Latavius Murray did more in 4 carries than most players did in Week 12

Teams are making the final push for the playoffs or planning for next season in keeper/dynasty leagues and Latavius Murray certainly put himself on the radar after his performance on Thursday Night Football. At this point, each waiver move is a calculated one and every edge you can get, you take it.

With bye weeks over, the experts have taken the time to provide feedback on the top waiver wire players that are readily available. As with each week, those players have been ranked accordingly (rest of season value) and we have put together a consensus waiver wire rankings list. Read on to view the pundits’ consensus advice as well as their top D/ST rentals for Week 13.

Featured Pros

Ben Standig (CSN Washington)
James Hattfield (Hatty Waiver Wire Guru)
Jon Collins (Fantasy Sports LR)
Ryan Rufe (RotoBaller)

Waiver Wire Rankings (STD Scoring)

Week 13 Waiver Wire Advice

Each expert was asked to share advice about a target or two they like this week along with any other waiver wire suggestions they have. Here’s what the experts had to say.

Q1: Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

Ben Standig – CSN Washington
Talk about doing a lot with a little. Latavius Murray played Thursday night against the formidable Chiefs and rocked Kansas City for 112 yards and two touchdowns on FOUR touches. Murray exited early with a concussion, but doesn’t have a history of head injuries and has 10 days to recover before Oakland plays at the St. Louis Rams. Downside: Raiders face nothing but top 10 rated fantasy run-defenses from Week 13-16.

The tight end position is what we call top-heavy. Love the Gronk, Graham a healthy Julius Thomas and a few others as weekly starts — but not many more. Kyle Rudolph, a TE1 option before his injury, is headed back in that direction. The red zone threat played the vast majority of snaps in Week 12, catching three passes for 50 yards. Two TE-friendly matchups take place over the next three weeks and that doesn’t count a meeting with the beatable Carolina Panthers this Sunday.

Jon Collins – Fantasy Sports LR
Latavius Murray is an obvious choice for #1 on your priority list, but only one owner in your league is going to get him if he’s still available. LeGarrette Blount could be a nice consolation prize for the next man in the queue. I’d be lying if I said I knew how the New England backfield is going to shake out, but the team has had its best success when someone has run the ball well inside. That job won’t fall to Shane Vereen, so, the early down work is going to be distributed between Blount and Jonas “Get that guy a Timex” Gray. Gray could work his way back into the mix, but New England was fond of Blount’s ability to wear down the defensive line in 2013 and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him with 12-15 touches on a regular basis.

Ryan Rufe – RotoBaller
Dolphins wide reviewer Jarvis Landry stands out to me as the only real must-add out of the waiver wire options this week. I’m actually surprised he’s still available in many leagues, given his performance as of late. In the past four weeks, he’s averaging 6 catches for 48.5 yards with a touchdown on eight targets per game. The yardage totals could be better, but it’s clear Ryan Tannehill has gained trust in the rookie from LSU. If Landry is available in your league, I prefer him over the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Crabtree, Pierre Garcon and Rueben Randle.

James Hattfield – Hatty Waiver Wire Guru
The waiver wire this week is incredibly important, because there are a number of players that must be grabbed. Daniel Herron is a must-grab at this point and has a solid upside in PPR leagues; expect to see 10-15 carries and 2-6 catches a week from Herron. Jarvis Landry’s stats over the past four games are extremely solid and he is being targeted in the red zone weekly; no matter what format you are playing in Landry is a WR to target this week.

Q2: For owners looking to rent a D/ST in Week 13, what readily available option should they target first?
*Note: Experts were asked to pick a team other than the Jaguars’ opponent (New York Giants) since they’re an obvious choice

Jon Collins – Fantasy Sports LR
The St. Louis Rams are playing great football in recent weeks, propelled largely by a hungry defense. That unit gets to face Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders at home this week, and should thrive against a team in for a letdown after their first win of the season. Oakland’s offensive line has done a nice job of protecting Derek Carr (no more than three sacks in a game; just one against KC), but the team produces turnovers regularly and the Rams have come up with 16 of them this season. Look for a low scoring game, a couple of turnovers and a pair of sacks – an easy 8+ points on your waiver wire.

Ryan Rufe – RotoBaller
For owners renting a defense in Week 13, look no further than the St. Louis Rams, who have come alive as of late and looked like the consensus top 10 defense that they were drafted as in the preseason. After tallying one sack in their first five games, St. Louis has 18 over their last five, including five by Robert Quinn and three by rookie Aaron Donald. The Rams have been generating turnovers with forced fumbles and interceptions, and they get the lowly Raiders in Week 13.

James Hattfield – Hatty Waiver Wire Guru
The D/ST to target not only for Week 13, but the rest of the season is the St. Louis Rams who are playing Oakland in Week 13, then Washington, Arizona, and the New York Giants. In the past two games against Denver and San Diego, they have played extremely well.

Ben Standig – CSN Washington
Let’s go with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Washington Redskins. For now we’re assuming Robert Griffin III starts at QB and that means sacks o’plenty for a Colts defense that ranks among the top 10 with 28. Indianapolis took advantage of a nice matchup with double-digit fantasy points against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12. The Redskins are averaging 10 points since their Week 9 bye.

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Thanks to this week’s Featured Pros for sharing their advice! You can check out more picks from the pundits as their weekly rankings are unveiled soon.