The NFL wraps up a festive week of football this Thanksgiving Week with a big 10-game slate of Sunday afternoon DFS fantasy football action. While you may still be picking through the leftovers from Thanksgiving, we’ve got a full buffet of matchups that feel a little like “leftovers,” but like with any leftovers, there are some hidden gems if you know where to look. In this post, we’ll look at those 10 matchups and hunt down some fantasy football sleeper plays at wide receiver who are set up to make a huge difference in your DFS fantasy football lineups, even though they still have a bargain DraftKings salary.
The options highlighted each week as football sleeper plays for DFS can also translate into sneaky plays in your season-long league since they are in line to exceed expectations and many are still on the waiver wire. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top-30 starters at wide receiver. In this list, we’ll mostly focus on players outside those 30 who still bring a high ceiling. Here’s who I am looking at this week and how last week’s picks fared:
Week 13 Fantasy Football Sleeper WR picks (full analysis below)
- Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans ($3,900)
- Tyler Lockett, Las Vegas Raiders ($3,800)
- David Sills V, Atlanta Falcons ($3,500)
- Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints ($3,500)
- Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers ($3,400)
Week 12 Results:
- Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,100; 10.6 FPTS)
- Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans ($4,000; 15.4 FPTS)
- Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears ($3,600; 9.1 FPTS)
- Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints ($3,200; 6.7 FPTS)
- Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets ($3,200; 6.2 FPTS)
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] or a last-minute addition from the waiver wire in season-long formats, here are my top-five fantasy football sleeper wide receivers for Week 13 of the 2025 season:
Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans ($3,900)
The Texans get C.J. Stroud ($5,000) back from a three-week absence due to a concussion this week, and Higgins has established himself over the last few weeks as the clear second receiver on the team.
He has played the second-most snaps of all the receivers in each of the last three weeks, behind only Nico Collins. He has had at least four catches in each of the last three weeks while Stroud has been out on a total of 23 targets. He snagged a touchdown last week against the Bills and finished with 13.8 fantasy points.
He had at least 13 fantasy points in three of his last five games, and he was starting to develop a connection with Stroud before the starting QB’s concussion in Week 9.
Higgins is loaded with upside and has big-play potential. He is in a top-10 matchup for receivers against the Colts, and he could get a little overlooked as the Colts roll their coverage to take away Collins. Since he has earned more playing time, Higgins should be ready to capitalize on Stroud’s return with a big game on Sunday.
Tyler Lockett, Las Vegas Raiders ($3,800)
The Raiders picked up Lockett before Week 9 when the Titans gave the veteran his requested release. Lockett has jumped right into a significant role for Vegas, catching 12 of his 14 targets for 139 receiving yards over the last three weeks.
He ranks second only to Brock Bowers on the team in receptions and receiving yards over that span, and he has quickly become one of Geno Smith’s ($4,500) most trusted options.
Lockett could get even more work with Michael Mayer (ankle) out this week. The veteran doesn’t have an injury designation for this week, but he was limited in practice due to ankle and quadriceps injuries. Since he’s good to go, though, he should be primed to produce solid PPR numbers.
David Sills V, Atlanta Falcons ($3,500)
The Falcons won’t have Drake London (knee) again this week, and the star receiver hasn’t practiced since suffering a PCL injury in Week 11.
In Week 12, Sills stepped up a little bit with a pair of catches and his first NFL touchdown:
Sills still only had two targets, but he played 70% of snaps, the highest percentage of any receiver. With Kirk Cousins ($4,800) settling back in as the starter, he only completed 16-of-23 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns and 15.5 fantasy points.
Against the Jets in Week 13, he should air it out a little more, and if he does, Sills could get more work against a secondary that has struggled since trading away Sauce Gardner.
Sills is definitely high-risk, but he’s the team’s top receiver at this point, which is very unusual to find at this price point.
Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints ($3,500)
Vele is in my picks for a second straight week, since I still think he’s in a prime breakout position over the next few weeks.
Just before the season began, the Saints traded for Vele from the Broncos. With Rashid Shaheed in Seattle now and veteran receiver Brandin Cooks parting ways with the team earlier this week, Vele is the team’s second receiver at this point behind Chris Olave ($6,400; back, questionable). If Olave is out or limited, Vele would be even an even better play, but he finished with 37 yards on three catches from seven targets in the Saints’ 24-10 loss to the Falcons in Week 12.
With so much volume and opportunity, Vele is a great fantasy football sleeper who has the upside to break out with a big week against the Dolphins.
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers ($3,400)
We’ve been waiting for Coker to be healthy and break out, and he’s starting to get very consistent playing time now with the Panthers following a slow start after starting the season on IR.
Coker has at least three catches in four of his last five games and has exactly four targets in four of his last five games as well. His high point was four catches for 52 yards against the Falcons in Week 11, and last week he had three catches for 32 yards against the 49ers on Monday Night Football.
He hasn’t found the end zone yet this season but continues to run crisp routes, exhibit strong hands, and he is establishing a growing rapport with Bryce Young ($5,300).
Coker has a high ceiling against the Rams and a breakout could still be coming for the second-year receiver, who should be the team’s second receiver behind Tetairoa McMillan ($6,100). He has lots of upside and makes sense as a bargain play, although Vele is a safer play if Olave is limited or out.
