As the pressure builds each week from the end of the regular season into the playoffs, it can be easy to get caught up in the moment. If you do not know what I’m talking about, consider yourself lucky to have not made a regrettable and/or uncharacteristic error late in the season that ended up derailing your playoff [championship] aspirations. Although every team’s situation is a little different, my general advice would be to embrace the opportunity to play meaningful games this late in the season and trust your instincts when setting your lineup.
While it is never a bad idea to do some light weekly research and consider the advice of fantasy analysts, lineup decisions are ultimately yours to make. You know your team better than anyone and are familiar with what has worked (and what has not) so far this season. Even if things do not pan out as expected, you will feel better trusting your gut instead of simply choosing whichever players are projected to score the most points.
If you are competing in a meaningful game this week, it means you have been able to weather the storm of this unpredictable and unforgiving fantasy football year. Take a breath, embrace the excitement that comes with the stretch run of the season, and let’s go get a dub!
Week 13 Byes: Cardinals, Panthers
Article Overview/ How to Use:
- Analysis: Highlight a variety of RBs, WRs, and TEs (< 65% rostered on ESPN and/or Yahoo) who I feel could produce fantasy value, either that specific week as a replacement in your lineup or as a bench/ stash option.
- Ranking RBs, WRs, and TEs (< 65% rostered) in order. Please note that the players who are highlighted in the article are not always my top-ranked streamers. These rankings & notes could be useful for teams in deeper leagues or as a means to fill out your “Watch List”.
- List of Impact Backups or players who would gain significant fantasy value if the starter was inactive. These names would make excellent stash candidates, but likely not worthwhile streamers due to lack of usage as the backup.
- Although base rankings tend to skew toward 12-team, half-PPR leagues, I will provide clarifications if a player is best used in a specific scenario or league type.
- Recap the performances of the previous week’s highlighted players.
* Any players marked with an asterisk below have been featured in previous articles this season. If anyone discussed below is at risk of not playing or is relegated to a bench role late in the week, I will do my best to keep you all updated on Twitter (@BrandonMillerFB). All players below are under 65%-rostered as of 11/30/22.
Running Back
Gus Edwards (RB, Baltimore Ravens)
Although the 2022 season has been stop-and-go for the Gus bus, he has been an efficient player when healthy. His current rushing average of 4.3 yards per carry trails an impressive 5.1 ypc for his career (457 total carries), but his role as the RB1 on a Ravens offense averaging 3.9 red zone opportunities per game (2nd in NFL) is intriguing even with less efficiency. Edwards returned in Week 12 after a three-game absence (knee) to lead Baltimore’s backfield with 16 carries for 52 yards and a score. He has just two total targets in three games played this season, so do not expect much of anything through the air if you have him rostered in a PPR league. That said, he is still a volume-based RB3/ Flex against the Broncos this week in standard and half-PPR leagues.
JaMycal Hasty (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Whether Travis Etienne (questionable, foot) is active against the Lions or not, Hasty showed last week that he should be considered a valued handcuff/ contingency option for the fantasy playoffs. After Etienne exited Week 12’s contest against the Ravens, Hasty stepped in to lead the Jaguars backfield with 17 total touches (12 carries for 28 yards, five catches for 67 yards plus a receiving touchdown). At 5’8″, 205lbs, he does not have the build of a prototypical high-volume, between-the-tackles RB, but his abilities in the receiving game will keep him on the fantasy radar. If Etienne is out, I see Hasty producing an RB3-level floor.
RB Streamers (ranked): Isiah Pacheco* (60% ESPN, 81% Yahoo), Gus Edwards*, Jaylen Warren* (monitor status), JaMycal Hasty* (if no Etienne), Jerick McKinnon*, Kyren Williams*, Zonovan Knight, James Robinson (67% ESPN, 54% Yahoo), Cam Akers*, Tyler Allgeier*, James Cook, Dontrell Hilliard*, Benny Snell (if no Harris and/or Warren), Alexander Mattison, Samaje Perine*, Kenyan Drake*, Anthony McFarland (see: Snell), Ty Johnson (if no Robinson and/or Knight), Kenneth Gainwell, Matt Breida, Ameer Abdullah, Tyrion Davis-Price, Joran Mason, Chuba Hubbard (bye).
Wide Receiver
Chase Claypool (WR, Chicago Bears)
Claypool has not found his stride yet as a member of the Bears, though he will get every chance to make an impact for his new team as the de facto WR1 with Darnell Mooney (ankle) now out for the season. He snagged a modest two catches (five targets) for 51 yards last week; his most receiving yards since coming to Chicago and good enough to lead the team in receiving against the Jets. Keep an eye on Claypool’s status as he has been limited in practice so far this week (knee). If he is active, I expect his snaps and targets to continue trending up, making him a solid stash candidate even if he does not find a way into your lineup for Week 13.
DeVante Parker (WR, New England Patriots)
While you are not likely to find Parker ranked among the top 25 (or possibly even top 40) WRs this week, I feel he has sneaky potential to produce for teams in need of WR help in deeper leagues. Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) will need to make a quick recovery in order to suit up on Thursday against the Bills, so I feel that Parker will be counted on to carry a heavier workload than usual if Meyers is out or limited. He caught all four of his targets for 80 yards last week, right on par with his season average of 20 yards per catch (21 catches for 420 yards). With solid downfield skills and increased opportunities, I think the former 14th-overall pick can outperform projections with WR3/WR4 numbers even in a tough matchup.
