We've put a bow on Week 11 of the 2022 NFL season and as head coach Bill Belichick would say, "We are on to Week 12." Now it's time to gaze into the crystal ball and see which players we should target on the waiver wire now for a big payoff later.
Reminder: The Cardinals and Panthers are on bye in Week 13, meaning you will need to find replacements for Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, James Conner, D.J. Moore, D'Onta Foreman and more.
Week 13 Early Waiver Wire Targets
QB Kenny Pickett, Steelers (10% rostered)
Pickett was solid against a stout Bengals defense in Week 11. He completed 25-of-42 attempts for 265 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions, also rushing twice for 24 yards. He finished as the QB16, which is impressive since Cincinnati had allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Pickett could definitely struggle this week against the Colts, but things get significantly easier in Week 13 against the Falcons. Atlanta has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and ranks 28th in Pass DVOA. Pickett could be a streaming option for Murray managers.
QB Marcus Mariota, Falcons (39%)
Mariota completed 13-of-20 attempts for 131 yards and one touchdown, also rushing 13 times for 25 yards in Week 11 against the Bears. He finished as a top-14 quarterback for the second time in two weeks and fifth time in the last seven.
Mariota has a great schedule coming up in Weeks 12 and 13 against the Commanders and Steelers. He could flirt with QB1 numbers next week against Pittsburgh, which has a defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
RB Samaje Perine, Bengals (48%)
I'm actually surprised Perine did not smash the 50% mark after his Week 11 explosion. He recorded a season-high 11 carries for 30 yards with four receptions for 52 yards and three touchdowns, finishing as the RB2 in half-PPR scoring for the week.
Perine has spent most of this season as Joe Mixon's clear-cut backup. His usage was higher than usual last week with Mixon going down in the third quarter with a concussion. Mixon has now missed multiple practices and his status for Sunday remains very much up-in-the-air. He is worth rostering as an emergency backup plan should Mixon miss Week 13, as well.
RB Kyren Williams, Rams (32%)
This backfield has been a mess for fantasy this year. Cam Akers (50% rostered) was expected to lead the depth chart going into the season, but he fell out of favor with the Rams coaching staff. Many expected him to be dealt at the NFL trade deadline, which did not end up coming to fruition.
The Rams leaned on Darrell Henderson Jr. for a bit, which clearly did not work out. He was released this week and swiftly claimed by the Jaguars.
Akers would be the logical next man up with Henderson out of the picture, though I would have trouble trusting him as a locked-in fantasy starter. He ran 14 times for 61 yards in Week 11 against the Saints, while Henderson was held to two carries for nine yards. Williams was also incorporated and saw seven carries for 36 yards. He also out-snapped Akers by a count of 35 to 25 in the game. My money is on this becoming a committee between Williams and Akers in which one could emerge as a workhorse back.
The Rams have an attractive schedule coming up against the Chiefs and Seahawks — two below-average defenses against the run.
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Browns (49%)
I will continue to mention Peoples-Jones until he crests the 50% threshold.
Peoples-Jones actually performed quite well in a very difficult matchup against the Bills in Week 11 and caught 5-of-6 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. He finished as the WR14 in half-PPR scoring for the week, which was his fifth double-digit fantasy performance in seven weeks.
His stock can only go up from here with the return of quarterback Deshaun Watson on the horizon. DPJ should be regarded as a WR3/flex moving forward as the No. 2 behind Amari Cooper with even better upside once Watson takes the reins.
WR Skyy Moore, Chiefs (9%)
Travis Kelce stole the show in the Chiefs’ Week 11 victory over the Chargers, but other players also showed signs of promise with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman both sidelined due to injury. Moore and Justin Watson were both heavily involved: Watson logged the second-most yards behind Kelce and caught 3-of-4 targets four 67 yards, followed close behind by Moore, who caught 5-of-6 targets for 63 yards.
Kadarius Toney was a non-factor despite high hopes for the recently acquired Year 2 wideout. He caught no passes and injured his hamstring — a major swing and a miss by myself and other members of the fantasy community.
I have been partial to Moore since the NFL Draft, as he arguably ended up in one of the best landing spots. A breakout game for Moore could be brewing this week as the Chiefs take on the Rams, who rank 26th in pass DVOA.
