Welcome to our thirteenth Waiver Wire article at Fantasy In Frames for the 2023 fantasy football season!
Thanksgiving is behind us, and the fantasy playoffs loom large on the horizon. This week, fantasy managers will have to face their matchups with six (yes, SIX) teams on bye, including the Ravens and Bills. With only two weeks of the regular fantasy season left, let’s get you ready. Here are a handful of potential options to help you in the final push for the playoffs and that elusive fantasy championship…
Jordan Love (52%)
After an explosive start to the season, the walls of the Packers offense had been crumbling around Jordan Love. The Packers’ starter, however, appears to have turned a corner. Love has posted three solid fantasy performances in a row and has rekindled Green Bay’s playoff hopes in the process. He has now thrown for at least 250 yards and two touchdowns in each of his last three games and has a TD: INT ratio of 5:0 over his last two.
This week’s upcoming matchup with the Chiefs may prove to be tricky, but the schedule opens in the following weeks. After Kansas City, the Packers subsequently face four beatable opponents in the Giants, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Vikings. Say it quietly, but Love may prove to be an extremely valuable fantasy asset to close out the fantasy season.
Russell Wilson (51%)
Wilson’s fantasy performances this year have been solid, although he has failed to reach a significant ceiling, with often fairly muted yardage totals but a much-improved touchdown to interception ratio. The veteran has failed to hit 20 fantasy points in a week since week 4.
The biggest positive for Wilson, however, is the upcoming schedule. After playing the Texans this coming weekend, the Broncos face the Chargers twice and the Lions – all of whom rank in the top-ten fantasy points per game allowed to quarterbacks this season, according to FantasyData. Wilson should be a solid option for the final few games of the season.
Kenny Pickett (19%)
You could almost hear the collective rejoicing at Pittsburgh’s change in offensive coordinator here in London. It’s a rather small sample size but the results after week 1 are fairly promising. The Steelers reached 400 yards on offense for the first time this season, while Pickett hit his highest yardage of the year. The only thing missing from his performance? Touchdowns.
So, while there is optimism, he remains a matchup-dependent option. The good news this week is that the Steelers face the lowly Arizona Cardinals, a team that just allowed Stafford to produce a multi-touchdown performance. The Cardinals remain in the top ten fantasy points per game allowed to quarterbacks, so if you’re looking for a streaming option this week, Pickett may be viable.
Ty Chandler (51%)
The outcome of Monday Night Football is yet to come as I piece this together, so take this with a pinch of salt. Since Cam Akers’ injury, Chandler has shown promise with two double-digit PPR performances against the Saints and Broncos. This included an uptick in receiving work in week 11, with four receptions from four targets for 37 yards. If this usage holds against the Bears, we should be very intrigued for the remainder of the season.
The Vikings have their bye-week in week 14 before traveling to Las Vegas. The Raiders continue to underperform against the run, allowing the sixth-most points per game to running backs this season. Two good matchups between the Bengals and Packers also remain on the schedule. The running back position is fairly light on the waiver wire at present, and Chandler may be able to provide depth as we approach the playoffs.
Jeff Wilson Jr. (18%)
At the time of writing, news of De’Von Achane’s injury remains unclear. In his absence on Friday, Wilson saw 14 total touches, rushing 11 times for 56 yards, adding a further 17 threw the air from his three receptions (three targets) against the Jets. After an injury-ravaged season himself, Wilson is starting to see his role improve with his highest number of touches of the year so far.
While Achane remains sidelined, Wilson should be an intriguing option for fantasy managers. He saw his running back rush share increase to a third on Friday, with favorable matchups such as Washington, and the New York Jets again, on the schedule. He continues to have standalone value and represents a high-upside insurance should any other injuries occur.
Royce Freeman (13%)
While it’s clear that Kyren Williams, upon his return, has assumed the role as lead back in LA, there appears to be some room for Royce Freeman. In their win over the Cardinals, Freeman rushed the ball 13 times for 77 yards, scoring a touchdown in the process. This represented a 41% running back rush share on Sunday.
The Rams have two tough matchups ahead in the next two weeks in the form of AFC North rivals the Browns and Ravens. Freeman, however, faces both the Commanders and Giants during the fantasy playoffs. As we saw on Sunday, he will likely continue to hold a role behind Williams and could present fantasy managers with a flex option going forward.
