Need some help with shoring up your fantasy team heading into the playoffs? Here are some potential waiver wire acquisitions and quality matchups for the final weeks of the season.
WASHINGTON — For most people who play in weekly head-to-head fantasy football leagues, Week 13 is the final week of the regular season before playoffs in weeks 14-16 (if you have a championship in Week 17, shame on your commissioner).
Here are some guys who will not only help you win this week and advance to the fantasy postseason, but who will be in your lineup around Christmas on championship weekend.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Guys to Grab on the Waiver WireAdrian Peterson (owned in 41.8 percent of ESPN leagues)
Minnesota’s running game is historically bad, with the Vikings worst in the league at 2.8 yards per carry. AP is on the wrong side of 30 and didn’t look great in the two games he played in this year before getting injured (31 carries for 50 yards), but he will be a welcome jolt into an offense that desperately needs a running game so they can effectively run play action. Tim Yotter of VikingUpdate.com believes AP will be back somewhere between Weeks 13-15, and in that window, he has nice matchups against Jacksonville and Indianapolis, who have allowed the 9th and 10th most rushing yards in the league respectively.
(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)
AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King
Colin Kaepernick (owned in 35.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
Remember, we’re playing fantasy football here, not real life football. Kaepernick might not always make the best decisions on the field, but he certainly has been putting up solid fantasy numbers and that should only continue for the remainder of the season. Kaepernick faces a decimated Bears defense that will now be without star LB Danny Trevathan in Week 13, followed by the Jets in Week 14 who have the 20th ranked pass defense in the league. In Week 15 he goes against the second-worst pass defense in the league in Atlanta, which just lost top corner Desmond Trufant for the rest of the season.
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Marquess Wilson (owned in 3.9 percent of ESPN leagues)
If you need a WR to get you into the playoffs, look no further than Wilson, who has a juicy matchup against San Francisco’s porous pass defense, which allows the 2nd most fantasy points to WRs. Matt Barkley is the new sheriff in the windy city at the quarterback position and he seems to prefer Wilson over his teammate Cameron Meredith: Wilson saw 11 targets in Week 12, hauling in eight catches. In weeks 15-16, Chicago faces Green Bay and Washington, respectively. If the Bears’ 2-9 record is any indication, you have to figure they’ll be playing from behind and they’ll have to throw a ton in an attempt to come back.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Rex Burkhead (owned in 5 percent of ESPN leagues)
If you’re in a deep PPR league, take a flyer on Burkhead. The Bengals’ rush offense was most successful when Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard were a 1-2 punch, and with Gio done for the year, Burkhead becomes the pass-catching RB. The Bengals have a dream fantasy scenario taking on the Browns (second-worst run defense) in Week 14, and in Week 15 they take on a Steelers team that allows the third most passing yards to RBs.
(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
CJ Fiedorowicz (owned in 46.6 percent of ESPN leagues)
Here are the targets Fiedorowicz has seen from Brock Trashweiler (sorry, Osweiler) since Week 5: 8, 7, 7, 7, 5, 10, 6. These are the kind of looks a tight end that is heavily involved in a team’s offensive plan gets, even if the QB is one of the worst in the NFL. In fact, that might even be a positive — bad QBs tend to rely on their TEs as a safety valve, and Osweiler seems to like Fiedorowicz quite a bit. He should continue seeing looks as the Texans’ Week 13 opponent, Green Bay, gives up the eighth-most fantasy points to TEs this season. And if you make it to your fantasy championship game, the Texans face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, who allow the second-most yards to the TE position this season.
(AP Photo/George Bridges)
AP Photo/George Bridges
Offenses with Juicy Matchups Down the StretchTampa Bay
The Saints defense in Weeks 14 & 16? Sign me up! The Chargers defense that gives up the fourth-most fantasy points to RBs this season in Week 13? Fire up the muscle hamster Doug Martin! Jameis Winston has played much better football as of late (14 TDs, just 3 INTs since week 5) and Mike Evans has been a target monster (double digit targets in every game except one since Week 2). Even TE Cameron Brate can be inserted into your fantasy lineups moving forward. Mentioning the Saints before — New Orleans has the seventh-worst pass defense in the league and the Bucs face the Cowboys in Week 15, who have given up the most receptions to TEs this season.
(AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
AP Photo/Jason Behnken
San Diego
No matter who is at the disposal of Phillip Rivers in terms of pass catching weapons, we know the Chargers like to sling the football. Rivers is currently fourth in the NFL in terms of passing yards for the 2016 season. Keep an eye on the injury status of Tyrell Williams, who did not practice Wednesday due to a labrum issue in his surgically repaired shoulder. If he plays this week and in the weeks to come, he needs to be in your fantasy lineup. Williams has 25 targets over the past two games and has scored a touchdown in his last three games. If you’re a Dontrelle Inman owner, get him in your lineup as well. In Weeks 14-16, San Diego takes on Carolina (fourth-worst pass D) and Oakland (ninth-worst) followed by Cleveland (third-worst). And no matter who San Diego plays, you will have Melvin Gordon in your lineup, who has missed out on double-digit fantasy points just once this season and continues to be the clear workhorse RB.
(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
Buffalo
The Bills might not be the first team that comes to mind when we think of fantasy juggernauts, but Buffalo has a favorable schedule for the fantasy playoffs. The Bills meet Oakland — which allows the 11th most fantasy points to RBs this season — in Week 13, so fire up Shady McCoy (not that you weren’t anyway). As mentioned in the Chargers breakdown above, Oakland also has the ninth-worst pass defense in the league. In the quarter and semifinal rounds of your fantasy playoffs, you will want to heavily target the Bills as well. Pittsburgh is the opponent in Week 14, and, as I mentioned, the Steelers have allowed the third-most receiving yards to the RB position. Pittsburgh’s pass defense isn’t great either (ranked 21st) and this passing offense now has deep threat Sammy Watkins back in the lineup after missing most of the year with a foot injury. In Week 15, the Bills face a Browns defense that we’ve talked about enough already: They’re bad and you should target against them heavily. Week 16? The Miami Dolphins, who are playing much better football but allow the third-most rushing yards in the NFL.
(AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Need some help with shoring up your fantasy team heading into the playoffs? Here are some potential waiver wire acquisitions and quality matchups for the final weeks of the season.
Fantasy questions for Week 13 and beyond? Tweet me @TheBigCheeShow and we’ll help you bring home a title.
Chris Cichon (aka "The Big Chee on WTOP") has been a sports anchor with WTOP since 2013. In addition to reporting on sports, Chris coaches football at Towson High School in Maryland.
