Rizzla discusses the hottest pickups for week thirteen and presents his waiver wire rankings.
There are as always a lot of waiver wire options this week but with bye weeks over and the fantasy football semifinals just a week away we focus our write ups on players who are worth at least 15 percent of your total FAAB budget. We will rank all the waiver wire targets with the help of the helpful tool provided to us by our friends over at FantasyPros but will spend our time discussing the priority pickups. As per usual we do not focus our discussion on streamable positions with the lone exception being when potential fantasy superstars are underowned.
Lamar Jackson is somehow still available in 58 percent of yahoo leagues despite getting two straight starts for the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson is someone we suggested as an add even if it was just to block your rivals and our recommendation this week is no different. Jackson will go through some growing pains as he gets acclimated to the speed and talent in the NFL game as evidenced by his two picks against the lowly Raiders but still possesses week to week QB1 upside. Add Jackson wherever available either for yourself or for the reasoning listed above.
Robert Foster is a 4.42 deep threat that has been coming on as of late for the Buffalo Bills. Foster put up his second consecutive 94 plus yard game and this time found the end zone for the Bills mafia. Deep leaguers in need of an injection of production at wide receiver (MVS owners anyone?) should tab Foster as he looks to have firmly secured the deep threat role, a role that could continue to produce fantasy numbers down the stretch with the cannon armed Josh Allen once again healthy. Available in 99 percent of yahoo leagues Foster should be added wherever possible, even if it is just to keep him off of a rivals team.
Justin Jackson is looking like a solid RB3/flex option for as long as Melvin Gordon is sidelined. Austin Ekeler will get the bulk of the touches for the Chargers but Jackson will be sprinkled in on early downs to give Ekeler a breather. Available in 98 percent of yahoo leagues Jackson is barely worth the 15 percent minimum due to the uncertainty of the duration of Gordon’s sideline stint but will be worth every penny if he sees at least three games worth of work as the number two. Compared to Shane Vereen by our friends at PlayerProfiler.com Jackson does not have a great 40 time or speed score but boasts a top tier agility score suggesting he can be dynamic in the open field. It is apparent by his profile that the rookie was drafted as a complement to Melvin Gordon but possesses enough open field wiggle to form an impressive tandem for the Chargers over the next few weeks. Make the add where possible.
Available in 70 percent of yahoo leagues Adam Humphries is still a matchup based play but has proven once again that he can deliver the fantasy goods when he has an advantageous matchup to exploit. Humphries caught all six of his targets for 54 yards and a touchdown and should be on rosters for the stretch run. Hump will teeter between WR3 and flex2 the rest of the way but remains a priority add in the 56 percent of leagues Chris Godwin is no longer available in.
David Moore continues to ball out for the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, it is hard to suggest the third receiver on a team that completes only eighteen pass per game but Moore has proven time and time again that he belongs on fantasy rosters. Available in 89 percent of yahoo leagues Moore has scored in five of his last eight contests and has a cake matchup this week against the San Francisco 49ers. Moore looks like a upside flex option this week that would be a WR3 lock if volume were guaranteed. Moore is trending up in both keeper and redraft formats and should be added where possible.
Josh Doctson is sporting a massive 30 percent target share with Colt McCoy under center and could continue to provide returns for his fantasy owners down the stretch if this trend continues. Doctson has always been a maddening talent who just couldn’t seem to put it together at the NFL level but now armed with a QB who is willing to target him mercilessly befitting of a number one receiver, we may finally see Doctson start to scratch the surface of the potential that made so many of us high on him year after year. Available in 88 percent of yahoo leagues Doctson can provide a serious return on investment if McCoy continues to treat him as a legit number one.
Carlos Hyde should be on most non deep league redraft waiver wires after it was made clear that he was operating as the third string running back behind Leonard Fournette and TJ Yeldon. With Fournette’s suspension destined to be upheld on appeal Hyde is a strong play for week thirteen against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts strong play as of late would suggest that Yeldon would be the better start and he may well be but let us all remember that Hyde is a far superior receiver than Fournette so there is not as much impetus for the Jags coaching staff to tip their hands every time they bring Yeldon into the game with Hyde now on the roster and improving his mastery of the playbook on a weekly basis. With Bortles benched the Jags should look to pound the rock even more than usual giving both backs upside RB3 value for this week. It may be odd to suggest one spend 15 percent of their budget on what could for all intents and purposes be a one week wonder but if you are still hunting for seeding Hyde may be a difference maker this week. Make the add where needed, or you know, to block your opponent from doing so.
Available in 88 percent of Yahoo leagues Nyheim Hines could be a strong play this week and will see a value boost if Marlon Mack cannot get cleared from concussion protocol in time for this week’s tilt against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Already someone who looked like an option in a contest that could provide game script opportunities for Hines, Nyheim gets a major value boost if Mack is unable to go. Submit you bid and worry about the rest later, especially if you are a Mack owner.
10 percent or less special:
For one week only in light of Marvin Jones being placed on IR we will discuss a player who is not worth 15 percent of your budget but needs to be strongly considered in deeper leagues. Available in 98 percent of Yahoo leagues Bruce Ellington has two straight six reception games and should be stashed on deep league rosters at the very least. Ellington’s path to flex2 value is a straight one and is thus worth a low priority FAAB add as a backup for your higher priority claims.
