Fantasy Football Week 13: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
Fantasy football managers should set their sights on two teams with developing offensive attacks. Those clubs have multiple playmakers who can explode with gaudy numbers because of injuries and change or growth at the quarterback position. In particular, keep your eyes on a couple of undrafted rookies and a top-20 pick from this year’s draft.
With a new quarterback under center, the New York Jets could light up one of the league’s most porous pass defenses. Meanwhile, Gang Green may have to call on another running back to lead its backfield. Fortunately for the Jets, he’s already shown some potential in a small sample size.
Similar to the Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have to rely on a backup running back while their featured ball-carrier tries to shake off an injury. With that said, they have a more intriguing fantasy option under center.
With several fresh faces to consider, managers can dig deep on the waiver wire for some fantasy gems. All eight of our sleeper options for point-per-reception scoring formats are available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.
QB Mike White at Minnesota Vikings (16 Percent Rostered)
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In case you didn’t know, the Mike White show in New York started with a bang last week. He replaced Zach Wilson, whom the team benched, and threw for 315 yards along with three touchdowns against the Chicago Bears.
While some managers may want to see White put together a couple or a few solid performances before they jump on his fantasy bandwagon, the Jets signal-caller has a softer matchup this week than he had in Week 12. The Bears have allowed the 14th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks; the Minnesota Vikings rank fifth in that points allowed category.
Furthermore, going into Week 13, the Vikings allow the most passing yards leaguewide. White can feast on a generous defense with wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, who finished with seven catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns combined against the Bears.
Managers should forget about what they previously thought about Gang Green’s lackluster 22nd-ranked passing attack with Wilson under center and take advantage of a good matchup as White makes a case to start for the remainder of the 2022 campaign.
QB Kenny Pickett at Atlanta Falcons (12 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $5,200
Kenny Pickett didn’t throw any touchdown passes in a 24-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, but he looked sharp against the league’s fifth-ranked pass defense in the first half of that contest. The rookie quarterback went through some rough patches in the second half and finished with just 12.2 fantasy points.
Nonetheless, Pickett gets a more favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, who field the 28th-ranked pass defense and allow the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
As Pickett’s rapport with Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth grows, he’ll show more flashes in complete games. The Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller can put his fantasy potential on full display as long as he avoids cornerback A.J. Terrell, which is feasible with a trio of quality pass-catchers.
As a rookie with inconsistencies, Pickett comes with some risk, but managers can reap great rewards if the Falcons continue to give up a ton of yardage and some touchdowns (18 in 12 games) through the air. He can also tack on rushing production; the Steelers quarterback has 195 yards and three scores on the ground in eight games.
RB Zonovan Knight at Minnesota Vikings (39 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $4,600
On Monday, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh revealed that Michael Carter suffered a low ankle sprain. Though he may have avoided a high ankle sprain, which is usually a multiweek injury, the second-year running back isn’t a lock to handle a full workload or even suit up for Sunday’s contest. Carter didn't practice on Wednesday.
In Week 12, the Jets listed running back James Robinson inactive as a healthy scratch, so managers should drop him if they haven’t done so already. In his place, undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight took on an expanded role that grew after Carter exited the game. The former logged a team-leading 14 carries for 69 yards and hauled in three passes for 34 yards. Ty Johnson recorded five rush attempts for 62 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 16 yards.
On the field for 48 percent of the offensive snaps last week, Knight profiles as a more appealing fantasy option than Johnson, who played 24 percent of the snaps at running back, if Carter isn’t able to play or takes on a reduced role.
By the way, the Vikings allow the 12th-most fantasy points to running backs, and they’ve given up at least 137 rushing yards in three of their last four games.
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RB Jaylen Warren at Atlanta Falcons (22 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $4,900
This past Monday, in the second quarter of a matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, running back Najee Harris exited with an oblique injury and didn’t return. On a short turnaround, he could miss the team’s upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons. Harris sat out of practice on Wednesday.
For now, managers should add backup running backs Jaylen Warren or Benny Snell Jr. The latter took over the lead role in place of Harris, recording 12 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown with a catch for six yards. Anthony McFarland Jr. had a lesser role with two catches for 11 yards in addition to six rush attempts for 30 yards.
Warren didn’t play against the Colts because of a hamstring issue, but he went through a full practice on Wednesday.
Keep in mind that Warren logged 12 touches (nine carries and three receptions) for 77 yards with Harris active in Week 10. Coming off a Week 9 bye, he saw a bump in his workload, which makes him more appealing than Snell, who needs an injury to make a fantasy impact.
