Waiver Wire Adds for Week 13

---

Welcome to another bye-pocalypse! Week 13 sees the Ravens, Bills, Raiders, Bears, Vikings, and Giants all with their off week, leaving fantasy managers without the likes of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Davante Adams. 

Week 12 also saw some big injuries to guys like Chris Olave and Jonathan Taylor, paving the way for some viable waiver pickups. Let’s dive in to our favorites for Week 13.

Quarterbacks

We should caveat here: while these guys are often listed as viable pickups for multiple weeks, you can also view our QB recommendations as synonymous with streaming recommendations. 

Kenny Pickett, PIT

I never thought I’d see the day, but it might finally be time to say the Steelers figured something out. Now that a personnel change has been made, Pickett seemed to find a bit of a groove. He completed more than 20 passes for the first time since Week 1, and the offense saw a boost as a result, including Pat Freirmuth’s career day in receiving yards. Things could be looking up in Steel City, and it’s always fun to bet on Mike Tomlin turning things around. 

Russell Wilson, DEN

6 straight wins is nothing to scoff at. The Broncos have looked far better under Sean Payton, and even though the matchup at the Browns was difficult, Russ salvaged his fantasy performance with a passing and rushing touchdown. Let’s not forget that Russ has also only thrown 4 interceptions all season, which means he’s doing a better job of taking care of the ball, and he’s running more. It’s not flashy, but you could do worse.

Jordan Love, GB

After a solid string of performances, Love showed out on Thanksgiving, completing 22 passes for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s topped 20 fantasy points the last two weeks, and he’s making connections with a bunch of weapons in the offense. The next two games against Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Giants are fun matchups, and he could be highly valuable on your squad.

Honorable Mentions

Gardner Minshew, IND

Derek Carr, NO

Will Levis, TEN

Running Backs

Zack Moss, IND

According to a report earlier today, Jonathan Taylor is slated to miss 2-3 weeks due to thumb surgery. We know that the Colts are more than willing to rely on Zack Moss when the team is without JT, and this is a good time. If you need a bye week replacement or need JT’s immediate backup, Moss is a lock.

Elijah Mitchell, SF 

A classic stash, we all know the drill by now. Mitchell always has a few touches to spell CMC, and is an immediate RB1 if McCaffery were to go down with an injury. Now’s the time of year to start considering high-upside backups, and Mitchell is the top of that list.

D’Ernest Johnson, JAX

Johnson has cemented himself as a high-end backup option behind Travis Etienne, and it showed in full force last week. Etienne left briefly with an injury, and Johnson carried the load in his absence. Worst case is a high-upside backup, and best case scenario is a shared workload in a good offense. Stash and hold.

Michael Carter, ARI

Mista Carter is back. He nearly split work with James Connor in his first game with the Cardinals, seeing equal turns in both carries and targets. While it’s concerning for him to come in immediately and make such an impact, he could be a valuable stash, or a desperation start in deep leagues.

Honorable Mentions:

Chuba Hubbard, CAR

Jeff Wilson, Jr., MIA

Tyjae Spears, TEN

Wide Receivers

Jayden Reed, GB

We tried to tell you. Reed has looked like Deebo Samuel-lite in his last few games, doing damage on the ground and through the air. Thanksgiving saw Reed with modest yardage production, gaining 34 receiving and 16 rushing yards, while also hauling in a touchdown. He’s a sneaky flex every week with touchdown upside, and the Packers seem to be figuring things out. Reed may not be a league winner, but he could easily keep you afloat as you go into the fantasy playoffs. 

Josh Downs, IND

13 targets in Week 12 is all you need to know. Minshew loves throwing to Downs, as is evident by the latter’s gigantic target share. The yardage wasn’t massive in Week 12, but at this stage in the game, Downs is a weekly flex option. Not to mention, the Colts will have to throw a bit more if JT is sidelined for a couple of weeks..

Josh Palmer, LAC

Worth a shot here. If Palmer made his way to your league’s waiver wire, he’s likely the best option on the wire. The offense is led by Justin Herbert, and Quentin Johnston has done nothing to make us think he’s taken the WR2 slot. Take a look and throw Palmer on the back of your bench, just in case the Chargers find a late-season spark..

Honorable Mentions

A.T. Perry, NO

Odell Beckham, Jr., BAL

Jaylin Hyatt, NYG

Jonathan Mingo, CAR

Jaylen Guyton, LAC

Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, BAL

While not quite a Mark Andrews equivalent, Likely did pace the Ravens’ receiving yards on Sunday night. He’s a perfect fill-in on this offense, and he’s going to continue to see 4+ targets per game, which is more than sufficient for this point in the year.

Pat Freiermuth, PIT

We said it a couple of weeks ago, right after Freiermuth returned from the IR, that he would be an easy choice to plug and play, and we saw that in Week 12. The Penn State product nabbed 9 catches for 120 yards last week, the Steelers’ first game without the abysmal Matt Canada at the helm. This is absolutely the last chance to grab him if he’s available anywhere, and he’s a mid-range TE1 for the rest of the year.

Juwan Johnson, NO

8 different receivers caught a pass for New Orleans in Week 12, and Johnson caught 4 grabs for 45 yards. He hasn’t quite been the beast he was last year, but the Saints looked like a revitalized team coming out of the bye week. We could see New Orleans without Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed in Week 13, so Johnson will need to shoulder a heavier target share..

Honorable Mentions

Cade Otton, TB

Tyler Higbee, LAR

Tyler Kraft, GB

Anyone you think we missed? Who are you spending your top waiver priority on this week? Sound off on social media and let us know!

---

Want more fantasy football advice from Rival Fantasy Sports? Subscribe to our YouTube for new content + live shows, including our weekly start/sit advice show, live streaming every Sunday at 11:30am est. Prefer audio only? Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify.

Follow us on social for all the latest app updates, promos and up to the minute news in sports! Twitter – Instagram – TikTok