Fantasy Football 2019 Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

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

Sam Darnold, Jets (39% Owned): If you haven’t hopped on board, Darnold will likely cost you some FAAB now. The Jets have hit the easiest part of their schedule, and Darnold is taking off. He followed up a breakout game at Washington with 315 yards and two touchdown passes, with 16 rushing yards and a rushing TD tacked on. You’ve been missing out, but there are still two more glorious matchups for him to feast—at Cincinnati, and home for Miami. I don’t see any reason Darnold should slow down until Week 15 when the Jets travel to Baltimore. There’s absolutely no reason for someone like Tom Brady to be 96% owned (true story!) while Darnold is just piling up numbers. Teams on the fringe of playoff contention need to examine their roster, and really think about why they aren’t renting Darnold for the next two weeks.

Running Backs

Benny Snell, Steelers (5% Owned): Snell is easily the top RB add if James Conner is going to continue to miss time. If Conner returns, Snell will still be a relevant handcuff for the postseason. Now healthy, Snell ripped the lead back role from Jaylen Samuels, carrying the ball 21 times for 98 yards. Samuels is still going to remain a passing downs back in Conner’s absence, but Snell is clearly the back to own until Conner returns.

Nyheim Hines, Colts (30% Owned): Jonathan Williams shined without Marlon Mack, and put to rest any doubt that he’s the leader of the backfield in Mack’s absence. However, Hines’ role is valuable in this offense too. He’s the clear choice on passing downs for the Colts, and he saw nine carries of his own spelling Williams. The Colts don’t appear eager to throw much with Jacoby Brissett, so in a run-heavy offense Hines is playable with this role. He’s a better option in PPR formats than standard, but he is relevant as a mediocre to low-end FLEX.

Alexander Mattison, Vikings (23% Owned): Mattison is the top handcuff in fantasy. Dalvin Cook owners need to drop their worst player and own him ASAP, because Cook hasn’t been a model of health in his career. Mattison isn’t just valuable because of the role he’d inherit either; he’s seen eight or more carries five times this year, and in all but one topped 50 rushing yards. The one time he didn’t, he finished with 49. If Mattison had a full complement of carries in this offense, he’d be an RB1.

Gus Edwards, Ravens (11% Owned): Edwards is another supremely talented RB who is just trapped behind another established stud. If Mark Ingram were to go down, Edwards becomes a top add and must-start option. With Lamar Jackson spearheading the offense, the running lanes for Edwards would allow him to bust up defenders with a full head of steam. He’d immediately step in for Ingram, and put up sick rushing numbers. His downgrade would come from a lack of receiving chops, making him a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 if he had the job to himself.

Malcolm Brown, Rams (5% Owned): Brown is the next man up after Todd Gurley, although that job isn’t quite as coveted by fantasy owners as it was a season ago. Still, Brown would have major TD upside.

Qadree Ollison, Falcons (0% Owned): Ollison, a huge wrecking ball rookie, has gotten some run lately with Devonta Freeman out, and Brian Hill being a third-string RB. Ollison has scored in back-to-back games, and saw his carry total double from four to eight. If Freeman continues to miss time, Ollison is a playable, touchdown-dependent FLEX. If Freeman is active, I’m not interested.

Wide Receivers

Randall Cobb, Cowboys (30% Owned): Cobb’s upcoming matchups – vs. Buffalo, at Chicago, vs. Rams – aren’t favorable or appealing. Still, it’s hard to argue with 30 targets over the last four games, 86 or more yards in his last three, and touchdowns in two of the last three. Cobb has been a dependable target of late for Dak Prescott, who has evolved into flat out one of the best QBs in football, full stop. I’d be wary going forward because Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are just much more explosive players, but the numbers are saying Cobb is a fairly safe FLEX play.

Mecole Hardman, Chiefs (27% Owned): Hardman is the antithesis of what I normally look for in a wide receiver, mainly target share and viability without touchdowns. Hardman relies on his incredible physical ability, and his penchant for taking limited opportunities to the house. If Tyreek Hill misses this week vs. the Raiders, one of the NFL’s softest pass defenses, I’d expect Hardman’s target share to rise and for him to be able to have a huge game. It does look like Hill’s expected to play though, leaving you to hope Hardman makes the most of one or two looks. He can do it, but be prepared for a potential goose egg if you roll him out there.

Tight Ends

Ryan Griffin, Jets (44% Owned): Griffin scored for the second straight week, and now gets to face the Bengals, who entered Week 12 as the second-worst defense in football against the TE. Fire him up as a TE1 once again. He won’t disappoint. Right now Ryan Griffin is an Evan Engram owner’s very best friend.

Darren Fells, Texans (48% Owned): Fells’ TD luck has evaporated, and the ugly truth about guys who see three targets a game is being exposed. Still, Fells does have six touchdowns on the season, so even though he’s touchdown-dependent, he does have a better chance than a lot of similar players at getting those touchdowns. Houston’s slate is tough; he’ll face New England, Denver and Tennessee over the next three games. Surprisingly, none of those defenses are monstrous against TEs, and so he’s playable if you need a guy and miss out on Griffin.