Week 13 PPR Waiver Wire Sleepers & Starts for Deeper Leagues

As we head into the last week of the fantasy regular season, it’s about that time to start looking at last minute lottery tickets to help you solidify a playoff spot. All of the players you’ll see listed this week hold value not just for Week 13 but potentially for the playoff push as well. It’s a long shot for sure but all five players are worth rolling the dice on if you’re hurting at a given position. Obviously, Week 13 is no time to be tinkering with your lineup, especially with a playoff spot on the line, but sometimes it’s worth a gamble if you end up nailing the right player.

The players listed are sleepers for deeper leagues consisting of 12 or more teams with a PPR format. In staying consistent with the deeper league theme, all players must be owned in under 60% of Fleaflicker leagues.

Week 13 Sneaky Starts & PPR Sleepers

Floor/Ceiling Scale: Low 0-5 points, Medium 6-12 points, High 12-18, Very High 20+

John Brown (WR, ARI)

34% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

I’ve been somewhat bullish on the Arizona passing attack as of late but where there’s injury, there’s opportunity. Larry Fitzgerald missed last week’s game against Seattle, which ended up being a low scoring rout anyway. With that in mind, the Cardinals now head to Atlanta to face a Falcons team that is struggling in every facet of defense.

The Falcons allow the 5^th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and should Fitzgerald miss another game, John Brown could and should sky rocket up the weekly ranks. It’s a tasty matchup in a game that could end up being a shootout given Atlanta’s defensive woes. Brown has shown find his way into the endzone with his five touchdowns on the year, it’s the volume that concerns me. That coupled with the fact that the Falcons are every bit as bad against the run as they are against the pass makes Brown a true boom or bust play this week.

Floor: Low, Ceiling Very High (Could be a shootout game, takes a hit if Fitzgerald suits up.)

Latavius Murray (RB, OAK)

42% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

How about four carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns against a Kansas City defense that hadn’t allowed a single rushing touchdown all season? That’s how Latavius Murray’s week ended up last week in a Thursday night game that the Raiders almost blew entirely in hilarious fashion. It only took 12 weeks but it looks like the Raiders have finally figured out who their offense should be built around.

It’s a crazy small sample size but honestly, how confident do you feel in any other Raider not named Latavius Murray at this point? In one game he proved he’s the most talented back on the team. The matchup isn’t all that great against the Rams this week but I can’t imagine the Raiders are so incompetent that they won’t give the ball right back to Murray after his big game last week.  If you’re hurting at the running back position, Murray is by far the number one pickup of the week and could easily start for your team depending on your depth.

Floor: Medium, Ceiling: High (The matchup isn’t great but I feel confident about his workload.)

Jordan Reed (TE, WAS)

52% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

Just when you thought the Redskins offense couldn’t get any more perplexing, they decide to turn to Colt McCoy…who actually sort of improved the team when he filled in for Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III. At first glance, one would assume McCoy makes the offense even worse but the team actually faired better than it has under RGIII this year. The concern with Reed has never been about talent but about his health. Reed has been nursing a hamstring injury but expects to play in Week 13’s matchup against a Colts team who allows the 4^th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

I expect the Washington offense to receive a nice little boost with the insertion of Colt McCoy at QB, especially when it comes to Reed who totaled 13 targets in the games McCoy appeared in earlier this season. The Redskins have utilized the tight end position effectively whenever they’ve gotten solid production out of their quarterback so look for Jordan Reed to bounce back from his injury woes with ease.

Floor: Low, Ceiling: High (As with most tight ends, there’s always the possibility for a dud game. That said, it’s a nice matchup and the Redskins offense should get a boost from McCoy.)

Tim Wright (TE, NE)

28% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

Our second tight end play of the week comes to us from New England where Tim Wright continues to find the endzone on a Patriots team that is absolutely on fire as of late. Unlike Jordan Reed where the thought process behind playing him revolves mostly around a change in team philosophy, Tim Wright’s value is solely attached to scoring opportunity.

Look, once you get past the big four at TE (Gronk, Graham Julius, Olsen) all you’re really hoping for is a touchdown anyway and what better candidate than a Patriots tight end who has already caught six on the year? You can’t argue that the scoring opportunities aren’t there for Wright. Throw in a matchup against the Packers that is almost guaranteed to obliterate the over/under and you’ve got yourself a prototypical plug-and-play tight end. It’s kind of amazing how tight ends have become like defenses or kickers as we sift through new potential playmakers almost on a weekly basis. Whatever the case may be it’s harder to find a tight end with a greater shot at finding the endzone.

Floor: Low, Ceiling: Very High (He’s still a tight end so again, it’s always possible he doesn’t do anything, It’s also possible he reels in another two TDs. By the way, Wright is a non-traditional handcuff to Rob Gronkowski so he’s probably worth an add anyway.)

Charles Johnson (WR, MIN)

5% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

It doesn’t get much deeper than this folks. If you’ve never heard of Charles Johnson, there’s no way I can blame you for that. In looking at the rest of Minnesota’s depth chart, it’s kind of amazing the Vikings waited so long to utilize Charles Johnson. Granted, three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown isn’t exactly a stellar performance but the important number is his 18 targets over the last two games.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is obviously looking his way and when your competition is an old Greg Jennings, an invisible/banged up Cordarrelle Patterson, and a mediocre-at-best Jarius Wright, why not Charles Johnson? I’m confident the big play is coming at some point so it could very well be this week against a Panthers defense that has fallen off the proverbial cliff after having such a dominant campaign in 2013. The Panthers have gone from one of the most feared defenses in the league to allowing the 8^th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. The matchup, volume, and opportunity is there for Johnson to emerge as a late season add that could win you a week/playoff spot.

Floor: Medium, Ceiling: Very High (This could be the week he breaks out for a big game against a weak Carolina secondary. He’s already emerging as Minnesota’s number one receiver; it’s only a matter of time.

Good luck in locking up those playoff spots and don’t be afraid to cut ties with guys you’re never going to start in the playoffs for some of these emerging lottery ticket players.