Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 13 Pickups (2023)

This weekend marks December’s first slate of games for the 2023 NFL season. The only thing more daunting than that calendar date with your in-laws to go look at Christmas lights is the Week 13 “Byepocalypse” that the NFL has gifted us. It will be a bumpy ride on the Week 13 waiver wire, but we will get through this together.

In my best Russell Wilson voice, “Let’s ride.” 

Teams on bye in Week 13: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants

As always, the players below are rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues. 

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 13 Pickups (2023)

(Rostership percentages courtesy of ESPN)

Priority Adds

Jayden Reed (WR, Green Bay Packers) | 31.5% Rostered

It only took 12 weeks, but it seems like rookie WR Jayden Reed has established himself as a top-two option for the Green Bay Packers. Reed has put together three straight performances of 15 or more Points Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points. The Packers are starting to treat him like mini-Deebo Samuel, as he’s seen 14 targets and five carries over his last two games. Reed’s 26.7% target share on Sunday was his second-highest mark of the season, per JJ Zachariason. Look for Reed to remain a top target for Jordan Love and a weekly threat to make a splash in your fantasy lineups. 

Plug-Ins

Jordan Love (QB, Green Bay Packers) | 47.9% Rostered

After the Packers handed the Detroit Lions their obligatory Thanksgiving Day loss (the Lions haven’t won on Thanksgiving Day since 2016), Jordan Love is now a top-12 fantasy quarterback on a points-per-game basis. Over Love’s last three games, he’s thrown for seven touchdowns while only having two interceptions.

He has solid young weapons to lean on and a forgiving schedule on the horizon. The Packers take on the Chiefs in Week 13, who are middle-of-the-road against quarterbacks over the last month. Then the Packers get the Giants, who are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to the QB over that timeframe, followed by the Buccaneers, who are giving up the most fantasy points to QBs. Love is the perfect waiver wire add in Week 13 that can help you down the stretch.

Pat Freiermuth (TE, Pittsburgh Steelers) | 41.8% Rostered

In his second game back from injury, Pat Freiermuth stacked up a career-high 120 receiving yards on nine catches against their AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals. It’s also more receiving yards than he combined for in his previous five games. While we can’t expect that to be a weekly occurrence, it’s worth noting this was the first game for the Steelers with a new offensive coordinator. In the fantasy playoffs, the Steelers take on the Colts, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the TE position over the last month, and the very same Bengals that Freiermuth just torched.

Stashes

Tyler Allgeier (RB, Atlanta Falcons) | 46% Rostered

Do you have Bijan Robinson on your roster? Then you want Tyler Allgeier stashed in case anything happens to Robinson. That said, that’s also the exact same reason you want Allgeier on your roster, even if you don’t have Robinson. The Falcons have been a run-heavy team all season. Robinson, Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson amassed a total of 34 carries between them this past Sunday. Allgeier would likely handle the bulk of the work should Robinson be sidelined. In the fantasy playoffs, the Falcons have a cakewalk schedule that includes the Panthers, Colts and Bears. Snag him off the waiver wire before Week 13 while you still can.

Jalin Hyatt (WR, New York Giants) | 1.7% Rostered

In one of the ugliest NFL games ever played, rookie WR Jalin Hyatt collected five receptions for 109 yards on a team-high six Tommy DeVito targets. The Giants are on bye this week, so don’t drop anyone you absolutely need this week, but Hyatt has a chance to establish himself as the Giants’ go-to option to close out the season. 

Thanks for reading my favorite fantasy football waiver wire Week 13 pickups. Looking for more fantasy football advice? Follow me on Twitter @ThatMattKelley.

*Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel – USA TODAY Sports*