Week 13 Waiver Wire: Stat Projections for Top Fantasy Pickups and Sleepers

Just like that, the playoffs are right around the corner.

Well, the NFL playoffs are still over a month away. It's fantasy football owners gearing up for a couple of weeks, where all the trash talk, braggadocio and careful study of the waiver wire done over the course of this season will finally come to a head.

There's no time for calm among hardcore fantasy football acolytes. Week 13 is merely a storm before a storm and one of the last opportunities to scrape the barrel and find that waiver-wire gem that will boost the roster before the fantasy postseason.

Here's a look at the top pickups in both Yahoo and ESPN fantasy football leagues heading into Week 13. Stat projections are courtesy of Yahoo Sports and updated as of Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET.

To account for the larger 12- and 14- player leagues, players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues are not included in the pickups category, save for notable cases where a player could see a major increase in playing time.

Top Yahoo Pickups
Top ESPN Pickups
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Adds	Week 13 Yahoo Fantasy Point Projections
Scott Chandler, TE, New England	10	43,749	3.94
David Johnson, RB, Arizona	27	35,137	3.78
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle	36	14,783	6.42
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore	33	13,269	5.18
Markus Wheaton, WR, Pittsburgh	13	10,301	3.98
Shaun Draughn, RB, San Francisco	28	7,995	3.05
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets	23	7,635	15.72
Brandon Bolden, RB, New England	6	6,068	2.17
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota	46	5,528	3.83
Vance McDonald, TE, San Francisco	1	5,527	3.71
Player	% Owned	% Change Last 7 Days
Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston	40.6	+29.7	14.60
Zach Miller, TE, Chicago	24.8	+18	1.42
Shaun Draughn, RB, San Francisco	35.1	+16.7	3.05
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina	23.8	+13	7.77
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay	37.6	+13	14.87
Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia	9.9	+9	1.37
Josh McCown, QB, Cleveland	9.8	+6.7	14.94
Terrance Williams, WR, Dallas	39.4	+8	4.36
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore	22.8	+5.8	5.18
Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets	12.8	+5.4	6.17

Reviewing Top Pickups and Sleepers

Scott Chandler, TE, New England

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

According to the Boston Globe's Jim McBride, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is "not expected to miss significant time" with a knee sprain. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Gronk could miss the Patriots' upcoming matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The team has already lost Dion Lewis and Julian Edelman to bad injuries, and Danny Amendola didn't play in Week 12. Assuming Gronkowski is unable to play, Tom Brady likely won't have much choice but to look tight end Scott Chandler's way several times against the Eagles.

Chandler tallied a season-high five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown in the snow at Denver's Mile High Stadium in Week 12. The touchdown was only his third of the season, and his first multi-catch game since October 25 against the Jets (even then, that was only two catches).

Philadelphia ranks second in the league against tight ends, allowing just 5.07 points per game to the position, per Yahoo Sports. Even though Philly has allowed 90 points in the last two weeks, only Tampa Bay's Cameron Brate proved to be a factor, snagging three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in Week 11. Detroit's Eric Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew combined for just three catches for 49 yards on Thanksgiving.

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

There's a chance the Eagles could take Chandler out of the Patriots' game plan, but it's unlikely they would shut him down completely with so much playing time potentially available to him.

ESPN.com's Mike Reiss noted that the myriad injuries led to an increased workload for the veteran against Denver:

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The New England Patriots had a shortage of options on offense personnel-wise because of injuries Sunday night against the Denver Broncos, which led to a few noticeable trends in this week’s snap-count analysis.

Specifically, tight end Scott Chandler’s high playing-time total -- 54 of 66 snaps -- stood out.

Chandler had been averaging 24.8 snaps per game entering Sunday. The 54 snaps were a season-high, topping his prior high mark of 43 against Buffalo on Sept. 20.

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If Gronkowski is out, Chandler could see every single snap on offense.

Heck, even if Gronkowski suits up, he will likely be limited, and Chandler would still have a decent chance of popping up for a touchdown grab against the fading Eagles. Chandler is well worth inserting into the starting lineup in Week 13 and should provide an adequate return.

Week 13 stat projection (w/ Gronk out): 6 catches, 60 yards, one touchdown

David Johnson, RB, Arizona

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, the Cardinals are set to be without starting running back Chris Johnson for some time after an injury suffered in Week 12:

Johnson has been a revelation this season, recapturing a bit of the form that made him a lightning-rod running back with Tennessee several years ago. Balance has been key to Arizona's attack, so don't expect it to just abandon the running game outright.

