We're officially at the time of the year when the pickings get slim on the waiver wire, but with fewer teams in your league truly chasing the top adds, you still have a decent chance to land a key contributor. There are several such players among the top Week 13 fantasy waiver pickups, including handcuffs JaMycal Hasty, Zonovan Knight, Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Warren, Jordan Mason, and Kyren Williams. Those players could still command decent FAAB bids, but even budget shoppers can score on guys like Zay Jones, Van Jefferson, Treylon Burks, and Jameson Williams.
As we'll do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them.
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Week 13 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
By Ray Kuhn, Fantasy Alarm
Mike White (NYJ). White kicks off our barrage of Jets players in the waiver wire column heading into Week 13. It’s hard to imagine the Jets going back to Zach Wilson given how much better the offense looked on Sunday. The volume wasn’t tremendous, but New York also didn’t need to lean on White too heavily. He still threw for 315 passing yards and three touchdowns on 28 pass attempts. He got everyone involved that needed to be, and he seems to have the locker room’s full support heading into a favorable matchup with Minnesota. Projected FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total FAAB budget
Jared Goff (DET). The Lions host the Jaguars in Week 13, and this shapes up to be one of the better matchups to target for offensive production. Detroit put up a fight against the Bills on Thanksgiving, and with some extended rest ahead of this matchup, we could see fireworks at Ford Field between these two teams. We’ve only seen Goff throw for over 300 yards twice this year, but he’s due for a strong performance and could reward those who stream him with 20-plus fantasy points. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
WEEK 13 FANTASY: Top waiver pickups
Week 13 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
JaMycal Hasty (JAX). Your FAAB bid for Hasty will depend on the severity of the injury to Travis Etienne (foot). Per reports from Monday, Etienne was cleared to return against the Ravens but the team didn’t want to risk it. We’ll see if he’ll take similar precautions this week. Either way, Hasty played a big role in Jacksonville’s stunning win over the Ravens on Sunday as he had 17 total touches, including five catches and a touchdown. It is worth noting that Darrell Henderson could be looked at, as well, but if Etienne is forced to miss Jacksonville’s Week 13 matchup in Detroit, then I expect Hasty to get most of the run based on his familiarity with the playbook. The Jags will likely have some packages drawn up for Henderson, but the offense likely runs better with Hasty. Projected FAAB Bid: 7-10% of total budget
Zonovan Knight (NYJ). We will all need to keep an ear to the ground this week regarding the Jets backfield heading into Week 13. James Robinson was inactive (healthy scratch) against the Bears, and Michael Carter had to leave with an ankle injury. So, the Jets leaned on Knight a good amount. He finished with 14 carries for 69 yards and he added three receptions for 34 yards. Ty Johnson only had six touches but he did find the end zone and was very efficient when given the ball. Monitor the practice reports throughout the week because, at the very least, we should plan on Robinson being active, which is why we don't have a higher projection for Knight. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-7%
Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Warren (PIT). The Steelers' backfield is even cloudier than the Jets. Warren (hamstring) missed last week and Najee Harris (abdomen) exited at halftime. That opened the door for Snell, who posted 62 yards and a TD on 12 carries. Anthony McFarland Jr (eight touches) was also involved, but if Harris is out for Week 13, Warren figures to get first crack at starting. If he's out again, then it should be Snell's show, and he'd have flex value in a favorable matchup against Atlanta. We'll project a relatively low bid for Snell and Warren because of the uncertainty, but these two could go for drastically different amounts depending on the size and competitiveness of your league. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-7% each
Kyren Williams (LAR). Things are ugly for the defending Super Bowl champions. Williams fared just fine with Bryce Perkins under center, so even if Matthew Stafford (neck) remains out, there's potential value here. Williams turned his 14 touches into just nine fantasy points in PPR formats last week, but he did outplay Cam Akers once again. Proj. FAAB Bid: 4-5%
Jordan Mason (SF). Christian McCaffrey (knee) likely won’t miss time in Week 13, which hopefully leads to a better game than last week. Either way, Mason will have a larger role with Elijah Mitchell dealing with an MCL sprain that will sideline him for six-to-eight weeks. Add in the kicker that CMC is experiencing "knee irritation," and we have ourselves a deep-league waiver-wire target. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 13 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
Treyon Burks (TEN). The rookie wideout continues to trend in the right direction with at least six targets in three straight games. That isn’t earth shattering, but he lucked into his first career touchdown on Sunday after recovering a fumble in the end zone. The matchup in the upcoming scoring period is a tough one against Philadelphia, but he should garner flex consideration in Weeks 14-16 against the Jaguars, Chargers, and Texans. Now's the time to stash him. Projected FAAB Bid: 7-8% of total budget
