Using Predictive Adds To Identify Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 13 will kick off in just two days with the struggling Dallas Cowboys visiting Caesars Superdome to take on a New Orleans Saints team that has lost four consecutive games. New Orleans is pretty heavy underdogs even though Dallas has lost three straight contests of their own. Something has to give as both of these franchises are trending in the wrong direction. 

Week 13 is a pivotal week on the waiver wire with four teams on byes (Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and the Carolina Panthers). All four of those teams are still in the NFL postseason picture and have some of fantasy’s top producers. Fantasy owners will need to scrounge the waiver wire looking for replacements for Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Tannehill, Baker Mayfield, and Cam Newton at the quarterback position. This is a particularly difficult week at the running back position with top-tier talents Christian McCaffrey (and his backup Chuba Hubbard), Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, plus up-and-coming producers Dontrell Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman all sidelined this week. Fortunately, there are several running backs whose value spiked due to injuries to their teammates still available on the waiver wire to help you get through a week with so many solid fantasy assets sidelined. And outside of Davante Adams, there aren’t too many perennial starters who fantasy owners will need to replace this week at the wide receiver and tight end positions.    

This week is also incredibly important because it seems like at this point of the season year in and year out, a handful of players become big-time contributors who eventually contribute to fantasy football championships. Due to the injuries to CMC, Dalvin Cook, D’Andre Swift, Deebo Samuel, and others, there is a myriad of potential options that may be league-winning pickups. With just two weeks left in the fantasy regular season, now is the time to make those pivotal waiver wire claims and FAAB bids.

Now that Week 12 is in the books, it’s time to prepare for Week 13 with FantasySP’s unique Predictive Analytics. Keep reading here to access our Predictive Analytics or log into your account, and utilize the Fantasy Assistant. From there, you can see the predictive adds, drops, trades, and FAAB. 

Predictive Analytics in a nutshell is a game-changer for fantasy players. No one else in the industry offers these types of insights. You will now be able to analyze the most important fantasy metrics of the current week BEFORE waivers are processed.

Find out the Expected Waiver Interest (EWI) of each player, as well as how much of your FAAB budget it would take to get “your guy” in the average league. You will now have unique insights into which players fantasy owners are giving up on and which players fantasy owners are fighting for in the current week.

Looking At Week 13 Fantasy Football Predictive Adds:

[predict="add-2021-13"]

RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings

Mattison should be owned in all fantasy football leagues, but he is surprisingly still on the waiver wire in about a third of all leagues. For that reason, in the leagues that he’s available, he’s being added at an incredibly high rate heading into Week 13. After Dalvin Cook had to be carted off the field in Week 12, Mattison rushed seven times for 21 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings' Week 12 loss to the 49ers, adding two receptions for seven additional yards. 

https://twitter.com/CourtneyRCronin/status/1465387623103418371 

It’s still unclear how long Cook will be out, but Mattison will absolutely get the start in Minnesota’s backfield in Week 13. Mattison has been one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football since entering the league. Every time he has made a spot start in Cook’s absence, he has delivered, including in Week 5 against the Lions when he compiled 113 rushing yards, an additional 40 receiving yards, and a touchdown. Fortunately for Mattison, he’ll get to face the Lions again in Week 13. If Cook is unable to suit up, Mattison is a sure-fire RB1 in a matchup against a defense that allows the fourth-most fantasy points per game to running backs. If Mattison is available in your league, he is worth every last FAAB dollar you have left. He could be a league-winning pickup at this point of the season.

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1465377040161722369 

RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Although the Panthers are off in Week 13, Hubbard is arguably the most valuable pickup available on the waiver wire. Christian McCaffrey’s injury did not look all that serious on Sunday, however, CMC announced that he will miss the rest of the season.

https://twitter.com/ashstro/status/1465431972591939588 

Ameer Abdullah will be mixed into the action and Cam Newton may vulture some touchdowns in the red zone, but Hubbard is Carolina’s lead-back for the remainder of the season. He has the most long-term value of any player on the waiver wire heading into Week 13. During McCaffrey’s six-week absence earlier this season, the rookie saw double-digit carries every single game, broke 100 yards once, and scored three touchdowns. To be clear, Hubbard will not be nearly as valuable or explosive as CMC, but he can contribute in both the rushing and passing game, making him this week’s most-added player. Fantasy owners are making the right call by adding the rookie at such a high rate despite the Panthers’ bye in Week 13.

