As the season wears on, the waiver wire understandably thins out. Which makes the process of identifying deep pickups after highlighting the top waiver-wire targets on Sunday increasingly difficult. However, there are a few gems among the 14 players listed below, along with several high-upside stashes. Hopefully some of these players can provide solid fantasy returns in the coming weeks, but if not at least the investment it took to add them to your roster will be minimal.
Here's what else Week 13 has to offer on the waiver wire.
Deep waiver targets for Week 13:
Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders - 8.3 percent owned
Rex Burkhead, RB, Cincinnati Bengals - 0.1 percent owned
Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals - 1.1 percent
Alfred Morris, RB, Dallas Cowboys - 6.4 percent
Kenneth Farrow, RB, San Diego Chargers - 0.1 percent owned
Peyton Barber, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 5.8 percent
Kapri Bibbs, RB, Denver Broncos - 0.8 percent owned
Damien Williams, RB, Miami Dolphins - 0.7 percent owned
Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs - 26.2 percent owned
Taylor Gabriel, WR, Atlanta Falcons - 2.1 percent owned
Quincy Enunwa, WR, New York Jets - 11.8 percent owned
Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings - 3.3 percent owned
A.J. Derby, TE, Denver Broncos - 0.1 percent owned
Lance Kendricks, TE, Los Angeles Rams - 1.8 percent owned
Running backs
I've dispensed a lot of digital ink in this column on Oakland's dynamic rookie running backs, but it finally appears that Jalen Richard has emerged as the clear backup and handcuff to Latavius Murray. With DeAndre Washington a healthy scratch against the Panthers, Richard logged seven carries but was surprisingly ignored in the passing game. Richard doesn't have weekly starting value yet, but is a high-value player to stash.
In a strange turn of events, Rex Burkhead provided a spark in the Bengals backfield over the struggling Jeremy Hill. Burkhead saw just seven touches, but took them for 48 yards while playing 49 percent of the snaps. Hill played two more snaps than Burkhead and saw 18 total touches, managing 82 yards. The team could serve up more opportunities to Burkhead in the coming weeks. He'd be tough to start in Week 13 against the Eagles, but he should be added in deeper leagues.
Here's your weekly reminder to handcuff your stud running backs. Players like Andre Ellington, Alfred Morris, Kenneth Farrow, Kapri Bibbs, and Damien Williams all back up workhorse runners and are available in the vast majority of NFL.com leagues. And let's be real for a second. You'd rather have your stud's handcuff and not need him, than need him and not have him chilling on your bench.
Wide receivers
Week 12 put two speedsters into the fantasy spotlight, with Tyreek Hill and Taylor Gabriel both finishing among the top-12 scoring wide receivers (pending Monday Night Football). I was hesitant to put either in the main waiver column, though, as both reamin rotational players in their respective offenses. Week 12 was the first time Hill hasn't ranked third in snap percentage for the Chiefs since Week 7, while Gabriel has been third in snap share in each of the last four games where he's also found the end zone. However, both players do have clear roles in their offenses and are getting valuable opportunities in scoring positions. I just didn't want to outright recommend them as top-notch waiver pickups because their playing time and usage could easily set them up for a goose egg as much as it does for a top-12 weekly finish. Add and start them at your own peril, as they play each other in Week 13.
Quincy Enunwa has a touchdown in three of the last four games he's played with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will likely be starting again for the Jets in Week 13 against the Colts. He'll have WR3 appeal in a game that could turn into a shootout thanks to both teams sporting patchwork secondaries. Adam Thielen performed OK in a spot start on Thanksgiving with Stefon Diggs out, catching eight of 11 targets for 53 yards. He's still worth adding in deeper leagues, especially those that play with PPR scoring.
Tight ends
A.J. Derby was traded from the Patriots to the Broncos in late October, but waited until late November to make a splash with the team. Derby caught all four of his targets for 43 yards and played on just 11 fewer snaps than Virgil Green, the "starter" who didn't see a target. Derby has six catches on seven targets in Denver's last two games versus two on six for Green, and could start to take over a more prominent role at a position with a track record of success in Gary Kubiak offenses. Lance Kendricks has seen 14 targets over Jared Goff's two starts, catching eight of them for 89 yards and one touchdown. His upside is limited being attached to a low-end passing attack, but if Goff can continue improving Kendricks' stock will rise accordingly.
-- Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexGelhar
