Injuries to star running backs could not happen at a worse time. If your handcuffs are on the waiver wire PLEASE go and get them now. I have a few highlighted in this piece with Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook going down to injury. Be sure to do your due diligence when making any transactions. As always, all roster percentages are via ESPN Fantasy Football. The threshold to qualify a player for my weekly waiver list is 65% or less.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr 61.2% Rostered – Carr’s next few games may be what you need to give you a playoff berth. Facing Washington and Kansas City, he should be able to push the ball down the field. Just be careful, as Darren Waller may miss some time due to injury.
Carson Wentz 44.3% Rostered – Wentz is having an exceptional year and gets to face the Texans before the Week 14 bye. Grab him now while you can.
Tyrod Taylor 26.5% Rostered – Taylor hasn’t been an elite play, but he has a high floor due to his rushing capabilities. With limited options this week at the quarterback position, Taylor shows to be promising.
Taylor Heinicke 21.1% -Rostered – Taylor Heinicke has a decent schedule going forward and is playing with poise while trying to find a way into the playoffs. He is a bit of a desperate play, but not a bad one if you need it.
Running Backs
Tony Pollard 60.9% Rostered – Zeke is scheduled to get some rest due to his knee injury. Whether or not that means limiting his snaps or missing games is up to the staff. Pollard is a lock in your flex.
Jamaal Williams 46.1% Rostered – Swift has already been ruled out for Week 13, so it is the Jamaal Williams show. Williams is averaging over four yards per carry and can manage the workload for a couple of games.
D’Onta Foreman/Dontrell Hilliard 40.2%/23.9% Rostered – Foreman led the running back room with touches, but Hilliard was more efficient and found the endzone. Both could be utilized and at this point you just need to pick your poison. Give me the touches with Foreman.
Alexander Mattison 33.6% Rostered – Cook is expected to miss at least two weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Mattison has played lights out when named the starter. The fact that he is available in over 75% of fantasy football leagues is astonishing.
Chuba Hubbard 33.4% Rostered – McCaffrey was just ruled out for the remainder of the year. Chuba is still just a rookie, but can provide a top-15 fantasy football upside at the running back position for the rest of the season.
Wide Receivers
Christian Kirk 62% Rostered – Kyler Murray should be back after a cryptic tweet and the Cardinals have a schedule that projects high scoring games. Kirk has been a solid flex and should continue this role.
Laviska Shenault 46.2% Rostered – Dan Arnold is going to be out 4-6 weeks due to injury and the passing options for Trevor Lawrence have grown even more slim. Shenault seems to be the only viable option outside of Marvin Jones and should see more work going forward.
Van Jefferson 43% Rostered – Van Jefferson has seen six or more targets each game since Week 7. He’s also a deep threat that can catch a bomb at any moment. Give me targets and big play ability in my flex all day.
Russell Gage 18.5% Rostered – Gage has seen six or more targets in five of seven games this year. He has proven to be a PPR target for some time now, but scoring a touchdown in Week 12 put him over the top. He is a nice bench player/flex for your team going into the playoffs.
Zay Jones 0.3% Rostered – Zay Jones looked to be Carr’s favorite receiver outside of Hunter Renfrow. Keep an eye on him to see how he performs in Week 13.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz 61% Rostered – Since Ertz was on bye, he may have slipped through the cracks. Being available in almost 40% of fantasy football leagues is a crime. He needs to be rostered if you don’t have a top tight end.
Logan Thomas 51.5% Rostered– If I know one thing, Washington loves to target their tight end. Thomas should return to form if not this week, then next week.
Cole Kmet 13.5% Rostered – Kmet has taken the next step to becoming a real threat at the tight end position. Keeping in mind that not only has Allen Robinson been a ghost this entire season, he is also not on the field due to injury. Kmet should continue to see work.
Defense/ST
As said in last week’s piece, here are the defenses with the best fantasy football playoff schedules AND that have a chance to give you double digit points.
49ers – ATL,TEN, HOU
Bills – CAR, NE, ATL
Bucs – NO, CAR, NYJ
Chargers – KC, HOU, DEN
Eagles – WFT, NYG, WFT
Kicker of the Week
This guy is known as a folk lore in these parts. It’s Nick Folk for the Patriots. He’s really good.
