Fantasy Football Week 13 Waiver Wire: Trevor Lawrence could be a low-end starter vs. Texans if he plays, more

Posted by Admin November 26, 2024 Football

The good news is no teams are on bye in Week 13, so almost everyone is eligible to help us with the Fantasy playoffs approaching. The bad news is we still have some key injuries to deal with, so the waiver wire could be extremely important for this scoring period.

We’ll all be watching for an update on Brock Purdy (shoulder), who missed Week 12 at Green Bay, and the 49ers offense fell apart. Purdy is a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback when healthy, and his presence is crucial for Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Deebo Samuel heading into Week 13 at Buffalo.

We have several prominent running backs dealing with injuries, including J.K. Dobbins (knee), Brian Robinson Jr. (ankle), Austin Ekeler (concussion) and David Montgomery (shoulder), although Montgomery is expected to be OK for Thursday’s game against the Bears. If Dobbins is out, then Gus Edwards is a borderline starter in all leagues against Atlanta, and Jeremy McNichols would have a big role in Washington if Robinson and Ekeler can’t play.

At receiver, the main injuries include DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Josh Downs (shoulder), Darnell Mooney (hamstring), Cedric Tillman (concussion), and Romeo Doubs (concussion), although Mooney is expected to be fine. There’s no one in Philadelphia to replace Smith, but Elijah Moore would benefit in Cleveland if Tillman is out. Fantasy managers might look for Alec Pierce or Adonai Mitchell with Downs out in Indianapolis, and Dontayvion Wicks could get a boost if Doubs can’t play for Green Bay.

We don’t have any prominent tight ends dealing with injuries, but Fantasy managers might still be looking for waiver wire options. And you don’t need injuries at quarterback, running back or wide receiver to make moves on the waiver wire — you might just need an upgrade.

Let’s get those rosters ready to go heading into Week 13. The Fantasy playoffs are almost here, and you might need every point you can get to secure your postseason berth.

Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are mainly looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.

Week 13 Waivers

Injuries: Brock Purdy (shoulder), Trevor Lawrence (shoulder), and Gardner Minshew (collarbone).

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Kirk Cousins (82 percent rostered), Anthony Richardson (77 percent), Russell Wilson (67 percent) and Caleb Williams (66 percent). I don’t want to start Cousins in Week 13 at the Chargers, but I will use him in Week 14 at Minnesota and potentially Week 15 at Las Vegas, Week 16 at the Giants, and Week 17 at Washington. He’s combined for only 15.1 Fantasy points in his past two games against New Orleans and Denver, and he hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 9. … Richardson was awesome in Week 11 at the Jets with 30.1 Fantasy points, but he regressed as expected in Week 12 against the Lions with 12.9 points. I expect him to rebound in Week 13 at New England, and the Patriots have allowed eight passing touchdowns in the past two games against Matthew Stafford and Tua Tagovailoa. … Wilson has struggled in his past two games against Baltimore and Cleveland with a combined 22.1 Fantasy points, but he has the potential to rebound in Week 13 at Cincinnati. The Bengals are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and then Wilson gets a rematch with the Browns at home in Week 14. … Williams has looked better under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown in the past two games, and Williams scored 30.9 Fantasy points in Week 12 against Minnesota. I don’t want to start Williams in one-quarterback leagues in Week 13 at Detroit, but he could be useful in Week 14 at San Francisco before a rematch with the Vikings in Week 15. Hopefully, Williams can finish his rookie campaign on a high note.

