We enter Week 13 and the fantasy football season is starting to reach its climax. Many standard deep leagues start their playoffs next week, while some are still trying to secure their spot in the postseason.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 running backs to target for Week 13
With the playoffs just around the corner, here are some waiver wire options at running back for the stretch run.
With the bye weeks over and rosters at full strength, some owners have probably put less emphasis on the waiver wire by this point. However, there are always some hidden gems to be found, particularly if your roster is still being weakened by injuries. Here are some potential wire options at running back, owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Shaun Draughn, San Francisco 49ers (28 percent)
With Carlos Hyde battling a foot injury, Draughn has emerged as the 49ers’ new workhorse back. Over the past three games, he’s averaged 20 touches and 86.3 total yards per game, and played every single offensive snap against the Arizona Cardinals. Draughn only has 3.5 yards per carry, but the sheer amount of volume he’s getting is enough to put him on the RB2 radar. He has an appealing matchup with the Chicago Bears’ 29th-ranked run defense this week.
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (25 percent)
Chris Johnson suffered a bone bruise in his knee last Sunday, which could keep him out of Week 13. Andre Ellington entered as the backup, but also left the game with a toe injury. That leaves David Johnson as the next man up for now. David Johnson hasn’t seen much work this season, but he has home run ability, scoring seven touchdowns on just 54 touches. He’ll be a quality fantasy start against a St. Louis Rams defense that has suddenly looked ordinary in recent weeks, ranking 21st in rushing yards allowed per game.
Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions (24 percent)
Riddick is more of a receiver than a running back at this point, seeing just 28 carries on the season. However, he plays such a big role in the passing game that he’s usable in PPR leagues. Riddick has 55 receptions through 11 games, tied for 20th in the league along with Allen Robinson, Brandin Cooks, Jordan Reed and Jason Witten. With the Lions starting to find a pulse on offense, Riddick should stay on the flex radar against the Green Bay Packers’ middling defense this Thursday.
Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins (17 percent)
Ajayi saw seven touches last week, compared to eight for Lamar Miller. He also had 58 total yards while Miller managed just 15. Of course, the big change this week is that the Dolphins fired offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, partly for not doing more with the running game. We don’t know what the offense will look like under new coordinator Zac Taylor, but with the 4-7 Dolphins going nowhere fast, it’s entirely possible they give more opportunities to Ajayi to see what the rookie can do. He remains a must-stash handcuff for Miller owners.
Dan Herron, Indianapolis Colts (less than one percent)
Ahmad Bradshaw hit injured reserve with a wrist injury and veteran Frank Gore is so worn down that head coach Chuck Pagano said that he’s “beat to crap.” So the Colts may have no choice but to give some run to Herron, who was recently signed back to the Colts after a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills. Herron isn’t a flashy player, but he knows the system and has been a decent fill-in player in the past for Indianapolis. He could find himself back on the fantasy map if Gore continues to scuffle along.
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