NFL Waiver Wires: Week 13
Teams on BYE: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants
QB: Jordan Love – Green Bay Packers
-48% rostered
-26.62 points against the Detroit Lions
-22/32 for 268 yards and 3 TDs. Added 3 carries for 39 yards
Jordan Love is making his second appearance on my waiver wires after taking down the Lions on Thanksgiving (who were the hottest team in the league up until their loss). He started off the game strong as he threw 2 TD passes in the first quarter. He seems to have a better control of this offense and even HC Matt LeFleur said that he needs to let Love do his thing in the 4th quarter with the game on the line and not micromanage him. That shows a lot of trust in his QB. He now has 20+ fantasy points over the last 2 weeks. It also helps that his WRs have matured and gotten better since the start of the season. Love now has 3 great WRs to work with in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed. Up next, he plays against the Chiefs in a game that promises to be offense heavy.
RB: Samaje Perine – Denver Broncos
-26% rostered
-13.6 points against Cleveland Browns
-7 rushes for 55 yards and a TD. Added 1 rec for 11 yards
I know, picking a RB2 for waiver wires is weird but again, this RB market this late in the season is toughhhhh. Perine has been solid the last 2 weeks though. He had 13.7 points last week against the Vikings and 13.6 points against the Browns. He is also on a Broncos team that is now the hottest team in the league and winners of 5 straight. Perine has always been a 3rd down, pass catching back and that usually has some good fantasy value in PPR leagues. With the Broncos, he excels in this role. He has had 11 receptions for 106 yards over the last 3 games. He plays Houston next which could be a game where his pass catching abilities are utilized a lot.
Rashee Rice – Kansas City Chiefs
-51.2% rostered (Yes, I know I’m cheating a little bit here)
-24.7 points against Las Vegas Raiders
-8 receptions on 10 targets for 107 yards
This is Rashee’s second time on my waiver wires and my prediction is slowly coming true! Granted, it’s only been one big blowup game but I sincerely believe this is the breakout game that he needed to set himself apart from all the other WRs in Kansas City. A game with 10 targets should never go unnoticed especially when it comes with 100+ yards. Rice was already becoming a favorite of Patrick Mahomes over the last couple games but now it is no question that he is right behind Travis Kelce. The Kansas City offense and Mahomes seemed to be in a funk over the last month so I think that they will lean on their strengths to get themselves out of it which means they are going to pass A LOT. Rice becomes a direct beneficiary of this, and I see multiple high scoring weeks in his future.
TE: Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
-41.9% rostered
-21 points against Cincinnati Bengals
-9 receptions on 11 targets for 120 yards
Out of all the Steelers who benefitted from the OC coaching change, Freiermuth has benefitted the most. There is a big focus on getting him the ball and often under this new offensive scheme. 11 TARGETS!! That is massive for a TE. He has been pretty nonexistent this year with all the injuries and horrible coaching scheme but now that Matt Canada is gone, that is all going to change. As the players and Freiermuth get more comfortable and knowledgeable about this new offense, his number can get even better. Up next they play the Arizona Cardinals who are just a bad defensive team in general. Expect Pat to get 6+ targets and maybe even a TD this week.