[lastten="Chuba Hubbard"]

RB Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions

Another player whose value spiked due to the starting running back going down was Williams. D’Andre Swift suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Detroit’s loss to the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving day. With Swift quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest, Williams compiled 83 yards on 15 carries and five receptions. Williams was the workhorse in Detroit’s backfield and saw tons of dump-off passes from quarterback Jared Goff. Although Godwin Igwebuike and Jermar Jefferson will surely see touches if Swift is unable to suit up, there is no denying that Williams will serve as the lead back. Considering Williams just returned from an injury himself, there is a solid chance that he is available on your league’s waiver wire. The Lions are not going to rush Swift back to action given their winless record, so Williams has a decent shot at starting at least one game for the Lions. Detroit faces a middle-of-the-pack Minnesota Vikings defense in Week 13. If Swift is unable to go, J-Will should be an RB2 in PPR formats.

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Minnesota Vikings DEF/ST

After sacking Jimmy Garroppolo twice and returning an interception for a touchdown, the Vikings are being added more than any other defense heading into Week 13. That’s largely because they will face the winless Lions on Sunday. Detroit is only scoring 15.8 points per game and is allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. With D’Andre Swift likely out for this week’s contest, the Lions are missing any legitimate playmakers on their offense. T.J. Hockenson will likely be double-teamed and the Vikings will stack the box against Jamaal Williams, forcing Jared Goff to beat Minnesota’s secondary with his mediocre wideouts. Fantasy owners are being savvy by adding Minnesota ahead of this juicy matchup. The Vikings should put Goff on his back quote often in Week 13. 

QB Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Hill was a full participant in practice yesterday and finally looks healthy enough to return to practice. Considering the Saints have lost four straight games, it’s safe to say that Sean Payton will insert Hill into the starting lineup over quarterback Trevor Semien. During a four-game stint as a starter last season, Hill scored 28.6, 20.3, 27.9, and 25.9 fantasy points — great fantasy games all. Due to his ability to produce fantasy points with both his legs and his arm, Hill can be very fantasy-friendly. Although the Dallas Cowboys have played well on defense this season, their secondary is definitely beatable. They just allowed 36 points to the Raiders on Thanksgiving day. Fantasy owners in need of a quarterback are doing the right thing by adding Hill ahead of Week 13.

Miami Dolphins DEF/ST

The other defense that is being added at a high rate this week is the Miami Dolphins. Although Brian Flores’ crew was underwhelming against the Jets in Week 11, they bounced back in a big way last week against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Miami sacked Newton and P.J. Walker five times, forced three interceptions, and Xavien Howard returned a pick for a touchdown. The Dolphins have not allowed more than 17 points in four consecutive matchups and they have won each game over that span. In Week 13, the Dolphins face a Giants’ offense that has struggled all season and is far from healthy. New York is only scoring 18.4 points per game and is allowing the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. Miami is going to make life difficult for Daniel Jones in Week 13.

WR DeSean Jackson, Las Vegas Raiders

With Henry Ruggs still out after his tragic car accident that ended with a fatality, the Raiders have had to continue to focus on football. They brought in veteran D-Jax to take Ruggs’ role as the primary deep-ball threat. That move paid dividends as Jackson scored the first touchdown of the game in Vegas’ upset victory over the Cowboys last week. He hauled in three of the four passes thrown his way for 100+ yards and a score. He also drew a 30-yard pass interference call that was pivotal in the Raiders’ victory. With tight end Darren Waller nursing and injury and Ruggs out of the lineup, D-Jax could earn even more targets in Week 13 against a Washington defense that allows the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. The lack of consistency from teammate Bryan Edwards also helps Jackson’s value move forward. Quarterback Derek Carr will have to rely on Hunter Renfrow and Jackson to move the chains.  

[career="DeSean Jackson"]

RB Dontrell Hilliard, Tennessee Titans

After the Titans waived Adrian Peterson last week, Hilliard took advantage of his opportunity with Jeremy McNichols sidelined due to a concussion. Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman were the only running backs healthy for Tennessee’s pivotal matchup against the New England Patriots. Hilliard accumulated 131 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Most of his production came on a 68-yard touchdown run just before the end of the first half, but he still proved to be a valuable asset in the fantasy community. Hilliard only saw two targets compared to the 10 he saw in Week 11, but following Tennessee’s Week 13 bye, the Titans will face two teams that have been carved up by opposing running backs in the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers. Hilliard can definitely provide flex value down the stretch of the fantasy season. 

https://twitter.com/AdamKoffler/status/1465040163088838658 

WR Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots

Bourne continued his breakout season with a huge day against the Tennessee Titans. He hauled in five of the six passes thrown his way for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Bourne has accumulated 20+ PPR points in two of his last three games and has three touchdowns over that span. Additionally, he has caught at least four passes in five of his past six contests, signaling that he has a very safe floor now that he has developed a solid rapport with rookie quarterback Mac Jones. In Week 13, the Pats face a very tough Buffalo Bills secondary on paper, however, with Tre’Davious White sidelined, Bourne may have more upside than you might initially think when looking at the matchup.

[lastten="Kendrick Bourne"]

And that’s a wrap. Head back next week to see which players fantasy owners are flocking towards on the waiver wire ahead of Week 14!

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