Van Jefferson (LAR). With Cooper Kupp out for the next few weeks and Allen Robinson done for the year with a foot injury, Jefferson could become WR1 in Los Angeles by default. Take that with a grain of salt because this offense looks horrendous. This is by far one of the biggest 180s we’ve seen from a defending Super Bowl champion. If Matthew Stafford (neck) is cleared ahead of LA’s Week 13 matchup against Seattle, then we can feel a little better about Jefferson's overall ceiling. If Bryce Perkins gets another start, then take comfort knowing Jefferson saw seven targets from Perkins in Week 12 on just 23 pass attempts. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Elijah Moore (NYJ). Moore only had two targets on Sunday, but he made the most of them, connecting on a nice 42-yard gain and then again for a 22-yard touchdown. It’s been a frustrating year for Moore after he reportedly tried to request a trade earlier in the season, but with the change at quarterback, the entire Jets offense looked revitalized on Sunday and the locker room seemed excited about Moore’s emergence. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Zay Jones (JAX). After catching 11-of-14 looks for 145 yards last week, Jones has 42 targets in his past five games. With this week's Jaguars-Lions total set at 51.5 points, there will be opportunities for yards and points. A matchup against a weak secondary should provide plenty of opportunities for this whole offense to thrive, so Jones makes for a nice waiver addition and potential WR3/flex play in Week 13. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Jameson Williams (DET). Williams (knee) is set to make his season debut in either Week 13 or Week 14. Right now, it looks like Week 14 against Minnesota is more likely, but either way, the explosive rookie needs to be rostered. Detroit's offense has been solid this season, and Williams could immediately step in as the WR2. That gives him a high ceiling for the fantasy playoffs. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4%
Skyy Moore (KC). In each of his past two games, Moore has posted five catches on six targets after totaling just seven catches through the team’s first nine games. It certainly helps that Mecole Hardman (abdomen) is on IR and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) missed last week's game, but Moore had two red-zone plays drawn up for him. Perhaps in Week 13 the Chiefs make it a point to get their second-round rookie wide receiver in the end zone. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4%
Odell Beckham Jr (FA). There’s no analysis here really, and I’d try to get him for as cheap as you possibly can. Beckham is going to start meeting with teams later this week, which means he could see action in Week 14, but truthfully, I don’t think he makes any sort of impact until Week 15, if he were to make one at all. We don’t know where he’ll sign, but he’s going to be meeting with the Cowboys, Giants, and Bills (among others), so at least he has the attention of contenders. I’ve avoided stashing him the last few weeks, but as more signs point to him signing with a team, then I’m more comfortable stashing him if you are in a position where you can hold on to him. That means you are comfortable with your place in your league's standings and you have an open spot on your bench for him. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4%
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 13 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Foster Moreau (LV). Moreau’s workload had been concerning in previous weeks, but he saw seven targets on Sunday and he rarely comes off the field. As is the case with most tight ends you’re hoping for a touchdown to at least give you some semblance of production. Moreau’s done that in two of the last three games, but the matchup this week against the Chargers isn’t ideal. The Chargers defend the tight end position pretty well as long as they aren’t tasked with defending Travis Kelce. Either way, Vegas likes this game from a scoring perspective, and with Moreau running plenty of routes, he’ll once again be in play as a streamer. Projected FAAB Bid: 6-7% of total budget
Evan Engram (JAX). Ever since Engram came back from his lone touchdown of the season (in London of all places), he’s been held to just five catches on seven targets in his past three games. However, a trip to Detroit, a city some consider to be the London of Michigan, might do him favors, and just a two-hour drive up the 401 will take you to… London, Ontario! The stars are aligned. If you’re looking for nonsensical analysis you came to the right place. But in all reality, the matchup favors Engram and plenty of other Jaguars this week. The Lions have surrendered seven touchdowns in 11 games to tight ends, so if this is a shootout, I look forward to Engram getting some attention in the end zone. Whether he catches it or not is out of my hands…and potentially out of his, too! Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Tyler Conklin (NYJ). The volume wasn’t tremendous on Sunday, but Conklin did catch all three of his targets from Mike White for 50 yards. Sunday’s blowout win over the Bears didn’t call for an abundance of targets through the air, but White was accurate in his distribution. The upcoming matchup for Conklin shapes up well, as the Vikings aren’t great at defending tight ends. Even on Thanksgiving, the Vikings gave up a touchdown to Hunter Henry and it could’ve been two if you’re a biased Patriots fan such as myself. Don’t expect a slate-breaking performance from Conklin in Week 13, but the Jets may need to throw a little more to keep pace with Minnesota. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
Week 13 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn't spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week's potential streaming pickups:
- Cleveland Browns (@ Texans)
- Seattle Seahawks (@ Rams)
- Minnesota Vikings (vs. Jets)
- Green Bay Packers (@ Bears)
- Washington Commanders (@ Giants)
- New York Giants (vs. Commanders)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (@ Falcons)
- Atlanta Falcons (vs. Steelers)
