Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 13: Josh Gordon Will Play This Week

We knew that Josh Gordon was going to be back a few weeks ago. He has been part of these recommendations for weeks now. But this will be the first week where he is eligible to return and all indications are that he will play on Sunday. With this being the first game back, and against the Chargers, it’s hard to recommend him as a start this week unless you are desperate, but he should be on rosters, and could be the X-factor for the fantasy playoffs that begin soon.

Here are the rest of the recommendations:

QUARTERBACKS

Average and Shallow Leagues Blake Bortles (66%) vs Colts gets a great matchup against Indianapolis to add some touchdowns. Case Keenum (61%) at Atlanta has been hot and should be the other consideration.

Deeper Leagues: Blaine Gabbert (12%) vs the Rams. Gabbert has 5 touchdowns and is averaging over 240 yards the last two weeks.

Don’t forget about Jimmy Garoppolo (22%) at Chicago. Shanahan has not named a starter, but if it’s Garoppolo, he becomes a top 18 start as long as weather conditions aren’t too formidable in Chicago.

RUNNING BACKS

Average Leagues: In this spot last week, I recommended that Rod Smith (26%) could see more carries. The Cowboys have since released Darren McFadden, and Smith matched Alfred Morris in carries and was more productive. It wouldn’t surprise me if he surpassed Alfred Morris this week, with the offense struggling. Buy now in case.

Matt Forte (67%) could be back and has a great flex matchup against the Chiefs. Austin Ekeler (59%) should see enough carries against the woeful Browns to be a flex option as well.

Deep Leagues: JD McKissic (28%) may have eligibility at both WR and RB, and is useful in deep PPR leagues. Meanwhile, Mike Davis (3%) looked like a possible solution for Seattle’s running back issues, but missed the last game. He should be back versus Philadelphia.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Average and Shallow Leagues: Jamison Crowder (68%) has 18 catches, 289 yards, and a TD in last 3 games. How is he still available in so many leagues? They’ve lost Chris Thompson and Pryor and he will continue to be a top 24 WR down the stretch.

Corey Coleman (51%) is also still available in enough leagues and has been targeted enough to be worth a start. The Browns will quickly go to a much better receiving group with Gordon and Coleman paired up.

Mike Wallace (50%) is a low end WR3 this week (it’s hard to recommend the Baltimore passing game beyond that.

Deep Leagues: Seth Roberts (0%) should benefit from the Crabtree suspension and be worth a look. This is your weekly reminder that there are worse options than Marquise Goodwin (28%) who is SF’s top target, especially if Jimmy G is named the starter later this week.

TIGHT ENDS

OJ Howard (40%) continues to outperform Cameron Brate in recent weeks. Ricky Seals-Jones (5%) has come out of nowhere with 7 catches, 126 yards, and 3 touchdowns over the last two weeks with Blaine Gabbert at QB. If you need a start, play the hot hand.

OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS

Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington
Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland
Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland
Rod Smith, RB, Dallas
Matt Forte, RB, NY Jets
Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville
Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore
Case Keenum, QB, Minnesota
Mike Davis, RB, Seattle
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco
OJ Howard, TE, Tampa Bay
Blaine Gabbert, QB, Arizona
Seth Roberts, WR, Oakland
Austin Ekeler, RB, LA Chargers
Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, Arizona
Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco
JD McKissic, RB, Seattle

DEEP LEAGUES

Rod Smith, RB, Dallas
Mike Davis, RB, Seattle
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco
Blaine Gabbert, QB, Arizona
Seth Roberts, WR, Oakland
Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, Arizona
Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco
JD McKissic, RB, Seattle