. Now, I don’t think the Raiders urn him into a workhorse back in the traditional sense but he has passing game chops. Booker should be get at least 10-15 touches this week with Jacobs likely missing at least one game. Booker has been playing between 25-35% of the snaps with Jacobs active. Considering this week’s game is against the Jets, Booker is a nice streaming option for teams missing a Carolina or Tampa back.
Cam Akers, Rams – 29% rostered
I think the rest of the fantasy community is likely to be more excited about Akers than I am. Yes, it is the second straight week Akers has found the paint and that’s a big-time positive sign. I’m not trying to put the rookie down. However, it’s important to realize where he’s still at in the pecking order for playing time and that’s still third. Akers has only touched the ball 15 times combined. On the 14 carries he’s had, he has 99 yards with a 61-yard gallop mixed in. You can’t really play the “take this play away and Akers stinks” card because Akers made that big play. It’s just illustrating that he’s been luck to score twice and create one signature run in 15 touches. Unless he overtakes Darrell Henderson or Malcolm Brown for a bigger role, he could cripple a lineup this week. Akers is worth a pickup but a cautious one at this stage of the season.
Frank Gore, Jets – 25% rostered
Do I like writing up Gore in 2020 on the worst offense in football? Not exactly but with La’Mical Perine out of the lineup Gore has gotten a total of 38 touches the past two games. Even with only one score, he’s produced double-digit PPR games in both contests. There is zero flash or sizzle to Gore at this stage of the game but the Raiders are far from the best run defense in football this upcoming week. In a pinch, Gore can get it done and at least you know he’s going to touch the ball.
Honorable Mention
James White, Patriots – He’s too highly rostered to make the normal cut, but if you can snag White you definitely should. He has receiving upside if Cam Newton can complete passes (debatable) and he scored two touchdowns this past week. White should continue to have a usable role in this offense moving forward since Rex Burkhead is out for the year.
Brian Hill/Ito Smith, Falcons
I’m not sure if Smith will look better than Hill again this week if Todd Gurley is out. Perhaps Gurley comes back and we don’t need to worry about it. Smith scored but Hill played more snaps. This would be bottom of the barrel desperation pickups and I would generally prefer Smith. Just hope you don’t have to reach this deep.
Wide Receiver
*Update* With the Will Fuller suspension, a lot just opened up in the Texans passing game. Fuller accounted for over 30% of the air yards share and over 21% of the target share. Now that he’s done for the season, you have to make sure Brandin Cooks is rostered in your leagues. Since he’s close to 90% rostered, consider Keke Coutee. He’s a deeper league option only but someone will need to step up in the passing game. If you have a burnable roster spot and can wait, Randall Cobb is the play. He was already the number three option, but he is injured. When he comes back, he’s coming back to a big opportunity.
Sterling Shepard, Giants – 52% rostered
He’s just barely over the threshold but this position is weak for options. Shepard has been back for five games and he’s yet to record fewer than six receptions. Now, he’s only scored one time and only once has he gone over 70 yards but he’s been PPR relevant every game. Even with Colt McCoy likely at quarterback, Shepard has an aDOT under 7.0. He’ll still be a primary target on short routes and should keep racking up receptions.
Gabriel Davis, Bills – 3% rostered
The rookie receiver has a big opportunity in front of him with John Brown out on IR. He has four touchdowns on the season and three games with more than 70 yards in very limited playing time. He was only targeted four times this past week but oddly, the Bills only threw it 24 times. Davis still played over 90% of the snaps and that’s excellent for a player so low-owned. The upcoming schedule is tough with the 49ers, Broncos and Steelers but Stefon Diggs will get the most attention. Davis is still a sneaky good pickup.
Honorable Mention
T.Y. Hilton, Colts – I won’t go after T.Y. after one good game. It’s only the second time all year he’s been over 10 PPR points but even I have to admit the schedule coming up is amazing. Hilton gets the Texans twice (whom he historically SCORCHES) and the Raiders. He’d be more of a DFS play than a seasonal play in my eyes.
Breshad Perriman, Jets – We’re talking about our second Jet today which is double gross but Perriman has hit his stride. He’s racked up three touchdowns and over 230 receiving yards in three games since returning from injury.
Tight End
Drew Sample, Bengals – 12% rostered
Tight end is a tough spot to find anyone to play but Sample is going to make the list this week. He’s played a fair amount of snaps and he runs a good bit of routes for the Bengals. However, when Joe Burrow was active he didn’t look at Sample all that much. That changed a little bit with five targets with Brandon Allen at quarterback. The five targets were tied for the third-most in any game for Sample and that may well continue with sub-par quarterback play.
Dalton Schultz, Cowboys – 22% rostered
We talk about tight end being a wasteland and yet, Schultz is hardly rostered. He’s not a league winner or anything like that but he’s the TE10 in PPR (before MNF and Tuesday’s game). I mean, he’s a bottom tier TE1 even in shallow leagues. In the 10 games since Blake Jarwin was hurt, Schultz has recorded at least four receptions in all but two contests. He’s produced despite the quarterback carousel and has to be rostered more.
D/ST
Chargers, 36% rostered
They’re coming off a big game against the Bills and a near superhuman effort from Joey Bosa. They now get a traveling New England squad with some of the most questionable offensive weapons in football. I’m happy take the chance they can generate some turnovers and keep the Patriots at a low point total. The Chargers are really the perfect pickup for NFL Waiver Wire Week 13.
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