Waiver wire pickups are much more important than it’s ever been before in any fantasy season, with the amount of injuries sustained thus far. It seems like there’s more names added to the list each week. With two teams on a bye (CAR and TB), you won’t be scrambling to find many replacements, but there are numerous options under 60 percent ownership that can help your fantasy team.
I’ve said it every week thus far: active fantasy managers win their leagues. Working the waiver wire each week can prove to be crucial come fantasy playoff time. Injuries are unpredictable and you never know which one of these guys could end up starting in your fantasy championship roster.
As we enter Week 13, the players with favorable playoff schedules should be on your radar.
Here are top waiver wire pickups for Week 13 worth adding to your fantasy roster. Players are chosen based on their schedule strength moving forward as well as their usages and efficiencies in their respective offenses.
And, of course, some players will be added near the end that are drop-worthy candidates, but no by means are must-drops.
Players must be owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues to be included in the fantasy football Week 13 waiver wire pickups column. All ownerships for waiver wire players will be provided and will reflect that of Monday evening.
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Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (56.6%)
The AFC South is in a tight race for first place right now between Tennessee and Indianapolis and, with Tennessee ahead by one game, they’ll need to continue their intensity in these next few matchups. Tennessee faces Cleveland, Jacksonville and Detroit in their next three games. Cleveland allows 19.0 FPPG to opposing quarterbacks this season while the Jaguars and Lions are in the top-10 for points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Tannehill should have it easy against these poor and nothing-to-play-for teams with the exception of the Browns.
Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts (13.1%)
The Colts are only one game behind the Titans right now in the AFC South division and, much like the Titans, have to play hard in these next few games to ensure a playoff appearance. Indianapolis faces Houston, Las Vegas and Houston again in their next three matchups. Both the Texans and Raiders allow just over 19 FPPG to opposing quarterbacks. With the running game looking slightly out-of-sorts lately in Indianapolis, Rivers is in line for more of a workload throwing the ball. The Colts have one of the most enticing playoff schedules out of the whole league.
Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups
Wayne Gallman Jr., New York Giants (57.9%)
With Devonta Freeman still on IR and Dion Lewis being more of a third-down and pass-catching back, Wayne Gallman Jr. has maintained the workhorse role out of the backfield. In five straight games, he has ten or more carries and hasn’t posted a single-digit performance yet as a starter. New York faces Seattle, Arizona, and Cleveland in their next three matchups who all allow over 16 FPPG to opposing running backs thus far. It’ll be interesting how the Giants approach this stretch of games, considering they are alone atop the NFC East division right now, at 4-7.
[sc name=”newsletter” ]Latavius Murray, New Orleans Saints (46.6%)
I never thought Murray would be fantasy relevant with Alvin Kamara still fully healthy on the field each game. Since Drew Brees went down, Kamara’s value has taken a huge hit because he isn’t utilized in the passing game. In the two games without Brees thus far, Murray has seen double-digit carries along with double-digit fantasy points. They face Atlanta, Philadelphia and Kansas City in their next three games, which all should be high-scoring games. Atlanta only allows 14.2 FPPG to opposing running backs, but that’s mainly in part of teams attacking them through the air. Until the Saints have a quarterback that can facilitate the offense and get Kamara involved, Murray should be a great option moving forward into the fantasy playoffs.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (51.5%)
Corey Davis will likely be one of those guys that ends up on many fantasy championship rosters by the end of the season. Still under 60 percent ownership, his next few matchups could benefit your team significantly. Tennessee faces Cleveland, Jacksonville and Detroit in their next three games, who all allow more than 25 FPPG to opposing wide receivers. It’s hard to gauge what the Titans’ game plan is heading into each game, but Davis has stayed a consistent target for Ryan Tannehill. He’s caught 27 of his 39 targets in the past six games for two touchdowns and over 350 yards.
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (36.8%)
The Colts offense is full of targets for Philip Rivers to move the ball around, but Michael Pittman Jr. has been one of his favorites. He has 27 targets in the last four games, and his fantasy points usually come from his big-play ability. The Texans and Raiders have been terrible defending the pass this season and, in must-win games for the Colts, Pittman Jr. will be depended on. Both the Texans and Raiders allow just over 24 FPPG to opposing wide receivers but have strong offensive weapons, which should make these games competitive enough to get Pittman Jr. going again.
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears (10.3%)
My main strategy this season for fantasy football has been to avoid as many Bears players as possible, but Mooney’s upside heading into this stretch is too hard to pass up. The Bears might be better off with Trubisky than Foles to move the ball around the offense. On Sunday Night Football, Mooney was targeted nine times, but he only caught three of them for 34 yards. He’s a talented route-runner, but doesn’t have viable quarterback play to produce consistent fantasy points. Chicago faces Detroit, Houston and Minnesota in their next three games, which are favorable for Mooney to breakout late in his rookie campaign, as long as Trubisky doesn’t get too sloppy with the ball.
Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team (24.9%)
Logan Thomas has made this list quite a few times this season because of his consistency in Washington’s offense. He’s been targeted at least four times in every game this season and seems to be their main red zone target at this point. The Washington offense is sporadic at times with Alex Smith behind center, but Thomas stayed consistent and trustworthy. He has some tough matchups coming up in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, who are the two best teams against tight ends, allowing less than five FPPG, but he’s worth stashing to see how he does against one of these teams. His production cannot go unnoticed.
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts (6.0%)
The Colts typically dress three tight ends each game and are all used in different ways in the offense. But, it seems like Burton is their main red zone guy, because he can be used in a variety of ways. The Colts face Houston and Las Vegas in their next two games, who both allow over seven FPPG to opposing tight ends this season. Burton is touchdown-dependent like many tight ends this season, but his role is too enticing to pass up, especially with the upcoming matchups.
Drop Candidates
QB: Nick Mullens, Nick Foles, Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco
RB: Mark Ingram II, Malcolm Brown, Jordan Wilkins
WR: Henry Ruggs III, Emmanuel Sanders, A.J Green
TE: Tyler Higbee, Jack Doyle, Gerald Everett
Deeper League Waiver Wire Considerations
QB: Andy Dalton, Mike Glennon, Mitch Trubisky
RB: Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore, Tony Pollard
WR: Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller, Zach Pascal
TE: Kyle Rudolph, Darren Sample, Tyler Eifert
