Each week I’ll provide you with a rundown by position of key
waiver wire adds. We’ll evaluate not just breakouts based
on past performance, but also who could deliver this week based
on a soft matchup. Stats will be provided based on a 12-team PPR
league, with players less than 75% (preferably less than 50%) ownership
being considered.
Note: This column will be updated tomorrow at the conclusion
of Week 12.
Week 13 Byes: Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minnesota, New York Giants
Carr went 304-0-1 against the Falcons in Week 12, failing to
find the endzone against a Falcons team that had allowed the 5th-most
passing TDs. In Week 13, he looks to rebound against another bottom-10
defense against QBs when he faces the Lions at home.
Wilson saved his fantasy day with his legs, going 11-34-1 on
the ground to pair with 134-1-0 passing in a victory over the
faltering Browns. The Broncos have now won 5 in a row, during
which Wilson has thrown 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He looks
to keep the winning streak alive in a potential shootout against
the Texans.
Jordan Love, GB vs LAC: Love had a great game in the win over
the Lions on Thanksgiving, going 268-3-0 and adding 3-39-0 rushing.
Up next is a much tougher test against the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Hubbard had a nice day against the Titans, despite Bryce Young’s
continued struggles. He managed 14-45-1 rushing and 5-5-47-0 receiving
as the Panthers fell to 1-10. Up next is a tough rush defense,
but with the Panthers trying to limit Young’s exposure, Hubbard
figures to get a heavy workload.
Gibson put together a 6-21-0 rushing line to go with his 4-3-16-0
receiving against the Cowboys in a blowout on Thanksgiving, matching
starter Brian Robinson Jr. with a 45% snap share. With 20 targets
over the last four weeks, Gibson figures to be busy again in Week
13 as the Commanders will be playing catch-up with the explosive
Dolphins.
Zach Charbonnet,
SEA vs SF: With Kenneth Walker out, Charbonnet got the start and
managed 14-47-0 rushing and 4-4-11-0 receiving against a tough
49ers team on Thanksgiving. If Walker can’t get cleared in another
short week (Seahawks vs Cowboys on Thursday night), Charbonnet
will see a bunch of snaps against another stingy defense.
AJ Dillon,
GB @ DET: With Aaron Jones out, Dillon plodded his way to a respectable
game against the Lions, going 14-43-0 rushing to go with 3-3-38-0
receiving. His volume will most likely crater if Jones comes back
for their next game against the Chiefs.
Keaton Mitchell, BAL @ LAC: Mitchell continues to grow his role,
starting the game and leading the Ravens backfield in touches.
He went 9-64-0 on the ground and 2-2-25-0 through the air, and
gets a week off before a tough four-game stretch to close out
the season. He’ll be a sneaky add if anyone drops him this
week due to six teams on bye.
Cooks had a nice stat line against the Commanders as Dak Precott
threw for 4 TDs, going 5-4-72-1 in a blowout win on Thanksgiving.
Cooks has scored a TD in four of his last six games as Dak has
been on fire. Up next is another positive matchup against the
Seahawks where Cooks looks to keep the good times rolling.
Downs had a respectable game against the Bucs, catching 5 for
43 yards. He could’ve had a big day, as his 13 targets tied Michael
Pittman Jr. for the team lead, but his inefficiency didn’t help.
Hopefully he can bounce back against the Titans, who he went 6-6-97-0
against in Week 4 and who have allowed the 5th-most receptions
to WRs.
Douglas had a nice 9-6-49-0 day against the Giants, leading the
team in targets. With Mac Jones struggling to push the ball downfield,
Douglas has been a nice security blanket. He suffered what appears
to be a concussion, so his Week 13 status is up in the air pending
the results on his concussion protocol. If he can go, he’ll
be another streaming option against a Chargers team that is 3rd-worst
against WRs.
Dortch spiked a TD against the Rams to go 9-3-27-1 in Week 12.
That’s a healthy 17 targets in the last two games, both without
Michael Wilson. If Wilson can’t go again this week, Dortch could
be a streamer candidate with six teams on bye. Kyler Murray looks
to recreate the 2022 magic with Dortch when they face the Steelers
and their 9th-worst defense against WRs.
Palmer has been on IR but is slated to return this week from
a knee injury. Keep an eye on the practice reports because if
he does, he should see a decent volume beside Keenan Allen since
Quentin Johnston and Jalen Guyton haven’t been getting it done
in his absence. The Patriots defense is slightly worse than average
against WRs, so he could be a sneaky add from the waiver wire
if he was dropped in your league.
Freiermuth had a monster game in his 2nd game back from injury
and first without fired OC Matt Canada. He went 11-9-120-0 against
the Bengals, who have been very soft against tight ends. Up next
he gets a Cardinals defense that has been stingy against the postion
on the year, but just gave up 2 TDs to Tyler Higbee in a blowout
loss to the Rams.
Odell Beckham Jr., BAL @ LAC: OBJ finished tied for 3rd on the
team in targets, but only managed 5-3-34-0 against a forgiving
Chargers secondary. He’s on bye this week before a couple
of middling matchups afterwards.
Isaiah Likely,
BAL @ LAC: With Mark Andrews out for the rest of the regular season
(at least), Likely has stepped into the starter’s role and delivered.
He finished the game against the Chargers 2nd on the team in targets,
going 6-4-40-0. Up next is a bye week, where he can use the time
to build his trust with Lamar Jackson.
Logan Thomas, WAS @ DAL: Thomas had a disappointing effort in
the blowout loss to the Cowboys, only seeing 4-2-15-0 despite
Sam Howell throwing 44 times. He has another positive matchup
on paper against the Dolphins, where Howell will be expected to
have to come from behind again.
Defense/ Special Teams
Buccaneers vs CAR
Tampa Bay has been struggling of late, but despite going 1-6
in their last seven games they’re one game out of the division
lead. In Week 13, they face a Panthers team that has allowed the
4th-most sacks, scored the 4th-fewest points, and is tied for
the league lead in defensive TDs allowed, so the Bucs look to
get back into the win column against their division rival doormats.
Jaguars vs CIN
The Bengals have been a tough team for opposing defenses, but
that was with Joe Burrow at the helm. Now with Jake Browning starting,
Cincinnati looks vulnerable. Last week they only scored 10 points
and gave up 4 sacks and a turnover to the Steelers. The Jags look
to keep their hot streak going as they seek their 8th win from
their last nine games.
Falcons @ NYJ
Atlanta’s defense had a great day against the Saints, creating
2 turnovers and a defensive TD as they powered the team to victory
in Week 12. Up next they get a Jets team that is starting 3rd
stringer Tim Boyle, who coughed up their first defensive TD of
the season against the Dolphins. The Jets have scored the 3rd-fewest
points and allowed the 3rd-most sacks, so the Falcons should have
another good day.
Last week’s waiver adds:
Broncos vs CLE: The Broncos had a monster day
against the Browns, creating 4 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries and
allowing only 12 points. They have much tougher tests on deck
(Texans, Chargers, Lions), so despite being on a five-game winning
streak, they won’t be a recommended fantasy play this week.
Patriots @ NYG: The Patriots benefitted from
a poor Giants offense to get a whopping 6 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Despite holding the Giants to 10 points, they still ended up losing
as their own offense only managed 7. They are droppable for a
Week 13 tilt against the Chargers.
Titans vs CAR: Tennessee benefitted from playing
the NFL’s worst team, holding the Panthers to only 10 points
while getting 4 sacks and a turnover. Up next is a Colts team
they struggled against in Week 5, so they won’t be a recommended
D/ST this week.