Drop candidates: Aaron Rodgers (50 percent rostered), Drake Maye (49 percent), and Jameis Winston (28 percent). Maye was a disappointment in Week 12 at Miami with only 15.5 Fantasy points, and he has now scored 17.7 Fantasy points or less in four of his past five games. He doesn’t have an easy matchup in Week 13 against the Colts, who have held C.J. Stroud, Josh Allen, and Jared Goff to 18.1 Fantasy points or less in three of the past five games. And then Maye has a bye in Week 14. … Rodgers has actually scored at least 20.1 Fantasy points in three of his past four games, but he’s tough to trust heading into Week 13 against Seattle. And the Seahawks defense is coming off an impressive performance with five sacks against Kyler Murray while holding him to 10.3 Fantasy points. … Winston continued his pattern of doing well in good matchups (29.6 Fantasy points against Baltimore in Week 8 and 30.6 points at New Orleans in Week 11) but struggling in tough ones (12.1 points against the Chargers in Week 9 and 13.5 points against Pittsburgh in Week 12). This is another tough matchup at Denver in Week 13, so Winston is worth dropping in all one-quarterback leagues.

Add in this order:

Week 13 Waiver Priority List

WAIVER WIRE

Running Backs

Injuries: J.K. Dobbins (knee), Brian Robinson Jr. (ankle), Austin Ekeler (concussion), David Montgomery (shoulder), Isiah Pacheco (leg), Tank Bigsby (ankle), Alexander Mattison (ankle), Zamir White (quadriceps), Tyjae Spears (concussion), MarShawn Lloyd (appendix), Miles Sanders (foot), Kendre Miller (hamstring) and Jamaal Williams (groin).

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Jaylen Warren (72 percent rostered), Ameer Abdullah (66 percent), and Zach Charbonnet (65 percent). Warren might be on the verge of becoming the best running back for the Steelers, and he scored at least 10.8 PPR points in each of his past two games against Baltimore and Cleveland, with a season-high 15.4 PPR points against the Browns. Warren has at least 11 carries in two of his past three outings, and he should be added in all leagues. … We’ll see if Mattison and White remain out for the Raiders in Week 13 at Kansas City, but Abdullah should be added in all leagues just in case both are still hurt. In Week 12 against Denver, Abdullah was great for Fantasy managers with eight carries for 28 yards, five catches for 37 yards, and a touchdown on six targets. He should be added in all leagues, with his value higher in PPR. … Charbonnet is one of the top handcuffs to roster since we’ve already seen him perform at a high level in place of Kenneth Walker III earlier this season. And in Week 13, given the matchup with the Jets, Charbonnet has the potential to be a flex option in deeper leagues.

Drop candidates: Raheem Mostert (72 percent rostered), Jordan Mason (66 percent), and Audric Estime (60 percent). Mostert has fallen behind De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright in Miami’s backfield, and Mostert has a combined six total touches in his past two games against Las Vegas and New England. He’s also combined for just 6.4 PPR points in his past three games. … Mason can still be rostered as a handcuff for Christian McCaffrey, but Mason no longer has any value as a standalone Fantasy option. With McCaffrey back, Mason has combined for just 4.1 PPR points in his past three games. … The Broncos backfield is a mess, but I still want to roster Javonte Williams for the time being. You can safely drop Estime, who has just nine carries and three catches in his past two games after getting 14 carries in Week 10 and looking like the future in Denver. Maybe he can earn a bigger role moving forward, but Williams, Estime, and Jaleel McLaughlin aren’t worth starting in Week 13 against Cleveland.

Add in this order:

Week 13 Waiver Priority List

WAIVER WIRE

Wide Receivers

Injuries: DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Josh Downs (shoulder), Darnell Mooney (hamstring), Cedric Tillman (concussion), Romeo Doubs (concussion), Keon Coleman (wrist), Chris Olave (concussion), Allen Lazard (chest), Brandin Cooks (knee), Gabe Davis (knee) and Jalen Coker (quadriceps).

