Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Backs (Week 13)

We will have you covered throughout the fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential fantasy football waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top fantasy football waiver wire running backs to target for the week below. And here are all of our fantasy football waiver wire pickups for NFL Week 13.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Running Back

Running Backs

Written by Ellis Bryn Johnson

Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB – WSH): 16% Rostered

Next Opponents: DEN, @MIN, @NYG
True Value: $4
Desperate Need: $6
Budget-Minded: $2

Analysis: The good news is that Chris Rodriguez Jr. has seemingly taken over the Washington backfield. The bad news is that the Commanders face the Broncos and Vikings in the next two weeks. Before their Week 12 bye, Rodriguez had clearly surpassed Jacory Croskey-Merritt to become the Commanders’ lead running back. Over his last three games, Rodriguez recorded 33 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He is a tough player to trust this week against the Broncos, who had allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs through the first 11 weeks. However, Rodriguez could have sneaky playoff appeal. In Weeks 15-17, he faces the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys. Respectively, they are allowing the second-most, 14th-most and eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running back.

Devin Neal (RB – NO): 3% Rostered

Next Opponents: @MIA, @TB, CAR
True Value: $4
Desperate Need: $6
Budget-Minded: $2

Analysis: Alvin Kamara left the Saints’ Week 12 game against the Falcons with a knee injury. After leaving the field, Kamara visited the medical tent multiple times before officially being ruled out. The fact that he wasn’t ruled out immediately may indicate that it is not a long-term issue. However, if Kamara misses time, Devin Neal would be the next man up in the New Orleans backfield. The sixth-round rookie was projected to be a steady, well-rounded back entering the NFL. On Sunday, Neal did most of his damage in the receiving game, catching five passes for 43 yards. He had seven carries for 18 yards. With some positive matchups coming up, Neal would become a Flex option if Kamara were to miss time.

Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAX): 45% Rostered

Next Opponents: @TEN, IND, NYJ
True Value: $3
Desperate Need: $5
Budget-Minded: $2

Analysis: Bhayshul Tuten fans were given a glimpse of what could have been last week. After Travis Etienne was seen in a non-contact jersey on Thursday, the door appeared to be ajar for a Tuten takeover. Instead, Etienne played full snaps and helped lead the Jaguars to an overtime victory over the Cardinals. Etienne finished with 15 carries for 86 rushing yards as well as three receptions for 30 yards and a score. Tuten, on the other hand, had only seven carries for 17 yards. Tuten had looked terrific in Week 11, when he had 15 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars’ win over the Chargers. Although the excitement may have fizzled out, Tuten is an exciting rookie who is one injury away from becoming a potential league winner. If Tuten sees more work in Week 13, both backs could get home in a great matchup against the Titans.

Nick Chubb (RB – HOU): 46% Rostered

Next Opponents: @IND, @KC, ARI
True Value: $1
Desperate Need: $2
Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: Woody Marks has taken over the Houston backfield. In an important game against the Bills last Thursday, we saw the Texans lean heavily on their rookie back. Marks played 41 snaps to Nick Chubb‘s 13 and had 16 carries to Chubb’s six. It was the second straight week that Marks significantly out-touched the veteran back, with 18 carries to Chubb’s three in Week 11. Marks briefly left last Thursday’s game with a leg injury but was able to return. Chubb has little more than potential handcuff value unless there’s a chance that Marks could miss Week 13.

Jaleel McLaughlin (RB – DEN): 1% Rostered

Next Opponents: @WSH, @LV, GB
True Value: $0
Desperate Need: $1
Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: With J.K. Dobbins out for the remainder of the season, rookie RJ Harvey and 2023 undrafted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin are now the top-ranking members of the Denver backfield. In the Broncos’ Week 11 win over the Chiefs, Harvey had 14 touches to McLaughlin’s seven, and Harvey out-snapped McLaughlin 38-8. Coming out of their Week 12 bye, the Broncos might try to work in McLaughlin more, making him a worthwhile speculative addition.

Stuffin’ ‘n’ Cuffin’ Handcuff Rankings

We’ve compiled a list of handcuffing priorities. We’re only including running backs we believe to be worthwhile handcuffs, and the list is limited to players rostered in fewer tha 50% of Yahoo leagues. Here are our top 10 handcuffs:

1. Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – SF): Christian McCaffrey has held up all season, but if he were to go down, Brian Robinson Jr. would inherit an enormous workload in Kyle Shanahan’s running back-friendly offense.

2. Blake Corum (RB – LAR): Sean McVay’s offense is every bit as running back-friendly as Kyle Shanahan’s. Blake Corum is a must-have for Kyren Williams investors.

3. Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL): Technically, Tyler Allgeier might not even qualify as a handcuff because he offers some stand-alone value. But he’s available in more than half of Yahoo leagues, and every Bijan Robinson stakeholder should secure Allgeier.

4. Tank Bigsby (RB – PHI): If Saquon Barkley were to miss time, Tank Bigsby might share work with Will Shipley, but Bigsby would be the primary early-down back. It took Bigsby a while to get traction in Philadelphia after the trade that sent him from the Jaguars to the Eagles, but Bigsby has looked good whenever he’s gotten work.

5. Ollie Gordon (RB – MIA): The Miami offense would probably be a mess if anything happened to De’Von Achane, but the hard-charging Ollie Gordon would get the bulk of the work in Achane’s absence. Gordon has proven to be an effective goal-line back.

6. Isaiah Davis (RB – NYJ): Isaiah Davis is the undisputed backup to Breece Hall at the moment. Just realize there’s a chance that Braelon Allen, who’s been out for eight weeks with an MCL injury, could return before the end of the regular season.

7. Samaje Perine (RB – CIN): Due back from an ankle injury soon, Samaje Perine will return to his role as Chase Brown‘s backup.

8. Devin Neal (RB – NO): With Kendre Miller out for the season, Devin Neal is the clear handcuff to Alvin Kamara, although the New Orleans backfield isn’t exactly a wellspring of fantasy value, and tight end/jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill is a factor in the Saints’ running game, too. A rookie from Kansas, Neal was highly unproductive in college but is still an unproven commodity at the pro level.

9. Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL): If Derrick Henry were to miss time, Justice Hill‘s role as Baltimore’s pass-catching back likely would remain largely unchanged, and Keaton Mitchell would become the Ravens’ primary early-down back.

10. Ray Davis (RB – BUF): This is similar to the Baltimore situation. Ty Johnson is the Bills’ passing-down back, and Ray Davis would probably inherit the brunt of the early-down work if James Cook were to go down.