DFS Army’s Gthom goes over the the waiver wire targets for this week. These waiver wire targets are normally available in 50-percent of ESPN leagues.
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Nov 23, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) runs with the ball against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
QUARTERBACKS
Derek Carr (NO) – 23% Ownership
Widely available and is in play for managers looking to stream. This New Orleans receiving corps may have been gutted with injuries, though. If receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed miss, it will certainly impact Carr so monitor the news as this week moves on. Receiver Michael Thomas was placed on IR prior to Week 12, too.
Carr will face off against Detroit, Carolina and the New York Giants over the next three weeks. Expect 15-plus fantasy points in each of these contests. Highly recommended in leagues where you can play two quarterbacks.
Gardner Minshew (IND) – 7% Ownership
Poo slingin’ Minshew is someone you can stream while navigating BYE weeks. Minshew’s floor is extremely volatile but he does have a ceiling to hit 20-or-more fantasy points. His schedule is @Tennessee and @Cincy over the next two weeks and they allow around 16-FPPG to opposing quarterbacks.
Kenny Pickett (PIT) – 16% Ownership
Pickett achieved season-high totals in passing yards (278), and completion percentage (72.7), after his former offensive coordinator was let go prior to Week 12. Does this one-game sample size tempt fantasy managers into streaming Pickett? With how thin the quarterback landscape is, it makes Pickett a streamable option in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals. Of course, managers must proceed with caution but Pickett is a viable option for desperate managers.
RUNNING BACKS
Jeff Wilson (MIA) – 27% Ownership
After teammate De’von Achane re-aggravated his knee injury in Week 11, Jeff Wilson was the next man up in this backfield. In Week 12, Wilson finished with 11/56/0 on the ground and 3/17/0 through the air. Wilson is a FLEX consideration as long as Achane remains sidelined. If Achane misses, expect the pecking order to remain Raheem Mostert first and Jeff Wilson second.
Ty Chandler (MIN) – 45% Ownership
Chandler did not impress on Sunday Night Football and his teammate, Alexander Mattison, saw 12 touches compared to Chandler’s five. Chandler is a desperate FLEX play at this point but he should be picked up in case Mattison yields more of his workload.
Royce Freeman (LAR) – 19% Ownership
This Rams team wants to run the football and control the game as best they can, and that includes Royce Freeman as their change-of-pace. Freeman continues to get FLEX worthy volume week-to-week. He is averaging 14 carries per contest over his last three and has scored in two contests within that timeframe. Starter Kyren Williams will remain the lead dog but expect the table scraps to fall to Freeman.
Ezekiel Elliott (NE) – 36% Ownership
Never sexy but Elliott is a desperate low-end FLEX player that can be placed into starting lineups. He has 11 or more touches in four of his last five games. Should starter Rhamondre Stevenson get hurt, Elliott would inherit a ton of usage.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jayden Reed (GB) – 32% Ownership
Reed continues to be a steady PPR player for fantasy managers. He has double-digit PPR finishes in five of his last six games. He has already scored five touchdowns for the season and has scored in three straight as well. This is probably the last week that Reed will remain widely available on waivers, prioritize him if needed.
Demario Douglas (NE) – 32% Ownership
Left Week 12 with a concussion so he is likely out for Week 13. If he is not, Douglas has averaged 7.6 targets per game and 11.02-PPR points over his last five. Douglas could be someone that is dropped if he misses time. Solid FLEX player for PPR managers when he is healthy.
Noah Brown (HOU) – 38% Ownership
Brown missed his second consecutive game with an injury, but there is no denying that he was heating up before his injury. He was 6/153/1 and 7/172/0 the two weeks prior to his injury. This Houston passing attack has become fantasy gold and managers should add Brown as a FLEX worthy candidate. Brown has a chance to bring further value down the stretch.
Jalin Hyatt (NYG) – 2% Ownership
His snap count is lower than desired, but he finally got the breakout game that was due for him: 5/109/0. The Giants will enter Week 13 on BYE, thus Hyatt could fly under the radar as a sneaky addition. Managers cannot get too excited though because this Giants offense will struggle to score points the rest of this season. Hyatt should be considered a boom-or-bust player heading into Week 14.
Greg Dortch (ARI) – 1% Ownership
Dortch has come alive over the last two weeks with Kyler Murray under center. He has 17 targets over his last two games and he has turned that into double-digit PPR finishes and a 9/103/1 stat line. The Cardinals’ wide receiver is a FLEX player who seems to be carving out a nice role.
TIGHT ENDS
Pat Freiermuth (PIT) – 42% Ownership
We all knew that Freiermuth would get healthy and be fantasy relevant again. Now is the time to target Freiermuth as he is widely available and will be a hot commodity off the waiver wire following his 9/120/0 receiving line. The Steelers’ tight end averaged 9.9-FPPG in PPR last season and 8-FPPG this season.
Juwan Johnson (NO) – 8% Ownership
It will be considered a speculative addition for your team but if you are tight end needy, Johnson is interesting for Week 13 (assuming the Saints’ wide receivers miss time due to injury). Receiver Michael Thomas is already on IR and both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed were pulled early in Week 12 due to injury. If Olave and Shaheed miss, Johnson is one of the few starting pass catchers left in this offense. He finished 4/45/0 in Week 12 against the Falcons.
Tyler Conklin (NYJ) – 17% Ownership
Conklin remains a low-end TE2 that you can plug-and-play in PPR formats. He averages 7.3-PPR points per game and will play Atlanta, Houston and @Miami over his next three games.
Tucker Kraft (GB) – 1% Ownership
Next man up in Green Bay after teammate Luke Musgrave was placed on IR. Kraft was 2/15/1 in Musgraves absence against Detroit. The rookie from South Dakota State will be on the field a lot going forward, but he remains a low end TE2 until Musgrave returns.
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