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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for NFL Week 13

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for NFL Week 13

DraftKings Fantasy Advice NFL Fantasy Football Advice Rail

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By: Zach Thompson

After a wild and wacky Week 13, the NFL heads into one of the most unique weeks on the schedule. In Week 13, no teams are on bye weeks but six have short weeks before playing on Thursday for Thanksgiving. Get ready, though, because in Week 14 six more teams are on bye weeks, so you’ll need to plan strategically for your season-long fantasy teams. You’ll need to hit the fantasy football waiver wire to get your team ready for the final push to the postseason.

Every week, players on many leagues’ fantasy football waiver wires step up as potential additions to shore up the end of your bench. DK Network will have coverage throughout the week of all the hot pickups and best additions, but on Sunday night, I get to break down some of the players that popped as early candidates for good additions heading into the week.

In Week 13, the Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Saints and Jets will be coming back from their bye weeks, and you’ll need to make early calls on the Bears, Lions, Giants, Cowboys, Dolphins and Packers, who play on Thanksgiving.

Another factor to keep a close eye on every week is that new injuries occur that change the fantasy football landscape and open up new opportunities for players. In Week 12, here are some new situations to keep a close eye on moving forward

Players with new injuries from Week 12 to watch:

  • QB Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
  • RB David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
  • RB Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
  • RB Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
  • WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
  • WR Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
  • TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
  • TE Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

With those injuries in mind, here are some of my top names to watch on the Week 12 waiver wire.

WR Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos

Last week, I highlighted Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($4,100; 14.0 FPTS), who came through with another touchdown hits week and remains a good grab if available. Another emerging option I like a lot going forward is Bronco’s rookie slot man Devaughn Vele. Vele has been a frequent part of my weekly wide receiver sleeper picks, and he has been consistent enough that he can be a nice addition for the stretch run.

The seventh-round pick from Utah has emerged as the Broncos’ second receiver across from Courtland Sutton ($5,800; 29.7 FPTS). Vele started his career with eight catches for 39 yards against the Seahawks back in Week 1 but didn’t play for multiple weeks before getting back into the mix in Week 6 against the Chargers.

He had his first NFL touchdown in Week 10’s close loss to the Chiefs, catching all four of his targets for 39 yards. In Week 11, he had four catches for 66 yards against the Falcons, and this week, he set a personal best with 80 receiving yards while catching six of his season-high nine targets. Here’s what coach Sean Payton had to say even before Sunday’s big game:

His growing target share in a peaking offense sets him up very well for next week’s home game against the Browns, who have been one of the 10 best matchups for wide receivers this season. After his Week 14 bye week, he faces the Colts, Chargers and Bengals to finish the fantasy season all of which could be solid spots if he remains one of Nix’s go-to targets.

Vele is still available in over 90% of leagues, but if you want a more proven option Adam Thielen ($4,700; 8.7 FPTS) had a solid return from IR and is available in over 80% of leagues. He should clearly be his team’s No. 1 option after the Diontae Johnson trade, and he’s a solid veteran addition that is a relatively safe pickup with a high ceiling. Other options widely available include Noah Brown, Kayshon Boutte and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

RB Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders

Last week, I highlighted Roshon Johnson ($4,600; 8.2 FPTS),100 who had a touchdown but limited work in Week 12 behind D’Andre Swift ($; 9.5 FPTS). Johnson is still an option I like a lot, but he may not have a path to playing time.

Finding running backs with playing time on the waiver wire is always tricky at this point in the season, but Ameer Abdullah ($4,300; 17.5 FPTS) got a chance to step up with injuries to RBs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad). Sincere McCormick ($4,000; 3.3 FPTS) also got playing time and both backs could be worth a look if Mattison and White are sidelined going forward.

Another key injury situation is brewing in Washington where Brian Robinson Jr. ($5,600; 3.2 FPTS) was in and out with a leg injury and Austin Ekeler ($5,600; 4.4 FPTS) sustained a scary concussion on a kick return at the end of regulation. If either back is out or both miss time, Jeremy McNichols ($4,100; 2.2 FPTS) could be given a similar opportunity next week.

McNichols had 22 yards on three carries on Sunday vs. the Cowboys but showed more upside earlier this year when in a larger role. He had two touchdowns and 68 yards on eight carries in Week 4 against the Cardinals, totaling 20.4 fantasy points.

He scored another touchdown the following week against the Browns and added his fourth rushing score of the season against the Steelers three games ago. Overall, McNichols has 41 carries for 195 yards this season with two catches on three targets for seven more yards.

