There are only two weeks to go until (most) fantasy football playoffs. That means the waiver wire gems dug up on Wednesday could be the difference between finishing in the money and enjoying calm, stress free Sunday mornings in December.

Fortunately, Week 13 is a solid time to head to the waiver wire. While the pickings may be slim, opportunity has knocked for a handful of young players making an impact after acclimating to NFL speed. New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal could be the team’s top tailback thanks to injuries higher up the depth chart. New York Jets wideouts John Metchie III and Adonai Mitchell stand to benefit from the promotion of Tyrod Taylor at quarterback (that is… quite a sentence to type out). Brenton Strange could be the balancing influence that suppresses some of Trevor Lawrence’s worst instincts.

Do they belong on your fantasy roster? And if so, what kind of player should you drop to target them? That’s what we’re here to figure out in this week’s edition of fantasy ladders. We’ve got video for each of the top waiver pickups this week, including analysis from myself and NFL betting scribe/Rhode Island Scumbag Mike Boyajian.

Let’s start with the guy who’ll be Week 13’s most added running back.

RB Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints (Three percent owned in Yahoo! Fantasy leagues)

• Week 12: Seven carries, 18 yards. Seven targets, five catches, 43 yards

Neal continues to get opportunities via injury – first when Kendre Miller made his annual trip to IR, then in Week 12 after Alvin Kamara’s day was cut short after three carries. That made the rookie a focus for a team attempting to battle back from an early deficit against an Atlanta Falcons team that’s been better against the pass than the run this fall.

That didn’t matter for the former Kansas Jayhawk. He barely averaged better than 2.5 yards per carry but had seven targets as the Falcons consistently created pressure without blitzing. That pushed the action to New Orleans’ new safety valve, who finished behind only Chris Olave when it came to targets (Juwan Johnson and Mason Tipton also had seven). 

Neal may not be a dynamic runner as a rookie; he was good for -15 rush yards over expected in only seven carries last week. But he’ll bring PPR value even if advanced stats didn’t love what he did with the ball after catching it (-12 receiving yards over expected). Vision is a concern, but he could brute force his way to a handful of double-digit days.

vs. Cleveland Browns RB Dylan Sampson (Three percent)

Sampson helped buoy Shedeur Sanders’ numbers en route to the Browns third win of the season. He turned a screen pass five yards behind the line of scrimmage into a 66 yard touchdown. All three Cleveland touchdowns Sunday came from rookie running backs, with Quinshon Judkins running in another two.

There’s no denying Sampson’s explosiveness, but he’s also prone to lapses in the backfield that leave him vulnerable to tackles for loss. He had a 26 yard run in the fourth quarter but still managed only 23 net rushing yards on seven carries. His usage has been uneven after Judkins’ emergence as RB1; he had eight targets in the season opener but only 20 in the 10 games that followed. 

• Verdict: Neal. Neal is going to get significantly more opportunity. While he’s less likely to rip off a huge gain than Sampson, he provides a more stable floor.

vs. Arizona Cardinals RB Bam Knight (29 percent)

Knight has been a consistent presence in the Arizona passing game, running between 12 and 16 routes each of the last six weeks. That brings utility when Jacoby Brissett is throwing the ball 40-plus times each Sunday. However, he’s averaging just 1.2 yards per route and turned eight catches the last two weeks into… 41 yards.

That would be OK if he brought value as a runner, but NFL Next Gen Stats peg him for -1.1 RYOE per carry. 10 goal line carries in seven games has buoyed him – he’s added touchdowns each of the last two weeks – but Trey Benson’s pending return is a threat. 

• Verdict: Neal, but it’s close. While the Cardinals know what they have in Knight and could pivot away with a healthy Benson, the Saints may be more open to keeping Neal in the lineup when his veteran running mate returns.

vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker (47 percent)

Tucker is about to get thrown into a three-headed tailback platoon with Bucky Irving trending toward playing in Week 13. That’s a bad sign after shrinking in Week 12 as his Bucs got molly-whopped by the Rams in Los Angeles. Tucker had 42 yards on 12 carries (3.5 per handoff) and only two routes out of the backfield (one catch, four yards).

Irving may be broken in slowly after his return, but it’s clear Tampa sees him as a true RB1 who can take the lead as both a runner and receiver. With Rachaad White coming off another solid game, Tucker could see his playing time reduced from about 40 percent of the Bucs snaps down to 20.

• Verdict: Neal

WR John Metchie III, New York Jets (One percent owned)

• Week 12: Seven targets, six catches, 65 yards and a touchdown

Handing the QB reins to Tyrod Taylor brought a much-needed adult to guide the Jets’ passing offense. Taylor isn’t the team’s future, but he’s competent to help head coach Aaron Glenn figure out which young targets could be. In Week 12, new 2025 arrivals Metchie, Adonai Mitchell and Mason Taylor combined for 19 of New York’s 28 passing targets.

Metchie shined brightest, leading the team in receptions and scoring its only touchdown in a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He’s mostly being used as a short-range option; his average target Sunday came 4.5 yards downfield on a day where Taylor took nearly 3.3 seconds from snap to throw. That means he’s a little further down the veteran’s wish list, but also a reliable checkdown option in an offense where players struggle to get open.

vs. New York Jets WR Adonai Mitchell (Two percent) 

Mitchell had seven targets in Week 12 after notching six the week prior, upping his routes from 19 to 26 in the process. That resulted in twice as many catches… two. His catch rate over expected has been -21 or worse each of the last two weeks and sits at -16.1 for the season. That would rank dead last among more than 140 qualified players if he had enough snaps to make the list.

