Fantasy Football Week 13 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers Who Could Emerge
Week 13 is scheduled to kick off with a Thursday night matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots. The game could have serious playoff implications, and this week could hold the same for many a fantasy manager.
Fortunately, managers will only have to deal with two teams—the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers—being on bye. However, this doesn't mean that setting rosters will be simple across the board.
Players like Joe Mixon (concussion protocol) and Christian McCaffrey (knee) are dealing with injuries, while fantasy superstar Cooper Kupp remains on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain.
Many managers will need to turn to the waiver wire to fill out lineups this week, and we're here to help. We'll examine the three key fantasy positions—quarterback, running back and wide receiver—and run down a list of prime waiver-wire targets for each.
All picks are based on point-per-reception scoring.
Quarterback
1 of 3
With Kyler Murray on bye and Matthew Stafford (concussion) unlikely to play in Week 13—not to mention Aaron Rodgers dealing with rib and thumb injuries—quarterback could be a position of need for many managers.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff could be the perfect fill-in for the week.
While he hasn't been a consistent fantasy producer, Goff has had his fair share of solid outings this season. In Week 12, for example, the 28-year-old passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns against a good Buffalo Bills defense.
This week, Goff will face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that isn't quite as good. The Jaguars have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2022. Goff is rostered in 49 percent of Yahoo leagues and 29 percent of ESPN leagues.
New York Jets quarterback Mike White is another enticing waiver target and a deep sleeper to consider.
He's only made one start this season, but White threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. This week, White will face the Minnesota Vikings, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. White is rostered in a mere 16 percent of Yahoo leagues and 8 percent of ESPN leagues.
Other potential targets—rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues—include Marcus Mariota, Kenny Pickett and Taylor Heinicke.
Week 13 QB Waiver Rankings
1. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
2. Mike White, New York Jets
3. Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons
4. Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders
5. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Running Back
2 of 3
With Mixon still suffering from a concussion, the Cincinnati Bengals may lean on backup running back Samaje Perine for another week. While the matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs isn't great, it's not terrible either.
Kansas City has allowed the 16th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
Perine should also provide a fair bit of PPR upside. Last week against a good Tennessee Titans run defense, he rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for another 35 yards.
It's definitely worth checking to see if Perine is available, as he's rostered in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues and 46 percent of ESPN leagues.
Managers seeking a deep sleeper should check in on Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams. The rookie saw his biggest workload of the season last week and finished with 11 carries for 35 yards and three receptions for 25 yards.
With teammate Cam Akers missing practice this week (illness), Williams could see an even bigger workload against the Seattle Seahawks. That makes for a terrific matchup, as Seattle
has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing RBs in 2022.
Williams is rostered in 48 percent of Yahoo leagues and 28 percent of ESPN leagues.
Other backs to consider on the wire include JaMycal Hasty, Jerick McKinnon and Tyler Allgeier.
Week 13 RB Waiver Rankings
1. Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
3. JaMycal Hasty, Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
5. Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs
Wide Receiver
3 of 3
Tennessee Titans rookie receiver Treylon Burks was a popular pickup this week, but he may still be available in shallower leagues.
Burks is rostered in 57 percent of Yahoo leagues and 42 percent of ESPN leagues.
If Burks is available, managers should be quick to snap him up. The Arkansas product has emerged as a playmaker for the Titans over the past three weeks and has caught 14 passes for 205 yards on 20 targets during that span.
Burks even scored his first NFL touchdown last week after recovering a Derrick Henry fumble. While Burks doesn't have an ideal matchup—the Philadelphia Eagles have allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers—he should see enough targets to justify a flex start.
Cleveland Browns wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones is also worth checking in on ahead of a matchup with the Houston Texans. Houston has allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers in 2022, though that is largely because opponents have gotten early leads often and attacked the Texans' bottom-ranked rushing attack.
The Browns, who have struggled on both sides of the ball, may not be able to lean solely on the run.
Peoples-Jones, meanwhile, has become a huge piece of Cleveland's passing attack. While he had just two receptions for 16 yards in Week 12, he caught at least four passes in each of his previous seven games. He's rostered in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues and 42 percent of ESPN leagues.
Lions rookie receiver Jameson Williams is the sort of deep sleeper who could help deliver a fantasy championship down the stretch.
"He’s fast,” Goff said, per Kyle Meinke of MLive. “He’s very fast. Very, very fast. Yeah.”
While Williams may not suit up against Jacksonville, he practiced this week and his NFL debut is on the not-too-distant horizon.
Other wire targets to consider include Parris Campbell, Zay Jones and Isaiah McKenzie.
Week 13 WR Waiver Rankings
1. Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
2. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
3. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns
4. Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills
5. Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts
Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
