Fantasy Football Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Josh McCown, Jets (31% Owned): Against all odds, McCown has not really faded in a fantasy sense. After two moderately down weeks, McCown threw for 307 yards and two scores in a losing effort vs. a good Panthers defense. His next two matchups – home vs. Kansas City, then at Denver – are not complete stay-aways. I wouldn’t be eager to use him at this critical part of the season, but if you’ve been riding the waiver wire all year you can definitely do worse.
Tyrod Taylor, Bills (49% Owned): Taylor was correctly reinstalled as the Bills’ starter last week, and he put forth a typical Tyrod effort. 183 yards, one touchdown, and 27 yards rushing is an okay effort, and he always offers rushing touchdown upside. Taylor’s matchups vs. the Patriots, Colts and Dolphins are much more enticing than McCown’s, although Taylor has a higher risk of being benched for no reason, and a much lower passing floor.
Running Backs
Austin Ekeler, Chargers (34% Owned): We’re getting to the point in the season where the waiver wire is pretty slim. Ekeler isn’t an impact add, but he’s a MUST own for Melvin Gordon owners. If your league is very deep, Ekeler makes for an okay desperation play; his usage is enough for him to routinely rack up somewhere between 50-70 yards from scrimmage at minimum. Should Gordon get hurt, Ekeler will be a sneaky Top 15 play in the Chargers’ healthy offense.
Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (38% Owned): Stewart has seen double-digit touches for five straight weeks, and 10 weeks total this year. Yes, Christian McCaffery is the future and current featured back, but Stewart is entrusted with the workload of a low-end RB1. He does not usually justify that work, and has only scored three touchdowns in 2017, but as long as the work is there he must be owned. In case of emergency, it’s nice to have someone you at least can count on to be given a chance to produce.
Peyton Barber, Buccaneers (1% Owned): Be sure to pay attention to updates on Doug Martin’s health, but if he is trending to be out, Barber is the back I’d prefer in the Bucs’ backfield. Jacquizz Rodgers may out-touch him, but he’s been awful in his opportunities this year, and the Bucs clearly preferred Barber on the goal line last week, resulting in two touchdowns. Barber is no great shakes, but he’ll be useable if Martin doesn’t suit up.
Wide Receivers
Josh Doctson, Redskins (43% Owned): It is very rare to find an impact WR at this point in the season on waivers, but that’s Josh Doctson. He’s clearly the No. 1 receiver for the Redskins, and he’s even proving now he can salvage low-target outings. With a brutal matchup on Thanksgiving vs. Giants CB Janoris Jenkins, he got schooled for most of the night before reeling in a saving grace touchdown late. This week Doctson has a blowup matchup against the Cowboys. I’ve been touting a pending explosion from him, and I think Week 13 is it.
Marquise Goodwin, 49ers (15% Owned): Goodwin is probably the fastest player in the NFL, and he just got himself a QB. C.J. Beathard went down with an injury last week, forcing his much-better backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, into action. Goodwin averaged 21.4 yards per catch, and in Week 10 turned one catch into 83 yards and a touchdown. With a competent QB throwing to him, Goodwin may actually be something resembling reliable.
Tight Ends
Charles Clay, Bills (32% Owned): Clay is healthy, and with Taylor back under center he’s returned to reliable fantasy TE status. He’s a good bet to be at the back end of the top 10 at the TE position every week, and that’s just fine. This ownership percentage is insanely low in my opinion, as he is the top option in the passing game besides RB LeSean McCoy.
O.J. Howard, Buccaneers (26% Owned): Howard has put up three catches and 52 yards in back-to-back games, which isn’t all that terrible at TE. Howard has immense potential, but so far this year he’s only been able to flash it. If he can remain consistent with around 50ish yards per game, then he is enticing because of his upside for so much more. As long as Cameron Brate is there, though, Howard’s upside is limited. That being said, he’s a solid add if you have a loaded roster outside of TE and you need options.