Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early Must-Adds For Week 13

Here's your early kickstart to the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 13.

Week 12 of the NFL schedule is winding down, with Sunday and Monday night games to be completed. With the coming week a holiday week, and a total of four games between Thanksgiving and Black Friday, an early start on the Week 13 waiver wire is a little more important this week.

Here are your early must-adds of the fantasy football waiver wire heading into Week 13.

Note: Yahoo! scoring (0.5-point-PPR) is the scoring cited unless noted otherwise.

Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills

Coleman missed the two games before Buffalo’s Week 12 bye with a wrist injury, which made him an easy cut for those who had him rostered but needed help for the first “Bye-maggedon.”

Before the injury in Week 9, Coleman seemed to be hitting a stride with nine catches (on 14 targets) for 195 yards in Week 7 and Week 8 combined. From Week 3-Week 8, he topped 50 yards or scored in five of six games.

Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers isn’t as daunting as it looks, the Coleman gets favorable matchups against the Los Angeles Rams (Week 14), Detroit Lions (Week 15) and New England Patriots (Week 16).

There remains a little bit of boom-or-bust element to Coleman. But if he can recapture the vicinity of that seven targets per game from his last two full healthy games, some of that bust downside will go away. And attachment to Josh Allen with a run of good matchups coming makes the rookie a must-add in any league where he’s available.

ESPN Ownership: 52.8%
Yahoo! Ownership: 43%

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

With Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) both out Sunday against the Denver Broncs, Abdullah took the lead back role for the Raiders and finished with 65 total yards on 13 touches (five catches for 37 yards) with a receiving touchdown. He has a eight receptions and a receiving score in back-to-back games.

The Raiders have a short week before facing the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday for Week 13. So it’s entirely possible Mattison or White, or both, miss another game. It’s not a great matchup, as the Chiefs entered Week 12 allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to running backs, but volume is king in fantasy football and Abdullah had it when he was alone as Las Vegas’ lead back (69 of 77 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus).

Abdullah became a plug-and play for Week 12 as it became clear Mattison and White would be out against the Broncos. He could be that again in Week 13, possible relevant (though unlikely?) beyond that.

Three of the Raiders’ four opponents from Week 14-17 entered Week 12 in the bottom-six of the league against running backs, so whoever is in the backfield is lined up to have success. The chance Abdullah is in that mix enhances his appeal as a waiver wire add this week. He should be rostered in 12-team leagues, with a tilt toward PPR formats.

ESPN Ownership: 19.3%
Yahoo! Ownership: 24%

Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears

Williams went 32-for-47 for 340 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, along with 33 rushing yards. Over two games since Thomas Brown took over as Chicago’s offensive coordinator, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft has completed a shade over 70 percent of his passes with zero interceptions.

In Week 13 (Thanksgiving Day) Williams will face the Detroit Lions, who entered Week 12 allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. But they were down starting cornerback Terrion Arnold on Sunday, and their other starting corner Carlton Davis suffered a knee injury during the game. So it’s possible Detroit has Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and Emmanuel Moseley as their top perimeter corners on a short week. Besides that, the Lions are a pass-funnel defense and their offense often forces the opposing offense to have to pass the ball a lot.

From Week 14-16 the matchups aren’t phenomenal for Williams (San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings, the Lions), before a nicer matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. But he’s playing better, and he can notably add to his fantasy production with his legs.

ESPN Ownership: 36.7%
Yahoo! Ownership: 54%

Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers

Legette had four catches for 56 yards (on six targets) against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, highlighted by a 34-yard play. Before Carolina’s Week 11 bye he scored in three of five games, and his snap share/route participation remained high on Sunday.

From Week 13-17, three of Carolina’s five opponents (Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Week 13, Dallas Cowboys-Week 15, Buccaneers again in Week 17) entered Week 12 in the bottom-half of the league in fantasy points per game allowed to wide receivers. Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals is far from that territory, and a pass-heavy game script could easily come in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Among Carolina’s wide receivers, Legette is the one to trust most. In leagues with at least 12 teams, he’s lined up to be a WR3/WR4 with some upside down the stretch.

ESPN Ownership: 36.4%
Yahoo! Ownership: 27%

Jeremy McNichols, RB, Washington Commanders

The Commanders started Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler both healthy, but it did not finish that way.

Robinson suffered an ankle injury on the first play of the game and returned later in the first quarter only to leave for good in the second quarter. Ekeler lasted as the lead back until he suffered a concussion while returning a kickoff. It was bad enough he was taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

On his 17 snaps Sunday, McNichols had three carries for 22 yards and ran nine routes without a catch.

Robinson and Ekeler are questionable until further notice heading into Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans. If one misses the game, McNichols would have a role alongside the healthy one who remains. If they are both out, McNichols would take the lead back role with little behind him.

McNichols is a highly speculative add as the new week gets going, and Washington has their bye in Week 14. Robinson or Ekeler managers should have him somewhere on their radar as a one-week plug-and-play though, and overall he makes sense to have on the radar in leagues with 12 or more teams.

ESPN Ownership: 1.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 1%

Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots

Gibson had six carries for 31 yards on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, along with one catch for 14 yards as he led the New England backfield in snaps (30, to 29 for Rhamondre Stevenson). The game script in a game the Patriots trailed 31-0 and lost 34-19 likely played into Gibson seeing more action than he has seen in several weeks. But….

Week 13 brings a fairly favorable matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, then the Patriots have their bye. After that comes very favorable matchups against the Arizona Cardinals (Week 15) and Buffalo Bills (Week 16), the latter or which could be a similar game script to Sunday.

Gibson is a dictionary definition of the “running back who showed a pulse” when it comes to a waiver wire add. But Stevenson has not done a whole lot lately to keep him off the field (2.9 yards per carry over the last five games), so there could be a shift in the workload split. And that’s enough to put Gibson on the radar in leagues with at least 12 teams.

ESPN Ownership: 17.4%
Yahoo! Ownership: 13%

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans

Westbrook-Ikhine had just two catches (for 48 yards) Sunday against the Houston Texans, but he scored for the sixth time in his last seven games. The touchdown dependency is clear, with five or fewer targets in five of his last seven games and 50 or less yards six times in that span.

The remaining schedule is generally favorable for Tennessee’s wide receivers. Only the Washington Commanders (Week 13) didn’t enter Week 12 in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points per game allowed to wide receivers, and barely so (17th-most). Two matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 14 and Week 17) are particularly promising.

Westbrook-Ikhine is as touchdown-dependent as touchdown-dependent gets, and boom-or-bust right along that line. But there are worse ways to fill a bench spot in leagues with 12 or more teams as the fantasy playoffs approach, and worse ways to go with a boom-or-bust flex option if you had to with another six-team “Bye-mageddon” coming in Week 14.

ESPN Ownership: 7.5%
Yahoo! Ownership: 12%

Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints

Carr went into the Saints’ Week 12 bye with multiple passing touchdowns in back-to-back games. Over three games since returning from an oblique strain, he has five touchdowns and zero interceptions, a completion rate a little over 66 percent while averaging 9.1 yards per attempt.

From Week 13-17, Carr has one matchup that looks particularly tough (Green Bay Packers-Week 16). But the Los Angeles Rams (Week 13), New York Giants (Week 14), Washington Commanders (Week 15) and Las Vegas Raiders (Week 17) are all favorable, and three (Rams, Commanders, Raiders) are at home/indoors.

About the time we start believing in Carr as fantasy managers is when he lets us down. But his remaining schedule is solid, and that at least makes him a solid add in two-quarterback/superflex leagues.

ESPN Ownership: 13%
Yahoo! Ownership: 13%