The Week 13 waiver wire is one of the weakest of the season. The options this week are backup running backs with injury-related upside. Here are a few potential RB targets for fantasy football managers on the wire this week.
Top RB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 13
Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders (50% Rostered)
Checking in right at the roster percentage threshold, Antonio Gibson has proven to have a decent enough floor worth rostering.
More Waiver Wire Targets: WRs | TEs | QBs
There was a point in the season when I thought rookie Chris Rodriguez would be the primary rusher if Brian Robinson went down. It appears that Gibson has played his way back into the clear RB2 role.
Plus, it’s not as if Gibson’s value is only as a Robinson contingency. Since Week 5, he’s scored at least 5.1 fantasy points in every game, and he has four games with at least 8.6. That’s not nothing. Given how hard it is to find usable running backs on the waiver wire, Gibson is worth picking up if he’s out there.
FAAB Recommendation: 8-12%
Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots (40% Rostered)
This late in the season, upside-handcuff running backs need to be rostered, preferably by the teams with the starters. Ezekiel Elliott is still firmly behind Rhamondre Stevenson, but he did see 11 touches this week and looks halfway decent.
If Stevenson were to get hurt, Elliott might legitimately be a 70% snap-share player. He could be a startable RB2. Pick him up if he’s out there.
FAAB Recommendation: 8-12%
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys (12% Rostered)
The Rico Dowdle thesis is the same as it was last week. There’s no standalone value here. But he’s the clear handcuff to Tony Pollard.
Whenever a starting running back goes down, fantasy managers rush to spend a bunch of their FAAB on the backup that is now taking over. I certainly don’t want Pollard to get hurt, but football is a violent game. We see it happen multiple times every year. Get out ahead of the game and grab Dowdle now.
FAAB Recommendation: 2-5%
Which RBs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Antonio Gibson or Devin Singletary?
Devin Singletary’s value definitely took a bit of a hit with Dameon Pierce’s return. However, Singletary is a vastly more talented player. He proved that during the three games Pierce missed. Unsurprisingly, the Texans stuck with Singletary as their lead back.
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Gibson does have a clear role behind Robinson, but he is not a reliable weekly starter. I believe Singletary is. For that reason, I much prefer Singletary.
Should You Roster Rico Dowdle or Chuba Hubbard?
After a month of being rather ineffective, Chuba Hubbard exploded for 20 fantasy points against the Titans. He did it largely on the heels of a season-high five catches for 34 yards. It also helped that he found the end zone.
If Pollard were to get hurt, Dowdle would unquestionably be the superior fantasy start to Hubbard. But with Pollard healthy, Dowdle is just a handcuff, whereas Hubbard remains startable on a weekly basis.
If it were earlier in the season, there would be an argument for Dowdle’s upside, as the chances Pollard could get hurt would be greater with more games left. With so few games remaining, we should operate under the assumption that all starting running backs will remain upright. Therefore, Hubbard is the preferred option between these two.
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