Jayden Reed (55%)
The improvements in the Packers offense have coincided with an uptick in Reed’s usage and performance in recent weeks. Post-bye the rookie has hit double-digit PPR points in five of his six games, scoring four touchdowns over that period. His usage has largely remained strong throughout the year and hit a joint-high eight targets, representing a 25% targets share, in the Thanksgiving win over the Lions.
As mentioned earlier, after this week’s game against an impressive Chiefs defense, the Packers’ schedule looks to be much more favorable. The Giants, Buccaneers, and Vikings, for example, have all rank in the top-ten in fantasy points per game allowed to wide receivers this year, according to FantasyData.
Curtis Samuel (39%)
Samuel put last week’s ejection behind him, hitting the 100 receiving yard mark for the first time this season. The seventh-year wide receiver returned his best PPR performance on Thanksgiving with nine catches for 100 yards from 12 targets. Samuel led the team in targets, with one more than Terry McLaurin, equating to a 27% target share.
Samuel has had a quiet few weeks following his strong start to the year in which he hit 50 receiving yards in four of his first five games. With a game against Miami, in which Sam Howell is likely to be busy once again, Samuel may represent an intriguing flex option once again and represents a potentially cheaper option on the waiver wire this week.
Demario Douglas (47%)
There are many unpublishable words I could use to describe the current state of the Patriots offense. There is, however, one small bright spark in sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas. Douglas has been quietly producing solid fantasy performances, with four double-digit PPR games in four of his last five outings. This included his six receptions for 49 yards from nine targets against the Colts. The rookie has seen his usage increase over recent weeks, seeing at least seven targets in each of his last four games.
It is worth noting that Douglas suffered a head injury on Sunday and the severity of the injury is unknown at the time of writing. Despite this, and the mess the Patriots currently find themselves in, he may prove to be a shrewd pickup. Whenever he’s back, with the usage he has been seeing, Douglas is a solid flex option.
Pat Freiermuth (48%)
After an injury-ravaged year, Freiermuth was back in week 12 with a bang. After recording just one catch for seven yards last week in his first game back from injury, the third-year tight-end reeled in nine of his 11 targets for 120 yards. Sunday’s game represented Freiermuth’s highest yardage of his young career and only the third time he has seen double-digit targets since he entered the league.
Prior to the game against the Bengals this season, Freiermuth had failed to see more than four targets in a game and had only hit more than ten receiving yards once. The tight end led the team in targets, with an impressive 33% target share. With this type of usage, he’s an every-week starter at the tight end position and a must-add if available.
Juwan Johnson (9%)
Johnson saw his usage increase on Sunday with seven targets, reeling in four for 45 receiving yards. The tight end was only behind Olave in targets, who saw nine, representing an 18% target share. Injuries to teammates Olave and Shaheed, plus the fact that Michael Thomas is on IR, may mean a further sizeable uptick in Johnson’s target share in the near term.
After seeing his highest targets on Sunday, Johnson and the Saints now face a good matchup with the Detroit Lions. The Lions’ defense has looked suspect in recent weeks, and Johnson’s projected usage and constant red zone threat, means he presents an interesting option this week.
Cade Otton (34%)
The second-year tight end has quietly seen solid usage in the Baker Mayfield-led offense. Otton has proved to have a fairly stable floor with regular targets, which has resulted in at least four receptions in five of his last six games. His upside has been somewhat lacking, with one huge performance in week 9, in which he scored two touchdowns.
He had another solid game on Sunday with four receptions for 45 yards, finishing second in receptions and joint-second in yards. At the tight end position, however, this type of stability shouldn’t be ignored. If you’re looking for a safe floor whilst Hockenson or Kincaid are on bye, Otton may be able to provide some value.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12%)
After a good start to the season, for fantasy the Buccaneers defense/special teams has been quiet with only one takeaway across the last two games. They represent a great streaming option this week, however, as they face a struggling Panthers team which has passed for more than 200 yards just once in the last five weeks. The Buccaneers will also be a streaming option the following week as they face Desmond Ridder and the Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons (12%)
The Falcons are an equally attractive streaming option this coming week, following an impressive outing against their rivals, the Saints, which included a defensive touchdown. Atlanta allowed just 15 points against Derek Carr. This week they face the lowly Jets and Tim Boyle, need I say more?
Green Bay Packers (12%)
The Packers defense produced their best fantasy performance of the season so far with three fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown. This week isn’t one to play the Packers as they face the Chiefs, but if you’re looking to stash a defense for the coming weeks, their upcoming schedule which includes the Giants and Panthers is enticing.
