Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups: Best Fantasy Sleepers to Target on Yahoo

Why sugarcoat it? The most important weeks of the waiver wire are in front of fantasy football owners as the NFL turns its calendar to Week 13. 

Now is the crunch time ahead of fantasy football playoffs that owners who fancy themselves as contenders can either take high-upside risks or simply attempt to reinforce depth on the chance of an injury or terrible matchup. 

A glance at the waiver wire this time of year will lean more toward immediate producers where possible, which is going to mean bigger ownership percentages but less in the way of stashes for a rainy day. 

Here's a look at the best waiver-wire targets based on Yahoo Standard formats.  

Week 13 Waiver-Wire Targets

Case Keenum, Min QB (47 percent owned)

Josh McCown, NYJ QB (32 percent owned)

Rod Smith, Dal RB (14 percent owned)

T.J. Yeldon, Jax RB (15 percent owned)

Mike Davis, Sea, RB  (2 percent owned)

Corey Coleman, Cle WR (40 percent owned)

Zay Jones, Buf WR (14 percent owned)

Dontrelle Inman, Chi WR (10 percent owned)

Ricky Seals-Jones, Ari TE (4 percent owned)

Julius Thomas, Mia TE (27 percent owned)

Josh McCown, NYJ QB (32 percent owned)

Al Bello/Getty Images

Yes, it's scary to think about relying on a member of the New York Jets with so much at stake this time of year. Yet Josh McCown is an underrated option in a pinch. 

What better way to show 2017 has been the oddest year for anything and everything in recent memory than by pointing out McCown can lead a team to fantasy playoffs? He's scored 15 or more points six times this year and north of the 20-point mark three times. 

His last outing? A three-touchdown affair in Week 12 on 19 completions, totaling 25.08 points. Simply put, McCown doesn't look like McCown when he's scrambling and taking big hits while delivering touchdown passes: 

Still a matchup-based play, McCown specifically has a better matchup than most in Week 13 thanks to a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, owners of a defense allowing the 11th-most points to opposing quarterbacks on average. 

So while opponents might scoff at an owner for starting McCown with everything on the line, they will only be laughing for so long. 

T.J. Yeldon, Jax RB (15 percent owned)

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Running back has a brutal week on the wire, but it isn't a bad idea to invest in a handcuff such as T.J. Yeldon of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Yeldon is stuck behind Leonard Fournette there, but the high-profile rookie has a well-documented ankle issue he'll keep dealing with the rest of the season.

Even without Fournette missing snaps, Yeldon is an interesting option because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. 

As Rotoworld's Nick Mensio pointed out, the 24-year-old is seeing the field often despite not being the starter: 

Yeldon doesn't hit double-digit production often, but one doesn't have to look far to find the damage he can do based on his 19.7-point outburst in Week 7. 

If we know a matchup is great, so will Jaguars coaches—and Yeldon sits in a great spot for Week 13 against an Indianapolis Colts defense that allows the fourth-most points to backs. 

Those Colts? They're the team Yeldon dropped the 19.7 points on in Week 7. 

Zay Jones, Buf WR (14 percent owned)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

For fantasy owners, the Buffalo Bills picked a great time to admit their mistake under center and go back to Tyrod Taylor while also letting rookie Zay Jones get more involved. 

Wideout depth is ridiculous this year, yet Jones is still a name to know right now. He has six or more targets six times since Week 5, culminating in a Week 12 performance where he caught three of 10 targets for 33 yards and a touchdown, good for 11.3 points. 

Given his pace of development and recent production, Jones is a name to know: 

It's also worth pointing out the Bills don't have anyone who will steal the looks from Jones right now, especially with Kelvin Benjamin dealing with an injury. 

Like the rest of the list here, Jones isn't an outright household name. But he's interesting enough at the right time of year to scoop up.  

Ricky Seals-Jones, Ari TE (4 percent owned)

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Speaking of household names, Ricky Seals-Jones of the Arizona Cardinals isn't even close. 

But fantasy owners who go deep know all about him. 

The Cardinals have unleashed RSJ in recent weeks, creating a situation where he's posting at least 13 points in each of his last two outings, including three total touchdowns. 

Some, such as NFL.com's Gil Brandt, saw the outburst coming from the rookie: 

Now the second-best target in Arizona not named Larry Fitzgerald, RSJ sees plenty of looks as a safety valve while the quarterback carousel continues. 

While RSJ doesn't have the best matchup in Week 13, his two-game outburst hints at him being a matchup-free option moving forward. And at tight end, even this time of year shouldn't stop owners from looking for a stash option given the inconsistency of the position on a week-to-week basis. 

Since being implemented into the offense, RSJ has been the definition of consistent.  

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.