I’m starting to think that I’m screaming into the void, as two of these guys were on this list last week (Washington & Gage), and they both had big games. That’s okay, they’re still there. There’s still time to rectify your mistake. To qualify for this list, these wide receiver sleepers must be unowned in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues. But, as luck would have it, nobody topped 16% ownership. For deep leagues, we offer you one player available in over 90% of leagues. As always, check to see if there’s a guy available in Waleed’s Waiver Wire Cheat Sheet. If not, enjoy the week 13 wide receiver sleepers!
Week 13 Wide Receiver Sleeper:
James Washington versus Cleveland (21% Owned)
James Washington is currently winning the Pittsburgh battle of attrition in the wide receiver room. JuJu Smith-Schuster is out of the concussion protocol but remains sidelined with a knee injury. Diontae Johnson was literally bleeding out of his ear the last time these teams played and managed just two catches last week. Into the fray steps James Washington. He has 19 targets in the last three games and has turned in two 90+ yard, one touchdown performances in that span. The game at Cleveland when all hell broke loose, he still turned in a usable three catch, 49-yard performance. Now, Devlin Hodges is under center, and like the consummate Machiavellian he is, James Washington went duck hunting with Hodges this week. Much like his hunting experience, expect more than a few wounded ducks headed towards Washington.
Week 13 Wide Receiver Sleeper:
Chris Conley versus Tampa Bay (18% Owned)
I don’t know if anyone has ever gotten 7+ targets in five-straight games so quietly in the modern age of fantasy football. Conley hasn’t been a sexy pick up because he’s yet to convert those into more than one big game (103/1 against the Jets in week eight). There was also a bye, and a quarterback swap in there. Scoop up Conley, as this is the week his targets turn into major fantasy points. He gets a Bucs squad that just… can’t… help themselves. They love giving up huge days to opposing wide receivers. Three Falcons had at least 11.8 fantasy points against them last week, bringing the total of double-digit half-PPR games against them to twenty-two. In eleven games!
Deep Dive Week 13 Wide Receiver Sleeper:
Russell Gage versus New Orleans (8% Owned)
The good news is that this sleeper will play when everyone else is sleeping from carb-and-booze overload, with a little goosing from the Thanksgiving turkey’s tryptophan. So, if I’m wrong, nobody will remember and come yell at me. Gage has 27 targets in his last four games, including a nine-target and ten-target effort in that span. We know the Falcons will throw, throw, throw, to try to keep up with the Saints. Ideally, there’s Julio Jones and no Marshon Lattimore going in this game, but just nixing Lattimore from the equation helps a ton. Gage is yet to turn his catches into a big game, but that could be coming on what will prove to be a pass-heavy game script on Thanksgiving.
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You can find the rest of our Week 13 advice here (be sure to check back as the week develops!)
(Header Image Source: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/pictures/250000/velka/hunter-aiming-shotgun.jpg under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
(but instead of a Hunter Renfrow joke, it’s a James Washington hunting ducks joke)
