Zack Moss was on a roll to begin the season, but he’s faded into the background as Jonathan Taylor has made his way back to full strength off of his injury.
However, a new injury for Taylor may have just vaulted Moss back up the waiver wire rankings to be a top target in Week 13. Should you add the Indianapolis Colts RB this week to your fantasy football roster?
Should Zack Moss Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 13?
Editor’s note: Taylor will undergo thumb surgery on Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined 2-3 weeks.
Moss truly emerged out of nowhere early this season to be a fantastic fantasy asset while Taylor was on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with an ankle injury. Through the first six weeks of the 2023 NFL season, Moss was the overall RB6 in half-PPR scoring formats, and he went four straight games with 70+ rushing yards.
However, as Taylor returned to the lineup, we started to see Moss move to the shadows and become the clear No. 2 option in this backfield. As a result, Moss’ fantasy rostership percentage plummeted as fantasy managers needed to make room on their rosters for all of the other injuries hitting them.
Moss now finds himself below our threshold to be discussed as a waiver wire option heading into Week 13. The former Buffalo Bills RB was already a top target on waiver wires due to the potential upside he possesses if Taylor were to go down with an injury over the remaining handful of games in the fantasy football season.
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The value of a handcuff — or insurance — RB cannot be overstated, and we already know how productive Moss can be in this offense. However, on Tuesday, fantasy managers received news that Taylor is now dealing with a thumb injury that could potentially sideline him.
While this is certainly devastating for fantasy managers who were just coming to rely on Taylor and were hoping to lean on him going into the fantasy playoffs, Moss instantly becomes the main option to go after off the waiver wire.
If Taylor is forced to miss even a couple of games, Moss will instantly be moved into the top 15 RB conversation over that time frame. Meanwhile, if this injury is more severe than we anticipate — and Taylor is placed on injured reserve — Moss could potentially be in the league-winner conversation.
With matchups against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, and the Las Vegas Raiders in Weeks 15-17, Moss could absolutely help deliver fantasy championships if Taylor is forced to miss those contests.
It’s clear that he needs to be the No. 1 option if you have a simple waiver wire priority. However, if you play in a league that has FAAB bidding, Moss is absolutely worth spending up to 20% of your budget (or more) to ensure that you get him onto your roster.
If we receive news that Taylor’s injury is going to sideline him for the remainder of the year, Moss becomes a player worth doing everything you can to acquire. The last thing you want to have happen is lowballing a FAAB bid just to see him end up on your rival’s roster in your league.
You never know who you’re going to play in your fantasy football playoffs. I want to make sure that I did everything I could to avoid seeing Moss be the player responsible for knocking me out of the playoffs in just a few weeks.
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