WR Streamers (ranked): Treylon Burks*, Zay Jones*, Darius Slayton*, Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones*, Chase Claypool*, Curtis Samuel (68% ESPN, 68% Yahoo), Mack Hollins, Isaiah McKenzie*, DeAndre Carter, DeVante Parker*, Parris Campbell, Michael Gallup*, Van Jefferson*, Drake London (73% ESPN, 62% Yahoo), Corey Davis, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jarvis Landry*, Devin Duvernay*, Kadarius Toney*, Skyy Moore, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Robert Woods*, Byron Pringle, Ben Skowronek, Elijah Moore, Odell Beckham (long term/playoff stash), Greg Dortch (bye), Terrace Marshall* (bye).
Tight End
Evan Engram (TE, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Engram’s production has dipped recently as he has just seven targets and 26 receiving yards over the last three weeks. However, the Lions are on tap for Week 13 and have allowed the most points per game to their opponents (28.2 points allowed per game). Streaming tight ends every week is a challenging game to play, but the combination of Engram’s snap share (81%+ in each of his last two appearances) and a generous defense is a good formula for a bounce-back effort. Look for him to produce fringe TE1/TE2 numbers in what I expect to be a high-scoring contest (51.5 over/under).
TE Streamers (ranked): Foster Moreau, Hayden Hurst (68% Yahoo), Greg Dulcich*, Evan Engram*, Tyler Conklin*, Juwan Johnson*, Robert Tonyan*, Logan Thomas, Taysom Hill*, Mike Gesicki*, Cade Otton.
Impact Backups/ Injury Stashes
Although this article’s primary focus is to rank and discuss RB/WR/TEs who are fantasy-relevant and 65%-rostered or less, I also believe it is extremely important to plan ahead by stocking your roster with contingency options if/when adversity strikes. Not many things in the fantasy sports universe are worse than having a successful regular season undone by gut-wrenching injury luck. That said, below is my list of Top Impact Backups and Injury Stashes, in order, regardless of position.
Top Impact Backups: Alexander Mattison, Matt Breida, Rachaad White*, Samaje Perine*, JaMycal Hasty, Dontrell Hilliard, Tyrion Davis-Price, Keaontay Ingram, Zamir White, Chuba Hubbard, Trestan Ebner, Jaylen Warren*, Eno Benjamin, Nyheim Hines*, Zonovan Knight, Joshua Kelley.
Graduated (add if available): D’Onta Foreman*, Jeff Wilson Jr*, Isiah Pacheco*, Jerick McKinnon*, Rachaad White*.
Top Injury/ Playoff Stashes: Deshaun Watson, Jordan Love, Tyrion Davis-Price, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, DeVante Parker, Odell Beckham Jr, Jameson Williams, J.K. Dobbins.
Looking Back
Accountability is everything, so here is a quick look back at last week’s recommendations
Latavius Murray (RB, Denver Broncos): Murray was once again serviceable at the helm of the Broncos backfield, rushing 13 times for 92 yards (7.1 yards per carry) along with one catch for six yards. He is worth rostering in leagues of all sizes due to his consistent role and volume, albeit on an underachieving offense.
Kyren Williams/ Cam Akers (RB, Los Angeles Rams): The pendulum swung in Williams’ favor last week as he registered 14 total touches (11 carries for 35 yards plus three catches for 25 yards) compared to Akers’ eight (eight carries for 37 yards, 4.6 ypc). I expect the split workload to continue, with Akers being relied upon for goal line and short yardage conversions while Williams handles more volume as a runner/receiver between the 20s. While neither is particularly exciting to roster at the moment, they are solid depth pieces and potential deep-league starters in a pinch.
Darius Slayton (WR, New York Giants): Slayton has put up respectable fantasy seasons in the past, mostly on the strength of an impressive yards-per-reception average that was once again on display in Week 12 (caught three of six targets for 63 yards). He is on the WR3/WR4 fringe as the run-heavy Giants’ top receiving threat.
Jarvis Landry (WR, New Orleans Saints): In a game where the Saints’ offense continually stalled and was ultimately held scoreless, Landry mustered up just two catches (four targets) for 20 yards. Although I will spare you an impromptu Jameis Winston vs Andy Dalton debate, my gut feeling is that Landry would be a better fantasy asset with Winston as the starter. For now, Landry can be dropped.
Juwan Johnson (TE, New Orleans Saints): As you may have just read above, the Saints’ offense did absolutely nothing against the 49ers last week (lost 0-13). Johnson likewise ended his hot streak, finishing with zero catches on just two targets. The Saints are at Tampa Bay this week before a Week 14 bye, so feel free to move on.
Make sure to check out our weekly priority waiver wire adds article and waiver wire podcast for more insights on who you should be submitting claims for heading into each Wednesday; it is a great way to get a head start on acquiring players often discussed in this article. Good luck in Week 13!
(Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire)