Thanksgiving weekend time to scour waiver wire
Thanksgiving is a holiday rich with tradition.
You watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, have friends and family gathered around a table filled with everything from turkey to stuffing to mashed potatoes and gravy to that infamous lime-green Jell-O mold your crazy aunt brings every year.
Sometimes, you even toss around the football in the backyard before heading back inside for some pumpkin pie.
But one of the most satisfying traditions comes the next day, when you open that refrigerator and see all those delicious leftovers waiting to deliver that savory taste-punch to the gut just one more time.
The same can be said for your fantasy football lineup and waiver wire now that we are four games into Week 13.
While everyone else in your league is recovering from their food coma, it is important for you to assess your roster and see if there are any lineup changes you need to make or any players who may still be available for you to add.
Did you face Tua Tagovailoa or Josh Jacobs or Keenan Allen?
Are you already behind for the week and need upside?
Receivers like Nick Westbrook-Ihkine or Marques Valdes-Scantling are swing-for-the-fences type guys you can probably add, but is there a bigger threat to break the slate than Taysom Hill?
Though most fantasy analysts hate to admit it, using Hill at whichever position he qualifies can be a game changer.
Out of seven games played this season, he has hit double-digit fantasy points three times, and in his most recent game almost cleared the 40-point threshold.
So, when Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi tells the media that Hill will be a “huge part” of the team’s offense, you need to pay attention.
Yes, there is always the potential that Hill scores fewer than five points, his production for the other four games this season, but if you’re behind on the scoreboard, it’s a chance you have to take.
There are other players who could be difference-makers this week, whether they are sitting on your bench or even available on the wire in your shallower leagues.
Despite some outstanding efforts, Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving continues to be a player few people trust.
Obviously, a three-man backfield is problematic, but after watching Sean Tucker get benched after a goal-line fumble last week, the heavy lifting will sit in the hands of Irving and Rachaad White.
Against the Panthers, who rank last in every run-defense metric, he should have a fantastic day.
You should also look to get Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey into your lineups.
He is the only trustworthy receiver on that team, and he and Justin Herbert have carved out a fantastic on-field rapport.
Betting on the NFL?
Facing the Falcons’ 28th-ranked pass defense should open up a wide range of possibilities this week, and your fantasy team should benefit in a major way.
Holidays are always a distraction, so if you can be the first in line for the leftovers, you’re going to eat well.
Guys like Irving and McConkey can help you with a higher floor and higher ceiling.
Hill could be your version of the Ross Geller Moist Maker.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football news and advice.