Week 13 Late Week Streamers: Devin Neal, Mike Gesicki, and More
Jonathan Fuller shares his top fantasy football waiver adds to strengthen your roster going into Week 13 of the NFL season.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The best football week of the year is here. We have games on four of the next five days and some really fun matchups this week. We're getting down to the most important games of the fantasy season, and the next two weeks will determine the majority of playoff spots.
The one downside to our glorious football schedule is that streaming decisions are extra complicated this week with three games on Thursday and another on Friday, so you might not have the luxury of waiting until Sunday to see if questionable players are in or out. Unless there is a massive difference in projections, you are probably just better off playing the guy you know will be active this week.
Finally, if you've been thinking about subscribing to FantasyLife+ (which you should), be sure to check out the Black Friday special we're running for 40% off with code BF40.
Devin Neal - 48% rostered
Devin Neal was one of the most added players this week, but he still falls under the 50% rostered threshold I use for this article and should be a priority addition for anyone who needs help at the RB position.
Alvin Kamara exited last week's game with a knee sprain and is expected to miss some time. As long as he is out, Neal should be a valuable fantasy asset as the lead RB with a decent role in the passing game. In just a partial game of relief for Kamara in Week 12, Neal saw 7 targets, and QB Tyler Shough is known to check the ball down, so that usage should continue to be there.
The Saints have a decent matchup in Week 13 against a Dolphins defense that has been playing a little bit better recently, but still ranks as one of the better matchups for opposing running games.
The only issue with Neal's fantasy outlook is that Taysom Hill is likely to vulture most, if not all, of the goal line work. This caps the rookie's upside because he is a long shot to score a TD, but his role in the passing game gives him a decent floor in any type of PPR format. Neal is my favorite plug-and-play streaming option this week if he is still available in your league, and he will have fantasy value for as long as Kamara is out.
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Chris Rodriguez Jr. - 22% rostered
It pains me to admit this, but Chris Rodriguez looks to have passed Jacory Croskey-Merritt on the Washington RB depth chart. Before their Week 12 bye, Rodriguez handled 47% of the rush attempts and had a 28% route participation. This gave him a score of 51 on the Utilization Report, his highest of the season.
There is a chance that JCM will reclaim the lead role coming out of Washington's bye, but there haven't been any signs to suggest that is the case.
The matchup in Week 13 is tough with the Commanders taking on the Broncos, but Rodriguez should see double-digit carries and handle the goal line work, which makes him startable if you have a hole at your RB2 spot. More importantly, his outlook for the rest of the season is solid as Washington is likely to continue to lean on the running game and has more favorable matchups against the Vikings (Week 14), Giants (Week 15), and Cowboys (Week 17) still remaining on the schedule.
Unless we get clarity from the Washington coaching staff, it is going to be somewhat difficult to project the Washington backfield each week, but Rodriguez has the best shot at scoring a TD, which makes him a decent weekly streaming option.
Mike Gesicki - 2% rostered
It was an encouraging return to action for Mike Gesicki in Week 12 as he posted a solid 23% TPRR. He immediately replaced Noah Fant as the top TE in terms of routes and finished with a Utilization Score of 64, the second-highest mark for a Bengals TE in any game this season. With that successful return to play under his belt, we can safely say he is the most valuable Cincinnati TE for fantasy football.
Gesicki has generally seen his role increase when either Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins is off the field, and the Bengals will be without Higgins in Week 13, so I expect the TE to operate as the second option in the passing game.
The Bengals have also confirmed that Joe Burrow will be back at QB for their Thanksgiving matchup with the Ravens. I am somewhat skeptical of how sharp Burrow will be in his first game back, but his presence raises the ceiling for the offense in a game that could turn into a shootout. Gesicki is available in nearly every league and has real upside if you need to swing for the fences.
Parker Washington - 42% rostered
Parker Washington has emerged as the top WR in Jacksonville in the absence of Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. He has recorded double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games and had a 20%+ target share in each of those games as well.
The Jaguars are heavy favorites against the Titans in Week 13, and even though they might get BTJ back for this matchup, I still expect Washington to play a significant role in the offense. He has been Trevor Lawrence's favorite target recently, and I will need to see BTJ looking like his old self again before I am willing to project him as the top target on a weekly basis.
Hopefully the Titans are able to push the Jacksonville offense, because the biggest risk to Washington's fantasy value is that the Jaguars can just go ultra run-heavy and win without getting out of first gear. While that is a risk, Washington remains one of the best WR streaming options available in more than half of fantasy leagues.
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