Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice

Week 13 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings

Q1. Who is your top waiver wire option of the week, and why?

Jamaal Williams is the answer and it’s not really close. Williams has at least a short-term window to carry the workload of the Lions backfield, but more importantly, he will get carries in these next few weeks during the fantasy playoff push. Even if you don’t need Williams, it’s better to stash him if you have the bench space so someone else can’t roster him.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

At the time of writing, it sounds like Miles Sanders aggravated his ankle sprain and there’s the possibility that he misses time yet again. If that’s the case, that means a major opportunity is awaiting Boston Scott in this backfield. For a team that – before last week – was extremely committed to the running game, Scott has the potential to be a plug-and-play RB2 option for fantasy lineups. Jordan Howard doesn’t sound like he’s going to be back for Week 13, which means that Scott will be taking on the New York Jets run defense as the lead option. He’s not necessarily someone that will be an RB2 for the remainder of the year, but for desperate teams that need an RB option, Scott should be at the top of the list. He’s worth a 10% FAB bid with the potential to go higher depending on how desperate you are.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Jamaal Williams. D’Andre Swift suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the Lions’ Thanksgiving game, and although there’s been no official word, there are rumblings of an AC Joint sprain, which usually knock a player out for multiple weeks. Swift does have extra time to recover given the Thursday game, but still, for a winless team, it doesn’t make much sense to push their running back of the future. The Vikings, Detroit’s next opponent, give up plenty of points to opposing running backs, and regardless, the chance to add a starting running back who is widely available this late in the season is one fantasy managers can’t pass up. He’s an obvious top choice for me.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Boston Scott will be ranked in RB2 range this week against a Jets’ defense that’s given up more fantasy points per game to RBs than any other, and Scott may have flex value beyond the Eagles’ Week 14 bye. Jordan Howard is dealing with a knee injury that is likely to keep him out until at least Week 15, and Miles Sanders sustained a seemingly minor ankle injury in Week 12. Scott has a firm foothold in an offense that’s averaged 29.4 RB carries over its last five games.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Q2. Which high-end waiver wire option for Week 13 was the most difficult to rank?

Kenny Golladay is a big name, big-bodied, big talent. He’s also been a big disappointment in an underwhelming Giants’ offense. Golladay should have seen targets galore with Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney out the last two weeks. Instead, Golladay has four catches on nine targets over that span to go with zero TDs. Golladay is a square peg in a round hole.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Kenny Golladay is now starting to see things turn around for him in this offense, which means that he could be a valuable FLEX option for teams looking to make a deep playoff push. However, there’s also the possibility that he continues to be a disappointing fantasy asset due to the offense that he plays in. He has the talent to be a key piece for fantasy lineups with upside, but there’s plenty of downside to adding the veteran WR and immediately plugging him into starting lineups.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Marquez Valdes-Scantling. MVS has disappointed fantasy managers for a while, totaled only 50 yards in Sunday’s game against the Rams, and is now on a bye. So there are plenty of reasons not just to rank him lower in waiver wire priority, but to ignore him altogether. But he’s now seen 19 targets over his last two games, and with Randall Cobb suffering a groin injury, Valdes-Scantling could make this newfound uptick in targets a regular thing. If so, that would make him a borderline WR3 with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball, which would make him a priority add. There’s uncertainty and with the bye week, it’s tough to find the right spot for him.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Matt Breida has earned a significant role on one of the NFL’s better offenses, with 23 touches and three TDs over the last three weeks. Breida has passed Zack Moss on the depth chart and could be a valuable fantasy asset if his role continues to grow, but he was firmly out-snapped by Devin Singletary in Week 12. We also know that Josh Allen often likes to run the ball himself when the Bills get close to the goal line.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Q3. For managers renting a D/ST in Week 13, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target?

The Kansas City Chiefs D/ST has three straight D/ST 1 finishes, including a #3 overall finish in Week 11. They’ve come alive again and the Denver offense is having QB issues.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Don’t look now, but the Kansas City Chiefs D/ST is starting to turn things around in recent weeks. They’ve faced the Packers, the Raiders, and the Cowboys over the past three games, and they’ve finished as the DST11, the DST11, and the DST3 in that time frame. This unit has always had the talent to be a stalwart for fantasy lineups, but they needed some time to figure things out this year. In a matchup next week against the Broncos that could potentially have Drew Lock as their starting QB, KC should be one of the key pickups of the week.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Despite their recent struggles, I still think the Minnesota Vikings D/ST is the top option. The Chicago D/ST flopped against Detroit on Thanksgiving, but I’d expect the Vikings defense to do better. Minnesota has a 26.8% pressure rate, fourth-best in the league, and should force Jared Goff into making several poor decisions. The Vikings are still in the playoff hunt and will be desperate for a win against a Detroit team that will likely be without its best player in D’Andre Swift. They’re an easy add.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

It’s never a bad idea to target Giants QB Daniel Jones with a streaming defense, and the Miami Dolphins D/ST draw the Giants in Week 12. The Dolphins’ defense is ninth in fantasy points per game.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Notable Week 13 Waiver Wire FAB Recommendations (in %)

Q4. Which Week 13 waiver wire option carries the biggest risk of being a waste of FAB dollars?

I love the talent of Rondale Moore, but if DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray return from the bye week healthy, Moore could fade into the background again. For the record, I think that's a mistake, and they should be giving him more time on the field and designing plays for him specifically. But, alas, that doesn't seem to be the plan.
- Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

As mentioned above, Kenny Golladay has the potential to be a key FLEX play down the stretch, but we could potentially see Sterling Shepard return to the lineup and take away any of the target volume that was starting to go Golladay's way. He's worth an add to see how this plays out in future weeks, but we might not want to view him as a rock-solid FLEX play just yet.
- Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Boston Scott. Scott got a ton of work and was the more valuable fantasy asset against the Giants. But Miles Sanders appeared to be nursing an ankle injury and Jordan Howard was inactive. We've seen Scott, at times, be irrelevant when all three backs are healthy, which could be as soon as this week. He's a must-add option but may have little value.
- Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Dontrell Hilliard has looked terrific over the Titans' last two games, with 19-166-1 rushing and 9-49-0 receiving, but it's unclear how work will be divided if Jeremy McNichols is able to return from a concussion when Tennessee comes out of its Week 13 bye. Hilliard, McNichols, and D'Onta Foreman figure to split snaps, and the Titans don't have an especially favorable slate of running-game matchups the rest of the way.
- Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio