Fantasy Football 2025 Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Immediately Useful
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars (49% Rostered): Based on the roster percentages this week, it seems most teams are fairly set at QB. But if you’re one of the exceptions, or perhaps you just lost Baker Mayfield, Lawrence is a QB with some upside even if you’ve got to hold your nose to play him. Of course, we know the floor is low here but Lawrence has thrown for three touchdowns twice this season, including Sunday vs. Arizona, has some rushing upside, and potentially could have Brian Thomas Jr. back in the lineup to pair up with Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, and his breakout TE Brenton Strange. The Jags are up against a Tennessee defense that offenses have had their way with, and while there’s potential for the Jags to slice them up on the ground, leaving little for Lawrence in the way of production, if you’re on waivers for QB at this point you’re desperate anyway. Just search for ceiling.
Christian Watson, WR, Packers (48% Rostered): The Packers don’t have a WR1 right now, and that’s clear despite our best efforts to force one to exist. But Watson is the Packers WR to have right now, if you need to play one. He’s not drawing WR1 target share, but he is getting four targets per game with a 19.5-yard average depth of target. Since returning, Watson has averaged 16 yards per catch, and put up 45+ yards in every game, with a two-touchdown effort against the Giants two weeks ago. Watson has always been a high-ceiling player with a doughnut floor, but in this iteration of the Packers’ offense, he’s actually got a higher floor than he previously had. That makes him a playable FLEX.
Colston Loveland, TE, Bears (43% Rostered): Loveland has become a consistent fantasy option, which is like a nugget of gold at the TE position. The rookie has posted 40+ yards in each of his last four games, which included a 118-yard, two-score game vs. the Bengals at the beginning of the month. That game may have fooled people into thinking he was a league winner. Loveland is not a league-winner in 2025, but he’s for sure showing that he can be a weekly start regardless of matchups, and that’s a new, exciting development when combined with a TE1 ceiling in any given week.
Parker Washington, WR, Jaguars (40% Rostered): Washington was alive again after two quiet weeks, reeling in five passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. With Brian Thomas and Brenton Strange both potentially back for Week 13, it’s possible Washington’s bumped down the totem pole again, but he seems to have cemented himself in the slot for the rest of the season. If so, he’s a weekly FLEX option, even if its on the low end of that spectrum. A crowded pass catching corps limits his ceiling, but he’s established himself as a real safety valve for Lawrence.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans (35% Rostered): Spears continues to be the better bet in the Titans backfield for chunk plays, and Sunday marked his second straight game with five targets. He has the juice to score from long range, even though it hasn’t happened in 2025 thus far, but his lack of usage on the ground is concerning. This coaching staff, as well as the staff before this one, clearly doesn’t seem to trust that Spears can hold up as a volume back. That limits his ceiling this year, and likely moving forward. Still, an electric player with established receiving work belongs on rosters and can always be deployed in an emergency.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns (34% Rostered): Fannin played his first game with Shedeur Sanders under center on Sunday and…it was similar to all his other games. This is a positive and a negative. Fannin is a very talented player who is clearly being held back by the limitations of this offense, but he’s also been a consistently useful player and has now shown he can be that guy regardless of whichever inexperienced QB is throwing the passes. Cleveland’s offense is nightmare fuel due to the incredibly out of their depth QBs and flawed WRs, but that helps secure volume for Fannin who is probably the best pass catcher on the team. If he’s available, and you don’t have Trey McBride, George Kittle or Tyler Warren then you can argue Fannin might help your roster.
Speculative/Deep Cuts
Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals (29% Rostered): Knight’s relevance is over if Trey Benson returns, because his performance last week vs. Jacksonville was tough. He found the end zone, which we like, but 12 yards on 10 carries is disgusting. He did chip in 20 receiving yards on four receptions, but ultimately he looked like what we know he is – a decent change of pace back. Knight is not a feature tailback, and he’s miscast in this role right now. It’s fine to play him for as long as it lasts because there’s touchdown opportunity, but once Benson returns you need to make other plans.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins (17% Rostered): Tagovailoa being on this list goes to show how most teams have their plans set up for the position. But if you happened to lose Baker Mayfield on Sunday night, and your waivers are barren, Tua has some upside. He has six multi-touchdown games this year, and while the glory days of the Mike McDaniel offense are long gone, there’s still a lot of explosiveness here with RB De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle thriving as a lead WR. More importantly, his schedule rest of season reads: vs. New Orleans, at Jets, at Pittsburgh, vs. Cincinnati, vs. Tampa Bay. That’s a good looking slate, and he can do some real damage in those matchups as long as you can withstand the inevitable flop or two.
