Fantasy football: Top 10 waiver wire Week 13 pickups
By Morgan Dunn
Who should you be picking up for the stretch run? Our fantasy football guy Morgan Dunn breaks it all down.
Week 12 is now behind us. Julio Jones finally reminded us why owners took him so early in fantasy drafts, racking up an astounding 253 receiving yards to go along with a pair of scores. Antonio Brown cracked the 40-point mark (ESPN standard scoring) for the second consecutive week. The Alvin Kamara bandwagon is now at full capacity following another electric performance from the New Orleans rookie.
Last week we recommended picking up Washington running back Samaje Perine, who displayed his workhorse potential on Thanksgiving night by posting his second straight 100-yard game. We advised owners to add Josh Doctson, who managed to find the end zone. These calls worked out pretty well.
However, we also recommended that owners take a look at Bears tight end Adam Shaheen, a player that literally gained one yard on Sunday. We also talked up Chicago running back Tarik Cohen, who managed to lose 11 yards on the ground for the day. Well, as Bad Santa said, “They can’t all be winners.”
10. Aaron Rodgers
Picking up Aaron Rodgers could prove to be a move that bears no fruit, as the quarterback may not see the field again this season. However, if you have a spot on your bench that you can spare, Rodgers may be worth a look. QB-needy fantasy teams that are primed to make the playoffs could benefit from the Green Bay Packers signal caller when it matters most, as Rodgers will be eligible to return to the field as soon as Week 15.
Imagine getting Rodgers back for the last two weeks of the fantasy playoffs. That could dramatically increase a fantasy owner’s championship chances. The Packers don’t look like they’ll be in postseason contention themselves by the time Week 15 rolls around, which would hurt the case for Rodgers to play at all again in 2017. One can’t completely eliminate it as a possibility, though, as Green Bay has two easy matchups coming up and is still technically in the postseason mix as of now.
Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league (apologies to Tom Brady), and he’s got two excellent weapons in Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. Nelson has sorely missed his connection with Rodgers, and the return of the quarterback would give everyone in the Green Bay offense a boost in value.
Adding Rodgers is the kind of move that is a luxury, but teams with a struggling starter like Alex Smith may be interested in such a proposition. Again, it could yield nothing for fantasy owners, which is why Rodgers comes in at No. 10 on this list this week. The upside is huge, though.