Well, Mitch is headed into the fantasy football therapist’s office this morning after taking three bad, brutal beats in Week 13. I am well below the RazzBowl 4 cutline after rolling into the playoffs at the top of the standings (Top 10). My #1 home league saw the bad beat occur when the Cowboys, seemingly up 150 points, allowed Zeke to rush for their 28th TD of the evening against the Colts. Then my #2 home league watched Jaylen Waddle exit with an injury only to come back (good on ya, Jaylen!) only to log one catch for nine yards (1.9 points), 2022 Michael Pittman do 2022 Michael Pittman things, and Jimmy G go down with a season-ending broken foot as my 8-game winning streak was snapped.
All bad news, but with many fantasy-related things, there is a silver lining. Other than the RazzBowl 4 cutline league, I have already locked in Round 1 byes in the two home leagues, so now I am just making small adjustments to help me beginning in Week 15 while looking toward the final playoff matchups that I can take advantage of via the wire this week. One example you will not see listed below is the sneaky addition of the Titans D, who face off against the anemic Texans offense in Week 16. So if you have space, add the Titans D now while other teams are still scratching for a playoff berth and backfilling the likes of J. Taylor, Pittman, McLaurin, A. Gibson, B. Robinson, Lazard, C. Watson, A.J. Dillon, A. Jones. A-A Ron, Olave, Kamara, London, etc.
Additionally, the Jimmy G injury opens a roster spot for my Week 13 Waiver Wire Add of the Week, Mike White, who will see a most favorable fantasy football schedule (DET and JAX). The addition of White has me leaning toward reclamation project Elijah Moore as a sneaky add with that same favorable playoff schedule. Couple those NYJ adds with the Week 14 Indianapolis bye, and I can justify the use of Zonovan Knight in place of Jonathan Taylor.
All of that to say this…my Week 13 NYJ recommendations are still in play for Week 14, and I will scoop up as many as possible for the final push for a championship. For those looking ahead to the playoffs and those still fighting to make the playoffs, see below for some names that can help.
NOTE: Rostered percentages and scoring system is based on Yahoo! PPR league scoring.
Waiver Add of the Week: Believe it or not, QB – Mike White (NYJ, 18% rostered) is still atop the board for adds heading into Week 14. Do not look at the QBR of 23.0 for Week 13 as much as the volume! White threw 57 passes against the Vikings in a relatively low-scoring game (27-22 Vikings at the end), mainly because the Jets were trailing for most of the game. I see one of two things happening for White and the Jets down the stretch: (1) They will be trailing and need to throw, and/or (2) They will be in a shoot-out with DET and JAX, thus requiring chucking the ball all over the field. Either way, White is going to throw, and we can benefit from recognizing that we do not need the Jets to win real football for the Jets to help us win fantasy football. Of all current available QBs, White led the league with 25 fantasy points in Week 13, coming off his league-leading 30 points in Week 12. The dude is going to throw and if you need more information to make you feel better about the add, consider the Jets currently employ a three-headed RB committee which means they cannot (will not) lean heavily on the run game to win. Add White now and start him with confidence while ignoring the couple of interceptions he will throw. What’s the old adage? You have to break some eggs to make a good omelet.
QB: Tyler Huntley (BAL, 2% rostered) – The Baltimore offense has not been clicking over the past 7-10 weeks after Lamar Jackson started the 2022 season on fire. In fact, the offense that loves to run the ball has not even been able to do that. With that, think back to the last Lamar injury and understand that Tyler Huntley was a legitimate starting fantasy QB during that time. You could do worse than a fresh QB for Baltimore while Lamar is out. Huntley, in my opinion, is a poor man’s Lamar and the offense is built around their skill sets which are very similar.
QB: Brock Purdy (SF, 1% rostered) – Jimmy G is out for the season. Purdy looked good cleaning up against Miami, but we need to be realistic here…Purdy is only an add consideration if your QB was Jimmy G or Lamar or your QB1 is on a bye. Purdy is listed here for my guy Sky Guasco (@Skyguasco), and even he will probably tell you to look outside of the 49ers’ third-string QB.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Tannehill (TEN, 18% rostered), Mac Jones (NE, 14% rostered), Kenny Pickett (PIT, 13% rostered)
RB: James Cook (BUF; 24% rostered) – Dalvin’s little brother passed the eye test for me. I have watched as Cook has earned more carries and gained traction in the high-powered Buffalo offense. He can handle the early and third-down responsibilities, as is evident by his Week 13 stat line: 64 yards rushing and six catches (on six targets) for 41 yards. Devin Singletary got the TD in Week 13, but we cannot predict the TD carries. What we need to pay attention to is the usage of which Cook’s has been increasing of late. I like him as a borderline start in Week 14 with all of the byes and injuries at the RB position.
RB: Zonovan Knight (NYJ; 47% rostered) – As we discussed last week, Knight came out of nowhere to wear the Week 12 fantasy darling crown. The youngster did not disappoint in Week 13 with 90 rushing yards and five catches for an additional 28 yards. With the soft NYJ schedule, Knight must be on your roster for this week and for the final playoff run. This guy could be a league winner. Remember, the NYJ will face both DET and JAX when you need points the most.
Honorable Mention: Alexander Mattison (MIN, 35% rostered), Cam Akers (LAR, 46% rostered), DeeJay Dallas (SEA, 4% rostered)
WR: D.J. Chark (DET; 16% rostered) – I sure thought the Lions/Jags game was going to be a shoot-out. Outside of the Lions scoring on their first eight drives (you read that right), this was a one-sided affair with the Jags. Moving forward, we need to keep an eye on snap count and targets for Jameson Williams (DET, 45% Rostered), especially if we add Chark for the Lions’ fantasy playoff matchups (NYJ, CAR, CHI). For now, we love the Week 14 matchup against MIN regardless if DET is favored (they are not) or the dogs (they are). What we want is volume, and we will most certainly see that for Chark this week.
WR: Trent Sherfield (MIA; 0% rostered) – This is more of a ‘keep an eye on Jaylen Waddle’s progress this week’ versus an ‘immediately pick up’ Sherfield. The 75-yard receiving TD to open his Week 13 stat line opened my eyes, but he is in no way, shape, or form a must pick up unless Waddle is out for Week 14.
Honorable Mentions to STASH: Alec Pierce (IND, 14% rostered), Jahan Dotson (WSH, 15% rostered), Equanimeous St. Brown (CHI, 0% rostered)
TE: Greg Dulcich (DEN; 38% rostered) – The best option from a bunch of awful options at TE. Do not trust Russ but add Dulcich if you need a one-week fill-in. Truth be told, I dropped him heading into Week 13, and he tossed me a big middle finger with his best fantasy points performance of 2022. I do not have much more to say other than if you need a TE, then go grab him.
Honorable Mention: Evan Engram (JAX, 44% rostered), Brevin Jordan (HOU, 1% rostered), Daniel Bellinger (NYG, 2% rostered)
At this point, some of you know if you are in the playoffs or not. The others, still fighting for that playoff berth, need the most help. I will answer all questions as quickly as I can get to them (I actually do have a ‘day job’) so fire them off at the bottom of this article. Let’s see if some friendly advice from your guy Mitch can get you to the promised land!
Best of luck heading into Week 14, and may the wire be with you!
