Congratulations, you made it through the first edition of Bye-Mageddon — notice I said FIRST because Week 14 is also a new level of fantasy hell, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. Hopefully you walked out of your matchups relatively unscathed from Week 12 (and that you actually started Jaylen Waddle). 

Heading into Thanksgiving, it's time to lock in. Your leaguemates may be distracted by pumpkin pie and their drunk great-uncle this week… but not you. You're focused on the ultimate goal: winning a fantasy championship. So make sure to pay extra close attention to the injury reports because there are three games on Thursday, one on Friday and then 11 on Sunday. 

Before we jump in, I want to point you in the direction of our waiver wire tool, which is an awesome way to visualize what I have below AND take advantage of “wisdom of the crowd”-ing, as you can drop your FAAB bids in and see what other people are thinking of spending!

Below are the players I recommended that are less than 40% rostered in fantasy and they are in order of priority. Good luck this week and Happy Thanksgiving! (and my gift to you is a bonus episode of “The Flex,” where we go over a slew of Thanksgiving props):

INJURY ROUNDUP

FANTASY FOOTBALL WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 13

Gus Edwards, RB, Chargers (26% rostered)

The J.K. Dobbins injury is heartbreaking on a few levels, but sometimes as fantasy players we have to put on blinders and separate our hearts from our heads. Enter Gus Edwards.

Edwards was wildly successful in the Greg Roman offense while in Baltimore (2019-2022):

 

He’s in an offense that is clicking, and he is healthy after an early-season injury. 

Shift strategy based on what we hear about Dobbins, but Edwards is a borderline “spend whatever you have left” candidate as we enter the make-or-break part of the season.

Jeremy McNichols, RB, Commanders (1% rostered)

The hits just keep on coming and this week we saw both Commanders running backs go down. It's unclear whether Brian Robinson Jr. or Austin Ekeler will be ready to go by Sunday — Robinson suffered an ankle injury and was questionable to return but never came back in the game and Ekeler suffered a concussion. So the next man up in this offense is Jeremy McNichols. 

I think it's also important to note that the team released running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. on Saturday, so they will probably be bringing him back. McNichols is the back to target, but if you're in a deeper league you can take a flyer on Rodriguez as well. 

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Packers (15% rostered)

Speaking of next man up mentality, it may be that time for Dontayvion Wicks. Unfortunately Romeo Doubs suffered a concussion in Week 12 and his status for the Packers game on Thursday is up in the air, but it's safe to assume that since it's a short week that he won't be able to go. Wicks will be a starter now, going up against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving and he definitely has Flex appeal. According to the Utilization Report, Wicks still leads the team in targets per route run (TPRR) for the season at 25%.

I would be cautious if you're thinking about dropping Wicks right away when Doubs returns, too. The Packers face the Seahawks, Saints and Vikings during the fantasy playoffs — according to PFF all three of those teams rank in the bottom nine at preventing fantasy points to wide receivers. Plus, if other receivers for the Packers went down Wicks would continue having a role.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars (39% rostered)

This is a perfect example of scanning the waiver wire during big bye weeks, because a lot of your leaguemates may have had to make a tough decision — like dropping Tank Bigsby — and now he's available for you to pick up. 

We all know the story for Bigsby by now — he is much more efficient than Travis Etienne and is averaging 5.5 YPC on the season. Bigsby missed Week 11 because of an ankle injury and he hasn't hit over three fantasy points since Week 8, but there's a chance the Jaguars get Trevor Lawrence back, which should keep them somewhat competitive in the coming games. Stash Bigsby if you have the chance. 

Alec Pierce (20% rostered) / Adonai Mitchell (5% rostered), WRs, Colts

Josh Downs is week-to-week with a shoulder injury and it was reported that he will be a "long shot" to get cleared to play against New England. There are two receivers to highlight here because there isn't an obvious replacement — Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell. 

Quarterback Anthony Richardson came back down to earth against the Lions in Week 12 and failed to complete 50 percent of his pass attempts for the fourth time this season. If you pick up either of these receivers just remember they have a bye in Week 14 — but the Colts do face the Giants during championship weekend, which is just another reason to take a shot.

Will Levis, QB, Titans (12% rostered)

Let me just say, I scoffed at the idea of having to start Will Levis in Week 12, but the fantasy universe forced my hand because of Brock Purdy's injury — and I wasn't all that mad with the results. On Sunday Levis was 18-for-24 with 278 yards and two touchdowns (yes he was also sacked eight times) — good enough for 16.1 fantasy points.

Plus, we are planners and like to look ahead. In Week 14 we have quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels on a bye, so we are going to need all the help we can get. The Titans from Weeks 14-17 face the Jaguars twice, the Bengals and then the Colts, which puts Levis firmly in streamable territory. 

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots (19% rostered)

Sunday was definitely not Drake Maye's best outing. He completed 22 of his passes but only managed 13.4 fantasy points on the day. This week the Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts who are giving up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, so if the Brock Purdy injury news isn't good again then turning to Maye isn't the worst plan!

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Raiders (25% rostered)

The Raiders were without both of their running backs on Sunday against the Broncos, but if you started Ameer Abdullah on the fly then you were happy with the results. With Alexander Mattison and Zamir White out, he was able to notch 17.5 fantasy points off eight carries for 28 yards and five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.

This is another quick turnaround, as the Raiders face the Chiefs on Friday for Week 13. If Mattison and White can't go again then we should expect the same role for Abdullah. Of course we will have to temper our expectations because the Chiefs are a tough matchup, but we absolutely love a 89% snap share and 8.5 Utilization Score off the waiver wire. 

Devaughn Vele, WR, Broncos (1% rostered)

Devaughn Vele set a new career high in receiving yards on Sunday and finished with six receptions for 80 yards and while he didn't find the endzone he has given us great utilization over the past three games. As Dwain McFarland highlighted in the Utilization Report, Vele has operated as the No. 2 wide receiver over the last three games and has averaged 12.8 fantasy points with a 6.0 Utilization Score.

The Broncos are part of Bye-Mageddon Act II in Week 14, but with Vele getting more work he could be a great addition to your roster.

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