Sneaky Starts, Pivot Plays, and Post-Waiver Pickups for Week 13 - Russell Wilson, Tyler Allgeier, Juwan Johnson, Jayden Reed, more

Michael Florio's fantasy football sneaky starts, pivot plays, and post-waiver waiver pickups for Week 13 of the NFL season. Start 'em as under-the-radar fantasy sleepers this upcoming week.

The byes are back. Wasn’t last week so nice -- where all you had to worry about was injuries? This week is a killer not just with six teams on bye, but with the high-quality fantasy options that the teams give us. You will not be able to use your Bills, Bears, Giants, Ravens, Raiders, and Vikings players. 

The QB position is the one that is being hit the hardest, but the depth of all fantasy managers will be tested this week. That is the silver lining that so many managers will be without their full starting lineup this week. But rejoice, after this week the Cardinals and Commanders are the only teams left on bye. 

My advice this time of year is always the same. If you can add your RB handcuffs, you should. The Jonathan Taylor manager sure wishes they had Zack Moss. You may have to wait a week because of the byes, but no later than next week should you be adding your handcuff. Now, onto helping you survive the bye weeks! 

Quarterback Pivot Options for Fantasy Football

Jordan Love has multiple passing touchdowns in three straight and scored 20 or more in his last two. He also can add valuable points with his legs having run for over 20 yards in four of his last seven -- three times going over 30. A reminder that 10 rushing yards equates to 25 passing in fantasy land. He is putting up better numbers as a passer and will have to throw to try and keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The matchup is tough, but he is a strong streaming option this week. 

Russell Wilson has topped 16 fantasy points in three of his last four games. And do not look now, but he is running more. The 11 carries, 34 yards, and a touchdown last week were awesome, but it's not like it came out of nowhere. Since Week 5, Russell Wilson has run for over 20 yards in all but one game. He has 30 or more in five games. This week, he faces the Texans, who have allowed the fourth-most passing yards since Week 8. The Broncos must move the ball to keep up with C.J. Stroud and their offense. Plus, he has a great schedule moving forward so he is more than just a one-week rental. 

Baker Mayfield brings a safe floor as far as streaming options go. He was disappointing last week, but that was just his fourth time this season with fewer than 16 fantasy points. He has also thrown multiple passing touchdowns in four of his last five games. The Panthers are not a matchup to avoid. The ceiling may not be much higher than 16 fantasy points, but he is a floor play worth streaming. 

Derek Carr is another streaming option as he has topped 300 passing yards in four of his last six games. The Lions have allowed a lot of production to QBs as of late with every QB facing them since their bye topping 21 fantasy points. The Saints will need to put up points to try and keep up with the Lions' offense. Carr is a pivot option for those in need of a bye-week replacement. 

Running Back Pivot Options for Fantasy Football

Jeff Wilson Jr. returned last week after being a healthy scratch the week prior and played a third of the snaps, touching the ball 14 times. He turned that into 10.3 fantasy points. You have to monitor De'Von Achane’s status but if he is out, Wilson is very much in play as the Dolphins always feature two backs. He has a good matchup this week against the Commanders, who have allowed 4.8 yards per carry to backs since Week 8. He is a safe floor streaming option with an upside in one of the league's top offenses. 

Tyler Allgeier is always a threat to get more work than anticipated, especially when it comes to work near the goal line. He has a favorable matchup against the Jets, who have allowed the third-most rushing yards to backs since Week 8. But this should be a game where the Falcons run it a ton. Not only because the Jets have struggled against it, but because of how elite their secondary is. New York struggles to score points -- I doubt the Falcons want to give their secondary a chance to flip the game. They will run, run, and run some more, which means Allgeier is in play this week. 

Rico Dowdle has 10-plus touches in two of his last three games. He also has a touchdown in two games in that span. The floor is low as the weekly snap count still sits below 30 percent, but there has been more usage as of late for Dowdle. The hope here is he could have a breakaway run or score a touchdown. Perhaps he could see a lot of work in mop-up duty. The matchup has Dowdle in play as an upside streaming option for those in a pinch. The Seahawks have allowed the second-most rushing yards, most rushing touchdowns, and 5.3 yards per carry to backs since Week 8. 

Michael Carter is purely a deep-league option. Carter split snaps evenly with James Conner last week (25 each). Carter carried the ball four times to Conner’s six but he did run more routes. He finished with four catches on four targets for 15 yards. Again, the production was low but the usage is what matters. Carter is playing this week and seems to have a role that is enough to make him a streaming option in 14-team leagues or deeper. 

Wide Receiver Pivot Options for Fantasy Football

Demario Douglas has nine targets in each of his last two games. He has seven or more in four straight. That sort of volume is enough to have him in play in a week like this with so many teams on bye. He has scored 10 or more fantasy points in his last three games -- which again is reliable in a week like this. Not only has he seen consistent volume but he has a fantastic matchup against the Chargers, who have allowed the third-most fantasy PPG to receivers. 

Jayden Reed has scored 15 or more in three straight as he continues to be used as Wisconsin’s version of Deebo Samuel. He has just one game with under 11 fantasy points since Week 7. Not only has he been productive, but the way he is used -- as a runner and on short catch and run targets -- is so much safer than all the downfield work his teammate Christian Watson sees. Reed brings a safe floor and upside as the Packers likely have to try to keep up with the Chiefs. 

Joshua Palmer could return this week, and if so, he is immediately back in play in fantasy football. The Chargers offense has been searching for a second WR to step up and Palmer had been a consistent source of volume before getting hurt. The Patriots secondary has struggled against the pass as of late as well. The floor may not be super safe, but he is certainly in play this week. 

Michael Wilson or Greg Dortch are deeper options this week. Dortch has topped eight targets in two straight. He could lose playing time if Wilson can suit up. He is my preferred option of the two if he can play. However, he did not practice on Wednesday and the Cards could opt to hold him out until after their Week 14 bye. That would make Dortch a volume start. 

A.T. Perry is in play if Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed do not suit up this week. Perry is a big-bodied receiver who would likely be the Saints' top red zone option along with Juwan Johnson. He also could see more downfield targets just out of necessity if the two field stretchers are out for the Saints. 

Tight End Pivot Options for Fantasy Football

Pat Freiermuth put up a career-high 120 yards in his first game with Matt Canada no longer calling the plays. But it wasn’t just the production, a team-high 11 targets is amazing for any tight end. While the Cards have been tough against tight ends this year, they are not a matchup to avoid -- not after the usage he saw last week. The Muth is a great streaming option and could quickly work his way back into must-start tight end status as long as he can maintain a consistent volume.  

Juwan Johnson ran a team-high 33 routes last week and caught four of seven targets for 45 yards. Only Olave had more targets than Johnson. With the Saints pass catchers extremely banged up, it could mean added volume going his way. I prefer Johnson over Perry this week because the bar for fantasy success is so much lower for a tight end than a receiver. 

Cade Otton has proven to be a safe floor option, scoring more than eight fantasy points in all but one game since Week 10. The upside is that he can catch a touchdown, but if he doesn’t, being able to rely on a safe eight points is better than some managers will be able to do at the tight end position this week. 

Tyler Conklin is an option for you deep league players. He saw five targets last week, catching four of them for 33 yards. Now, he gets the Falcons, who have allowed the fifth-most yards to tight ends this season. Look, I would not be excited about having to trust Tim Boyle either, but in deep leagues, beggars cannot be choosers.

Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio.

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