01 Dec Week 13 Waiver Wire Roundup – Playoff Opportunity
COVID-19 is making the waiver wire interesting. If you are looking for a pickup to get you into the fantasy playoffs, awesome! It is important to remember that the roster you currently have should always have fluidity, and opportunity is more important than names. Good luck heading into the finale of the fantasy football regular season!
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Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky
Chicago Bears – Rostered at 4% Yahoo!, 4% ESPN
Week 12 was a rough week for quarterback scoring, as Mitchell Trubisky finished as a top 10 play despite his, well, play Sunday night. It is Detroit Lions week, and the two times a year to play Trubisky are against Detroit. Bummer Matt Patricia was canned before this game, but the beleaguered signal caller is still playing for a new contract and will be looking to continue his success against the LOLions.
Baker Mayfield
Cleveland Browns – 35% Yahoo!, 20% ESPN
It is amazing to see that Baker Mayfield had not thrown a passing touchdown since Week 7 prior to slinging one to trusted wideout Jarvis Landry. Week 7 was also the last time Mayfield finished as a QB1. He will look to pair two good weeks together against a susceptible Tennessee Titans defense. There should be plenty of handoffs made by both teams, but an efficient passing attack aided the Browns excellent running game in Week 12.
Running Back
Cam Akers
Los Angeles Rams – 29% Yahoo!, 28% ESPN
Cam Akers has had at least nine carries in three of his last four contests and is averaging 4.8 yards per attempt in 2020. That is best of the Rams’ running back trio. Guessing who the lead back each week will be has been frustrating, but Akers has seen the least amount of work and could see an increased role as he continues to pile up yards. His other negative is his lack of use in the passing game.
At this point of the season, you kind of have to take what you can get with so many running back injuries.
Latavius Murray
New Orleans Saints – 60% Yahoo!, 46% ESPN
It is a small sample size, but in Taysom Hill’s two starts this season Latavius Murray has had 34 total touches, 173 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and two top 25 finishes. Alvin Kamara is the better talent of the two backs, but we must take what is given to us.
Ito Smith
Atlanta Falcons – 1% Yahoo!, 1% ESPN
Brian Hill may have started, but Ito Smith led the Falcons backfield in touches and production. If Todd Gurley misses more time, Smith will be an excellent flex option after seeing 12 rushing attempts and four receptions in Week 12.
James White
New England Patriots – 62% Yahoo!, 48% ESPN
The New England Patriots have three consecutive road games coming up, and James White is their best pass-catching back. The Pats are still in the playoff picture and need as much juice from as many offensive players as possible. White had two touchdowns last week and has at least one catch in every game he has played this season.
Frank Gore
New York Jets – 25% Yahoo!, 19% ESPN
The Raiders just allowed Ito Smith to have a top 10 fantasy day, so why not Frank Gore, too? He is seeing RB1 volume with no competition for the Jets. Gore has 38 touches since their Week 10 bye.
Wide Receiver
Michael Pittman Jr.
Indianapolis Colts – 58% Yahoo!, 38% ESPN
Production did not match Michael Pittman Jr.’s opportunity in Week 12. I think his 2/28 line is his floor for the rest of the season. He did see a season-high nine targets in Week 12 and has three plus matchups over the final four weeks of the fantasy season.
T.Y. Hilton
Indianapolis Colts – 38% Yahoo!, 45% ESPN
The veteran finally saw pay dirt Week 12. I am skeptical of his value going forward with Philip Rivers not throwing the deep ball, but the schedule is too good to not make T.Y. Hilton a speculative add.
Keke Coutee
Houston Texans – 1% Yahoo!, 0% ESPN
Opportunity knocks for Keke Coutee. Will Fuller is done for the year, and Kenny Stills was (regrettably) let go at an inopportune time. The schedule for Houston is okay the rest of the way. Coutee is WR3/Flex material going forward.
Breshad Perriman
New York Jets – 12% Yahoo!, 14% ESPN
Imagine if Breshad Perriman had a real quarterback/offense in New York. He has been a top 35 receiver each of the past three weeks despite awful quarterback play. He also has 19 targets over that span. It sounds odd, but Perriman is a waiver wire must-add in all formats.
Allen Lazard
Green Bay Packers – 39% Yahoo!, 28% ESPN
The core injury appears to have healed as witnessed by the hard hit he took in Green Bay’s win over Chicago. The production is still light, but Aaron Rodgers found him for a short touchdown. Give me trusted pieces attached to an MVP candidate.
Deebo Samuel
San Francisco 49ers – 56% Yahoo!, 61% ESPN
The injuries have driven down his rostership but is clear Deebo Samuel is a top receiver in this league and a trusted option by all 49ers quarterbacks.
Tight End
Kyle Rudolph
Minnesota Vikings– 15% Yahoo!, 14% ESPN
If Irv Smith Jr. is out, Kyle Rudolph is a TE1.
Dalton Schultz
Dallas Cowboys – 22% Yahoo!, 30% ESPN
Dalton Schultz has nine catches on 11 targets since the Cowboys came out of the bye with Andy Dalton back under center. The 49 total yards is tough to stomach, but you could do worse!
Zach Ertz
Philadelphia Eagles – 59% Yahoo!, 62% ESPN
If Zach Ertz is available on the waiver wire, go get him. He is not the same dominant receiver he used to be, but if activated for Week 13’s game against the Green Bay Packers, he could be productive against a poor linebacking unit.
Kahale Warring
Houston Texans – 0% Yahoo!, 0% ESPN
Someone has to catch the ball in Houston. Kahale Warring is uber-athletic and could see time with the Texans going nowhere.
Jeff has been playing fantasy sports since 2001. He has covered and written about fantasy, high school, and professional sports for over five years. When not grinding articles and fantasy lineups, he spends time with his wife and two kids, runs for charity, and continues to get progressively worse at golf, no matter how hard he tries.