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USATSI

There are now three weeks of the regular season left in most Fantasy Football leagues. Which means some teams have wrapped up playoff spots, and may even be close to wrapping up first round byes. With that in mind, I'm adding a new section to the stash report this week, playoff stashes. This section will get more robust as we get closer to the playoffs, but for this week I'm just looking at my top four playoff stashes regardless of position. 

In the other four categories below you'll find future streamers, rookie stashes, backup running backs, and deep-league stashes. For the first three categories, I am looking for guys rostered in 65% of leagues or less. For the deep-league stashes, I'll target guys rostered in fewer than 10% of leagues who I haven't mentioned yet.

You can also plan further in the future by checking out my Dynasty Trade Chart available at SportsLine.

Playoff Stashes

New Orleans Saints DST (65%)

The Saints are at home against Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants in Week 15. They may rank as the No. 1 defense in Fantasy that week. Their Week 16 matchup is at the Rams, which is a bit uncertain this far out and they face Tampa Bay in Week 17. The Saints are less of a priority if you're tracking towards a playoff bye.

Aaron Rodgers (17%)

Maybe I'm just desperately hoping that Rodgers will save my Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson shares. But it sure does seem like Rodgers would like to make a run at returning to the Jets in the regular season. In Week 16 they are home against the Washington Commanders, which is absolutely the best matchup for quarterbacks.

Jerick McKinnon (27%)

McKinnon scored five touchdown in the Fantasy playoffs last year and nine total touchdowns in December and January. The longer the Chiefs go without figuring out their wide receiver problem the more likely it seems they'll turn back to McKinnon late in the year. 

Michael Wilson (25%)

Wilson is also one of the top rookie stashes below, so this isn't entirely about the playoffs. The rookie has been very good when he's been healthy. But he also gets the Bears and Eagles in Week 16 and Week 17. Those are two of nine defenses allowing more than a TD per game to receivers, and the Eagles have surrendered the most Fantasy points to the position.

Week 13 streamers

QB Gardner Minshew (39%)

If Minshew comes out of his bye playing well he could own this spot for most of the rest of the year. Of his next five opponents, only the Steelers rank as a difficult matchup for opposing quarterbacks. As long as he does well in a great matchup against Tampa Bay in Week 12, you should trust him in Week 13 against the Titans.

TE Jonnu Smith (40%)

The Jets funnell targets away from wide receivers and allow the seventh-most Fantasy points to opposing tight ends. The Falcons throw to their tight ends at a higher rate than just about any other team in football. Both Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith are in play next week. 

DST Los Angeles Rams (14%)

The Giants are on a bye, so we need a new strategy for streaming defenses. I'm targeting the Rams against Dorian Thompson-Robinson or the Jaguars against Jake Browning. The Steelers and Ravens combined for 35 Fantasy points against DTR in his first two starts, so I'm prioritizing the Rams where I can.

K Nick Folk (18%)

Folk has scored 46% of the Titans total points this season, the second-highest mark in the league for a kicker. In Week 13 they'll face the Colts in a game that could actually have an over/under over 40 total points, which would be a rarity for the Titans. Colts games are generally high scoring, which should mean plenty of opportunities for Folk, who has only missed one kick all season.

Rookie stashes

Demario Douglas (57%)

Douglas is taking his Jakobi Meyers impersonation a bit too far, including the "no touchdowns" bit as well. Still, I project him as the No. 1 WR for New England rest of season and a solid No. 3 for Fantasy managers. If he starts scoring with any regularity he'll be even more than that.

Michael Mayer (25%)

Mayer has played at least 80% of the snaps in four straight games for the Raiders and has 10 targets and 19.5 PPR Fantasy points in his last two. He's already emerged as the clear TE1 for the Raiders but just a small amount of growth could land him in the Fantasy TE1 discussion.

Michael Wilson (25%)

Wilson saw a 19% target share in Kyler Murray's first start of 2023 and the Cardinals offense should look a lot better with their QB1 under center. Wilson has been elite on a per target basis, averaging 11.2 yards per target. When he's healthy he could be a high-upside WR3.

Backup running backs

Jerick McKinnon (27%)

McKinnon scored a touchdown in Week 9 and may be poised for another second half surge. His impact in Kansas City has come almost entirely in the second half of the season or the playoffs. With the way the Chiefs' wide receivers have panned out I expect a turn to McKinnon any week now.

Jeff Wilson (25%)

De'Von Achane will miss Week 12 and Salvon Ahmed is out for the season. That leaves Wilson alone to share with Raheem Mostert, who has an extensive injury history himself. Wilson is a solid flex with Mostert but is one injury away from a must-start role.

Royce Freeman (25%)

Freeman was dropped in a majority of leagues with Kyren Williams coming off IR. I'd still love to have him on my bench. Williams has an extensive injury history and Freeman was the Rams best rusher without him. This was trending towards Freeman's backfield over Darrell Henderson and that would be my expectation if Williams misses more time.

Deep-league stashes

Justin Watson (7%)

I would very much like to pretend like justin Watson's 11-target outing didn't happen. I don't want to start him even as a No. 3 receiver this week. But he should be rostered in far more than 7% of leagues. If Mahomes goes right back to Watson this week and the receiver scores a touchdown there is going to be a dog fight for him on the waiver wire next week.

Trevor Siemian (1%)

Tim Boyle has likely already been added in your Superflex or Two-QB league. If he hasn't, he should be. But I'm not certain Boyle will even finish this game and the team has Trevor Siemian up as their QB2. Of all the QBs on the Jets roster, Siemian has come the closest to looking like a competent NFL quarterback. 

A.T. Perry (4%)

Perry played a season-high 84% of the snaps in Week 10, he's coming off a bye as a rookie wide receiver, and Michael Thomas has been placed on IR. There is an excellent chance for Perry to earn six targets a week and produce like Thomas did earlier in the year with a little more upside.