fantasy football waiver wire week 13

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 13

Check your waiver wire for these IDP Week 13 pickups.

We have all 32 teams in action for Week 13 with three games on Thursday and one on Friday this holiday week. So, Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, and let’s feast on some IDP goodies.

Each week, we’ll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.

Defensive linemen

EDGE Nolan Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles lost Brandon Graham for the season with a torn triceps, and Smith will step up into that EDGE rusher role. The 30th overall pick in last year’s draft had a hot stretch in October where he recorded 2 1/2 sacks in three games. He’ll be ready to cut it loose the rest of the way, and if he has DE eligibility, he’s a must-have.

EDGE D.J. Wonnum, Carolina Panthers

The former Minnesota Vikings EDGE missed most of the season with a quadriceps injury, but he has made his presence felt. He had six tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack in Week 10, and he notched five tackles and a sack in Week 12 with a bye in between.

Linebackers

LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit Lions

The 25-year-old has had spurts of success, such as five tackles and a sack in Week 4, and seven tackles plus a sack in Week 7. He fell back into obscurity for a few weeks, but Rodriguez woke up with eight tackles in Week 12. He has a run-heavy matchup against the Chicago Bears this week and should be a flex candidate with Alex Anzalone (arm) lost to injury.

LB Tyrice Knight, Seattle Seahawks

The fourth-round pick from this past draft has taken off the last two weeks. He had 10 tackles in Week 11 and nine tackles with a sack in Week 12. Knight should be picked up if he’s still out there.

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LB Mohamoud Diabate, Cleveland Browns

The 23-year-old UDFA has been spotty the last few weeks with seven- and nine-tackle games and some underwhelming stat lines. He strongly came out of the Week 10 bye, though with seven and six tackles the last two weeks, respectively, and worth a pickup as a depth option.

Defensive backs

FS Jimmie Ward, Houston Texans

The 33-year-old veteran returned from a groin injury three weeks ago, and in two of the three he showed out. Ward tallied five tackles, an INT, and a PD in Week 10 with a quiet outing in Week 11 against Dallas. He came back Week 12 with six tackles, a PD, and a pick-six. He’ll have a good matchup against the Jags before his bye week.

CB Marcus Jones, New England Patriots

The former third-round pick has been a tackle machine the last two weeks. Jones had nine tackles in Week 11 and eight tackles with three PDs in Week 12. He’ll have a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts before his bye week.

CB Josh Butler, Dallas Cowboys

This will depend on the status of CB Trevon Diggs, but Butler has been great the last two weeks in his place. He had five tackles and a PD in Week 11 to go along with 12 tackles, a sack, and three PDs in Week 12. He’ll face the lowly New York Giants in Week 13.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 13 free-agent forecast

Here are the top waiver-wire targets in fantasy football for Week 13.

The home stretch of the fantasy football season is finally upon us as managers aim to make their push for the playoffs. Regardless of whether you’re looking to secure a playoff spot or playing spoiler to other teams in the league, the waiver wire in Week 13 will be crucial.

With Thanksgiving finally here, there are no teams on a bye in Week 13. However, there are three games on Thursday and a game on Friday afternoon.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo, using the 75% rostered mark (at least 25% availability) as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated. Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 13

Check your waiver wire for these IDP options ahead of Week 13.

The weeks are dwindling, but we hope the W’s are piling up as the fantasy playoffs come into focus. We have six teams on a bye this week, and it will be a crucial one to nail your waiver claims and pounce on those guys who probably shouldn’t have been dropped.

Defensive linemen

DE Samson Ebukam, Indianapolis Colts

The seventh-year pro has been useful at times in fantasy. He had a stretch early in the year with a sack in four of five games and sprinkled in some four-tackle games as well. He came out of the bye week with four tackles, a forced fumble and two sacks. He has the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals to terrorize the next two weeks.

DE BJ Ojulari, Arizona Cardinals

The second-round pick is starting to cause some havoc. Here are his last five game logs: two tackles, one sack; four tackles; eight tackles, two sacks; one tackle, one sack; and five tackles. He’s getting it done in different ways. He has the Pittsburgh Steelers this week before his bye in Week 14, so it may be a short-term pickup.

Linebackers

LB Krys Barnes, Arizona Cardinals

When healthy, this guy makes a difference. The problem is keeping him healthy. He had two, seven-tackle games early in the year and was injured. He returned two weeks ago with three tackles, an INT and two pass defenses and had seven tackles last week.

