As we enter fantasy football Week 13, the waiver wire is heating up with hidden gems and breakout studs ready to make a difference in your lineup for the stretch run. Injuries, underperforming players, and bye weeks create the perfect storm for fantasy managers to snag season-changing players off the fantasy football Week 13 Waiver Wire.
Let’s dive in.
Others to Consider: Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young, Tank Bigsby, Antonio Gibson, Devaughn Vele, Demario Douglas, Tre Tucker, Dontayvion Wicks, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Hunter Henry, Cade Stover
Note: Roster % based on Yahoo!
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 13 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
10.) Adam Thielen, WR Carolina Panthers (25%)
After missing seven games with a hamstring injury, Adam Thielen returned to the Panthers lineup and flashed right away. Bryce Young seems to be elevating his game thanks to some time on the sideline, and the Panthers no longer are playing like the NFL’s doormat that teams can walk all over. Thielen is a familiar face that Young is comfortable with, and he gets a nice matchup against the Bucs this week.
9.) Luke Schoonmaker, TE Dallas Cowboys (11%)
While tight end Jake Ferguson is currently sidelined with a concussion, Luke Schoonmaker has filled in as TE1 for the Cowboys and scored a touchdown this week against Washington. He’s gotten 14 targets in his two starts which is solid usage at the position, and Ferguson will find himself with a tough hill to climb for Week 13. After not practicing at all, the Cowboys find themselves in a short week with the Thanksgiving Thursday game right on deck. Schoonmaker should be expected to be the starting tight end once again this week.
8.) Russell Wilson, QB Pittsburgh Steelers (36%)
Despite the elements, Russell Wilson had a solid showing against the Browns throwing for 270 yards and a score. Pittsburgh’s offense has been able to reach new heights with Wilson at the helm, opening up the offense much more vertically. The return of a healthy Jaylen Warren also gives Wilson an additional pass-catching weapon, and a date with the divisional rival Bengals is a great spot for Wilson to put up some points this week.
7.) Will Levis, QB Tennessee Titans (12%)
After missing some games due to injury, Will Levis has returned under center for Tennessee and performed well, averaging 20 fantasy points per game. The deep ball was worked wonders for him in the last few games, but what’s most intriguing about Levis is his upcoming schedule with two games against the Jaguars, the Bengals, Colts and Commanders. Arguably the best remaining schedule for QBs.
6.) Noah Gray, TE Kansas City Chiefs (4%)
While he’s very touchdown dependent when it comes to fantasy production, Noah Gray has scored four times over his last two games for the Chiefs. This pace is impossible to keep up, but Gray has shown that as of right now he’s higher on the target depth chart than the likes of receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson. As we know, Travis Kelce is still pretty old and near retirement so there’s a chance the team leans on Gray more as Kelce and the Chiefs gear up for another postseason run.
5.) Zach Ertz, TE Washington Commanders (48%)
Take away an outlier Week 9 showing against the Giants, and tight end Zach Ertz has seen 34 targets in four games for the Commanders. Sure his two touchdowns the last two weeks have come in near garbage time, but Ertz is high on the target totem pole in the offense for a team that’s now dealing with multiple RB injuries. With usage like this, Ertz finds himself on the fantasy radar each week.
4.) Ameer Abdullah, RB Las Vegas Raiders (24%)
The injuries to Alexander Mattison and Zamir White have left the Raiders backfield near barren and available for veteran Ameer Abdullah to take the reigns of RB1 in Las Vegas. Abdullah has a history of being valuable in PPR leagues thanks to his receiving work, and then came through Sunday as he caught a nice touchdown pass against the Broncos. Abdullah played 69 of the 77 Raiders offensive snaps which is elite usage in fantasy terms. With the short week coming for Friday’s game, it looks like Abdullah could be in line for another high usage showing against the Chiefs this week.
3.) Jeremy McNichols, RB Washington Commanders (1%)
The Commanders backfield is rapidly depleting after injuries took out both Brian Robinson Jr and Austin Ekeler last week. Robinson has battled injuries for awhile now and Ekeler left last game in an ambulance, so that would leave Jeremy McNichols as your potential lead back against the Titans. McNichols has produced down at the goal line throughout the year, and when given expanded touches has made the most of them.
2.) Keon Coleman, WR Buffalo Bills (43%)
Keon Coleman has missed the last few weeks with injury, but the rookie receiver was trending up in Buffalo’s offense. A potential cut option in previous weeks due to both the injury and team’s bye week, there’s a higher than average chance some desperate or an impatient manager dropped Coleman for you to snag. He had double-digit scoring outputs in both games pre injury and finds a favorable schedule coming up as the Bills push for the 1-seed in the AFC.
1.) Gus Edwards, RB Los Angeles Chargers (26%)
Chargers starting running back JK Dobbins went down with a knee injury on Monday night and was unable to return to the game, leaving Gus Edwards as the lead back for LA the remainder of the game. We all know Dobbins has an extensive injury history, and if he’s expected to miss time then a very valuable role opens up in the Chargers run-heavy backfield. Edwards punched in a touchdown this week at the goal line, which is very encouraging for the future. We were high on Edwards in the preseason and his floor is high as the team’s lead back. Despite that though, the ceiling may be limited.
