Doing your weekly waivers in fantasy football can be more stressful than performing life-saving surgery on a loved one without any professional tools or medical knowledge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, deciding which players to add off the waiver wire each week can be stressful.
Finding and adding the right guys in shallow leagues is simple, as there are plenty of appealing options. The waiver wire is full of talent. Unfortunately, making your waiver wire claims in deeper leagues can be a massive pain in the neck.
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However, I’m here to help by giving fantasy players six waiver wire targets they should add in deeper leagues in Week 13.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 13
All the players in this article are rostered in fewer than 20% of ESPN leagues.
Derek Carr (QB – NO): 12.9% Rostered
Derek Carr was playing well before the Saints’ Week 12 bye. More importantly, the veteran quarterback has been productive after being left for dead by fantasy players. Despite not having Chris Olave or Rashid Shaheed for the past two contests, the former Fresno State star has completed 71.2% of his pass attempts for 258.5 yards, two touchdowns and 19.6 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, Carr put up those numbers against two solid defenses.
The veteran quarterback totaled two passing touchdowns and at least 18.7 fantasy points in both contests. Carr is an excellent streaming option for the rest of the year. The veteran quarterback has matchups against the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders over the next five weeks. Despite a lack of big-name weapons at his disposal, he is a solid starting option for fantasy players.
Ameer Abdullah (RB – LV): 19.3% Rostered
Last week, the Raiders were without Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) in the loss to the Denver Broncos. While many were excited to see Dylan Laube, the rookie didn’t touch the ball on offense. Instead, Abdullah led the backfield in rushing attempts (eight) and targets (six). Furthermore, the veteran had an 11.5% target share. More importantly, he finished the game with a receiving touchdown and 15 half-PPR fantasy points.
Las Vegas plays the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday on a short week. Therefore, fantasy players shouldn’t expect Mattison or White to play against the division rivals. Both running backs didn’t practice leading up to the matchup against the Broncos, meaning Abdullah could see a similar workload in Week 13. While the veteran might only have fantasy value for one more week, Abdullah is a solid injury replacement option for fantasy players in deeper leagues.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – NO): 15.6% Rostered
Hopefully, fantasy players listened to me and added Marquez Valdes-Scantling off the waiver wire a few weeks ago. However, not enough fantasy players listened because the veteran wide receiver is under the 20% threshold to be included again this week. Valdes-Scantling caught all three targets for 109 receiving yards, two touchdowns and 24.4 fantasy points in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. The veteran wide receiver again led New Orleans’ wide receiver corps in Week 11.
The speedy receiver had two receptions on four targets for 87 receiving yards, a touchdown and 15.7 fantasy points against the Cleveland Browns. Taysom Hill led the team in targets (10), but Valdes-Scantling finished second in the win. While fantasy players might have avoided him last week because of the bye week, Valdes-Scantling is a must-add in deeper leagues this week. He has several upcoming appealing matchups, including this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
Noah Brown (WR – WAS): 10.5% Rostered
Unfortunately, the Commanders’ offense has been hit-or-miss the past few weeks, with the team on a three-game losing streak. However, Brown has been a solid Flex option for fantasy players in deeper leagues. The veteran wide receiver has averaged 6.6 targets and 7.8 half-PPR fantasy points per game over the past five weeks. He record six or more receptions in four of those contests and over 8.4 fantasy points in three games.
Furthermore, Brown is coming off his best game this season. The veteran wide receiver had six receptions on 10 targets for 71 receiving yards and 10.1 fantasy points against his former team. He finished with a team-high 26.3% target share against the Dallas Cowboys. Brown doesn’t offer significant fantasy upside, with Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz healthy. However, the veteran has become a reliable target for Jayden Daniels. He should continue to provide Flex appeal in deeper leagues.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (WR – TEN): 7.5% Rostered
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is far from a household name. However, the veteran wide receiver ranked ninth in the NFL with five receiving touchdowns entering Week 12, totaling more than CeeDee Lamb, Zay Flowers and Brock Bowers. He added to his total on Sunday in the upset win over the Houston Texans, scoring a 38-yard touchdown. The veteran wide receiver has found the end zone in six out of seven games since the Titans’ Week 5 bye.
More importantly, Westbrook-Ikhine scored 11.8 half-PPR fantasy points last week. It was the fourth time in the past five weeks the veteran wide receiver scored double-digit fantasy points. He was the WR16 from Week 8 through Week 11, averaging 11.9 fantasy points per game, a higher average than Tyreek Hill (11.5) and A.J. Brown (9.5). Westbrook-Ikhine has become a consistent part of the offense since Tennessee traded away DeAndre Hopkins five weeks ago.
Theo Johnson (TE – NYG): 7.2% Rostered
While the Giants’ passing attack didn’t instill confidence in fantasy players in Week 12, it was Tommy DeVito‘s first game this season. More importantly, New York is playing for the future, giving their younger players more snaps. Johnson has flashed fantasy upside lately, totaling 35+ receiving yards in four straight games. Furthermore, the rookie tight end has averaged 5.5 targets per game over the past five weeks, totaling six or more in three consecutive contests.
The former Penn State star has averaged 7.9 half-PPR fantasy points per game over the past three contests despite Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson being the focal points of the passing attack. Johnson won’t be a league winner for fantasy players in deeper leagues. However, he does offer fantasy players a streaming option with upside. The rookie has several upcoming appealing matchups, including against the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens over the next three weeks.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.