As we prepare for Week 12 of the 2023 NFL Season, we enter our first critical period of the fantasy football season. Many fantasy managers will face some serious decisions this week, so let’s get right into Fantasy Football 2023: Week 13 Waiver Wire Targets.
* I will be using Yahoo Fantasy Rostership & for this Week 12 Waiver Wire article. I will also attempt to give several options at each position, for varying league sizes. The dollar value next to the player’s name is the desired amount of FAAB to bid on them with a $100 budget.
Quarterbacks
Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
Week 13 Opponent: Tennessee Titans, Rostership: 16%
Minshew and Colt’s offence has struggled to produce over the past two games and has been extremely boom or bust since he took over for the injured Anthony Richardson. This is far from a safe pickup, but if you are in need of a quarterback and are looking for upside, there are a few waiver wire options that have the same potential as Minshew.
He has a fantasy playoff schedule of Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Las Vegas which should allow him to live up to his potential when you need him the most. He is a potential league-winner for the fantasy playoffs.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Geno Smith, SEA (77% rostered), Kyler Murray, ARI (77% rostered), Sam Howell, WSH (79% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Jordan Love, GB (57% rostered), Russell Wilson, DEN (56% rostered), Baker Mayfield, TB (52% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Will Levis, TEN (29% rostered), Matthew Stafford, LAR (48% rostered), Derek Carr, NO (44% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Aidan O’Connell, LV (5% rostered), Desmond Ridder, ATL (7% rostered), Gardner Minshew, IND (16% rostered)
Running Backs
D’Ernest Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 13 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals, Rostership: 1%
Johnson is still playing on roughly 25% of offensive snaps for Jacksonville but he is starting to see a small role in the passing game and could be very similar to vintage James White. He may lack any serious upside unless his role changes significantly, but in PPR leagues especially he has sneaky value with his carries and targets starting to come on a more consistent basis.
The Jaguars have a tough rushing schedule for the fantasy playoffs so it’s entirely possible he could be used more heavily in the playoffs as a pass-catcher. He is a Hail Mary play for a running back desperate manager.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Zach Charbonnet, SEA (73% rostered), Keaton Mitchell, BAL (71% rostered), Kareem Hunt, CLE (74% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Chuba Hubbard, CAR (61% rostered), AJ Dillon, GB (68% rostered), Tyler Allgeier, ATL (56% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Zach Moss, IND (49% rostered), Ezekiel Elliott, NE (40% rostered), Antonio Gibson, WSH (50% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Samaje Perine, DEN (20% rostered), Royce Freeman, DEN (13% rostered), D’Ernest Johnson, JAC (1% rostered)
Wide Receivers
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Week 13 Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs, Rostership: 47%
Reed is part of a trio of Green Bay receivers that are playing musical chairs to determine which one of them will have a boom game each week. Reed offers solid deep-threat potential and is a great option if you are chasing the upside.
On some weeks the Packers are even able to produce WR2 weeks with two members of the trio Reed, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson. Reed has almost as much weekly upside as he has weekly risk. He’s a great upside play.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Jahan Dotson, WSH (72% rostered), Jakobi Meyers, LV (78% rostered), Josh Downs, IND (70% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Christian Watson, GB (62% rostered), Rashee Rice, KC (68% rostered), Brandin Cooks, HOU (56% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Jayden Reed, GB (43% rostered), Curtis Samuel, WSH (28% rostered), Demario Douglas, NE (36% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Tutu Atwell, LAR (24% rostered), Jalin Hyatt, NYG (2% rostered), Kalif Raymond, DET (2% rostered)
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 13 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals, Rostership: 48%
Freiermuth is finally back and healthy and the Steelers are finally free from Matt Canada. In the first game without Canada, the Steelers had their best offensive showing in two seasons. He parlayed that new offence into 11 targets that resulted in 9 receptions for 120 receiving yards.
If this usage continues for Freiermuth and this offence continues to improve, he could be a sneaky top-3 tight end for the stretch run.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Trey McBride, ARI (79% rostered), Taysom Hill, NO (70% rostered), Jake Ferguson, DAL (70% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Pat Freiermuth, PIT (55% rostered), Logan Thomas, WSH (65%), Isaiah Likely, BAL (52% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Tyler Higbee, LAR (32% rostered), Cade Otton, TB (27% rostered), Chigoziem Okonkwo, TEN (26% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Juwan Johnson, NO (9% rostered), Tucker Kraft, GB (1% rostered), Adam Trautman, DEN (1% rostered)
If you like Fantasy Football 2023: Week 12 Waiver Wire Targets, head to our rankings page for a full breakdown.