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Jerry Jeudy (79 percent rostered), Michael Pittman (81 percent), Rome Odunze (71 percent), and Christian Watson (70 percent). Jeudy has emerged as the No. 1 receiver for the Browns heading into Week 13, especially with Tillman hurt. Jeudy has scored at least 12.9 PPR points in four games in a row, and he gets a revenge game in Week 13 at Denver. … Pittman has 15 targets in the past two games from Anthony Richardson, including Pittman’s second-best outing of the season in Week 12 against Detroit with six catches for 96 yards on seven targets. Josh Downs (shoulder) isn’t expected to play in Week 13 at New England, so Pittman should remain the go-to receiver for Richardson again. … Odunze was overshadowed by D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen in Week 12 against Minnesota, but Odunze had 10 targets for the second game in a row under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. He has 11 catches for 104 yards and no touchdowns with those 20 targets, but bigger production is ahead, which is why I want to roster Odunze in all leagues. … Watson had a brutal drop in Week 12 against San Francisco that would have likely been a 49-yard touchdown, and he finished the game with no catches on three targets. But I still expect plenty of big games for Watson, especially with Doubs injured heading into Week 13. Watson should be added in all leagues.

Drop candidates: Romeo Doubs (73 percent rostered), Tyler Lockett (68 percent), Wan’Dale Robinson (55 percent), Diontae Johnson (50 percent) and Ricky Pearsall (43 percent). Doubs is not expected to play in Week 13 against Miami, and he has struggled of late with 8.4 PPR points or less in three games in a row. You can drop him for now, and hopefully he steps up his production down the stretch. … Lockett has scored four PPR points or less in three of his past four games, and he has four targets and three catches or less in four games in a row. He’s not getting enough chances to produce, and he should be dropped in most leagues. … Robinson hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5 and has scored 10.1 PPR points or less in six games in a row. In his first game without Daniel Jones in Week 12 against Tampa Bay, Robinson had five catches for 47 yards on five targets. This is likely what you can expect in most games from Robinson moving forward, which is why he’s listed here. … Through four games with the Ravens, Johnson has one catch for 6 yards on five targets. He has no value for Fantasy managers in Baltimore right now. … Pearsall has no catches on two targets in his past two games. His Fantasy value will come in 2025, but he has minimal upside for the rest of 2024 if everyone is healthy in San Francisco.

Add in this order:

Week 13 Waiver Priority List

Injuries: Dalton Kincaid (knee), Jake Ferguson (concussion), Theo Johnson (back), Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck) and Noah Fant (groin).

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Jonnu Smith (80 percent rostered), Evan Engram (81 percent), Hunter Henry (75 percent), Tucker Kraft (71 percent), and Dalton Kincaid (73 percent). Smith has become a must-start Fantasy tight end, and he’s coming off two impressive games against Las Vegas and New England with at least 23.7 PPR points in each outing. He should be added and started in all leagues in Week 13 at Green Bay. … Engram will hopefully get Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) back in Week 13 against Houston, and if that happens, then Engram can be trusted again as a must-start Fantasy tight end in all leagues. … Henry only scored 9.4 PPR points in Week 12 at Miami, but he still had eight targets and five catches. I still like him as a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 13 against the Colts. … Kraft caught another touchdown in Week 12 against San Francisco, which gives him six in his past eight games. He only had two catches for 26 yards on two targets, but he could see an expanded role in Week 13 against Miami if Romeo Doubs (concussion) is out. … Kincaid will hopefully return in Week 13 from the knee injury that sidelined him in Week 11 (Buffalo had a bye in Week 12). When healthy, Kincaid is still worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues. …

Drop candidates: Isaiah Likely (55 percent rostered), Jake Ferguson (53 percent), and Dalton Schultz (51 percent). Likely had no targets in Week 12 at the Chargers and has a brutal matchup in Week 13 against the Eagles before a bye in Week 14. It’s easy to drop him in most leagues. … Ferguson remains in the concussion protocol as of Monday, and he might not play Thursday against the Giants, which is a tough matchup. Keep in mind he also has yet to score a touchdown this season. … Schultz only had two catches for 20 yards on two targets in Week 12 against Tennessee, and he was outplayed by Cade Stover, who had four targets and caught a touchdown. There’s little reason to roster Schultz in the majority of leagues.

Add in this order:

Week 13 Waiver Priority List