Chris Rodriguez, RB, Commanders (16% Rostered): Rodriguez had seemed to establish himself as the leader of the Commanders’ RB committee last time we saw them, as he earned 15 carries and gained 79 yards vs. Miami in an overtime loss. Jacory Croskey-Merritt still mixes in, and Jeremy McNichols remains the passing downs back, which curbs enthusiasm for Rodriguez as a true breakout, but goal line chances should belong to Rodriguez, which can really be exciting if Jayden Daniels is able to return from his disgusting elbow injury.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars (13% Rostered): Strange was proving to be a reliable TE option before getting injured earlier this season, and in his return game vs. the Cardinals he picked up where he left off, catching all five of his targets for 93 yards. Strange is a high-volume option – for the position – and he’s due for some TD luck as he hasn’t found the painted area at all this year. I’d treat Strange as an every-week start, in the same tier as Fannin or Loveland.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (12% Rostered): It’s definitely getting late in the season for speculative adds, and especially for a player in one of the league’s dullest offenses. But I am a believer in Tillman’s talent, and the Browns’ offense is kicking and screaming for a dependable top target. Tillman was injured earlier this year, so he’s still working himself back to top form, and he’s dealing with rookie QBs that weren’t highly drafted. The hope here is that Tillman benefits from Sanders being more willing to take chances downfield, and from a soft schedule in terms of pass defenses. It’s a longshot, and the recommendation is to add him and not play him until he shows something. But there’s something here.
Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals (6% Rostered): Carter’s been yo-yoed all season on this team, briefly being released altogether. Both Emari Demercado and Bam Knight have passed him at times but Carter still lingers and is currently the passing downs back. With Trey Benson’s return looming, that’s potentially a role he can keep and I think rest of season I’d rather roster Carter than Knight. However, the best scenario is not needing to use either of them.
Devin Neal, RB, Saints (3% Rostered): Neal is likely the priority add of the week with Alvin Kamara suffering a sprained knee. While any RB who is about to see a serious uptick in volume should be added, and is understandably desirable, it’s worth remembering that Kamara was not very productive in this offense to date, and the Saints offense on the whole is simply not good. Neal’s season-high for rushing yards is 22, so we haven’t seen anything to be excited about. Adding him is strictly speculative, and it could yield high reward, or it could be a massive waste of FAAB. Just be careful out there.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Jets (2% Rostered): Mitchell, like Tillman, is a complete stash. He cannot be trusted in a lineup yet, even as an emergency option, but he earns a spot here because Tyrod Taylor offers the slightest glimpse of hope that Mitchell’s talent can be realized. Mitchell is a true X receiver, which complements Garrett Wilson very well when he’s ready to return. We have seen Mitchell’s mental lapses cost him dearly this year, whether it’s dropping the ball before hitting the end zone on a critical touchdown, or losing focus on bad drops, but at the end of the day he’s prototype size and can get real separation at all levels of the field. Tyrod Taylor is a bottom-rung starter, but he’s an upgrade as a passer on Justin Fields, and if Taylor decided to lock in on Mitchell in Wilson’s absence there’s potential for production. I’m recommending everyone wait and see, but the path to a big target share is very clear.
Handcuffs
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars (49% Rostered)
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (44% Rostered)
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 49ers (26% Rostered)
Devin Singletary, RB, Giants (25% Rostered)
Tank Bigsby, RB, Eagles (20% Rostered)
Blake Corum, RB, Rams (16% Rostered)
Dylan Sampson, RB, Browns (11% Rostered)
Ray Davis, RB, Bills (7% Rostered)
Isaiah Davis, RB, Jets (5% Rostered)