If either Ekeler or Robinson is out, McNichols will be an emergency option, and he’ll be a startable play if both are sidelined next week vs. the Titans. If you need hep in Week 14, McNichols isn’t an option since he is on his bye that week before finishing his fantasy season with matchups against the Saints, Eagles and Falcons.

McNichols has proven he can do more with more work and could be in just that position for a good offense down the stretch as the Commanders try to stay in the playoff race after dropping three straight.

QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

The Saints are coming back from their bye week, and Carr has a generally favorable schedule coming down the stretch for the fantasy playoffs. He’s on the waiver wire in over 85% of leagues, but he has shown he can be a top play in the Saints’ offense under coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Carr started the year red-hot with two monster games before getting hurt and missing three games. The Saints fired coach Dennis Allen after Carr’s first game back, and the team has won back-to-back games under interim coach Darren Rizzi.

Carr threw for over 238 yards in all three games since returning with multiple touchdowns in wins over the Falcons and Browns. On the season, he has 13 passing touchdowns and a rushing score while throwing just four picks while averaging 217.8 passing yards per contest.

In case you forgot how good he was before the bye week in a win over the Browns:

After the bye, Carr comes back to face the Rams in Week 13 followed by the Giants in Week 14, when he can be a solid bye-week fill in. Looking forther ahead, Carr returns to Vegas to face the Raiders in Week 17 in a revenge game that could be a smash spot in most leagues’ championship week.

Other available QBs to consider include Russell Wilson ($6,000; 14.8 FPTS), who has been good since taking over the starting job in Pittsburgh but is still owned in under 40% of leagues. Bryce Young ($4,600; 16.52 FPTS) has also been much better since coming back in for the Panthers and played one of the best games of his career in a losing effort against the Chiefs. Bo Nix continues to be way to available as well, as we’ve covered multiple times in this post.

TE Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are on a short week as they get ready for Thanksgiving, and Jake Ferguson (concussion) may not be able to be cleared in time to return. If he’s out again, Luke Schoonmaker ($2,500; 14.5 FPTS) showed that he can be a very adequate fill-in with a strong showing on Sunday.

Schoonmaker caught 6-of-10 targets against the Texans on Monday Night Football in Week 10 after stepping in for Ferguson, and this week he hauled in 3-of-4 targets for 55 yards and this touchdown:

He’s obviously got a strong rapport with new QB Cooper Rush ($5,000; 17.98 FPTS) and can stay very involved if Ferguson misses this week’s game which is a great matchup against the Giants.

Last week, I highlighted Noah Gray ($3,100; 22.6 FPTS) in this spot, and he had two more scores this week. He continues to be very involved in the Chiefs’ offense and is a geat pickup if still available as well. Gray may actually be a better long-term option than Schoonmaker since Ferguson will likely take back over most of the work when he’s back. Other widely available options to consider include Will Dissly, Noah Fant (whenever he’s ready to return from injury), Hunter Henry and even Austin Hooper, who continues to be a regular option for Drake Maye.

Cowboys DST

The Cowboys DST ($2,400; 22 FPTS) is healthy after losing multiple key stars to injury earlier this season. They’re available in two-thirds of fantasy leagues coming into a great matchup on Thanksgiving against Tommy DeVito and the Giants.

In their matchup on Sunday vs. the Commanders, the Cowboys held the Commanders in check for most of the game before things got weird at the end. They finished Sunday as the highest scoring defense of the day with four sacks, three takeaways and a pair of return touchdowns including this impressive return from KaVontae Turpin.

This week it’ll be more about their defense and the Giants’ struggling offense than their special teams, but they should feast at home on Thanksgiving afternoon. For dessert, they face the Panthers, Bucs and Eagles during the fantasy playoffs which are all solid matchups as well. If Rush can keep the offense functional enough to keep the game close, this group has play-making upside now that their healthy.

Other top streaming options to check out for Week 12 include the Buccaneers DST (vs. the Panthers) the Commanders DST (vs. the Titans) and the Cardinals DST (vs. the Vikings). 

All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

Zach Thompson
Zach has been part of the DraftKings team since 2017 and covers baseball, basketball, golf, football and any other sport that offers DFS fun. He has been playing fantasy sports since box scores were only available in the newspaper the following day. Even though he grew up almost 8,000 miles away in Guam, he is a diehard Boston sports fan but will take a fantasy value play wherever he can get it, even if it’s from the Yankees.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.