Week 13 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds: Ameer Abdullah, Jeremy McNichols, Sean Tucker

The Thanksgiving week is when the fantasy football season really gets intense. Whether you’ve already qualified for your league’s playoffs or are battling it out to make the cut, now is the time to lock in. 

Especially relevant for this running back waiver wire article, Week 13 is also an important time to start rethinking how you approach the fantasy football waiver wire. It’s too late in the season to be waiting on significant changes in usage or breakout performances. It’s also too late to be holding backups who don’t have the upside to force their way into your lineup. Luckily, running back is the one position where most fringe fantasy options are just one injury away from being must-start players. You should stack your bench with as many handcuffs (for your own starters or for players you don’t roster) as possible. Players like Braelon Allen, Tyler Allgeier, Ray Davis, and Jordan Mason — all the way down to Kenneth Gainwell and Khalil Herbert in deeper leagues — are who you should be prioritizing. 

However, you may still find yourself in need of more immediate help at the RB position. That’s where this article comes in, focusing on players who are trending in the right direction after Week 12. Smash pickups are few and far between at this point in the season, but these four players are worth considering. 

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Week 13 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds

Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders (25.9% Rostered)

With Alexander Mattison and Zamir White both sidelined, Ameer Abdullah led the Raiders’ backfield on Sunday. He played 88% of snaps and handled eight of the team’s 13 RB carries (62%). But his real value came in the receiving game, where he racked up six targets on a 72% route participation rate. He caught five of those targets for 37 yards and a touchdown to go with 28 yards on the ground. This resulted in 15 Half-PPR points for an RB9 finish (pending MNF), the best performance of any Raiders RB all season.

Looking forward, Abdullah’s time in the sun may not last long. When either Mattison or White returns, he will likely return to serving as a change-of-pace receiving back. However, neither of the team’s usual starters managed even a limited practice in the lead-up to Week 12. The Raiders have a short turnaround for a Black Friday game against the Chiefs, making it less likely they are back in time. That means there is a solid chance Abdullah is a viable streaming option in Week 13, especially in PPR formats. 

Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders (1.1% Rostered)

Both of the Commanders’ two lead running backs suffered injuries on Sunday. Austin Ekeler was ruled out late with a concussion, while Brian Robinson managed only 12 snaps while dealing with an ankle issue. Looking forward to Week 13, Ekeler is almost certainly going to miss a game in the concussion protocol. Robinson's prognosis is less clear, but there’s a decent chance he either misses Sunday’s game or is again limited by his ankle.

That means more opportunity for Jeremy McNichols, the lone remaining back on the Commanders’ 53-man roster. McNichols has been sporadically involved in Washington’s offense throughout the season, including seeing extra work when Robinson was sidelined earlier this year. If both Robinson and Ekler are out for Week 13, he would be a great option as the Commanders’ RB1, even in a tough matchup with the Titans. At the very least, he’s worth stashing for the next few days while we wait for news on Robinson’s status.

Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2.8% Rostered)

Tucker has been a solid stash for a few weeks now, as he is the rare handcuff RB with multiple paths to relevance. We saw him explode when Rachaad White missed time earlier this season, and he would also be heavily involved if Bucky Irving were sidelined. His upside is lower than a traditional handcuff, as he would need two injuries to have this backfield to himself, but his chance of hitting is much higher (roughly double).

As for why he is being featured in this particular article, there were some promising signs for Tucker in Week 12. Since his breakout Week 6 performance, the sophomore RB had slowly been phased out of the Buccaneers’ offense, hitting a low point when he went without a single offensive snap in Week 11. That changed on Sunday, as Tampa Bay clearly came out intending to give him more work, especially in short-yardage situations. He handled three carries on the team’s opening drive, including punching in a goal-line touchdown. Unfortunately, he then fumbled on his next carry (another goal-line rushing attempt) and recorded just one more snap for the rest of the game. 

While the end result wasn’t great, this was undoubtedly a step in the right direction for Tucker. Seeing goal-line work on this Tampa offense could even be enough for him to carve out desperation flex value while White and Irving are both still healthy. He should be bumped up a few spots in your handcuff priority rankings heading into Week 13.

Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers (22.9% Rostered)

Like Tucker, Edwards is still more of a handcuff than anything. He gets a shoutout in this article mainly because the Chargers play tonight on Monday Night Football. This is very relevant if you are in a league that allows you to drop bench players even after they have already played (this may sound crazy, but it is the default setting on Sleeper, among other apps). If J.K. Dobbins were to suffer an injury tonight, Edwards would immediately be hugely valuable as the RB1 on one of the league’s better offenses. Unless your bench is absolutely stacked, you probably have a player you can afford to drop in order to take that chance.  

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.