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Week 13 Waiver Wire for Fantasy Football
We are past the biggest bye weeks in the NFL, so your lineups should once again be stocked with all the big-name players and star sleepers that you drafted. Oh, that's right, half your team is injured...well, you've come to the right place. I'm here to help you out with reviews of all the top fantasy football waiver wire adds going into Week 13 of the NFL season.
Just a friendly reminder that in my weekly waiver wire pickups overview column, I only highlight players owned in fewer than 50% of leagues on Fleaflicker. There very well may be other options out there, so be sure to read all of RotoBaller's Week 13 waiver wire analysis. And of course, you can always stop by the RotoBaller chat rooms for any live advice you may need.
For now, check out my waiver wire thoughts below for Week 13, and be sure to come back to see my rankings when they're posted right here on RotoBaller later on in the week!
Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Alex Smith vs Broncos - 48% Owned on Fleaflicker
Alex Smith may be coming off a loss to the lowly Raiders, but it was a solid fantasy day. He hasn't had a turnover in his last six games, and has scored 15+ in three of his last four. He also has a good track record against Denver, scoring 14 points against them in their first matchup this year despite no touchdowns, and hitting 20+ points in both matchups last year. As long as he can avoid zero touchdowns, he should have a really nice game here.
2. Mark Sanchez @ Cowboys - 47% Owned on Fleaflicker
Yes, Mark Sanchez has made some horrible mistakes, as is the norm for Mark Sanchez. Yet he has still managed to hit double-digit scoring in all four of his games, which means he's never killing you like other streaming QBs might. That's the nice thing about the Chip Kelly offense: it allows for a very high fantasy floor. Sanchez has thrown for 300 yards in all three of his games. At the Cowboys in primetime on a short week is no easy task, but there's a decent chance he gets to 300 yards again and delivers a respectable performance.
3. Zach Mettenberger @ Texans - 8% Owned on Fleaflicker
Okay, so it helped that the Titans were playing from behind the entire game (the Eagles opened with a kick-return TD), and thus there were plenty of throwing opportunities for Mettenberger, but I thought he did a good job in Week 12. He threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. I definitely won't expect such impressive yardage totals against the Texans, but he did already throw for 299 yards and two scores against them in his first career start. In deeper leagues or two-QB formats, Mettenberger is a nice option if the first two guys are already owned.
Other QBs to Consider: Josh McCown (27%) vs Bengals - should once again be an alright stream. Over his last three games, his lowest yardage total is 288. If Eli Manning (65%) is available, he's a very nice option against the Jags. And in especially deep leagues, if Mettenberger is owned but Blake Bortles (16%) isn't, it's not the worst matchup.
Running Back Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Latavius Murray @ Rams - 28% Owned on Fleaflicker
I feel pretty good about highlighting Murray in this space last week. He didn't have many opportunities to impress before being sidelined with a concussion, but he certainly made the most of them with a 90-yard touchdown, finishing with 112 yards and two scores on just four carries. If he had stayed in the game, Murray was likely looking at a 200-yard day. Fortunately, he goes from a Thursday game to a Sunday game, so there's a very good chance he plays against the Rams. While they are a solid run defense, Latavius Murray with 15+ touches has a lot of upside. Murray should be the top add in all leagues, and perhaps the only widely available RB that could make an impact down the stretch.
2. Dan Herron vs Redskins - 13% Owned on Fleaflicker
Dan Herron caught my eye in the preseason with strong performances. I was happy to see he'd be getting his chance when Ahmad Bradshaw went down. I certainly didn't expect him to get the start or receive more touches than Trent Richardson, but that's exactly what happened. Herron did fumble, but it didn't keep him on the bench. He ended up totaling a solid 96 yards on 17 touches. The Redskins are a bit of a stingy run defense, but we can expect the Colts to lead all day, meaning there will be plenty of touches between Herron and T-Rich.
3. LeGarrette Blount/Jonas Gray @ Packers - 40% / 62% Owned on Fleaflicker
I knew Gray was going to come down to Earth, but I still felt like I had to put him at #1 in my RB adds last week. Gray made the mistake of showing up late to a practice, and that locked in his fate for this week, as he remained on the bench the entire day watching his replacement Blount score two touchdowns. Going forward, this situation will likely remain a headache. Your guess is as good as mine, but one of these guys will have nice value in a given game. I prefer Blount given his longer record of success, especially with the Patriots last year including a three-game stretch (including playoffs) in which he scored eight touchdowns. I'd prefer to avoid these two altogether because of the unpredictability, though.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Jarvis Landry @ Jets - 18% Owned on Fleaflicker
The lesser half of the LSU rookie WR duo continues to impress. He now has at least five receptions in each of the past four games, with four touchdowns during that span, as well. I wouldn't quite say he has surpassed Mike Wallace as the top WR on this team, but it's pretty close. He has become a super reliable player, and with a matchup against the Jets this week, expect him to continue the hot streak.
2. Charles Johnson vs Panthers - 2% Owned on Fleaflicker
Johnson was at 1% in this column last week, so congrats to those of you that managed to grab him! While his three catches on 10 targets isn't very impressive, that is mostly attributable to Teddy Bridgewater's (in)accuracy. Johnson was open multiple times and Bridgewater just missed him. He was still able to score on the targets he did catch, giving him two straight good games. More promising is the fact that he led the team in targets. He gets another good matchup here.
3. Philly Brown @ Vikings - 1% Owned on Fleaflicker
For someone really off the radar, I give you Corey 'Philly' Brown. When the Panthers released Jason Avant, they claimed Philly Brown was a big reason why. In his lone start of the year against the Steelers, he had seven receptions on nine targets for 66 yards. Week 11 was the most snaps he'd played since that start, and he managed to pull down a 47-yard touchdown. He isn't super athletic, but he does have nice speed, which is a huge contrast to any other receiver on the team. Seriously, Kelvin Benjamin and Brenton Bersin are both at 4.6+ in the 40, and while Jerricho Cotchery had a 4.54 at the combine, that was ten years ago. Brown brings a new dynamic to the offense, and I think he'll be a nice PPR sleeper.
Tight End Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Charles Clay @ Jets - 47% Owned on Fleaflicker
Caution: Clay was inactive for Week 12, so his status for Week 13 is up in the air. If he does play, I'll like him a lot, as the Jets are awful against tight ends. Clay had been playing much better of late with five or more receptions in each of his last three games. It's a shame he missed the game against the Broncos, because he had a nice matchup there, as well. Keep an eye on his status for this week.
2. Tim Wright @ Packers - 20% Owned on Fleaflicker
I mentioned Wright here last week and it worked out. Over his last seven games, he has either scored a touchdown (five games) or has zero catches (two games). Most likely thanks to Gronk, teams have a tendency to forget about Wright in the end zone. He's still a risk for that zero, but I'm becoming increasingly more comfortable using him.
3. Eric Ebron vs Bears - 13% Owned on Fleaflicker
Ebron has been pretty quiet since returning in Week 11. He did manage to catch all four of his targets that week, and had an impressive seven targets in Week 12. The Bears are a great matchup for tight ends, and it seems like they're making an effort to get Ebron involved. He's a long shot, but I like his chances here.
