Week 13 Waiver Wire: David Johnson, Doug Baldwin Highlight Pickups to Know

This past weekend provided the best examples to date of what waiver-wire adds can do, as the fantasy football schedule transitions to Week 13.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware showed what a backup can do in place of a starter from a fantasy standpoint, going for 17 points. In a similar situation, Thomas Rawls of the Seattle Seahawks wasn't far off with 14.

There are more examples, but those two trumpet the merits of the waiver wire at a busy time of year.

Below, we'll make life easier on owners with a look at the top adds of Week 13 who figure to follow in Ware's and Rawls' paths well.

Week 13 Waiver-Wire Pickup Targets

Name	Pos.	Team	Ownership Percentage
Ryan Fitzpatrick	QB	NYJ	26.3
Kirk Cousins	QB	WAS	26.0
Joique Bell	RB	DET	36.6
Shaun Draughn	RB	SF	35.1
David Johnson	RB	ARI	22.7
Doug Baldwin	WR	SEA	33.9
Seth Roberts	WR	OAK	0.2
DeVante Parker	WR	MIA	4.8
Vance McDonald	TE	SF	0.6
Ryan Griffin	TE	HOU	0.3

Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington (26.3 percent owned)

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

It's getting to the point where one has to wonder what Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has to do to be scooped up in fantasy leagues. 

Cousins is by no means an every-week starter in fantasy but has now posted 22 or more points in two of his last three games and three of his last five.

There's no better time to grab Cousins, either. DeSean Jackson is finally back and healthy, the team's fighting for first place in the NFC East on a surprise surge and the players continue to rally around him as he improves.

Safety Dashon Goldson said as much after the team's latest win, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post: “This team is going to win with him. We only go as far as he takes us. I just wanted him to understand that. As a quarterback, he’s got to be a leader, a little more vocal and take charge in what’s going on on the offensive side and as a team. Period.”

With weapons such as Jackson and tight end Jordan Reed to hit, it's clear Cousins' solid production isn't going away. Over those aforementioned five games, he's thrown 10 touchdowns against three interceptions. Owners need to scoop him up as a streaming option.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals (22.7 percent owned)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Owners will recall the start of the season, when a surprise by the name of David Johnson posted double digits in four of his first five games for the Arizona Cardinals. 

With the team easing Chris Johnson into his new home and with Andre Ellington hurt, Johnson was explosive both on the ground and through the air.

Guess what? He still is.

As the Cardinals summed up on Twitter, both starters ahead of Johnson went down with injuries in Week 12, meaning Johnson is in for a huge uptick in playing time if they cannot go next week:

Owners should be nothing short of ecstatic over the prospects of Johnson handling a bigger workload. After all, he carried the ball a season-high eight times in Week 12 following the injuries, which he turned into 21 yards and a score.

Johnson as an every-down back in an offense guided by Carson Palmer? It's widely available matchup-free production, folks.

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks (33.9 percent owned)

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Good luck naming a hotter receiver in the NFL right now than Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks. 

The No. 1 option in an iffy passing attack, Baldwin hit double digits just once with two touchdowns over his first eight outings. Sunday, Baldwin erupted in every sense of the word by hauling in six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns, good for 32 points.

The NFL captured some of his handiwork:

This isn't a knee-jerk reaction to Baldwin's three scores, though.

As a whole, Baldwin's been much more involved in the offense since the Week 9 bye. In Week 10, he totaled 19 points. Week 11 was a six-point dud, but he caught six passes, giving him six or more catches in every game since the bye.

With tight end Jimmy Graham lost for the season, according to CBS' Rob Rang, Baldwin's role will only further increase. Owners will want to look his way.

Vance McDonald, TE, San Francisco 49ers (0.6 percent owned)

Like Cousins, it seems difficult to convince owners to pick up San Francisco 49ers tight end Vance McDonald.

San Francisco is admittedly a fantasy wasteland, but McDonald's doing his best to change that with 12 or more points in each of his last two outings and a touchdown in each. 

McDonald's emerging with Vernon Davis out of the way and Blaine Gabbert under center, to say the least. It sounds funny, but McDonald hadn't found pay dirt in any of his prior 31 games before this new streak.

Some owners won't have much of a choice here, thanks to injuries at the position. But McDonald is by no means a bad option, given the way Gabbert seems to lean on his tight ends more each time on the field.

Out of nowhere, McDonald might be morphing into one of the most reliable options at an unstable position.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats as of November 30. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.