Rookie David Johnson appears to be the next man up.

"I have all the confidence in the world in him starting,” head coach Bruce Arians said, via AZCentral.com's Darren Urban.

Johnson flashed potential at the very beginning of the season, scoring once in each of the team's first three games, two of them coming through the air. 

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Since then, he and Andre Ellington have been splitting whatever few snaps weren't going Johnson's way. The Northern Iowa product has 35 carries for 139 yards on the year (4.0 average). There isn't much to glean from such a small sample size, other than Johnson hasn't been a dud when given the token carry.

The 23-year-old popped up for 21 yards and a touchdown on eight carries Sunday. Johnson has a decent matchup against St. Louis in Week 13. The Rams are slumping and giving up the 15th fewest fantasy points per game to tailbacks this year, per Yahoo Sports.

Johnson has scored in the past two weeks despite limited touches. He's flashed ability in the passing game, a dimension the elder Johnson lacked. Look for the first-year back to get tons of action against St. Louis and come away with a respectable point total.

Week 13 stat projection: 65 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle

Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Seattle lost tight end Jimmy Graham for the season on Sunday due to a torn patellar tendon, per ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia. Like Chandler and Johnson, Doug Baldwin has received fantasy attention heading into Week 13 due an injury suffered by a teammate. Unlike those other two, Baldwin's also getting attention for a bonkers performance in Week 12. 

Here's Baldwin turning a rather simple pass into a monstrous score, per the NFL: 

Baldwin finished with six catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. It's his third-consecutive game with at least six receptions and second 100-yard game in that same span. Russell Wilson has established a rapport with Baldwin, making him an intriguing fantasy play in the coming weeks.

Seattle has a tough matchup in Week 13 against Minnesota. The Vikings are allowing just 223 passing yards per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. Quarterbacks have thrown just 14 touchdowns on them this year, per ESPN.com.

His ceiling won't be quite so high this week, but he's still very much worth a pickup if still available in your fantasy league. Temper expectations against a tough Minnesota squad, then be prepared for Baldwin to torch the likes of Baltimore and Cleveland in the following weeks.

Week 13 stat projection: seven receptions, 85 yards

Sleeper: Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina 

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Every fantasy player hoping to ride touchdown machine Kelvin Benjamin to a fantasy championship saw that dream die before the season even began thanks to (what else?) injury. Some optimists quickly turned to the similarly sized Devin Funchess, assuming he would assume the role of red-zone monster in a very thin Panthers wide receiver corps.

That second dream has not come to pass for the most part, with Funchess rarely getting more than a catch a game this year. However, he is on a bit of an uptick in production as of late.

Date, Opponent	REC	TGTS	YDS	TD
November 8, Green Bay	3	4	71	1
November 15, Tennessee	2	2	41	0
November 22, Washington	4	8	64	1
November 26, Dallas	2	4	19	0

Funchess' touchdown grabs are certainly appealing. He has the frame to bully most cornerbacks, and he has decent leaping ability. That said, Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson isn't yet convinced the Michigan product has sure hands:

Body catches might be all a wide receiver needs when playing New Orleans, the Panthers' Week 13 opponent. New Orleans is giving up the 12th most fantasy points to wide receivers this year, per Yahoo Sports, but the porous defense has allowed 154 points in the team's past four games. There are touchdowns to be had here.

If you're looking for an alternate sleeper, San Diego's Dontrelle Inman is a possibility, per Yahoo Sports' Andy Behrens:

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Oh, hey, look: Inman finally produced the huge medium-sized breakout performance that fantasy experts had been forecasting for weeks. He caught five passes for 65 yards and one score in the win at Jacksonville, plus he finished second on the team in targets (9), behind only Stevie Johnson. With Malcom Floyd playing through a shoulder injury and Keenan Allen done for the year, the 6-foot-3 Inman will get all the work he can handle. He's not necessarily the league's most sure-handed receiver, yet he'll still draw plenty of looks in the closing weeks. The upcoming match-up with Denver is less than ideal, true, but the schedule takes a friendlier turn in Weeks 14-16: at KC, vs. Miami, at Oakland.

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Funchess is the more appealing play against New Orleans' moribund secondary. Look for him to play the bully role and snag a red-zone touchdown while Inman struggles against Denver's elite defense.

Week 13 stat projection (Funchess): three receptions, 50 yards, one touchdown