Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 13: Ameer Abdullah, Jeremy McNichols emerge

Each week during the 2024 NFL season, FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert creates a hierarchy of ideal waiver wire pickups. He'll base his ranks on performance, usage, coachspeak, injury news/analysis, stats, upcoming matchups, FAAB value and more. Every player mentioned is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Week 12 of the 2024 NFL campaign was... something.

Although there were some shocking upsets, we didn't get many competitive games. Thankfully, there isn't an extensive (or major) list of injuries to report. So, at least we got a relatively clean bill of health. Nonetheless, a few notable names went down, which have real-life implications and impact the fantasy football landscape.

Luckily, no teams are on bye in Week 13, so fantasy managers should have their full complement of weapons. But if you're in a pinch, trying to gear up for a playoff run or keep your season alive, some intriguing free-agent options are available. The players mentioned below are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and are worthy of a scoop.

Dumpster diving, digging for scraps

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine can't stop catching touchdowns. He's found pay dirt in six of the past seven games. Is that a replicable formula for success? Probably not. But the Tennessee Titans have upcoming matchups with the Washington Commanders, Jacksonville Jaguars (twice) and Cincinnati Bengals. So, why not take a cheap flier?

Behind Terry McLaurin, the Commanders receiving room doesn't offer much. But Noah Brown has established himself as the clear-cut No. 2 wideout, earning at least six targets in five of Washington's last seven contests. The consistent role on a potent scoring unit makes the seventh-year vet a viable fantasy asset.

Over the past two weeks, Noah Gray has been the PPR TE4, compared to standout teammate Travis Kelce's TE25. At the same time, the former's value has been buoyed by four scores. Regardless, Patrick Mahomes is getting hot at the right time as the touchdown regression finally swings in his favor.

The stash-and-save

Roschon Johnson took more of a backseat to D'Andre Swift in Game 2 of the post-Shane Waldron era. Be that as it may, the 2023 fourth-round pick has cemented himself as the Chicago Bears' goal-line back. The Chicago Bears aren't in scoring position often, but this at least makes him a stash with touchdown-or-bust standalone value.

Tony Pollard had the Titans backfield to himself in Week 12 because Tyjae Spears was out with a concussion. Nevertheless, Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan has vocalized his desire to reduce the former's workload and acted on that when the latter is healthy.

Jaylen Wright has run ahead of Raheem Mostert in three consecutive weeks. During this recent stretch, the rookie has out-carried the Mike McDaniel-favorite 17 to five. If anything happens to starter De'Von Achane, it's become clear who would shoulder the bulk of the opportunity.

The educated guesses

Given the poor state of the tight end group, it's shocking to see Zach Ertz and Hunter Henry still so readily accessible. They've both been top-12 at the position on a PPR points-per-game basis. The veteran seam stretchers operate as safety valves and chain-movers for their ascending rookie quarterbacks, yielding bankable fantasy production.

Indianapolis Colts slot man Josh Downs is considered week-to-week after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 12. While Alec Pierce doesn't have the skill set to slide inside, he might see some extra looks, thanks to his teammate's 26.4 percent vacated target share. Few (if any) players on the waiver wire boast the week-winning upside to flip a matchup, though the zero-point floor is real. But the Cincinnati product embodies everything this category of the power rankings is about: A pure, educated guess.

Don't look now, but Cooper Rush has scored at least 17.4 fantasy points in back-to-back games. The career backup has found his footing after a nightmarish first start of the year. And the timing couldn't be better with the Dallas Cowboys still having the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bengals and Commanders on the schedule.

The 'if you ain't first, you're last'

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is on a rapid upward trajectory. The best part is he's taking the whole offense with him, including Devaughn Vele. The fellow first-year pro has each of his target, reception and yardage totals improve weekly over the past team's three games. During that span, the wideout has been the PPR WR23, averaging 12.8 points per game and eclipsing double digits thrice. Head coach Sean Payton has also gushed over the emerging pass-catcher, for whatever that's worth.

Drake Maye has averaged 39.1 rushing yards per game since taking over as the Patriots starting signal-caller in Week 6. Since then, only Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson have been better in that department. The mobility gives this year's No. 3 overall pick a reasonable floor to pair with his intriguing arm talent. He's a fringe QB1 with upside for a late-season rookie bump.

Gotta have 'em

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Heading into Monday Night Football, Ameer Abdullah is Week 12's RB9. He made the most of his spot start against the Broncos, turning 13 touches into 65 scrimmage yards, five receptions and a touchdown.

Without Alexander Mattison or Zamir White available to soak up snaps, Abdullah monopolized the Raiders backfield:

Abdullah was on the field for nearly all of the Raiders' offensive snaps. He inherited a full-time role sans Mattison and White despite ceding a handful of carries to undrafted rookie Sincere McCormick. And with the two injured backs at risk of sitting out again, the veteran journeyman becomes an easy plug-and-play FLEX.

White and Mattison were sidelined due to quadricep and ankle issues, respectively. Neither seemed close to suiting up, considering they didn't log a single practice between them. With that in mind, Abdullah may moonwalk into another sizable workload.

Primarily thriving as a receiving back, Abdullah should continue seeing plenty of pass-catching opportunities. The Raiders figure to face plenty of negative game scripts in the foreseeable future, which only amplifies his skill set.

Jeremy McNichols, RB, Washington Commanders

Austin Ekeler sustained his second concussion this season, and Brian Robinson Jr. suffered a nasty-looking leg injury in Week 12. That leaves Jeremy McNichols as the only healthy running back on the Commanders' active roster.

McNichols only saw three carries for 22 scoreless yards on a 24 percent offensive snap share rate. Be that as it may, context matters (particularly in this situation).

Robinson was in and out of the lineup during Washington's 34-26 loss to the Cowboys before eventually returning. He was never formally ruled out but didn't play the entire second half. Meanwhile, Ekeler's instance didn't occur until late in the game. Furthermore, the Commanders trailed for much of the contest, making it harder to evaluate McNichols' value.

At the same time, McNichols might be the lead back for a Commanders squad that moves the ball via the ground extremely effectively. They rank fifth in the league in rushing yards per attempt/game and run the ball at the sixth-highest rate.