Fantasy
11/25/24
2 min read
Fantasy Football 2024: NFL Week 13 Waiver Wire Targets
As the end of November approaches, more and more fantasy managers are being eliminated from playoff contention — the purpose and intention of this article, in turn, changes itself.
Odds are you have a roster with plenty of suitable and productive players who regularly put up points. Any need for an impact piece is unlikely, and if you are hunting for one, that athlete probably isn’t to be found on the waiver wire at this stage of the game.
Barring injury or a bizarre, truly out-of-nowhere breakout, we kind of know who the “good” players are; most of them, as such, are already broadly rostered.
Before we proceed with this week’s list of waiver adds, I would like to encourage folks to check their league settings for their league’s trade deadline. That avenue will be your best bet to bring a high-powered player onto your roster. Bundle together some of the depth pieces on your bench and try to turn them into one powerful asset.
After all, as the season wanes down, your need for “depth” becomes slightly less.
But assuming your deadline has already gone by and proper depth is all you’re capable of bringing on, a group of potentially helpful players for the picking does exist. Let’s dive into that list of players here now:
Week 13 Fantasy Waiver Wire Targets
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
- ESPN Rostership: 36.7 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 54 percent
The Caleb Williams experience has been a roller coaster in 2024, but the one thing that can be said about the former Heisman Winner is that he’s flashed significant upside this season.
The USC product is averaging 39 pass attempts, 285.5 passing yards, and 51.5 rushing yards per game during the past two weeks with new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown in charge, according to FantasyData.
By contrast, he’d only registered 32.6 attempts, 198.3 passing yards, and 26.2 rushing yards per game on average in his nine previous contests.
In fantasy terms, we’re talking about a quarterback posting in the neighborhood of 20 fantasy points per game in four-point per passing touchdown scoring, sufficient enough weekly to make a difference in lineups. The other positive in Williams’ corner is the fact that he’s among the 26 quarterbacks who don’t have a bye in Week 14.
Will a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers be an easy test for Williams in a couple of weeks? No, but we’re talking about a week coming up where managers will be without anyone from the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, or Washington Commanders.
So, if you’re the Lamar Jackson, Bo Nix, or Jayden Daniels manager planning to beat the waiver wire in advance of Week 14, you might as well do yourself a favor and pick up Williams.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
- ESPN Rostership: 19.3 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 24 percent
Kudos to all the managers out there who were bold enough to start Ameer Abdullah in their Week 11 lineups.
The veteran speedster recorded a backfield-leading 65 scrimmage yards and a short receiving touchdown on 13 touches against the Denver Broncos, amounting to 17.5 fantasy points in point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
The pathway to Abdullah’s relevance was paved by the absences of teammates Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad), meaning there’s a slight chance that the former is a one-week wonder. That reality isn't entirely certain when you consider how soon the Raiders’ next matchup is, though.
Las Vegas will be traveling on a short week to face the Kansas City Chiefs in an afternoon contest in Week 13, which will be played this coming Friday. The quick turnaround means that there is a distinct possibility neither Mattison nor White will be healthy in time to suit up. Should that happen, managers could squeeze one more game of value out of Abdullah.
Still available in more than three-quarters of both ESPN and Yahoo leagues, injury-stricken rosters should include Abdullah on the bench just in case we get another shot at the Raiders’ leading runner.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans
- ESPN Rostership: 7.5 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 12 percent
In case you missed it, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has been on a tear lately. The veteran pass-catcher has recorded a receiving touchdown in all but one contest dating back to Week 6.
Crazy, right?
That's impressive, but betting on touchdown luck sustaining itself isn’t the soundest practice in the world, especially since Westbrook-Ikhine has seen just five red zone targets in that span, according to TruMedia.
What is encouraging, however, is that he’s averaging 3.0 receptions and 61.5 receiving yards per game in the past month in the Titans’ offense — that amounts to 9.2 PPR points per game without factoring in receiving scores.
If nothing else, Westbrook-Ikhine can be a YOLO flyer you take in Week 14 when six NFL teams are on a bye. You could certainly do much worse.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
- ESPN Rostership: 52.2 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 47 percent
Wan'Dale Robinson actually (technically) qualifies for this article, which is much to my surprise.
The 5-foot-8 playmaker presumably saw a bit of a drop in rostership because the New York Giants turned the offense over to Tommy DeVito. While not being trustworthy of Robinson is a generally understandable and relatively respectable choice, it’s not a move I’d have been keen to make.
Remember that, despite the suboptimal circumstances, Robinson ranks eighth among receivers in targets this season (89) and has recorded at least 8 PPR points in every game but one in 2024.
8.1 targets, 5.5 receptions, and 40.1 receiving yards per game; that’s Robinson, and that’s a weekly flex option in most leagues. Sure, the ceiling isn’t high, but a player who can give you a safe floor is valuable, too.
If someone in your league dropped Robinson, take advantage of that mistake.
Noah Brown, WR, Washington Commanders
- ESPN Rostership: 10.5 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 10 percent
We stay in the NFC East to close this article by discussing Noah Brown.
Since recording the miracle Hail Mary touchdown vs. the Chicago Bears in Week 8, the veteran has recorded a team-leading average of 6.8 targets per game and 42 receiving yards per game.
When you zoom out a little further and measure Brown’s totals in contrast with teammate Terry McLaurin in that span, that production is even more impressive:
It’s a little shocking to consider those totals, but it’s true! Brown holds a vital role in the Washington Commanders’ offense.
Granted, he appears last on this list as the only player who holds a Week 14 bye, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from adding Brown to your team on the off chance injury befalls your roster in the fantasy playoffs.
It’s better to plan ahead than to be reactive to unforeseen circumstances, after all.
