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Week 13 looms ahead of us in the fantasy football season and that means that the end is near! What it doesn't mean, is that your options on the waiver wire are running dry. Because of injuries to key players like Rob Gronkowski, Chris Johnson and others, we'll see a few players that have been waiting in the wings all year step up to the plate. Don't lose hope in your team until you're statistically out of the running for a playoff spot, and even then - play spoiler! Check out our week 13 waiver wire picks below:

Quarterback Pickups

Alex Smith (KC @ OAK, 29% Owned): Smith has mostly been the game manager of a run-first offense, as expected, but last week's performance (255 passing yards, 2 TDs, 35 rushing yards) was fairly impressive against the Bills' stout passing defense. Week 13 brings the Chiefs to Oakland, where they'll face a defense giving up 18+ points to quarterbacks. Smith is a high-floor QB that can sometimes find good chemistry with Jeremy Maclin and this is shaping up to be one of those weeks.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ  @ NYG, 23% Owned): Fitzpatrick put up 4 TDs and almost 300 yards against the Dolphins in Week 12, and the Jets' passing attack does not look like it will be slowing down any as they travel to New York to face the Giants. Like the Raiders, the Giants have a porous secondary that has given up some big games this year and a smart guy like Fitzpatrick will surely take advantage of that.

Wide Receiver Pickups

DeVante Parker (MIA vs. BAL, 4% Owned): Dolphins' WR Rishard Matthews went down last week with a chest injury which turned out to be 'multiple fractured ribs' and will sideline him indefinitely. Too bad for Matthews, but it does shine a light on rookie DeVante Parker, who had 4 receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Parker is extremely talented, but still rough around the edges - still, with Matthews out the Dolphins will need him to play a more prominent role in the offense which should lead to relevant fantasy production. Playing Parker against the Ravens' terrible passing defense should allow for plenty of big play opportunities.

Cecil Shorts (HOU @ BUF, 11% Owned): We love Cecil Shorts here at drinkfive! He was a great PPR play on the Jaguars in garbage time, and the same applies in Houston except that he is also being used in 'gadget' plays like the wildcat touchdown that he threw in Week 11 or the shovel pass that he took in for a touchdown last week. The Texans are showing trust in Shorts by running these sorts of plays more often and I expect to see a few more tricks from Shorts down the stretch.

Running Back Pickups

David Johnson (ARI @ STL, 27% Owned): Arizona RB Chris Johnson has a fractured tibia and Andre Ellington has been diagnosed with turf toe. It's likely, then, that David Johnson will get the chance this week to see if he can shoulder a larger load of carries (his previous high carry total this season was 8, just last week). Looking at his stats so far this year, it's not too much of a stretch to think that the lightning in a bottle (7 TDs on only 54 touches) may escape against the Rams.

Shaun Draughn (SF @ CHI, 28% Owned): When it was first announced that Draughn would be the 49ers lead running back after Carlos Hyde was sidelined, there was a distinct lack of fanfare. After all, Draughn had not really impressed in the previous seasons when he was given opportunities to do so. True, he's on the 49ers anemic offense, but he is the undeniable lead back and is playing nearly every snap. Regardless of how well the team performs, Draughn will continue to trudge ahead and pick up fantasy points each week.

Tight End Pickups

Scott Chandler (NE vs. PHI, 9% Owned): Gronkowski is down with an injury and the latest news from Adam Schefter is that he will miss multiple weeks. After all, the Patriots will not have any issues making it to the playoffs this season and if resting one of their best players will allow for his availability in the post-season then so be it. In the meantime, Chandler will be used as the TE1 on the Patriots offense, which means 4+ targets each week. Chandler was already known as a good red zone target even with Gronkowski on the field, so with this injury he immediately becomes a top 10 TE.

Defense/Special Teams Pickups

Chicago Bears (CHI vs. SF, 4% Owned): The Bears, you say? Well, we've seen some sparks and glimmers of a defense emerging this year and the 49ers are regularly giving up 9+ points per game to opposing defenses. This is not a slam dunk play, but in leagues where people own the better defensive plays the Bears DST should be available and I expect them to rack up the 9+ points without much trouble.

The playoffs are here! This week’s waiver wire adds a different element. You might be playing defense to keep your opponents team weak or stashing some depth for your run at the championship. In any case this is a chess match and the waiver wire is your opening move. The second season starts in week 14.

Quarterbacks

Tyrod Taylor, BUF – The multitalented Tyrod Taylor is the hot streamer pick heading into week 14. Admittedly more passing attempts on average would be preferred, but Taylor continues to add value through his work on the ground. In his last two weeks he has 6 passing TD’s and a rushing TD to cap off his 502 passing yards and 75 rushing yards. More impressive still are the defenses he went through. Kansas City and Houston both pose a larger challenge than any of his coming playoff matchups. Philadelphia is a cupcake matchup for week 14 and Taylor is wide open for the taking in 64% of leagues.

