I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of great food and relaxation. Thanksgiving is easily one of my favorite times of the year. Work starts to wind down, you get some time off, there’s way too much good food and drink but most importantly, there is football. Nothing beats cracking a cold one and watching the Lions lose or sneaking a midday nap with the game on while the family is in the other room. Also, you can’t forget players from the winning team munching on turkey legs post game in honor of John Madden. Thanksgiving is truly a football holiday.
Fun Fact: The lions are now 0-13 when the moon is in a waxing gibbous phase on Thanksgiving dating all the way back to 1966.
Week 12 came to a close on Monday night with a matchup against the Bears and Vikings. Honestly, it is a contender for the worst Monday night game of the year. Neither team ever got going and the Bears won without scoring a touchdown which should tell you everything you need to know. The most noteworthy stat from this snooze of a game was the 6 total turnovers committed (Vikings – 4, Bears – 2). The “Passtronaut” comes back down to Earth and the Vikings go home with a loss.
Week 13 brings a tough week for fantasy managers with the Ravens, Bills, Giants, Vikings, Raiders and Bears all out on BYE. Additionally, two weeks remain in the fantasy regular season. Whether you are pushing to make the playoffs or trying to beef up your team in preparation for your playoff run, check out my top waiver wire targets heading into week 13.
Waiver Wire Targets:
Samaje Perine (Rostered in 26% of ESPN leagues)
In Sunday’s win over Browns, Perine recorded 13.6 fantasy points by rushing for 55 yards and punching in a touchdown. While the touchdown came while Javonte Williams was getting checked out on the sideline, Williams had some good runs when given the opportunity. The Broncos offense has been picking up steam as of late which has benefited the run game. I think Perine is a good add if you need some running back depth for the rest of the year.
Keaton Mitchell (Rostered in 33.5% of ESPN leagues)
As the Ravens head into their BYE week, this is just a friendly reminder for fantasy managers that they should add Keaton Mitchell. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Also, just FYI, Mitchell led the Ravens backfield with 11 touches against the Chargers…
Jayden Reed (Rostered in 31.5% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
A repeat addition from last week’s list, Reed has now put up 15+ fantasy points in the last 3 weeks and double digit points in 5 of the last 6. He seems to be clicking with QB Jordan Love and is positioning himself for a strong end to the year. Reed is a must add.
Demario Douglas (Rostered 32.1% of ESPN leagues)
I will keep hyping this guy up until he gives me a reason not to. Douglas saw 9 targets before exiting in the 3rd quarter due to what was later ruled a concussion. Even if he misses a week, he is still worth rostering due to the remaining strength of schedule for the Patriots, his target share and the team’s desire to get him involved.
Josh Downs (Rostered in 47.2% of ESPN Leagues)
Downs has spent the last few weeks recovering from a knee injury which has seemed to hurt his on-field performance. On Sunday against the Bucs, Downs saw a season high 13 targets which bodes well for his full reintroduction into the offense after the BYE week. Up next is a vulnerable Titans secondary. I also like his schedule for the rest of the year. Downs is certainly worth rostering and could help you in your playoff push if he continues to see such high target share.
Joshua Palmer (Rostered in 24.5% of ESPN leagues)
After going on IR with a knee sprain, Palmer could return to action in the next week or two. The Quentin Johnston experiment is clearly not working, even with the absence of Palmer, so I like the chances of Palmer slotting back into the WR2 role upon his return. Before going down, Palmer saw 7+ targets between weeks 3 and 7. Palmer is more of a stash play for the playoffs at this point.
Greg Dortch (Rostered in 0.3% of ESPN leagues)
Dortch has seen 8+ targets in the last 2 weeks. This is almost entirely a result of the fact that Michael Wilson has missed the last 2 weeks due to a shoulder injury. Should Wilson miss week 13 before the Cardinals week 14 BYE week, Dortch could be a flex candidate for wide receiver needy fantasy managers.
Pat Freiermuth (Rostered in 41.9% of ESPN leagues)
Freiermuth exploded in week 12 with 21 fantasy points. He saw 11 total targets and brought in 9 of those for 120 yards. If you read my week 11 list, you would have seen this guy there and picked him up. Freiermuth is a reliable target for Kenny Pickett and the Steelers need some help in the receiving department. Diontae Johnson seems disgruntled with his role and George Pickens has also voiced similar displeasure at times. A tight end with a large target share and opportunity is attractive and is one that should be added to rosters.
Isaiah Likely (Rostered in 31.7% of ESPN leagues)
Likely put up a modest 8 points against Chargers this past weekend. While this doesn’t scream top tight end production, Likely led the team in receiving yards (40) and only Zay flowers caught more passes (5 to Likely’s 4). Likely also played 73% of the offensive snaps for the Ravens. Better days are certainly ahead for Likely so don’t let a week 13 BYE week scare you away from adding him to your roster before it’s too late.
Jordan Love (Rostered in 48% of ESPN leagues)
Jordan Love has been on a tear recently and his most recent performance against the Lions on Thanksgiving is a good highlight of that. Love threw for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Packers win. The wide receivers around him are coming together at a good time. Christian Watson came back strong and Jayden Reed has been a stud the last few weeks. You also can’t forget about Romeo Doubs. For fantasy managers needing a QB fill in or strong option for the playoffs, love fits the bill.
Gardner Minshew (Rostered in 7.3% of ESPN leagues)
Minshew has been pretty quiet for the past couple weeks posting some pretty poor fantasy outings. Against the Buccaneers Minshew put up 14.64 fantasy points while throwing for 251 yards. He has a pair of quality receivers in Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs which makes him at least somewhat appealing. Minshew should really only be considered a streaming candidate for this week if you are in a desperate need of a QB due to the tough BYE week.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
Want to tell me who I left off or needs to be added? Follow me on twitter at @The_FFGenius and let me know!