The bad news is that as we approach the fantasy playoffs, the number of viable waiver wire pickups is dwindling. But the good news is that with some teams already eliminated, there could be less competition for these players.
If you’re still in contention, there’s a chance it’s just minor tweaks you need rather than wholesale roster change. It’s too late in the season for wholesale change and there aren’t enough options out there anyway. But let’s see if we can’t make your team slightly better going into next week than it was last week with our waiver wire advice.
Another obstacle in Week 13 is that of bye weeks. There were no teams on bye in Week 12 but this week, there are six. The Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants all have a week off. There’s talent on each of those rosters that will make the waiver wire even more important for Week 13.
NFL Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice
Check out our fantasy football rankings and fantasy football comparison tool if you’re in doubt about your lineup or a specific matchup going into Week 13.
Waiver Wire Pickups Week 13
Running Backs
Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos
- Rostered: 20% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 13.6 (RB17)
- Upcoming schedule: @ Texans, @ Chargers, @ Lions
The Broncos are rolling with five wins in a row. After an unthinkably bad start to the season where they went 1-5 and gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins, they are now 6-5 and finding themselves on offense. In the Week 12 win over the Cleveland Browns, Perine had his most carries (7) since Week 1 when he had eight. He also had a season-high 55 yards and found the end zone for the first time this year. Perine led all Broncos’ rushers with 0.17 expected points added per play on his seven carries. Javonte Williams remains the lead back, but Perine is getting reps.
He had two rushes inside the 10-yard line against the Browns and turned one of them into a touchdown. If his role is somewhere between six and 10 touches a game with a couple red-zone carries, then he’s worth considering in deeper leagues.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
- Rostered: 56% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 20.2 (RB11)
- Upcoming schedule: @ Buccaneers, @ Saints, vs. Falcons
The Carolina Panthers are a team planning for next season. Frank Reich, in his first year as the head coach, has been fired and replaced by interim coach Chris Tabor. The Panthers are 1-10 and there is uncertainty at every position. Is it Chuba Hubbard or Miles Sanders as the top running back? Who is the No. 1 wide receiver? Is Bryce Young’s disastrous start a product of the coaching or is he at fault?
The only thing we can say for sure is that Hubbard is out-performing Miles Sanders. He finished the loss to the Tennessee Titans with 14 carries for 45 yards and a score and also added five receptions for 47. He had three red-zone carries, turning one of them into a touchdown. He might be the most consistent running back and pass catcher on this roster.
The Buccaneers, his Week 13 opponents, only give up 17 points per game to opposition running backs, and the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons in the coming weeks are no easier. If Tabor continues to lean into Hubbard, he is a legitimate flex option for the next few weeks.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Rostered: 23% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 12.5 (RB21)
- Upcoming schedule: Bye Week, vs. Lions, @ Browns
The Bears are heading in to their bye week after beating the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. It was the first victory for Matt Eberflus over any of the Bears’ NFC North rivals during his time in Chicago.
Roschon Johnson finished Week 12 with his highest PPR fantasy points total since Week 1. He finished with 12.5 points and a RB21 finish in PPR leagues thanks to his 10 rushes for 35 yards and, more importantly, his five receptions for 40 yards and a score. It’s just his second touchdown of the season. He had his most carries of the year too and the first time he has reached double digits and the 40 yards in the air is another high for the rookie.
The Bears have a tough schedule in the two weeks following their bye against the Lions and Browns but in Week 16 they play the Arizona Cardinals, who are giving up 26.2 fantasy points to opposing running backs, which is the second highest total in the league.
Wide Receivers
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
- Rostered: 48% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 15 (WR24)
- Upcoming schedule: vs. Chiefs, @ Giants, @ Buccaneers
Jayden Reed has two top-12 finishes in the last three weeks. Last week against the Detroit Lions, he managed a WR24 finish. Since the Packers’ Week 6 bye, the rookie has four total touchdowns in six weeks. His 32 targets in that time are the same as Romeo Doubs and just one less than Christian Watson.
In other words, Reed is heating up at the right time for fantasy playoffs.
Reed added 3.16 expected points with his receiving in Week 12 when he finished with four catches for 34 yards and a score and another two rushes for 16 yards. The Packers are improving and Jordan Love is turning what was a poor season into a more than respectable one. Reed has been one of the main reasons for the Packers’ turnaround. He is averaging 14 PPR fantasy points per week since the bye.
