For the first time since Week 4, fantasy owners don't have to play the bye-week shuffle with their defense and special teams units. But that doesn't mean there aren't great options to be had on the waiver wire, especially when mainstays such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks defenses will have their hands full with difficult matchups. Let's examine a few of those options.
Miami Dolphins (vs. New York Jets): The X factor in this battle of division rivals is Geno Smith, who has completed eight, eight and nine passes over his last three games when asked to bail his team out of early deficits. Smith has also made matters worse by turning the ball over more than any other quarterback in the league, with 18 interceptions and five lost fumbles. It's this kind of play that has prompted talk of the rookie potentially being benched in favor of Matt Simms, but that doesn't appear to be the case in Week 13.
That said, Smith's odds of righting the ship don't look good versus a Dolphins defense that has picked-off 14 passes and allowed an opposing quarterback rating of 75.8, which ranks fourth in the NFL. With running back Chris Ivory likely to miss time with an ankle sprain, it isn't likely to be smooth sailing on teh ground as well. The Dolphins defense is owned in just 16 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and virtually every owner has a chance to cash-in on buried fantasy treasure this week.
Waiver Wire pickups for Week 13
• Montee Ball and four other RBs to pick up • Carson Palmer and four other QBs to pick up • Nate Burleson and seven other WRs to pick up • Heath Miller and four other TEs to pick up • The Dolphins and two other defenses to pick up
Buffalo Bills (vs. Atlanta Falcons): What was looking to be a formidable Atlanta Falcons at the beginning of the season is anything but, due to an endless list of injured skill players. As a result, the Falcons have sputtered, averaging the 24th-most points per game despite averaging 348 yards of total offense each contest. They have sputtered in the red zone throughout the year, and their 20 turnovers do not instill much confidence.
This week, the Buffalo Bills defense faces off against them at home, which bodes well since 11 of the Falcons' 12 interceptions have come away from the Georgia Dome. With the Bills secondary already riding a high from a dominant performance versus the New York Jets, an encore could very well be in the cards against a mistake-prone offense. Owners could do much worse than take a flier on a defense that can be had in all but 24 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs Cleveland Browns): It's finally come full circle. The team that was so often responsible for huge fantasy outputs for opposing defenses now presents itself as a sleeper option for fantasy owners in need of filling the "DST" void in their lineups.
With Jason Campbell likely sidelined due to a concussion, the Cleveland Browns will turn to Brandon Weeden, who has been ice cold in his recent outings. Over his last 74 pass attempts, the second-year signal caller is averaging a paltry 4.8 yards per attempt. The running game hasn't been any more efficient, averaging just 3.8 yards on the ground all season, without much variance versus opponents of all levels.
That isn't to say the Jaguars won't have to worry about the likes of Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron, but have plenty to build off of after keeping the Houston Texans out of the end zone in Week 12 and batting away nine passes. It's far from a given that the Jaguars can keep it up, but they find themselves in an ideal position to do so. Owners in need of a high-floor option can have the Jaguars at just about any price, as they are available in 99 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Honorable Mentions: Cleveland Browns, 27 percent; New York Jets, 15 percent; New York Giants, 29 percent.
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