Fantasy Football Week 13 Running Back and Wide Receiver FAAB: Michael Wilson, Devin Neal, and More

We are reaching a point in the season where young, unheralded players might start getting more looks on bad teams. There's no need for a team like the Jets to keep giving heavy snaps to replacement-level veterans if they have young guys at the position to develop, so rotations will form and some guy will even be benched.

In the fantasy football world, finding the right guy when he is primed to take over can help fill a hole or build depth as we enter the fantasy playoffs. Remember Josh Gordon on Cleveland back in 2013?

After a good rookie season, Gordon was suspended for the first two games the next year. In the 14 games after he returned, he totaled 87 receptions, 1,646 yards, and nine touchdowns. Owners who saw a very good player who would take a few weeks to make an impact were rewarded with championship-winning performances that made Gordan a fantasy legend. We're unlikely to find someone like that at this point in the season, but it's about improvements, not superstars.

Let's look at some of the hottest RB and WR names on the waiver wire heading into Week 13 and what reasonable FAAB bids look like for each. Your numbers may vary based on your roster needs and available budget, but this is a good baseline to start from. All bids are based on a $100 budget.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added most to fantasy rosters each week!

Running Back

Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints

Neal's fantasy value is directly tied to the health of Alvin Kamara. The veteran back left Sunday's game against the Falcons with a knee injury and is set for an MRI, though we likely won't know his true status for a few days.

If Kamara is forced to miss time, Neal is the next man up, as he carried the ball seven times after Kamara went down. That was the most among New Orleans backs, but Taysom Hill also cut into the work, running the ball 10 times both as a quarterback and lined up in the backfield.

Hill's running ability is undeniable, and he has a versatile skillset, so Neal might not get that bell cow role that seemed like it could be available. Even if he were to get most of the carries, New Orleans has a low-level offense that won't regularly move the ball or score points, leaving the sixth-round rookie as a fringe option.

He's worth a spot on a roster just in case, but don't overpay for Neal thinking that you found a late-season starting RB. The situation here just isn't good enough to foster consistent fantasy production.

Conservative Bid: $2-3

Need Bid: $4-5

Desperation Bid: $6

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns

Sampson got some run at the beginning of the season before Quinshon Judkins made his debut, but he has been relegated to backup duty and off the fantasy radar since around Week 3. Sampson got a chance for a few extra snaps on Sunday when Judkins had to leave the game, and he made the most of it, catching a screen pass and taking it 66 yards for a touchdown.

At that time, it was uncertain if Judkins was dealing with something that could keep him out for an extended period, but he returned to the game and looks good for this week. That alone is enough to take Sampson out of the fantasy equation because he is only touching the ball a few times per game with the starting back in the lineup, not giving Sampson a chance to rack up stats.

It's tempting to think he could find a role as a receiver, and while that's true (he has two games with at least five catches), Sampson still doesn't get on the field enough to be a PPR option, leaving him as a guy to skip unless Judkins really gets hurt and goes down for weeks.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers

Wilson has filled in for the injured Josh Jacobs for nearly two games now, as Jacobs was hurt early in Week 11. Wilson has found success, first running for 40 yards and a touchdown in relief then going for over 100 yards on Sunday with two more scores.

If we knew he was going to stay in the lineup, Wilson would be a great fantasy add. Jacobs is expected back as early as this week, though, and when he returns to the field, that will be the end of Wilson's fantasy value.

Wilson is still a fine handcuff or a bench player in deep leagues, but he won't be involved enough to have real fantasy value when playing behind Jacobs. While he will be a popular name until we get word that Jacobs is returning, I'm still not looking to spend a ton on Wilson because of his short shelf life.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1-3

Desperation Bid: $4-6

Wide Receiver

Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans

Several guys have popped up on our FAAB list multiple times this season after big games, and Dike is one of those names. The fourth-round rookie has found his most success as a kick returner, but he also has two receiving touchdowns and two games in which he had at least 70 receiving yards, all of which came in the past five weeks.

Calvin Ridley is on IR and out for the season, and fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor missed Week 12 and is a lower-level player right now. There are plenty of opportunities for someone to step up in Tennessee's passing game.

The main problem is that this is a low-level passing game with a rookie quarterback, a below-average offensive line, and a lack of playmakers. There aren't going to be many points scored most games, and bulk catches will be hard to come by.

Dike is off the fantasy radar except for in the best matchups. Tennessee doesn't have many good matchups remaining, so it's probably best to skip every Titans' player in fantasy if you can.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

John Metchie III, New York Jets

New York signaled their rebuild by trading away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the deadline, but they did well to add a few young receivers around that time also, bringing in Metchie and Adonai Mitchell, the latter as part of the return for Gardner.

Both receivers entered the league as second-round picks. Metchie missed the early portion of his career both with injury and a leukemia diagnosis that wiped out his entire rookie season, and he hasn't had a chance to regularly get on the field since. Mitchell has dealt with drops and was buried a bit on the Indianapolis depth chart, so he gets a chance here to get on the field more often.

Metchie has been the better player since arriving in New York, catching three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown last week before turning six receptions into 65 yards and another score on Sunday. Garrett Wilson is on IR and can't return until the final month of the season, so Metchie and Mitchell will both get chances to show that they belong in the rotation.

Mitchell isn't a guy to spend FAAB money on, but Metchie has found some early success and is worth adding to your bench if you are short at receiver. The Jets have a low-level passing game, limiting his ceiling, but Metchie is in that big WR3/4/flex range where you're not expecting massive numbers.

Conservative Bid: $1-2

Need Bid: $3-4

Desperation Bid: $6

Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

After 15 catches for 185 yards in Week 11, Wilson followed up his career-best game with 10 more receptions for 118 yards on Sunday. This is the type of performance that would generally cause fantasy owners to crash the servers trying to add him; there is a hint Gordon in 2013 putting up huge games.

Wilson has never been close to this level before, though, as he previously never had double-digit receptions in a game or reached 100 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr. miss both games after having his appendix removed, but he could return in Week 13 (his status is still uncertain, and Arizona has reason to be cautious since their playoff chances are already gone).

Jacoby Brissett has also had to throw like a madman since entering the lineup, averaging 43.5 pass attempts in six games and reaching 57 and 49 the past two games when Wilson put up his numbers. There's a direct correlation here; Wilson isn't necessarily raising his level of play as much as taking advantage of the copious opportunities.

Wilson is a fine player to add but think of him more in that WR3/4/flex range again as a guy who can be considered in the right matchups. Harrison will return soon, cutting into Wilson's looks, and Brissett isn't going to throw it 50 times per game; this is likely a blip on the radar that will soon correct.

Conservative Bid: $0-1

Need Bid: $2-5

Desperation Bid: $6