They play the Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the next three weeks as they push for a playoff spot. They’re 5-6 now and on a two-game winning streak. The Chiefs have one of the better defenses in the league but Aidan O’Connell just put up 248 yards on them along with a touchdown for Jakobi Meyers. Matt LaFleur will find a way to get the ball into his playmaker’s hands, which is what we have been seeing all season and why we keep beating the Jayden Reed drum.
Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers
- Rostered: 5% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 10 (WR38)
- Upcoming schedule: @ Buccaneers, @ Saints, @ Falcons
The Carolina Panthers are in a drab situation as explained above. They have no reason to tank as the fruits of such losing will only be to help the Chicago Bears draft higher in next year’s draft. Their No. 1 pick next season was part of the trade that sent DJ Moore to Chicago last spring so they could land Bryce Young. They’re 1-10 now after falling to the Titans on Sunday.
Jonathan Mingo has shown flashes of his potential though and finished the latest loss with four catches for 60 yards. He finished the game with 10 PPR fantasy points, his second-highest total of the year. No Panthers player had more targets than Mingo on Sunday (6).
Adam Thielen had just one catch, which is his lowest mark of the season and it looks like the Panthers are looking to their future now with how they build their game plans. Do they have something in the Young-Mingo connection? They’re going to find out soon enough with the coaching change potentially refreshing how they look at their offensive weapons.
A.T. Perry, New Orleans Saints
- Rostered: 3% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 1.7 (WR107)
- Upcoming schedule: vs. Lions, vs. Panthers, vs. Giants
The New Orleans Saints have been bitten by the injury bug. Michael Thomas is on injured reserve and both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed left Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons with injuries (a concussion and a quad injury).
The Saints do have Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson all getting Derek Carr’s attention, but if either or both of Shaheed or Olave can’t go, it would propel Perry into a very significant role against a team in the Lions who have been torched in recent weeks by the Chargers and the Packers.
The Lions give up 34 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, which is the sixth highest in the league. Keep an eye on the status of the Saints’ main receivers and pick up Perry if you have room on your roster.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
- Rostered: 9% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 5.5 (WR71)
- Upcoming schedule: @ Texans, @ Chargers, @ Lions
Yes, we are back on the Mims Jr. train. Well, to be honest, we haven’t boarded yet but we’ve bought a ticket. He was one of our early-season favorites to build a rapport with Russell Wilson but it never happened. The Broncos are improving and Wilson looks more comfortable in Sean Payton’s offense. Mims Jr. caught three passes for 24 yards during Sunday’s victory over the Browns. He has three targets in each of his last two games — not mind-blowing but significant for a player who can turn any play into a big play.
There might not be enough time left in the fantasy football season for Mims Jr. to establish himself as a startable option, but he’s widely available and looks to be creeping up the Broncos’ depth chart. The Broncos play the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers in the next two weeks. They are giving up the eighth and second-most yards per attempts to opposition passers.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Rostered: 48% on Yahoo
- Week 12 PPR fantasy points: 21 (TE1)
- Upcoming schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Patriots, @ Colts
This is a repeat recommendation, but with Matt Canada fired as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator it’s worth revisiting Freiermuth as an option. He returned two weeks ago and had just one catch for seven yards, but Kenny Pickett leaned heavily on his tight end during their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Freiermuth finished with 120 yards on 10 receptions. That’s enough for a TE1 finish. If it wasn’t for the stint on injured reserve, Freiermuth would be rostered in more than 48% of leagues.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
- Rostered: 9% on Yahoo
- Week 11 PPR fantasy points: 8.5 (TE14)
- Upcoming schedule: vs. Lions, vs. Panthers, vs. Giants
The New Orleans Saints are banged up, and there’s a chance that Juwan Johnson and Alvin Kamara could be their top pass catchers against the Lions. Johnson missed four weeks in the middle of the season but had a season-high seven targets on Sunday.
The Saints are tied for the AFC South lead at 5-6 and face a a Lions defense that has allowed the fifth-most receiving touchdowns per game to tight ends. They give up just 9.9 fantasy points per game to the position, but if the Saints’ main receivers can’t go next Sunday then Johnson might see double-digit targets.