Still, it’s clear how New York wants to use him. His average target distance as a Jet is 21 yards downfield. Taylor needs someone to take the top off his offense and keep safeties from clinging to the line of scrimmage. Mitchell is athletic enough to create space and generate the kind of throws that keep defenses honest. But with two drops in two games he’s lacked the hands and concentration to be anything more than the new version of Denzel Mims. For now.

• Verdict: Metchie

vs. New Orleans Saints WR Devaughn Vele (Zero percent)

Sifting through the waiver wire brings us to Vele, for whom the ostensibly rebuilding Saints traded away fourth- and seventh-round picks to acquire this preseason. He’s struggled to make an impact in an unimpressive offense, notching only nine catches in 10 games – three of which came in Week 12.

Vele ran 39 routes his first five games in New Orleans. With the Saints trailing and trying to figure out a hierarchy in the wake of dealing away Rashid Shaheed, that number hit 45 Sunday. That only resulted in seven targets and 37 yards – a 0.82 yards per target number approximately on par with Isaiah Bond’s 2025.

He’s the guy who backed into Shaheed’s vacated deep targets. He’s also unable to do much with them.

• Verdict: Metchie

vs. Tennessee Titans WR Chimere Dike (14 percent)

The Titans got a big time performance from Cam Ward Sunday. While that didn’t result in a win that only furthers the mission of securing the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and then auctioning it off for a windfall. Tennessee needs to stock up on skill players to let Ward meet his potential. Dike – a guy who spent most of his college career in low-wattage Graham Mertz-led passing attacks – looks like a keeper.

The rookie ran a career-high 44 routes last week, emerging as the team’s de facto WR1 following Calvin Ridley’s season-ending injury. His per-route numbers are grim; in the last three weeks he’s at less than one yard per passing play (0.96). But he’s been on the field for at least 88 percent of the Titans’ passing downs in three of the last four games and has legit top-end speed to be a deep threat and the size to be a possession target. The downside is he plays for the Titans, so red zone opportunities will be rare. He has only four end zone targets in 11 games.

• Verdict: Dike

TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (13 percent owned)

• Week 11: Five targets, five catches, 93 yards

Strange’s return to the lineup was a soothing balm to a receiving corps burned by injuries in 2025. After missing six weeks due to injury, the 25-year-old roared back with five catches on five targets, upping his 2025 catch rate to just under 87 percent.

Strange is creating space downfield; his average target in Week 12 came about 12 yards downfield but with four-plus yards of separation. That’s leading to solid run-after-catch numbers and the promise of big production even with limited targets. But with Travis Hunter out for the season and Brian Thomas Jr. dealing with injury and his own shaky hands, those target numbers could continue climbing as the Jags push toward a playoff spot.

vs. New York Jets TE Mason Taylor (23 percent):

We touched on the Jets’ rising young players getting auditions in the final third of a lost season. For Taylor, that’s resulted in 19 targets his last four games. While he’s only turned that into 89 receiving yards, it’s clear he’ll be a featured part of the offense with Tyrod Taylor at the helm.

Jason Taylor’s progeny has been a classic short-range tight end; his average target distance has exceeded eight yards downfield in only one game this season and that was in Week 1 where he had only one target. But that’s useful in an offense that saw John Metchie turn a bunch of dump-off type passes into a viable offense.

The downside is, well, it’s the Jets. Taylor has two end zone targets this season to date. He has eight red zone targets, five of which came against the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL’s worst defense.

• Verdict: Strange

vs. Cleveland Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr. (34 percent):

Fannin’s run-after-catch ability continues to boost shaky quarterbacks; he had 45 yards after securing the ball in Week 12, which is impressive considering he finished his day with 40 total receiving yards. That will be important for a Browns offense focused on getting the ball out of Shedeur Sanders’ hands before he can run backward into drive-killing sacks (only three yards lost via sack in Week 12!). 

Fannin is averaging better than six targets per game. While he doesn’t have the downfield utility of Strange, that could change if Sanders grows into his role (or stay the same if Sanders reverts to Week 11 status and makes the Browns’ offense unplayable). Ultimately, this comes down to how much you trust a rookie fifth round pick to continue playing average football behind center.

• Verdict: Strange

vs. Chicago Bears TE Colston Loveland (47 percent):

Loveland started slowly, but he’s been a significant piece of Caleb Williams’ rise up the QB ranks this fall. Over his last five weeks he’s run between 20 and 30 routes per game, resulting in 25 targets, 20 catches and 300 yards with three touchdowns – just under 14 fantasy points per game at 2.42 yards per route.

That last number would rank second among all qualified tight ends if he could keep it up over the course of a full season. Chicago has several weapons at its disposal, but Loveland’s entrance in the circle of trust could be the key in pushing the franchise to its first playoff bid since 2020.

• Verdict: Loveland

Thanksgiving time! What’s the best Thanksgiving movie/TV show episode??

Spoiler: It’s Bob’s Burgers. It’s always gonna be Bob’s Burgers, because we were born long after WKRP in Cincinnati was on the air.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fantasy Waiver Ladders, Week 13: John Metchie, playoff savior?