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Matt MacKay's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and sleepers ahead of Week 13. He picks high-upside players to stash on your teams who can emerge as starters.
By now, you're three months into adjusting your rosters as the 2021 NFL season has been one of the most entertaining and surprising in recent memory. Fantasy assets have ascended and plummeted quickly, making it difficult to gauge which players deserve to be in lineups.
For example, Week 12 saw Boston Scott, Tony Pollard, and Dontrell Hilliard all finished as RB2s in PPR leagues. These are players who remain second or third on the depth chart, but their usage has increased due to injuries or playcalling. A couple of weeks ago, none of these names would have been associated with RB2 value. Stashing a high-upside prospect ahead of time on your bench allows you to build depth while avoiding the waiver wire claims process. You never know when a player will rise to the occasion when given an opportunity.
Despite entering the third month of the season, quite a few enticing players are available on league waiver wires. I've collected a few of my favorite high-upside bench stashes and will explain why each is deserving of a roster spot ahead of Week 13.
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Matt Breida, Buffalo Bills
The resurgence of fifth-year running back Matt Breida has been fascinating to watch unfold. Buffalo has turned to Breida since Week 10, favoring the speedster over second-year bruiser Zack Moss. Breida's snap count has increased each week since the dominant 45-17 win over the New York Jets, where he scored two touchdowns to showcase his explosiveness out of the backfield. Devin Singletary remains the RB1 for now, but Breida is highly efficient when given touches, scoring a receiving touchdown in two of his last three games. New England is a formidable defense, but their weakness is against running backs, as they have surrendered the 14th-highest fantasy points per game to the position through 12 games this season. It appears that Breida has usurped Moss as the RB2 moving forward, so take advantage of his expanded role on one of the best offensive units in the league and stash him off of the waiver wire as a high-floor RB3.
Rex Burkhead, Houston Texans
Houston has cycled through its running backs all season, and Rex Burkhead appears to be the latest Texans running back destined for a valuable workload. Not only has Burkhead begun to get integrated into the passing game, but he also played more snaps than David Johnson by nearly 25 percent against the New York Jets in Week 12. Houston also gets their starting center, Justin Britt, back from Injured Reserve, which will only help create more extensive running lanes for Burkhead to find. Double-digit carries in back-to-back weeks is a good sign that Burkhead will remain locked in as the RB1, as Johnson may wind up missing Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts due to a non-COVID illness and thigh injury. The Colts are one of the better defenses against opposing running backs, but Burkhead could wind up with 20 to 25 touches, which gives him a high-end RB3 floor with the opportunity to finish as an RB1 if he finds the end zone. The 31-year old scored his only touchdown of the season back in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams, who have another good run defense. Burkhead is a solid RB3 to stash and use when necessary, as he is expected to get enough work to warrant lineup consideration in Week 13.
DeSean Jackson, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders were forced to make a move to patch the hole in their roster left in the wake of the ensuing tragedy involving former wideout Henry Ruggs III. They opted to turn to veteran burner DeSean Jackson, who has been the perfect downfield weapon to unlock the Raiders offense. Jackson's average target depth lingers between 38 yards and 25.5 yards in the two games that he's seen passing work with his new team. Derek Carr has been playing well this season, which adds to Jackson's appeal in an offense lacking explosive receivers after the knee injury sustained by Darren Waller against Dallas on Thanksgiving. Jackson had his best performance with Las Vegas since his signing in Week 10, hauling in three receptions for 102 yards that included a 56-yard touchdown reception during the first drive of their Week 12 win. As we've seen throughout his career, especially the last couple of seasons, Jackson only needs a couple of targets to win a matchup. Stash him off of waiver wires as he develops a rapport with Carr.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals
Rondale Moore started hot in his rookie debut with the Arizona Cardinals, racking up 11 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks of the season. Since then, Moore has seen his targets, receptions, and yardage all come crashing down. The multi-game absence of star quarterback Kyler Murray has hindered Moore's usage, as Kliff Kingsbury has opted to use him as a ball carrier when the defense shuts down his route running. Murray's healthy and will be looking to make big throws downfield, where a full complement of wide receivers will be waiting to connect. Despite the negative, Moore caught all 11 targets in Week 11 against Seattle for 51 yards and should be able to transfer this momentum into a few big plays with Murray back under center. Stash Moore off of waivers, and value him as a fringe-WR3 with upside due to a favorable schedule down the stretch.
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions
Josh Reynolds has steadily improved his fantasy value since getting claimed off of the NFL league waiver wire a month ago. Reynolds has become the WR1 for the Detroit Lions, reuniting with former quarterback Jared Goff. He has built his snap count and target share each week, yielding his most significant performance of the season against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. The tall, lean wideout caught three of his five targets for 70 yards and a touchdown against a vulnerable Chicago secondary in Week 12 and will face another weak secondary within the NFC North in Week 13. His schedule is not as favorable as others, but the quick burst onto the scene in Detroit is due to his talent, rapport with Goff, and lack of surrounding personnel. De'Andre Swift's multi-game absence also bodes well for Reynolds, as the Lions will likely be forced to air it out to stay competitive. Stash Reynolds as a high-end WR4 with WR2 upside depending on the matchup.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Andy Dalton did nothing to damage second-year tight end Cole Kmet's value in Week 12. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields developed chemistry with Kmet before his injury, so many fantasy managers became concerned that Kmet would no longer hold TE1 streaming appeal without the rookie under center. As it turns out, Dalton loves Kmet, targeting him a team-high 11 times during their narrow win over Detroit on Thanksgiving. Kmet now has at least six targets in four out of his last five games while hauling in at least five receptions on three occasions during this stretch. The touchdown regression is undoubtedly due, as role players like Jesse James and Jimmy Graham have managed to snag a touchdown over Kmet through 11 games. However, his floor is massive, and if he finds the end zone, Kmet can be pegged as a week-winner. He'll face three tough opponents in a row, but the volume is too much to ignore, so stash Kmet and value him as a fringe TE1 moving into Week 13 against Arizona.
Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans
Houston lost Tyrod Taylor back in the second week of the season, spelling doom for the franchise already dealing with new front office hires and a distracting situation with its star quarterback. Taylor returned in Week 9 against Miami and looked sharp in his last two starts, amassing four total touchdowns using his arm and legs. Taylor is a good passer, as he torched the New York Jets' secondary to hit Brandin Cooks on a 40-yard deep ball that dropped right into the wideout's outstretched hands. Rushing upside is massive in fantasy football. Most leagues value rushing yards three times higher than passing yards while awarding six points for a rushing touchdown instead of four points awarded for a passing touchdown. Taylor has elusiveness and speed in the open field, which is why he has at least 23 rushing yards in each start since his Week 9 return. Taylor has only surpassed 200 passing yards once, but he has proven that he's capable of airing it out when necessary. He also gets a favorable schedule for the remainder of the season, facing the Colts, Seahawks, and Jaguars across his next three games. If you're in a pinch in a one quarterback league and want a high-floor quarterback to plug in, Taylor is the perfect prospect. Stash him off of waivers and roll him into lineups as a fringe-QB1 due to his rushing upside.
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