Can the Saints keep their confidence up with their injury ridden team?
Saints’ Cam Jordan talks about his New Orleans team getting “bit by the injury bug” and how it seems injuries are extra common in the NFL recently.
Sports Seriously
If you are operating under standard fantasy league rules, the fantasy playoffs are just two weeks away and the trade deadline is just a few days away. If you’re a team on the bubble, you need to make a move to push yourself into the postseason.
However, making trades with your league mates can be a headache. Everyone wants way more than their players are worth. They don’t want to get better in a trade. They just don’t want you to get better. If that sounds like your league mates, maybe you’d prefer the waiver wire. While the upside of the waivers isn’t as high, they are much less likely to give you a brain aneurysm.
Here are eight players to consider adding from waivers ahead of Week 13:
*All roster numbers are via Yahoo
(Rostered in 10% of leagues)
Although Terry McLaurin is going to dominate headlines after his last-second 86-yard touchdown, Noah Brown has quietly earned nearly as many targets as McLaurin recently.
In the past seven games, Brown has earned 42 targets. McLaurin has seen only 38. Brown appears to have earned a lot of trust from quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the Commanders will need to lean on their passing game after their tough loss to Dallas.
(Rostered in 59% of leagues)
It’s been the case for a while, but Jaylen Warren, when healthy, is more efficient than Najee Harris. Warren earned five fewer carries than Harris against Cleveland, but outgained him, received more targets, and found the end zone.
As the Pittsburgh Steelers fight for the top spot in their division, Warren could continue seeing his usage increase. The Steelers face a lackluster Cincinnati defense in Week 13, meaning Warren could be in for big production coming off a few extra days of rest.
(Rostered in 48% of leagues)
Over his last seven games with the Commanders, Ertz has tallied at least 10 PPR points in five of them. He’s earned at least seven targets in four of his last five as well. While Ertz has produced some duds throughout the season, with three games with under six PPR points, he provides a level of consistency that has been hard to come by at the tight end position this year. He’s definitely worth an add.
(Rostered in 19% of leagues)
Patriots rookie Drake Maye may not be winning many games, but he’s certainly winning fantasy managers games this season. Since taking over as the starter for New England, he has yet to score fewer than 10 fantasy points in any game. That high a floor is spectacular for anyone who needs a fill-in during bye weeks. The only issue? Maye’s bye week comes in Week 14.
(Rostered in
While Hunter Henry is still the top option at tight end for New England, Hooper broke out in Week 12 for four receptions, 59 yards, and a touchdown. While Hooper’s ceiling is limited by Henry’s presence, Hooper has still earned four targets in each of the last three games and has tallied at least seven PPR points in each game as well. That floor is pretty solid and worth an add for anyone thin at tight end or in dire need of a fill-in for Week 13.
(Rostered in 62% of leagues)
Hill is just two weeks removed from scoring 41 points. He’s coming off his bye week and should be fresh for your playoff push. This is a Saints’ team that is operating at arguably their highest level all year, and Hill has been a pivotal asset ever since the injuries to Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. The fact that Hill is still available in more than one of every three leagues is a travesty.
(Rostered in 1% of leagues)
At the very end of Washington’s Week 12 loss to Dallas, running back Austin Ekeler suffered what appeared to be a pretty serious injury. Lead back Brian Robinson dealt with a few injuries of his own throughout that game as well. If either one of them misses time, McNichols could be a huge add considering that Ekeler scored more than 17 PPR points in three of his last four, and Robinson has only scored fewer than 10 PPR points twice this season.
(Rostered in 24% of leagues)
The Las Vegas Raiders have had the worst rushing attack in football this year. In Week 12, they faced a very tough Denver defense, which ranks eighth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed this season. That didn’t stop Abdullah from making a difference through the air. In just the first half, Abdullah tallied four receptions and a touchdown, leading all Raiders receivers in receptions. He also dominated all Raiders’ backs in carries as well.
While much of that backfield work is reliant on the absence of both Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, it’s hard to imagine the Raiders’ coaching staff eliminating Abdullah from the team’s offensive game plan after his performance against Denver. He’s far and away the best pass-catcher Vegas has in their backfield, and that role could give him a fairly solid fantasy floor for the rest of the year.
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