We are getting down to the wire. Many of you know already if you have made the playoffs, and some might be vying for a higher seed for a Week 15 bye. Others might have their sites set on next year and be focused on rebuilding a dynasty team or acquiring keepers.

My teams are currently in 1st (keeper), 3rd (keeper), and 5th (dynasty) place, with 8-4, 9-3 and 7-5 records, respectively. So as I map out my plan for Week 12, here is what I am thinking for each of my teams:

1st Place Keeper League: My team not only lost in Week 12 but ranked in last place with 80.55 fantasy points. However, thanks to Weeks 1 through 11, this team is so far ahead of the 2nd and 3rd place teams that I have now procured the 1st seed into the playoffs. My only concern is the health and schedule alignment of my players in Weeks 16 and 17.

3rd Place Keeper League: I won in this league and have procured a playoff berth no matter how my team does in Weeks 13 and 14. I have a head-to-head matchup with the 1st place team this week and the 2nd place team has two tough matchups in Weeks 13 and 14. If I can eke out a win this week, and if the 2nd place team slips down just a bit, I can get a little closer to procuring the 2nd seed. My team has no Week 14 bye issues and the 2nd place team loses Lamar Jackson (QB, Bal).

5th Place Dynasty League: Losing this week did not help the cause. There is a good gap between my team and the 7th-place team. However, my team's Week 13 and Week 14 matchups are against the 1st and 2nd place teams, respectively. I felt my team was solid at QB, RB, and TE going into Week 12 and was hoping my WR corps of Tyreek Hill (Mia), Jayden Reed (GB), and Deebo Samuel (SF) would rise back up to WR1 performances.  Instead, they were dismal, with fantasy point scores of 9.8, 5.6, and 3.1 respectively. To rub salt in the wound, Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Mia) started for the opposing team and threw 4 TDs with not one of them going to Hill. That was hard to watch. My team's performance was dismal all the way around, scoring only 76.85 fantasy points. (My other starters were: Jalen Hurts (QB, Phi, 16.85 FPs), Jerome Ford (RB, Cle, 3.7 FPs), Joe Mixon (RB, Hou, 9.5 FPs), Brian Robinson (RB, Wsh, 3.4 FPs), Will Dissly (TE, LAC, 8.7 FPs), Austin Seibert (K, Wsh, 9.2 FPs) and Detroit Lions (D, 7 FPs)). Who could have anticipated such a low score from this lineup? Hopefully, this is just a one-week blip, and my team will bounce back for the remainder of the season.

Going into Week 12, I thought perhaps I would try to trade for a top WR this week, but given the all-around terrible performance of my team this week, it isn't as if one player would make a difference. So I plan to stay put regarding trades and hope for a rebound this week or in Week 14. It is a victory point league, so if my team can just get average scores in the next two weeks, I should be okay to make the playoffs even if I lose my matches. I will reassess my trade strategy after Week 14. (This league has no trade deadline.)

This week, my article includes the strength of schedule for all weeks from Week 13 to Week 17 to help you align your waiver wire pickups to the weeks you need the most help.

This week there are many QBs available. It seems many team managers sacrificed QB player depth to pick up RBs, WRs, and TEs to make it through the Week 12 byes. No teams have a Week 13 bye, but this Chinese fire drill happens again for Week 14. If you can plan for Week 14 now, you might be a step ahead of the rest of your league.

On to the Week 13 streamers...

If you are familiar with my format of "Streamers for the Desperate" articles, then skip the following introduction.

This article is based on the principles I wrote about in How To Own Your League's Waiver Wire.

I name this article as such because it is generally for deeper roster leagues (18-to-24-man rosters), and as the season progresses, especially in the 24-man roster leagues, the pickings can get very thin. For example, you won't see WRs Demario Douglas (NE) or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Ten) in this article because they aren't available in my leagues. However, you will see them in Alex Cuilla's article, Week 13 Fantasy Football Waiver Adds, because they are less than 50% owned in Yahoo leagues.

I list the players who are available on waivers in my three leagues and who generally scored more than 10 fantasy points (PPR). The players with an asterisks are available in my 24-man roster league. As we get deeper into the season, no matter how slim the options are, I always list a couple of available players for each position from my 24-man league.

I have loosely ranked the players but you need to decide which players are right for your team. Your criteria for deciding will be different depending on your need and if you are in a redraft, keeper, or dynasty league.

The ranking in parenthesis after each player is the strength of the opponent against that position. So a "1st" indicates the most difficult opponent for that position, and a "32nd" indicates the weakest opponent against that position.

As much effort as it is, I make waiver requests every week for all of my teams. I don't just try to fill in obvious immediate needs, but look to make my team better to the last man on the roster. A deep roster creates resilience against injury. It also results in other teams having fewer good options, increasing the opportunity to trade to teams that truly are desperate and thereby building my draft pick arsenals.