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LB Sione Takitaki, Cleveland Browns

The fifth-year pro is on the fringe but has a couple of notable performances recently. Takitaki had five tackles and a pass defense two weeks ago and six tackles last week. The Browns have a few injuries in their linebacking corps, and he looks poised to take advantage.

LB Anfernee Jennings, New England Patriots

The 2020 third-round pick has posted three solid games in a row. He had four tackles three weeks ago, seen tackles two weeks ago and broke off four tackles and 1.5 sacks last week. He’s a fit in deeper leagues if you’re covering a bye.

Defensive backs

S Trenton Thompson, Pittsburgh Steelers

This one may hinge on the health of Minkah Fitzpatrick, but the former UDFA has played well the last two weeks. He had six tackles and two pass defenses in Week 11 and five tackles, an INT and a pass defense in Week 12. He may get a longer look down the stretch.

FS Tyrann Mathieu, New Orleans Saints

We featured the “Honey Badger” a couple of weeks ago, and he just keeps performing. He came out of the bye week with four tackles, two INTs and two pass defenses. He had eight tackles in the game before his bye week. If you didn’t bite then, you should now.

CB DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys

Throw out the pick-six record, and when you focus on the more realistic counting numbers, he has been great. He has a pass defense in eight straight games and an INT in three straight. He had 10 tackles last week and at least four in three straight and four of five.

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 13

Check your waiver wire for these IDP options ahead of Week 13.

We hope everyone enjoyed the holiday, and we’re back to normal in Week 13 with more bye weeks to cover. With the fantasy playoffs approaching, the time is now.

Defensive Linemen

DE Yannick Ngakoue, Indianapolis Colts

The former Pro Bowler has been off the fantasy radar for a couple of years, but he has consistently reached the quarterback. In fact, he has at least a half-sack in six straight games. He’s coming off four tackles and two sacks Monday night, but he will likely just be a one-week pickup. Ngakoue has the Dallas Cowboys this week before a Week 14 bye.

EDGE Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers

Smith officially is an outside linebacker, but he has EDGE utility in leagues that allow for positional versatility. Smith, too, has a Week 14 bye to navigate, but you can’t ignore what he has done the last two weeks. He combined for 11 tackles and two sacks during those two matchups. Speaking of matchups, he has a good one against the Chicago Bears this week.

Linebackers

LB Ernest Jones, Los Angeles Rams

After a dismal three-tackle performance in Week 11, Jones rebounded with 11 tackles last week. It was his second 10-tackle performance in three games. He doesn’t offer anything but tackles, which suppresses his allure and has him floating on waivers. If he is this 10-tackle performer, he has to be owned more.

LB James Houston, Detroit Lions

Houston is this week’s Lions breakout performer. He was elevated from the practice squad before Thursday’s game and tallied two sacks in just four snaps. He also recovered a fumble. There’s a chance he’s just lightning in a bottle, but there is an opportunity for him to seize with Charles Harris now on IR.

Defensive Backs

CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Cincinnati Bengals

The second-round pick from Nebraska has been busy the last two weeks. He racked up 12 tackles in Week 11 and eight stops with a forced fumble last week. He’ll face the Chiefs in Week 13, which should keep him busy as well.

S John Johnson, Cleveland Browns

We highlighted Johnson earlier in the season, and he tailed off. He has picked it back up the last two weeks with 10 tackles and six tackles. He won’t offer much more outside of the tackles, but he has the Houston Texans this week, and they’re a great matchup for DBs.

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Best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 13

There are a slew of running back options on the fantasy football waiver wire in Week 13.

As we look ahead to Week 13 of the 2021 season, there are several intriguing options on the fantasy football waiver wire, particularly at the running back position.

It’s rare to have so many options at running back this late in the year, but that is exactly the case thanks to a slew of injuries to starters. There are also some interesting options at positions like quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end.

Before we get to our best fantasy football waiver wire pickups of Week 13, here’s a look at the teams on bye, and some key players you might have to replace in your lineup:

Cleveland Browns: QB Baker Mayfield, RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, WRs Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones, TE David Njoku

Green Bay Packers: QB Aaron Rodgers, RBs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, WR Davante Adams

Tennessee Titans: QB Ryan Tannehill, RBs Dontrell Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman, WRs Julio Jones and A.J. Brown

Carolina Panthers: QB Cam Newton, RB Chuba Hubbard, WRs Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore

Now, what you came for: the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 13.