Running Backs

James White, NE – The Patriots have a “next-man-up” mentality. When Dion Lewis went down they clearly had to find a back capable of making plays out of the backfield. James White finally showed that value last week. There is very little to go on with White and I am not claiming he isn’t a risk. His upside is something to be excited about after scoring 3 times in 3 weeks. Last week was his best week statistically with 10 receptions, 115 yards and a TD. Three weeks ago he found the end zone twice, but was ineffective statistically. Either way the Patriots have started using White more often. Injuries on the offense are going to open up his role and the Patriots need to stop the losing streak down the stretch.

Darren Sproles, PHI – It is about damn time the Eagles feature Darren Sproles over Darren McFadden! Whether it remains that way is yet to be seen. Sproles had a great game with 66 yards on 15 carries and an additional 34 on 6 catches. His running style suits Chip Kelly’s offense and his success last week should lead to the same, if not more usage down the stretch. The Eagles play Buffalo next week who are surprisingly mediocre against the run this season. Sproles is only owned in 41% of leagues.

Wide Receivers

DeVante Parker, MIA – He is a very late bloomer apparently but DeVante Parker has come on as of late for Miami. His last two weeks have netted him 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 15 targets over those two weeks are definitely a huge positive too. Rishard Matthews continues to mend his broken ribs and his status remains uncertain. Miami has two favorable match ups coming up with games against the Giants 20^th rated pass defense and the Chargers 27^th rated pass defense. He is available in 70% of the leagues.

Markus Wheaton, PIT – Two weeks ago Markus Wheaton had 9 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. Grant it a large reason behind that was mostly due to Richard Sherman’s coverage on Antonio Brown. That is why I like Wheaton’s outlook over the next two weeks. The Steelers matchups include the 5^th ranked Bengals pass defense and 2^nd ranked Broncos defense. Neither of which have Richard Sherman, but both of which who are going to focus their efforts on Antonio Brown. This should force Wheaton into a larger role.

Tight Ends

Richard Rodgers, GB – This one is a bit of sore subject as I missed the playoffs in a league due to my benching of Richard Rodgers. His consistency leaves a lot to be desired but his size and play making ability can’t be ignored. His game winning Hail Mary catch highlighted his impressive game this past Sunday. He caught all 8 of his targets for 146 yards and a TD. Green Bay has continued to struggle without a consistent pass catcher. Rodgers won’t be Jordy Nelson, but if you are looking for Tight End help he is a promising option still available.

Kickers

Matt Prater, DET – Detroit has sort of figured out how to move the ball again, but only enough to improve Matt Prater’s value. Over the last 3 weeks our favorite lush has 37 points. Drinking beers and kicking field goals. What a life! The Lions have St. Louis and New Orleans coming up. Both those match ups favor the Lions. Then we all just rely on them committing some idiotic penalties in the red zone and watch Prater collect.

So you've gotten all the way here. You fought through the gauntlet that is the regular season of your fantasy football league and made it to the playoffs. Well, there's no time to lick your wounds and admire your battle scars just yet because the tough stuff is just getting started! And after another injury-ridden week just wrapped up, we're here to provide you with a few plays in Week 15 that might just help you get to the next round and to that all-important Fantasy Football Championship. Listen up!

 1. T.J. Yates (QB, HOU)

Owned in only 1% of Yahoo fantasy leagues, Yates should be available in all but the deepest and darkest leagues out there and his game in Week 11 against the Jets was a little worrisome (due to his 47.1% completion average) but he has not had any issue connecting with the outstanding DeAndre Hopkins (5 receptions for 118 and 2 TDs in that same game). Up against the Colts in Week 15's match-up, Yates should have a little easier of a time against their 7th worst passing defense which is allowing an average of 18.5 fantasy points to opposing QBs. It's virtually a lock that Brian Hoyer is out at this point having sustained 2 concussions in the past month and I like this garbage time dice roll.

2. Bryce Brown (RB, SEA)

When do you pick up and immediately start a player with 0 fantasy points total in 2015 that is only 3% owned in Yahoo fantasy leagues? This week, that's when. It's completely true that Brown is susceptible to fumbles and is not the smartest player on the block by a long shot. In fact, he was long since waived from the Seahawks (twice) when they had thought their RB situation was in order. In a surprising move, Seattle just recently waived fill-in starter DuJuan Harris (who plodded along last week when Thomas Rawls was injured) and so it looks like Bryce Brown will be given the work in Week 15. He's an explosive player who has gone off before, and he has a tasty match-up this week against the Browns' 10th worst rushing defense in the league (averaging 17.4 points per game to opposing RBs).

3. Markus Wheaton (WR, PIT)

A lot of fantasy player have been dropping the 29% owned Wheaton, after he failed to follow up his 26+ point performance against Seattle in Week 12 with similarly large numbers going forward (11 in Week 13, 6.5 in Week 14). To me, this is just not how it works with Wheaton. We shouldn't expect big numbers from him on a regular basis, but he does tend to shine when the other, more targeted receivers on the Steelers (Antonio Brown & Martavis Bryant) are being shadowed in good coverage. The Broncos are easily the league's best passing defense in 2015, but it's not hard for me to see an uptick in Wheaton's fantasy production this week when Roethlisberger has some issues getting the ball out.