Quarterbacks

• Jameis Winston, Cle @ Den (4th, 2nd, 22nd, 27th, 1st) - In terrible weather, losing Cedric Tillman against one of the league's best pass defenses, Winston completed 18 of 27 passes for 219 yards and 1 Int and rushed 3 times for 7 yards and 1 TD, and lost a fumble in Week 12. Winston continues to have tough matchups in the next two weeks, but favorable matchups in Weeks 15 and 16.
• ^*Cooper Rush, Dal @ Wsh (21st, 27th, 29th, 31st, 5th) - Rush completed 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed 4 times for 1 yard in Week 12. With Dak Prescott now officially on IR, Rush is a decent streaming option from Week 12 through Week 15, and possibly Week 16 if Prescott is not back then.
• Derek Carr, NO v LAR (17th, 21st, 14th, 7th, 24th) - Carr was on a bye in Week 12. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 248 yards, 2 TDs, and rushed once for 8 yards in Week 11. Carr is a decent streaming option for most of the rest of the season.
• Will Levis, Ten @ Wsh (14th, 32nd, 27th, 23rd, 32nd) - Levis completed 18 of 24 passes for 278 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 Int, and rushed 8 times for 10 yards in Week 12. Levis is a struggling sophomore, but he's not the worst streaming option and he has favorable matchups in Weeks 14 through 17.
• Drake Maye (R), NE v Ind (23rd, Bye, 11th, 9th, 20th) - Against a tough Dolphins D, Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 222 years, 1 TD, and 1 Int, and rushed 5 times for 26 yards and lost a fumble in Week 12. He should be a bit better against the Colts D in Week 13.
• Bryce Young, Car v TB (31st, 5th, 26th, 11th, 31st) - Young completed 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards and a TD and rushed 3 times for 20 yards in Week 12. Even with a favorable matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 13, there are probably better streamer options for Week 13.
• Caleb Williams (R), Chi @ Det (6th, 8th, 18th, 6th, 13th) - Williams completed 32 of 47 passes for 340 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed 6 times for 33 yards in Week 12. Williams had not thrown a TD in the last month, so his Week 12 performance was a welcome improvement. Still, with a tough match-up schedule ahead, he is a risky start.
• Tommy Devito, NYG @ Dal (26th, 12th, 30th, 28th, 23rd) - DeVito completed 21 of 31 passes for 189 yards and rushed 7 times for 32 yards before getting banged up and coming out of the game in Week 12. He is expected to start against the Cowboys in Week 13.
• Aidan O'Connell or Desmond Ridder, LV @ KC (22nd, 31st, 28th, 32nd, 12th) - Minshew went down with a broken collar bone in Week 12 and Ridder took over to finish out the game. O'Connell is eligible to come off IR in Week 13. Neither QB has had any strong performances this season, so regardless of who starts you likely have better streaming options for Week 13. 

Running Backs

• Jonathan Taylor, Ind @ NE (20th, Bye, 15th, 11th, 27th) - Taylor rushed 11 times for 35 yards against a tough Lions D in Week 12. Taylor will likely be more productive against a softer Patriots D in Week 13, especially if Anthony Richardson (QB) performs better this week.
• ^*Ameer Abdullah, LVR @ KC (1st, 26th, 13th, 31st, 25th) - With Zamir White and Alexander Mattison both still out in Week 12, Abdullah rushed 8 times for 37 yards, and caught 5 of his 6 targets for 37 yards and a TD. Even if White or Mattison is still out for Week 13, Abdullah would take the lead role against a very stout Chiefs run D in Week 13.
• ^*Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez, Wsh v Ten (11th, Bye, 25th, 4th, 13th, 29th) - McNichols took over backfield duties after Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler both exited the game with injuries. If Robinson and Ekeler are out in Week 13, McNichols and Rodriquez will carry the backfield load in Week 13.
• Gus Edwards, LAC v Atl (13th, 1st, 26th, 15th, 20th) - Edwards rushed 9 times for 11 yards and a TD and failed to catch his only target after J.K. Dobbins was injured in Week 12. If Dobbins is out for Week 13 Edwards would take the lead role against an average Falcons D. 
• Justice Hill, Bal v Phi (4th, Bye, 27th, 12th, 5th) - Hill rushed 4 times for 55 yards and a TD and caught both his targets for 7 yards in Week 12. 51 of his 55 yards came from his 51-yard rushing TD. Hill is a low-volume TD-dependent option going into Week 13 against a tough Eagles D.
• Roschon Johnson, Chi @ Det (2nd, 23rd, 3rd, 2nd, 17th) - After getting 11 touches in Week 11, Johnson reverted to a low-volume role, rushing 2 times for 2 yards and a TD and catching his only target for 10 yards in Week 12. Against a stout Lions D, expectations for Week 13. However, Johnson does have 6 TDs so far this season and has a favorable Week 14 matchup.
• Cam Akers, Min v Ari (22nd, 13th, 19th, 17th, 14th) - With Aaron Jones back to full health, Akers only rushed 3 times for 19 yards and caught his only target for 6 yards. Akers should return to near-fantasy irrelevance now that Jones is back.
• Samaje Perine, KC v LV (21st, 6th, 7th, 5th, 12th) - Perine rushed once for 13 yards and caught both his targets for 11 yards against a soft Panthers D in Week 12. With only 2 TDs for the season, you should be able to find better options for Week 13.
• *Emari Demercado, Ari @ Min (3rd, 17th, 20th, 32nd, 24th) - Demercado rushed once for 14 yards in Week 12. Demercado is no more than a dart throw if you are desperate for an RB.

