Waiver Sherpa Week 13

The week 13 waiver wire continues the streak of slim pickings for late season help. It’s surprising that there has been so few notable adds for the playoff push.  Most difference makers are already rostered and no major injuries opened up new featured starters.

I group the adds by position and then within the position, rank them in order of preference. The sherpa will only advise players who are rostered in less than 50% of ESPN leagues.

Single QB –  nothing new of note 

As stated last week –  Philip Rivers, Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr are streaming options down the home stretch with good matchups. 

Superflex / 2QB – if you’re desperate

Colt McCoy (10%) – Daniel Jones could not finish the game in week 12 with a hamstring injury. While the initial reports suggest he could play week 13, I wouldn’t count on it. McCoy probably gets one start out of this, and would face Seattle in week 13. 

RB – 

Cam Akers (25%) – His snap counts have not been trending the right way of late as the 3 headed committee continues in LA. However, an exceptional 61 yard run may change that as he looked explosive and elusive. The sample is small, but Akers has the team’s longest run, most yards per carry, most yards after contact per carry and fewest carries per broken tackle. Quite simply, he is performing as the best running back in that group and just may have staked his claim this past week. 

Latavius Murray (5-10%) – I can’t tell you why the Saints seem to be phasing Alvin Kamara out of the offense, except it must have to do with Taysom Hill’s ability to make precision passes on time on the types of plays Kamara excels at. They have morphed into a power running team with Hill, and Murray has had the most carries over a 2 game stretch in the past few weeks. Part of it could certainly be salting away the game against a toothless Denver team, but it’s clear that Murray has taken on an added role with the new scheme. He is a reasonable FLEX play for now if you have to have a floor, but don’t expect league winning upside unless Kamara goes down.

Royce Freeman (5%) – Phillip Lindsay’s knee gave out during the disaster that was the Broncos game in week 12. Next man up would be Freeman, who still has his hive in the dark corners of the internet. I’d expect a lesser version of Latavius Murray, which would be 10-12 carries in a bad offense. 

WR –  

Michael Pittman Jr. (15%) – T.Y. Hilton had his best game of the year, but Pittman still saw the most targets of any Colts receiver. He is the top option on the outside for Philip Rivers and they continue to have great matchups over the next few weeks. 

Denzel Mims (10%) – Yes, the Jets’ offense is gross but Mims has seen less than 7 targets only once since coming off IR. That’s pretty good volume, albeit from bad QB play. With the Raiders and Seahwaks up next I think he can carry some teams into the fantasy post season. 

Keke Coutee, Isaiah Coulter (10%) – Step right up, step right up! Who will be Deshaun Watson’s next target with Randall Cobb injured, Kenny Stills released and Will Fuller suspended? Coutee had a tryout with Randall Cobb missing Thanksgiving and wasn’t too impressive. Coulter, who may not be a household name was a star for Rhode Island and profiles as an outside receiver. Coutee will probably go for more FAAB in most leagues but try and slip Coulter on your roster for a discount. 

Sammy Watkins (5%) – In his first game back Watkins saw a quiet 7 targets and played 72% of the snaps, but in the Chiefs’ offense that will play in the FLEX most weeks. Probably only an option in deeper leagues or for teams ravaged by injuries, but I wouldn’t have an issue rolling out Watkins simply because you want to have anything attached to Mahomes’ arm.

Henry Ruggs III (5%) – Granted, it was against the Falcons but Ruggs tied his season high in targets on Sunday. The first round pick got 5 looks from Derek Carr which he hadn’t seen since week 1. Should the Raiders try to get him more involved for their playoff push, he has the ability to make noise any time he touches the ball. 

Breshad Perriman (5%) – He’s finally playing like the guy he is, a low volume deep threat. However, he gains yards in chunks and is averaging 16 yards per reception. If you need a home run, he’s startable as a WR3/FLEX against the Raiders and Seahawks.

Jakobi Meyers (5%) – The Patriots offense is pretty gross but Meyers continues to see the most targets from Cam Newton while playing over 90% of the snaps. He is a WR3 type in PPR leagues. 

Mack Hollins (1%) – Malcolm Perry left week 12 with a chest injury and Hollins stepped into the most snaps of the season. He was on the field more than Jakeem Grant and probably will have a role until Preston Williams returns off IR. This is a deep league dart throw only. 

TE –  

Robert Tonyan (15-20%) – He’s proven himself to be a regular contributor on the Packers even with a healthy pass catching corps. Absolutely worth firing up as a back end TE1 any week. 

Jordan Reed (5%) – With 6 targets in week 12, he’s back as a streaming option in an offense that likes to feature the tight end. He’s a fine play as long as he’s active and George Kittle is out.

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