If you play fantasy football, you know that winning doesn’t happen at the draft. Here are our suggested Week 13 waiver wire pickups. Or, skip straight to the initial release of our model’s complete Week 13 projections.
The fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner, and fantasy managers are scouring their league for any player that will help bolster their chances at bringing home the championship this season.
With that in mind, here is the latest advice and information you need as you set your waiver wire claims going into Week 13. It’s time to start building out the necessary depth to be the No. 1 team left standing.
Week 13 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Running Backs
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
After an unfortunate knee injury for Los Angeles Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins early on in Monday night’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Gus Edwards shoots up the waiver wire rankings as someone to chase after heading into Week 13.
While he was highly ineffective in his opportunity once Dobbins left, aside from the late touchdown, we’ve seen Edwards be a viable fantasy asset in the past. Additionally, the matchup for the Chargers is much more favorable next week going up against an Atlanta Falcons defense that’s allowing 127.2 rushing yards per contest.
If Dobbins’ injury is indeed serious, Edwards should be the lead option in this backfield when the Chargers could be looking to run out the clock late in a game where they should be favored. He now becomes the top option at the RB position heading into this next week. Edwards likely won’t see the same volume as Dobbins has been seeing all season, but stepping into the starting role will still be plenty to make him relevant in all fantasy football scoring formats moving forward.
Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders
With the news that Las Vegas Raiders RBs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison were both going to miss Week 12’s contest against the Denver Broncos due to injury, Ameer Abdullah became a popular waiver wire pickup late in the week with so many rosters dealing with bye week woes.
While he certainly didn’t project to be a week-winning addition, he figured to see enough work to be a viable plug-in option even against a tough defense. That projection came true, as Abdullah saw 14 touches but was held to just 65 total yards. However, he found the end zone and that catapulted him to a top 12 fantasy finish on the week.
Heading into a shortened week due to the Raiders’ matchup on Black Friday – how fitting, right? – Abdullah should get the nod as the starting option for this offense yet again. It’s highly unlikely that White or Mattison make it back in time given their practice participation a week ago, but it’s worth watching as the week moves along.
If Abdullah is the main option again, he can be fired up as a borderline top 24 play against a stout Kansas City Chiefs defense.
Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders
Jeremy McNichols has had flashes of fantasy relevance so far this season, but he may just be in line to handle the most substantial workload of his season with the injuries above him on the depth chart in this Washington Commanders’ backfield.
Austin Ekeler unfortunately suffered a concussion on one of the final plays of the game in the bizarre Dallas Cowboys and Commanders matchup in Week 12, while Brian Robinson Jr. also exited (twice) with an ankle injury.
It’s unclear yet as to the severity of Robinson’s injury, but Ekeler figures to be sidelined for their next matchup against the Tennessee Titans. If both Ekeler and Robinson are unable to suit up, McNichols becomes an intriguing volume play, despite a tough matchup on the ground.
If you’re in need of a fill-in option for this next week, McNichols is an intriguing stash that not many people will be looking at in your league.
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tank Bigsby has been a regular on these waiver wire articles this season, and he remains an incredibly intriguing pickup due to the fact that his consensus rostership percentage has dipped back below 50%.
It’s been several weeks since we’ve seen Bigsby deliver solid fantasy performances, so impatient fantasy managers letting him loose is not exactly surprising. However, he’s dealt with an ankle injury for multiple weeks now that has kept him from performing at the level that we saw towards the beginning of the year.
Bigsby was shut down in Week 11 and the Jacksonville Jaguars just had their bye this past week, allowing the second-year RB plenty of time to rest and recover. If he is back at full strength, Bigsby is going to be a factor and should see enough volume to potentially be a solid Flex play this week.
If anything were to happen to Travis Etienne though, Bigsby would shoot up the rankings into a top 15 play each and every week down the stretch. That type of player should not be left available for other managers to pick up on your waiver wire.
Wide Receivers
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills
The last time we saw Keon Coleman fully healthy on the field for the Buffalo Bills, he was beginning to look like a trustworthy start for fantasy football every week moving forward. In weeks 7 and 8, he had back-to-back top 15 fantasy finishes and he was becoming a consistent target for Josh Allen at every level of the field.
Unfortunately, Coleman suffered a wrist injury the next week and he’s been sidelined since that point. Yet, coming out of the bye week for the Bills, Coleman projects to be healthy and back as a regular part of the receiving hierarchy in Week 13.
The Bills get to take on the floundering San Francisco 49ers and they should have no problem moving the ball and converting red-zone trips into touchdowns. If Coleman is indeed fully healthy, getting a piece of this dynamic offense should be the top priority for fantasy managers at the WR position for a championship push.
Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos
Did you know that Devaughn Vele is currently rostered in just 1.5% of consensus Yahoo and ESPN leagues, but he’s finished as a top 40 WR in each of the last three weeks? The Denver Broncos WR has quickly risen up the rankings due to his developing chemistry with the much-improved QB Bo Nix, and the majority of fantasy managers aren’t even paying attention.
He’s providing an incredibly high floor week in and week out as he’s seen 18 targets over the past three contests. He hasn’t finished any of those games without at least 65 receiving yards or a touchdown.
In Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Vele had an impressive 77.8% burn rate, which was tied for the fifth-highest rate for any WR with over six targets. He’s not just “lucking” into opportunity. He’s a consistent target earner in this offense and he deserves to be taken seriously moving forward.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans
Coming out of Week 12, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is tied for the fifth-most receiving touchdowns in the entire NFL. Over the last six weeks, he has finished outside of the top 36 WRs in half-PPR scoring formats just once.
With the Tennessee Titans moving on from DeAndre Hopkins, plus Will Levis coming back into the lineup, Westbrook-Ikhine is providing a big-time spark for this offense on a weekly basis and that is translating to some fantastic production for fantasy managers.
With his target depth (23.0 ADOT in Week 12), Westbrook-Ikhine is able to push a lineup over the top any given week as he reels in deep passes from Levis, but he’s seeing enough targets for it to not be viewed as a fluke performance here or there.
He’s available in over 90% of consensus Yahoo and ESPN leagues, but that number is likely to change moving forward due to the upside he presents.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
It’s consistently shocking to see Zach Ertz, who has finished outside of the top 20 TEs in any week just three times this season, consistently available on waiver wires. While his rostership percentage has increased since the beginning of the season – it’s hanging around 50% right now – that number should be much higher.
While fantasy managers will have to worry about a bye week coming up in Week 14 for Ertz and the Commanders, he still should be a priority addition for this next week if you’re in need of a fill-in option. He’s providing an incredibly high floor and that type of production shouldn’t be left for another member of your league to scoop up.
Be sure to check out our full Week 13 fantasy football projections, as well as our NFL, MLB, NBA, and college football coverage. And follow along on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X for more.
