RosterWatch Week 13 Waiver Wire: WRs
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

The wide receiver crop is stronger than running backs this week. Some decent options are available in more than 50% of standard leagues:

Rod Streater, WR Oakland Raiders- 14% owned
As close observers of the Raiders organization, Streater is a player we have recommended on multiple occasions, including last week’s waiver report when we told you he was set for a guaranteed 4-10 points, and he did exactly that with 7.3 points- which would have been 9.3 had it not been for a fumble. He’s quarterback Matt McGloin’s favorite target, and Denarius Moore is unlikely to make it back from injury in the short week. We like Streater against a leaky Cowboys pass defense on Thursday, in a game where the Raiders oughtta be playing catch up.

Nate Burleson, WR Detroit Lions- 26% owned
We’ve always considered Burleson a waiver wire staple. Still, we could not understand why the Trashman had been clamoring about a Nasty Nate comeback for weeks. Some things just aren’t meant to be understood. After a 13.70 pointer in Week 12, Burleson is right back on the WR3/4 radar, as a staple option in a prolific passing attack. He may just carve up a big nasty three-legged Thanksgiving Turkey to the Packers malnourished secondary on Thursday.

Marquise Goodwin, WR Buffalo Bills- 3% owned
We really like him. You can read our opinion on him and EJ in last week’s column. It’s very likely he commits rookie on rookie crime against fellow Senior Bowlers Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford in this week’s matchup against Atlanta. The plot really excites us, as all three of these guys were some of our VERY favorites while scouting the 2013 Senior Bowl.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Minnesota Vikings- 19% owned
The Trashman argued us on this one for months. Telling us our favorite receiver in the 2013 NFL Draft would be a useless commodity in his rookie season. He then,very snakily, used that exact information against us, as he now owns and LOVES Patterson in all leagues as his playoff WR3. Most specifically, we have and still do covet him most in leagues that score special teams production. He’s getting the snaps and the targets, which makes this man a lethal option at any time. Think of Dez Bryant mixed with Percy Harvin with slightly worse hands.

Michael Crabtree, WR San Francisco 49ers- 32% owned
He’s set for a Week 13 return, and the Niners offense is heating up. It’s very difficult to expect too much from a player returning from an achilles. He should be owned, however. We’ve seen enough comebacks to quit doubting modern medicine. He could pay dividends in the fantasy playoffs as a WR3.

Dexter McCluster, WR Kansas City Chiefs- 9% owned
We said last week, if you are ever going to start him it’s in a solid matchup. Another day at the office for McCluster with 5.8 points. He’s getting a ton of targets recently, and now has four decent games out of his last five. If we needed to, we’d give him another go against Denver this week- it’s a decent matchup.

Justin Hunter, WR Tennessee Titans- 1% owned
Cordarrelle Patterson’s less heralded college teammate, who is just about as talented in a different-more traditional way that’s paid occasional dividends as a rookie. His snap counts have been trending upwards. We like him. The Colts are on deck this week, and they just continue to get easier and easier versus the fantasy receiver.

Tiquan Underwood, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 2% owned
We had strong feelings for him two weeks ago and it didn’t payoff. But, after his 22.80 pointer in Week 12, he deserves mention after making four out of his last five outings pretty serviceable on the fantasy front. He’s also the team’s legitimate number two receiver which is worth something in terms of fantasy. He does get a very tough test against Carolina this week.

Ace Sanders, WR Jacksonville Jaguars- 0% owned
Last week, we explained that the major fantasy outlets were completely incorrect in their real football assessments of Sanders. He’s one of the best receivers the Jaguars have, but he is a rookie getting subpar quarterback play. We’ve always said he’s best in the slot because he’s explosive in short space while attacking the ball and threatening run after the catch. The huge play he hit on the slant pattern in Week 12 was a model of these attributes. We aren’t ready to give him the biggest fantasy endorsement ever against Cleveland this week, but you could do much worse.

Eddie Royal, Kenbrell Thompkins, Rishard Mathews
We’ve spoken about these guys ad nausea this season. They are three more bottom of the barrel options to continue considering if you are desperate. Rishard Mathews would probably be our choice in a great matchup against the Jets.