Week 13 Waiver Wire: Breakout Pickups, Targets and Tips for Fantasy Football

As the playoffs draw near for standard leagues, fantasy owners have little room for long-term perspectives. Managers should take swings at high-end streamers going forward.

In Week 12, New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold rewarded owners with a 22.40-point output, per FantasyPros, the most at the position before the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.

Going into Sunday's games, only 36 percent of Yahoo managers had Darnold on their roster. That number will go up significantly in the next 72 hours, but he'll probably remain available in a good number of leagues because of distrust in the Jets, who are 4-7 for the season.

However, the Jets have picked up steam in recent weeks, and their momentum has reflected on the scoreboard with 34 points in three consecutive games. If you prefer not to gamble on waiver-wire options, perhaps it's time to change that mindset.

Some of the suggested pickups below are coming off nondescript performances, but they have good matchups in the upcoming week. All 10 options are owned in fewer than 65 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday 7:45 p.m. ET.

QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets (39 percent owned)

QB Nick Foles, Jacksonville Jaguars (33 percent owned)

RB Jonathan Williams, Indianapolis Colts (62 percent owned)

RB Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins (56 percent owned)

WR Will Fuller V, Houston Texans (63 percent owned)

WR Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars (62 percent owned)

WR Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (54 percent owned)

WR A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans (16 percent owned)

TE Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers (50 percent owned)

TE Ryan Griffin, New York Jets (44 percent owned)

QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets (39 percent owned)

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Sam Darnold lit up the Oakland Raiders defense Sunday, throwing for 315 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score in the 34-3 victory. Over the last three weeks, the Jets signal-caller has logged seven passing scores and just one interception.

Now on a hot streak, fantasy owners can trust Darnold for the next two weeks. The Jets will travel to the Cincinnati Bengals and host the Miami Dolphins. Those clubs rank 24th and 20th, respectively, in passing yards allowed per game.

More importantly for potential Darnold owners, he spread the ball around Sunday, connecting with wide receiver Robby Anderson and tight end Ryan Griffin for touchdowns. The former led the team in yards (86), and the latter has scored in consecutive outings.

Darnold will have a tough fantasy football playoff stretch with the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills on the schedule for Weeks 15-17, but you can plug him into your lineups in Weeks 13 and 14 as a QB1 for a postseason push.

RB Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins (56 percent owned)

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The Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions combined for a fantasy football dud Sunday. Together, the two clubs only scored one offensive touchdown, quarterback Jeff Driskel throwing to tight end Logan Thomas.

Nonetheless, fantasy owners should note the 50-50 split between Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice. They both logged 10 rush attempts apiece, and the latter led the team in yards (32).

With running back Chris Thompson out because of turf toe since Week 7, Guice should have a healthy workload and may continue to see a couple of targets in the short passing game.

In Week 13, the Redskins will go on the road to play the Carolina Panthers. As quarterback Dwayne Haskins' struggles in the pocket continue, expect the team to rely on the ground attack to move the ball, especially against the next opponent. The Panthers rank 27th vs. the run and gave up 118 rushing yards to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Although he's a low-end RB2 or flex option, Guice will have a good chance to rack up rushing yards and a touchdown against the Panthers' vulnerable front.

WR Will Fuller V, Houston Texans (63 percent owned)

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If you stashed Will Fuller V on injured reserve for five weeks, feel free to slide him into the WR2 or flex spot for the remainder of the season. When healthy, he can put up gaudy numbers because of his big-play ability.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson went to Fuller multiple times deep downfield against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. The tandem connected for 44 and 51 yards on huge plays. The fourth-year wide receiver finished with seven receptions for 140 yards in his first game since Week 7—not too shabby.

Fuller's performances should send a cue to fantasy owners—don't leave him on the waiver wire.

In Week 13, the Texans will face the New England Patriots' No. 2-ranked pass defense in yards allowed per game, but Fuller has the ability to satisfy WR2 performance levels with just a few catches. If he reaches the end zone, the 25-year-old could easily lead your wide receiver group in points.

If Fuller stays healthy for the remainder of the season, he's an ideal play during the fantasy football playoffs in Weeks 15 and 16 against the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rank 22nd and 31st, respectively, in passing yards allowed per game.

WR Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (54 percent owned)

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Wide receiver Sterling Shepard didn't have a productive outing against the Chicago Bears in his return from a concussion. He snagged five receptions for 15 yards on nine targets, but the NFC North club ranked 10th in passing yards allowed per outing going into Week 12.

The New York Giants will head back home to face the Green Bay Packers, who list 23rd in passing yards allowed per contest, giving Shepard a more favorable matchup next week.

Although fellow wide receiver Darius Slayton has been impressive in recent weeks, Shepard led the team in targets (nine) Sunday, which shows he's not out of the loop among Giants wideouts. The fourth-year wideout has seen the same number of targets in every game with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones under center.

After Green Bay, Big Blue goes against the Philadelphia Eagles (twice), Dolphins and Redskins—all three clubs rank 16th or worse in average passing yards allowed. Jones should be able to log productive games down the stretch with Shepard as a beneficiary because of the consistency in his target share.