The past few weeks I’ve found some fantasy magic pulling Parker
Washington and Michael Wilson off the waiver wire, so I’m going
deep again with Metchie in Week 13. People forget that before his
cancer battle, Metchie was a highly regarded round 2 pick of the
Texans. His medical condition hurt his development and the rise
of young receivers around him made him expendable, so he joined
the Jets in a Week 10 trade. With all of the viable receiver options
non-existent, Metchie has quietly put up two solid weeks in a row
for a still battling Jets team. His 9-110-2 line over the last two
weeks has vaulted him into WR1 status for the Jets, and the fact
Tyrod Taylor can actually move the ball in the air has helped! You
might not snag a league winner, but Metchie could surprise as a
deep league WR3 for pennies on the dollar.
Despite missing Week 12, the rookie 4th round pick still leads
the Titans in targets. Yes, they are 1-10, and have a rookie QB
who is struggling mightily, but there is still room for some growth,
especially against a Jacksonville secondary that doesn’t scare
anybody. A mid-round rookie on a bad team isn’t necessarily where
I want to be at the end of the fantasy regular season, but I like
the potential volume this week. If the production can match, Ayomanor
(hamstring) could be a sleeper hit.
Outside of Chase-Burrow, and Mahomes-Rice, my favorite stack
of Week 13 goes to Nix-Sutton. Although he’s taken a back
seat to the younger, splashier receivers, Denver made a concerted
effort to get the ball to Sutton prior to the bye. His eight targets
were the most since Week 7 and I have to believe they’ve
made some adjustments during the Week 12 bye. The matchup is as
good as it gets, so take advantage.
Marcus Mariota has been a huge passing downgrade from Jayden Daniels,
and it’s made the Commander receivers almost impossible to trust.
Terry McLaurin might be back this week (but for how many snaps)
and Deebo Samuel doesn’t have the burst or quickness to thrive around
the line of scrimmage like he used to. Toss in a dash of poor line
play, and a splash of Orange Crush level defense, and you have a
very unappetizing fantasy meal.
A hamstring injury and the faltering play of Baker Mayfield (Ebuka’s
catchable target rate has been abysmal the last six weeks) has
splashed a big bucket of ice water on the piping hot September
and October that the rookie enjoyed. His elite volume and separation
make him a must start, but with Teddy Bridgewater and a more conservative
passing game sure to come, Ebuka’s ceiling has come way
down.
Raiders Receivers @ LAC
You know things are bad when a guy swept up off the street (Tyler Lockett) has become the defacto No.1 receiver on your offense.
With the offensive line in shambles, and Geno Smith looking worse
by the week, Lockett has become the security blanket for the offense.
Defenses are bracketing Brock Bowers, and Tre Tucker’s deep
routes don’t have time to develop consistently. Will trash
canning the offensive coaching staff help? Doubtful at this point.
The Charger defense has also been one of the best in the league
against the receiver position.
