Week 13 of the Fantasy Football season is right around the corner. Let's address the best waiver wire additions available in our leagues ahead of this upcoming slate of games.
All stats and data are sourced from PFF and Sports Info Solutions. Rostered percentages are sourced from Yahoo Fantasy leagues.
1. New York Jets RB James Robinson - 62% rostered
Like Henderson, Robinson was inactive for the Jets in Week 12. Some might wonder why he's listed this high if that is the case, but I tend to think he could still end up being the Jets' lead back if Michael Carter's ankle injury ends up being serious. Like Etienne, Carter got injured and didn't return to the game.
It remains to be seen if Robinson's inactive status is a one-game situation or the norm moving forward. Zonovan Knight was active in his place and ended up being the guy, securing 30-of-63 snaps and a team-leading 14 rushing attempts. Knight is a fine addition instead, but Robinson has a lot more historical production, has rushed the ball 25 times for the Jets, and has the pedigree to get the first crack at replacing Carter if needed. Of course, that could all mean nothing and the Jets could elect to ride with Knight instead, but that is why both players should be added.
2. San Francisco 49ers RB Tyrion Davis-Price - 1% rostered
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Elijah Mitchell suffered another knee injury in Week 12 though head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned it not being as serious as the first. Either way, it appears Mitchell will likely miss a decent chunk of time and might even be in danger of missing the rest of the regular season if the injury is similar to the one he suffered earlier this season. With Mitchell sidelined, it's fair to expect TDP to once again be not only a gameday active but to mix in with Christian McCaffrey on early downs. The 49ers haven't run McCaffrey into the ground and allowed Mitchell to maintain a slight workload over their three overlapping weeks. Mitchell received 18, nine, and seven rushing attempts over the past three contests and has played between 21-35% of the offense's snaps.
With that being the case, TDP is the most likely replacement, with Jordan Mason continuing his special teams role. While Mason may become a factor at some point, there is reason to believe TDP will get the first crack at replacing Mitchell, as he was ahead of Mason in the pecking order in Week 2.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars RB Darrell Henderson Jr. - 47% rostered
The Jaguars' backfield could produce a running back with league-winning potential, whether that be Travis Etienne when healthy, or Henderson if Etienne's foot injury ends up being serious. Etienne was injured in Week 12 and didn't end up returning to the contest though he was standing on the sidelines with his pads and a helmet at times, suggesting the injury likely isn't a very serious one.
If Etienne ends up missing time, the most logical replacement is likely Henderson, who the Jaguars just claimed off waivers this past week. Henderson wasn't active in Week 12 and that makes sense considering how little time he had to learn the playbook, though he'll likely rotate into the backfield behind Etienne and could be the lead back if Etienne ends up missing time with this injury. Of course, he had a very serious Lisfranc foot injury just last season and that could be a reason to be concerned, though there has been no indication that it's truly serious in nature.
4. New York Jets RB Zonovan Knight - 0% rostered
Just as I mentioned above, Knight could very well end up being the No. 1 option. The most likely scenario is both Knight and Robinson handle some of the early-down rushing work, while Ty Johnson maintains a passing-down role. With that being said, Knight led the team in a lot of opportunity metrics this past week with Carter going down:
Snaps: Knight (30), Carter (19), Johnson (15)
Routes run: Knight (8), Carter (10), Johnson (9)
Targets: Knight (3), Carter (2), Johnson (2)
Rushing attempts: Knight (14), Carter (7), Johnson (5)
5. Cincinnati Bengals RB Samaje Perine - 65% rostered
Perine is THAT guy. As a starter (more or less in both weeks), Perine has scored 30.2 and 19.3 full-point PPR fantasy points — that's an RB1 ranking over the past two weeks. There is not a single running back to score more fantasy points. The opportunity metrics happen to be just as pretty, too. Perine played in 56-of-70 snaps, ran 29 routes on 42 dropbacks, had six targets, and 17 rushing attempts this week.
Perine is a must-start running back for as long as he remains the starting back in Cincinnati. When Mixon returns, and that could be as soon as Week 13, Perine becomes one of the best handcuffs in the sport.
6. Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams - 36% rostered
The Rams are a terrible offense. There isn't much to roster there, particularly with a backup quarterback and two backup wide receivers starting. But still, Williams — and even Cam Akers to some degree — could find their way into some fantasy utility moving forward. As of now, Williams looks like the player to roster, based on their usage the past two weeks:
Still, with how terrible the Rams' offense is, there is a limited upside for either guy. For the time being, both are worth rostering as bench stashes, though there could be considerably more upside if Matthew Stafford eventually returns to the lineup.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars RB JaMycal Hasty - 3% rostered
Henderson was mentioned above as the No. 1 addition of the week, though Hasty surely maintains some value, too. The former San Francisco 49er took over the Jaguars' backfield once Etienne was injured. Hasty registered 49-of-63 snaps, ran 26 routes on 42 dropbacks, had five targets, and ran the ball 12 times.
Henderson is my preferred option, though Hasty could play a fairly large role in the event that Etienne misses time for the next week or two with Henderson still playing catch-up with the playbook.
8. Chicago Bears WR Chase Claypool - 54% rostered
Before you consider adding Claypool, just know he suffered an injury in Week 12 and didn't end up returning to the game. With that being said, there isn't any indication that it's a serious injury, though we do know that teammate Darnell Mooney is likely going to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury and that leaves Claypool as the defacto No. 1 option moving forward if healthy.
In this game, Claypool led the way in snaps (38), routes run (21), and targets in the receiver room (five). Claypool is finally trending in the right direction as it pertains to snaps and opportunities and both should be plentiful with Mooney done and Equanimeous St. Brown also suffering an injury in Week 12.
9. Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks - 51% rostered
Burks was listed as an addition last week and there is no reason to suggest he wouldn't be a great one this week once again. In fact, this week will likely be the last opportunity to add Burks. In this game, he played in just 38-of-57 snaps, though he finally ran more routes than Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and that's good news:
Routes run: Burks (30), Westbrook-Ikhine (28)
Targets: Burks (6), Westbrook-Ikhine (5)
According to PFF, Burks played in 100% of the Titans' 11 personnel snaps, though he played just 24% of their non-11-personnel groupings. The rookie receiver has a combined 180 receiving yards over his past two weeks.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars WR Zay Jones - 25% rostered
If you're looking for a receiver with spot-start ability, Jones is your guy. He hasn't registered fewer than 60 snaps since Week 6 and has played in fewer than 50 snaps just once all season. No receiver on the roster had more snaps than Jones this past week and he also ran 39 routes on 42 dropbacks while leading the team with a ridiculous 37.9% target share. Of course, Jones won't be able to replicate that week-over-week, but he is the WR30 in scoring this season. He's in firm WR3 territory thus far and nothing suggests a slowdown is coming any time soon.
Honorable Mention: Las Vegas Raiders Foster Moreau - 39% rostered
Just for good measure, let's toss a tight end option on the list. With Darren Waller sidelined, Moreau has established himself as a legitimate starting tight end. He hasn't registered fewer than 54 snaps since Week 7. Over that span of time, Moreau is the TE16 in scoring and is coming off another solid 12.3-point performance and top-10 placement among tight ends this week. If you had someone like Zach Ertz and are now looking for a replacement, Moreau could be a nice option.