The good news: We are now past the point of worrying about bye weeks and the playoffs are either here or only two weeks away. The bad news: Those wonderful Thanksgiving leftovers were polished off during Sunday’s games and the playoffs are here or only two weeks away.
Why is the impending postseason a bad thing? It’s a reminder of just how precious little time remains in the 2018 NFL season. All those hours of podcasts, sleepers, mock drafts, drafts, waivers…all that effort and it seems like the entire season is here and gone before we know it.
Hopefully, all that hard work has paid off and you’re preparing for your league’s playoffs. Using your remaining waiver wire budget to add depth or make that final playoff push is more critical than ever. Using ownership numbers from our friends at Yahoo, here are waiver wire candidates for Week 13 and how much of your remaining budget to spend.
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Quarterbacks
Case Keenum (DEN) 16% owned (5% FAAB)
It’s probably not ideal to be streaming quarterbacks this late into the season, but if it’s been working, then no reason to change. The Broncos have won two straight, but that’s mainly via a surging rushing attack. Keenum has only averaged 17 completions and 201 passing yards per game during the streak, but he has avoided tossing an interception for three consecutive games.
Denver will likely stick with the same gameplan, but what gives Keenum streaming appeal is a Week 13 matchup with a Cincinnati defense that has now allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Bengals have allowed an NFL-worst 28 total touchdowns to quarterbacks, including three-plus touchdown strikes in four out of their past five games. Only the Ravens, who ran for 265 yards, failed to produce against the Bengals’ leaky secondary.
Even if the ground-based Broncos take a similar tactic, Keenum is far more likely to take advantage of play-action opportunities than Lamar Jackson. Keenum hasn’t topped two scores in a game since the season opener but there’s a good shot he ends that streak in Cincinnati.
Jeff Driskel (CIN) 0% owned (6% FAAB)
Andy Dalton suffered a sprained thumb during Week 12’s loss to the Browns and has been placed on IR. Driskel relieved Dalton versus the Browns and completed 17-of-29 for 155 yards and a touchdown while adding an additional rushing score to pad his stats.
With Driskel in the game, there wasn’t a huge drop-off for the Bengals offense. Driskel should be a solid replacement option in fantasy lineups. He’s worth a speculative add for owners in deep leagues who have a spare roster spot.
Cody Kessler (JAC) 0% owned (4% FAAB)
Jacksonville’s seventh consecutive loss cost not only Nathaniel Hackett his job, but led to Blake Bortles being benched after another dreadful showing. Bortles barely completed more than half of his passes and had a second straight game under 130 passing yards. His benching is long overdue but is much too late for a Jaguars’ team that reached the AFC title game despite his woeful play. Enter Kessler to try to end the club’s skid. While Kessler hasn’t showcased a lot at the NFL level, Jacksonville ends the fantasy season with games against the Colts, Titans, Redskins, and Dolphins.
Ryan Tannehill (MIA) 6% owned (1% FAAB)
Tannehill’s first action in six weeks was passable. He threw for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Indianapolis while avoiding turnovers. He doesn’t offer a ton of week-to-week upside, but the Dolphins have some solid pass catchers and Tannehill can be a decent QB2.
The reason for a minimum bid on Tannehill would be the schedule. Miami hosts a strong Buffalo defense that has now allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Opposing QBs are averaging a league-low 208.4 passing yards per game against the Bills, who also give up little rushing yards to the position. Tannehill is a significant improvement over Brock Osweiler and is worth a look in two-QB leagues, but Week 13 expectations should be realistic.
Running Backs
Austin Ekeler (LAC) 70% owned (55% FAAB)
Odds are Ekeler is owned in your league, so he’s added to this only as a friendly reminder for people in casual leagues to take a peak and see if he’s available. Melvin Gordon entered Week 12 questionable, convinced the coaches to let him play, then got leg-whipped and injured his MCL. Gordon could be looking at a multiple-week absence which will likely lead to 15-plus weekly touches for Ekeler. If Gordon misses time, Ekeler has weekly RB1 potential in PPR formats, so bid accordingly. Justin Jackson (6% FAAB) is also worth a look taking over Ekeler’s old role as the club’s RB2.
Nyheim Hines (IND) 22% owned (10% FAAB)
Marlon Mack exited Week 12 with a concussion and will have to pass through the league’s concussion protocol before he can play again. If Mack is unable to get cleared in time for Indy’s Week 13 trip to Jacksonville, Hines would likely lead a backfield pairing over Jordan Wilkins.
In addition to being a superior receiver, Hines has out-snapped Wilkins in every Indianapolis game since Week 1. He also took the majority of reps in Week 12 after Mack left the game. Hines offers stand-alone value as a receiver, but he could be on the RB3 radar in Week 13 if he draws a start.
Carlos Hyde (JAC) 37% owned (7% FAAB)
Leonard Fournette was ejected from Week 12’s loss in Buffalo for fighting with Shaq Lawson. With punches thrown, Fournette has already been suspended for one game.
Hyde is worth an add with this being the case, or with the potential for the appeal process to force the discipline up another week. Hyde got eight totes in Week 11 then 10 more against the Bills, including most of the totes after Fournette was forced from the game.
Fournette has averaged 26.7 touches per game since returning to the lineup in Week 10, and that number would be higher if he hadn’t gotten tossed against Buffalo. If Hyde gets a similar workload, he’s going to be a solid RB2 in relief of Fournette.
