2025 NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 13: Pick up Troy Franklin, Jacoby Brissett

We’ve arrived at Thanksgiving week, which means it’s time to look ahead, if you haven’t started already. I’m talking beyond Week 13. Even if you haven’t locked up a playoff spot yet, it’s not too early to dig into the matchups that could help you win once you get to the playoffs (because, as a loyal waiver-wire reader, of course you’re going to the playoffs). The work has a chance to pay off in a big way when we reach the fantasy postseason in Week 15.

With that in mind, here are my suggestions for Week 13, starting with my top 15 players to prioritize on the waiver wire, regardless of position.

The only rule here: Players must be rostered in less than 60 percent of NFL.com leagues to be eligible for the list.

And now, here are my top five waiver priorities by position:

QUARTERBACKS

Takeaways:

• Ride the hot hand, at least for one more week. Jacoby Brissett has finished as the fantasy QB10 or better in all but one of his six starts this season, averaging nearly 21 fantasy points per game in that span. In Week 13, he’ll visit a Buccaneers defense that is reeling after being torched by the Bills and Rams in consecutive games. Brissett has thrown for a league-high 769 yards in the last two weeks.
• I don’t know if Jameis Winston will get another start, given that Jaxson Dart (concussion) did practice in a limited capacity last week. If Winston does get the nod for the third straight week, he might be the top streaming option outside of Brissett. At publishing, Winston is the fantasy QB1 of Week 12, dropping 32.2 points in Detroit against a defense that had played great a week earlier (although he’s not going to catch a TD pass every week, obviously). The highs and lows of the Winston roller coaster are well-documented, so the buyer beware label is omnipresent here, and he’s not someone to roster if Dart returns.
• It's been a very rough introduction to the NFL for No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, but it’s starting to look like the worst is behind him. Ward enjoyed his best game of the season on Sunday, scoring 23.9 fantasy points against the Seahawks, who have one of the league’s stingiest defenses. The next step for him is establishing some consistency, and he has an opportunity to do so in Week 13 against the Jaguars, who have allowed the fantasy QB8 or better in four of their last five games.

RUNNING BACKS

Takeaways:

• Kyle Monangai led Bears running backs in snaps, carries and routes on Sunday. He also scored the team’s lone rushing TD, a 2-yard scamper. The margins were relatively slim, as Ben Johnson continues to split duties between the rookie and D’Andre Swift, but the fact that Monangai was positioned as RB1a to Swift’s RB1b is nothing to sneeze at (certainly not in this waiver-wire RB economy). Chicago has a tough matchup against the Eagles in Week 13, but Monangai has run for a TD in each of the last three games and handled 12-plus carries in three of the last four contests.
• Saints RB Alvin Kamara is believed to have suffered a knee sprain in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, but he’ll need an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, per NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. If Kamara has to miss time, rookie Devin Neal would be the next man up at running back for the Saints. The volume that would come with an RB1 workload is enticing, but please do keep the sorry state of New Orleans’ offense in mind (and the fact that Taysom Hill just led the team in carries with 10). Neal had five catches for 43 yards on Sunday, but he was held to 18 yards on seven carries. His game is short on burst. He was no stranger to bell-cow duty during his college career at Kansas, though.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Takeaways:

• The Broncos were on a bye in Week 12, but don’t forget about Troy Franklin -- you know, the fantasy WR26 this season. Franklin leads Denver in targets (81), catches (46) and receiving TDs (5). This week, he has a date with the Commanders defense, which has been one of the league’s most generous to wide receivers. Somehow, he’s still not on enough fantasy rosters to avoid qualifying for this list.
• Tee Higgins left Sunday’s game with a concussion and won't play in the Thanksgiving night game against the Ravens. That leaves Andrei Iosivas with another great opportunity. On a day when Higgins exited due to injury and Ja’Marr Chase was suspended, Iosivas led Cincinnati with seven targets and 61 receiving yards in Week 12. Chase’s return will set up favorable coverages for whoever is lining up opposite him at wide receiver.
• Injury woes in the Titans’ receiving corps have created more opportunities for Chimere Dike, and he’s taking advantage of them. The rookie had five catches for 44 yards and a TD on seven targets in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks. He also showed off his explosiveness on a 90-yard punt return for a TD. He’s scored 16-plus fantasy points in three of his last five games, averaging 13.1 PPG in that span. In deep leagues, he’s a flex option to consider in his Week 13 matchup with the wobbly Jaguars defense.

TIGHT ENDS

Takeaways:

• Just when it seemed like we might be out of the wilderness with Colston Loveland, he runs into a tough Week 13 matchup against the Eagles. He’s still my No. 1 waiver-wire tight end after posting 40-plus yards in four straight games (three TDs in that span), but this might not be the week to start him if you have another option at the position that’s clearly better.
• After missing five games due to injury, Brenton Strange returned with a bang on Sunday, posting a season-high 93 yards on five catches. He’s the fantasy TE4 of Week 12 as of this writing. He had six catches on seven targets in consecutive games prior to the game in which he suffered an injury, so Trevor Lawrence seems very comfortable throwing his way. That bodes well for Strange down the stretch.
• Taysom Hill hasn’t scored more than 6 fantasy points in a game all season, so you might be wondering what he’s doing here. Well, the Saints’ jack of all trades led the team with 10 carries on Sunday, with half of them coming in the red zone. He didn’t convert those chances into much production, but if Kellen Moore is going to feature Hill so prominently in potential scoring situations, he deserves our attention. Of course, Alvin Kamara’s health figures to play a role in how Hill is utilized -- eight of his carries came after Kamara was ruled out of Sunday’s game -- so keep an eye on that situation.

DEFENSES

Takeaways:

• Things got ugly last time out for the Chargers defense (a 35-6 loss to the Jaguars), but, oh my, do they ever have a precious bounce-back opportunity. Coming off a bye, the Bolts host the Raiders, who might have the league’s worst offense right now. They just fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and Los Angeles should be able to take advantage of a team in disarray.
• The Falcons defense bounced back, dropping 16 fantasy points on the Saints, and another favorable situation awaits with a game against the lowly Jets up next. New York is averaging 12 real-life points in its last two contests.
• It’s flown under the radar, understandably, but the Dolphins defense averaged 11 fantasy points in its two games prior to the Week 12 bye. Now Miami hosts a Saints offense that is tied for last in points per game (15). With two weeks to prepare for rookie QB Tyler Shough, the Dolphins are a sneaky play this week.