Maybe you’ve lost one of your star players to injury? Or maybe your team just needs some extra reinforcement. Whatever it might be, it makes sense to get ahead of your competition and utilise the waiver wire. These are the players you should be targeting in fantasy football ahead of Week 13.
Running back
JaMycal Hasty, Jacksonville Jaguars – With Travis Etienne leaving the game against the Ravens with a foot injury, Hasty became the Jaguars’ de facto RB1. His rushing production was modest to say the least, but his usage in the passing game helped him score 20.5 points. With a good matchup against Detroit in Week 13, Hasty could be a smart acquisition if Etienne misses time.
Zonovan Knight, New York Jets – This could have been a flash in the pan, but he impressed in his NFL debut. With Michael Carter leaving the game with an injury, Knight led the Jets with 14 carries for 69 yards. He also saw work in the passing game with three catches for 34 yards. The Jets have some good matchups ahead and Knight could get more work moving forward.
Wide receiver
Olamide Zaccheus, Atlanta Falcons – Zaccheus had one of the best games of his career in Week 12. He finished the game against the Commanders with five catches for 91 yards. He has established himself as their WR2, behind Drake London and was on the field for 42 snaps. That was 20 more than the next best wide receiver and second only to London. His eight targets led the team.
Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders – Heading into Week 13, Hollins is still available in 26% of leagues. After another strong showing in Week 12 this might be your last chance to pick him up off waivers. He scored 16.3 points against the Seahawks, his second straight game with double digit points. He and Derek Carr have clearly established a strong connection and he has had 20 targets through his last three games.
Richie James, New York Giants – Are James’ back-to-back 15+ point games a fluke? Maybe, but I’m always going to take a chance on a guy like that if he is available on waivers. The litany of injuries impacting the Giants’ receiving corps saw James play 70% of snaps in Week 12, his highest mark since Week 3. He could be an important piece of their offense down the final stretch.
Tight end
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets – Conklin’s fantasy stock nosedived with Zach Wilson at quarterback. In the seven games where the second-year quarterback started, Conklin scored 56.6 points, with more than half of these coming in a single game. In the four games without Wilson he has scored 54.5 points. That averages out at 13.6 points per game, which would rank third amongst tight ends across the course of the season.
Austin Hooper, Tennessee Titans – Hooper had a fairly quiet game against the Bengals in Week 12 but still scored a solid 7.5 points. Since Week 9 he is averaging a very impressive 11.8 points per game. That’s obviously someone worth rostering. Given that he’s available in 41% of leagues you shouldn’t have a problem acquiring him either.
Quarterback
Mike White, New York Jets – There’s no other way to say it – White looked legitimately good in his first start of the season against the Bears. He completed 22 of his 28 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the game with 24.8 fantasy points, which ranked fifth in Week 12. If he continues to play like this, he will be the starter moving forward, and that makes acquiring him a no brainer.