LeGarrette Blount (DET) 14% owned (6% FAAB)
With Kerryon Johnson (knee) sidelined, Blount took over Detroit’s backfield on Thanksgiving, rushing 19 times for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If Johnson is forced to miss Week 13, Blount could have another solid outing this week against a Rams defense that has been vulnerable to the run.
After rushing 21 times for just 16 yards in Detroit’s previous four games, the Lions were expected to utilize a committee against the Bears, so Blount’s dominant performance was somewhat of a surprise. If Johnson is ruled out for Week 13, go ahead and boost your bid for Blount.
Rex Burkhead (NE) 18% owned (4% FAAB)
Burkhead has already resumed practicing and could be activated anytime in the next week or two. The problem is finding touches for the tweener back. Sony Michel looks like the clear lead back now and James White will remain the primary pass-catching specialist.
That leaves Burkhead as, at best, the second option in both facets of New England’s offense. Of course, trusting the Patriots to do what we expect is a dangerous proposition, so Burkhead could certainly walk right back into a solid role, even with just eight-to-10 touches. And that’s why he’s worth an add in deeper leagues. The floor is quite low, but Burkhead’s ceiling is rather high.
Wide Receivers
Adam Humphries (TB) 30% owned (8% FAAB)
Entering Week 13, Humphries is a top-30 fantasy wideout in PPR leagues yet is widely available on the waiver wire. In fact, over the past five weeks, Humphries has been a PPR WR1. He’s caught 24-of-34 targets for 301 yards and three touchdowns since Week 8.
With Jameis Winston under center, Humphries has a much better chance of remaining a significant fantasy factor over the final month of the season. For Week 13, the Bucs have another excellent matchup with a Carolina secondary that has ceded the 12th-most fantasy points to wideouts.
David Moore (SEA) 10% owned (8% FAAB)
Moore shook off a couple of down weeks to re-emerge as a solid fantasy WR4 over the past two games. Last week, he exploded for a career-high 103 yards and his fifth touchdown against a shaky Carolina secondary. He’s now topped four grabs and 50 yards in three of Seattle’s past five and scored all five of his touchdowns since Week 5.
Moore has played 61.4% of Seattle’s snaps since taking over WR3 duties for Brandon Marshall beginning in Week 4. He’s become a solid NFL receiver and fantasy option and the Seahawks get a solid Week 13 home matchup against a San Francisco secondary that has allowed 15 touchdowns to wide receivers this season, seventh most in the NFL.
Taylor Gabriel (CHI) 33% owned (5% FAAB)
Gabriel has racked up 14 receptions over his past two games. He’s only averaged 7.2 yards per catch over that stretch, but Gabriel has been a pretty solid source of targets and receptions all season. His 51 grabs heading into Week 13 actually rank 20th among all NFL wideouts.
Both of Gabriel’s two touchdowns came against Tampa’s atrocious secondary, but he has caught three-plus balls in 10-of-11 games. Chicago has a less-than-ideal matchup with a solid New York Giants’ secondary this week, but Gabriel should still be a good bet for seven-to-nine targets.
Bruce Ellington (DET) 2% owned (5% FAAB)
With Marvin Jones now placed on season-ending IR with a knee injury, Ellington is the best bet to be Detroit’s No. 2 wideout down the stretch. Kenny Golladay will be swarmed with targets, but Ellington has the ability to play in the slot or outside and looks like an inexpensive source of a solid number of weekly targets moving forward.
Robert Foster (BUF) 0% owned (4% FAAB)
Foster has played 33 snaps in each of Buffalo’s past two games and caught five passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. No team has passed for fewer yards than the Bills, which limits Foster’s weekly appeal, but he has flashed some solid deep speed and is worth an add in deeper leagues.
Tight Ends
Rhett Ellison (NYG) 0% owned (3% FAAB)
Much to the chagrin of fantasy owners, Evan Engram injured his hamstring during pre-game drills and ended up missing Week 12. Now potentially looking at a multiple-week absence, Engram owners won’t have to look far for Engram’s potential replacement.
Ellison caught four-of-six targets for 77 yards. While the Giants have a tough Week 13 matchup with the Bears, Ellison should be a good bet for a lot of snaps and a healthy number of targets.
C.J. Uzomah (CIN) 26% owned (2% FAAB)
Uzomah just had a whopping 13 targets during Cincinnati’s Week 12 home loss to the Browns. Unfortunately, Uzomah only managed to corral six of those looks, averaged a meager 6.5 yards per grab and failed to score a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game.
Nine of Uzomah’s 13 targets came from Jeff Driskel, though the pair only connected on three passes for 14 yards. If Driskel ends up starting this week’s home game versus Denver, Uzomah could once again be heavily featured as a safety outlet for the backup quarterback.
Dan Arnold (NO) 0% owned (1% FAAB)
The Saints have been rotating players in and out of the lineup and third tight end Dan Arnold has averaged 18 snaps over the team’s past three games. Arnold actually led New Orleans in targets (six), catches (four), and receiving yards (45) against Atlanta.
As bad as tight end has been this season, even a situational player from a potent offense becomes somewhat fantasy relevant. In Week 13, the Saints play a second-straight Thursday game, this time against a Dallas defense that has yielded the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends. He might not get a ton of snaps, but Arnold has caught two-plus balls in the past three games and is worth a minimum bid for fantasy owners who are used to cheap weekly streamers.
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Jody Smith is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jody, check out his archive and follow him @JodySmithNFL.