Receivers

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling, NO v LAR (20th, 14th, 17th, 7th, 10th) - MVS was on a bye week in Week 12. He caught 2 of 4 targets for 81 yards and a TD in Week 11. He has also caught a total of 3 TDs in his last three games. With Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave both on IR, MVS should continue to see increased volume in Week 13.
• ^*Demarcus Robinson, LAR @ NO (26th, 8th, 9th, 1st, 18th) - Robinson caught 2 of his 3 targets for 15 yards and a TD in Week 12. Watch his status for Week 13, as he was arrested and released on DUI charges on Monday. Robinson is a TD-dependent hit-or-miss streaming option.
• Kendrick Bourne, NE v Ind (19th, Bye, 18th, 8th, 13th) -Bourne caught 3 of his 5 targets for 30 yards in Week 12 against a stout Dolphins D. Bourne has been improving along with Drake Maye (QB) since starting the season on PUP with a knee injury.
• Mack Hollins, Buf v SF (9th, 20th, 28th, 23rd, 1st) - Hollins was on a bye week in Week 12. He caught all 11 of his targets in Weeks 9 to 11. With his efficiency, it seems reasonable that he would be on the uptick going into Week 13.
• Devaughn Vele (R), Den v Cle (24th, Bye, 19th, 13th, 22nd) - Vele continues to get more involved, catching 6 of his 9 targets for 80 yards in Week 12. Vele and Bo Nix (QB) are both in their rookie campaign are are both improving as the season progresses. Vele is certainly worth a stash in dynasty leagues and can be a decent streaming option in Week 13 and the playoffs if needed.

Tight Ends

• Noah Gray (R), KC v LV (30th, 10th, 9th, 4th, 17th) - Gray caught all 4 of his targets for 66 yards and 2 TDs in Week 12. It was the second week in a row that Gray caught 2 TDs. We can't expect a similar performance in Week 13, but he is a reasonable streaming option against a soft Raiders D.
• ^*Josh Oliver, Min v Ari (7th, 12th, 16th, 21st, 24th) - Oliver was out in Week 12 and is questionable for Week 12. Still, he has averaged 3.5 catches on 4 targets for 43.5 yards and has 2 TDs in his last four games. Even if healthy, might be limited against the stingy Cardinals D in Week 13.
• Ja'Tavion Sanders (R), Car v TB (28th, 3rd, 14th, 7th, 28th) - Sanders came out of the Week 12 game with a neck injury, so his status must be monitored closely going into Week 13. Before his injury, Sanders caught all three of his targets for 49 yards in Week 12. He has inconsistent, low to moderate volume, and if healthy is a hit-or-miss streamer against a soft Buccaneers D in Week 13.

QB/TE - Honorable Mention

• Taysom Hill, NO (17th, 21st, 14th, 7th, 24th v QB; 24th, 27th, 16th, 14th, 21st v RB; 20th, 14th, 17th, 7th, 10th v WR) - Hill was on a bye in Week 12. One has no idea what Hill will do week-to-week. In Week 11 he rushed 7 times for 138 yards and 3 TDs, caught 8 of 10 targets for 50 yards, and completed 1 of 2 passes for 18 yards and an Int.  He has high upside potential in any given week.

Kickers

• Tyler Bass, Buf v SF (13th, 25th, 15th, 12th, 27th)
• John Parker Romo, Min v Ari (23rd, 31st, 21st, 8th, 7th)
• Jake Elliot, Phi v Bal (30th, 29th, 4th, 3rd, 26th)
• Eddy Pineiro, Car v TB (18th, 6th, 26th, 23rd, 18th)
• Matt Gay, Ind @ NE (12th, Bye, 14th, 19th, 16th)
• Anders Carlson, NYJ v Sea (8th, 28th, 20th, 25th, 5th)

Defense / Special Teams

• Houston Texans v Ten (22nd, Bye, 25th, 4th, 2nd)
• Los Angeles Rams @ NO (24th, 1st, 12th, 16th, 19th)
• Seattle Seahawks @ NYJ (16th, 19th, 6th, 18th, 23rd)
• Arizona Cardinals @ Min (18th, 27th, 28th, 21st, 11th)

^*Available in my league with 24-player rosters