Of course, managers will need to check with the Steelers injury report every day until Sunday, but Warren or Snell would have a high-upside matchup with the Falcons if Harris isn’t able to suit up.
The Falcons allow the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs and field the 21st-ranked run defense.
If you're in a PPR league with room on the bench for a speculative add, grab Warren now.
WR Mack Hollins vs. Los Angeles Chargers (27 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $4,600
While tight end Darren Waller (hamstring) and Hunter Renfrow (oblique) recover from injuries, Mack Hollins has filled a significant void in the Las Vegas Raiders’ passing attack. He’s tied with Josh Jacobs for second on the team in catches (40) while solely No. 2 in receiving yards (531) and touchdown receptions (three) with a 62.5 percent catch rate.
Hollins has eclipsed 51 receiving yards in each of his previous two outings and scored a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks last week.
As star wide receiver Davante Adams draws most of the attention downfield, Hollins can go over the top for big plays or use his 6’4”, 221-pound frame to box out defenders in the red zone.
Hollins draws a decent matchup with Los Angeles Chargers, who have allowed 18 touchdowns through the air in 11 games and rank 18th in pass defense.
Because the Raiders and Chargers field bottom-tier defensive units that rank 26th or worse in points allowed, they could play in scoring shootout. With that possibility, Hollins has great flex appeal following two productive outings.
WR Richie James vs. Washington Commanders (6 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $3,800
In Week 11, the New York Giants lost Wan’Dale Robinson, who tore his ACL, though Big Blue has an in-house replacement who can rack up yards on underneath routes as a shifty slot receiver.
Per the Giants’ official website, Robinson (5’8”, 185 lbs) and Richie James (5’9” 185 lbs) are nearly identical in size, so we shouldn’t be surprised about the latter’s increased role after the former went down with an injury. Because the two wideouts have similar skill sets, James has a shot to make an impact in the aerial attack as the No. 2 receiver behind Darius Slayton.
Thanks to the Giants’ decision to trade injury-prone wideout Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs and Kenny Golladay’s drop issues, they don’t have a consistent secondary option in the passing game, but James has made the most of his recent opportunities.
Over the last two weeks, James has hauled in eight out of nine targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns. In a Thanksgiving Day loss (28-20) to the Dallas Cowboys, he played 70 percent of the offensive snaps.
If Slayton isn’t available and you need a PPR streamer, take a look at James, who could reach paydirt for a third consecutive game in a decent matchup. The Washington Commanders have allowed 19 passing touchdowns (ranked 24th) in 12 contests.
James missed practice on Wednesday because of a knee injury, but managers shouldn't be alarmed yet because he sat out of the first practice of the previous week with the same issue.
TE Juwan Johnson at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (42 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $3,400
The New Orleans Saints’ passing attack doesn’t generate a lot of discussion unless you want to talk about Chris Olave’s strong rookie campaign (56 catches for 822 yards and three touchdowns).
With that said, the Saints rank 11th in passing yards. They’ll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have allowed 17 touchdowns through the air (ranked 21st leaguewide) in 11 contests and are tied with the New York Giants for fifth in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. Taking this into account, Juwan Johnson will have a good chance to post TE1-level numbers in a high-upside fantasy matchup.
This season, Johnson lists third among Saints’ pass-catchers in targets (49), receptions (31) and receiving yards (349). He also leads the team in touchdown grabs with five, scoring in three of the last four weeks.
Even though tight end Adam Trautman is healthy, Johnson clearly has the lead pass-catching role at the position. In a matchup that's favorable to Saints tight ends, the latter should be on your sleeper radar as a streaming option.
TE Evan Engram at Detroit Lions (40 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Price: $3,000
Evan Engram has had a quiet stretch over the past three weeks, hauling in just five out of seven targets for 26 yards, but he’ll have a plus matchup this Sunday.
Engram will face the Detroit Lions, who allow the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends, which is his best matchup thus far this season. If he doesn’t rack up a decent number of points this week, you can probably leave him off the sleeper radar for the rest of the campaign.
Though the Lions have tightened up on the defensive side of the ball over the past few weeks, they have still allowed the fourth-most yards through the air while surrendering the most points going into Week 13.
In Week 12, against the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence looked sharp, throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps he stays hot against a softer defense, and Engram reaps the benefits against a defensive group that’s vulnerable in the middle of the field.
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Fantasy points scored against statistics are provided by FantasyPros.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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