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

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

The impact of a sleeper has never been greater than it will be in Week 13 of the 2018 NFL fantasy football season.

Playoff spots and seeds are at stake, meaning the addition of an underrated player could potentially push an owner into the postseason or at least reinforce their depth ahead of the championship climb.

Here's a look at the best waiver-wire targets who are available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Week 13 Sleepers

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys (48 percent owned)

Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (47 percent owned)

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens (42 percent owned)

Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans (33 percent owned)

Doug Martin, RB, Oakland Raiders (48 percent owned)

Frank Gore, RB, Miami Dolphins (26 percent owned)

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LeGarrette Blount, RB, Detroit Lions (15 percent owned)

Carlos Hyde, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (38 percent owned)

Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (3 percent owned)

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (41 percent owned)

Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals (38 percent owned)

Adam Humphries, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31 percent owned)

Josh Doctson, WR, Washington Redskins (12 percent owned)

Bruce Ellington, WR, Detroit Lions (2 percent owned)

Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans (20 percent owned)

Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Rams (13 percent owned)

Matt LaCosse, TE, Denver Broncos (1 percent owned)

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys (48 percent owned)

While the Prescott hype train stalled on the tracks earlier this season, it has since picked up enough speed to come roaring into a favorable Week 13 matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

His Thanksgiving performance was nothing short of a feast. He set a season-high with 289 passing yards and tied his previous best with two touchdown throws. More intriguing, though, was the fact he delivered his fifth rushing touchdown in six games.

His ceiling only extends so high on the strength of his arm, though it's taller than it's been all season with Amari Cooper's Week 12 emergence. When Prescott also delivers production on the ground—he's had 30-plus rushing yards in four games so far—that's when he moves himself near the QB1 discussion.

He certainly belongs in that talk with the Saints coming to town. He'll need to keep pace with the electric Drew Brees and should have the opportunity to do so against a defense that allows 286 passing yards per game (30th) and has already yielded 21 touchdown throws (tied for 21st).

Doug Martin, RB, Oakland Raiders (48 percent owned)

It feels like Martin is facing a pair of fantasy graveyards as both an almost-30-year-old running back and a member of the Raiders. And yet, the seventh-year rusher is delivering one of this season's most surprising performances in the wake of Marshawn Lynch's going on injured reserve (groin).

"In the past five games, [Martin is] averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and he's scored at least 12 PPR points in two of his past three outings, even with the Raiders falling apart," CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg wrote. "This week, he's facing a Chiefs defense that allows the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs."

To be clear, Martin isn't usually a great play in terms of upside. He has yet to enjoy his first 100-scrimmage-yard performance of the season and has only cleared 80 yards twice.

But he's averaged 61.6 scrimmage yards over his last five outings, and he could race past that number against a Kansas City defense allowing 5.0 yards per carry (29th).

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (41 percent owned)

Williams has more boom-or-bust potential than our other recommendations, but his upside might make him worth the risk.

While volume isn't a specialty of his—he hasn't topped four targets since Week 3—finding the end zone seems to be. He delivered two touchdowns (on four catches) in Week 12, giving him seven on the season and four in the past five games.

"That's what we expect from Mike," Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. "He's a 50/50 guy. He can go up. He can jump out of the gym. He can go up and get the ball. That's what he's been doing all year."

The Chargers might want to lean even heavier on Williams' mismatch potential after Melvin Gordon suffered an MCL sprain. While Gordon leads the Chargers skill players with 13 touchdowns, Williams is their only other player with more than five. He'll look to boost that number against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense tied for 21st with 21 passing touchdowns allowed.

Statistics used courtesy of NFL.com and ESPN.com. Fantasy scoring and ownership information obtained via Yahoo Sports.