4. Will Tye (TE, NYG)

Tye is owned in just 9% of leagues and he has been consistently good since Larry Donnell sustained a neck injury. Now with Donnell officially out for the rest of the season on IR, Tye should be feeling even more confident in his role on the offense. Seems like every season there is some other Giants' tight end that excels in the last few weeks of the year. Looks like it's Tye's chance to shine! Yeah, the Panthers' defense is fantastic but I expect a serviceable game at least from Tye in Week 15 as Manning's dump-off target when he is being blitzed. And he will be blitzed. Good chance he slips into the top 10 TE's this week.

I also like: Albert Wilson (WR, KC), and Zach Miller (TE, CHI) as great pickups this week with the opportunity to score - Wilson in much deeper leagues.

That's right, in most fantasy football leagues Week 16 brings us to the championship game, and if you're lucky enough to be involved in your league's final match-up you'll likely need to do some fishing on the waiver wire. If the injuries we've seen in the past few weeks are any indication, a lot of squads are hobbling in to this final fantasy confrontation and it could be these last few waiver picks that determine who brings home the trophy. This week we'll look at two picks for each major offensive position (QB, WR, RB & TE) - one well-known guy (owned in 30% or less Yahoo leagues) and one under-the-radar guy (10% or less).

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS) 25% Owned, @PHI - Cousins and the Washington Redskins' offense have really stepped it up in recent weeks and it shows in Cousins' fantasy production. He has steadily increased his passing yardage over the past 3 games (219, 200, 319) and just threw 4 TDs against the Bills last week. During that time he has only thrown 1 interception. Going up against an Eagles defense that gives up 18+ fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Cousins is a great play if he's available.

SLEEPER Blaine Gabbert (QB, SF) 3% Owned, @DET - Gabbert is a tough start, but if you're scraping the bottom of the QB barrel, here's what you have to work with! Based on his starts this season, he has a floor of about 13 points, but there is some upside there when playing against defenses susceptible to the pass such as the Bears. The Lions defense is only slightly better on the year against QBs, which bodes well for Gabbert this week. I'm predicting 15 points here.

Wide Receivers

Dorial Green-Beckham (WR, TEN) 23% Owned, vs. HOU - Green-Beckham has improved this season, and is being rewarded with a steady increase of targets culminating in 9 just last week against New England's stingy secondary. Based on his heavy usage we're looking at a guy who will get enough opportunities to be fantasy relevant this week, but still has a floor of just 4 or 5 points. A risky start that could pay off big dividends.

SLEEPER Dontrelle Inman (WR, SD) 8% Owned, @OAK - Inman has shown sporadic bursts of production this year, but it's definitely tough to trust an inconsistent 2nd year receiver on a wounded team that has already given up on the season. Thankfully, the Chargers pulled together a win last week over the Dolphins, and Inman will have another good match-up against the Raiders who are allowing almost 20 points to opposing WRs. At this point, Inman, Gates and Woodhead are the only healthy options on the offense, expect them all to have at least serviceable outings.

Running Backs

Bilal Powell (RB, NYJ) 21% Owned, vs. NE - Powell has been impressive over the past few weeks, doing well on the limited carries that he is given but capitalizing on his utilization as a passing down back. Especially against an opponent like the Patriots, Powell should be called upon often as a checkdown target and should have ample opportunities to get in for a touchdown. A better play in PPR leagues, but still very relevant down the stretch in standard scoring leagues.

SLEEPER Steven Jackson (RB, NE) 2% Owned, @NYJ - I know, I know.. he was just signed by the Patriots - could Jackson possibly be a viable fantasy option at this most crucial of times during the fantasy season? Well, short answer is yes. Bolden was not running the football well last week and it's more than likely that Jackson's signing was an indication that there needed to be a veteran presence at the position, and one that could see immediate time on the field. So, are you feeling lucky?

Tight Ends

Will Tye (TE, NYG) 10% Owned, @MIN - For some reason, no one seems interested in picking up Tye and playing them on a weekly basis. Not sure why, because he really has performed well over the past few weeks including 2 TDs in the last 2 match-ups. He averages about 6 targets per game since Larry Donnell was injured! I'm considering him a borderline TE1 yet again against the Vikings in Week 16 and would have absolutely no hesitation starting him if I didn't have one of the top weekly options already.

SLEEPER Vance McDonald (TE, SF) 6% Owned, @DET - McDonald had two big weeks earlier this season, but a concussion forced him off the field in Week 13 against the Bears. His first game back was just last week against the Bengals, which proved to be a disappointing effort, but it was also a bad week for the 49ers offense in general. Talk about under the radar, nobody is expecting a big performance from McDonald this week but I think he'll have a few receptions and a TD which makes him a great play! (Interesting tidbit: The Lions defense has given up a league-leading 11 TDs to tight ends so far in 2015).