These fantasy football sleepers for Week 13 are players to keep an eye on and maybe even add to your list of waiver wire pickups and free agent adds this week. Follow Matthew J. Jillson on Twitter at @eatcookcryptos. 

Three months of yelling at the television, drinking to excess and blaming the Dachshund for any great tragedy that has befallen your team has culminated into a showdown. A sloppy tickle fight with a sweaty Bouncer for entry into Post-Season Bar + Grill. Insert whoever is in your way but make no mistake about maybe, its only red or green, yes or no, light or endless darkness; these are the stakes you play for now. Only victory is life!

With the final week of the fantasy football regular season for most leagues ahead of us you should be on roster cruise control of sorts. You know who your beasts are, the field plows that deliver the gold week in and week out – the perma starts. Now understand the roster holes you have where this isn’t the case and be sure to not cross your fingers as you make these decisions. Confront your weaknesses now while you still have time.

If you have followed this column you have been planning for the end times, the battle to the summit of Mount Doom. There should be a focus on favorable matchups, momentum and who is on the field the most to create opportunity. We are now getting into tough weather territory as the season changes, where trusted running backs become even more valuable. Where do you stand down the stretch on home versus away games for your squad, do any of them go to Lambeau Field? Wide receivers typically don’t blow up in snow storms; points to consider moving forward.

The beginning of the end draws near. Remember, after this week the great reset button gets pushed, the playoffs start and the league goes back to zero. These mighty teams you’ve clashed with all season become just a regular squad like yours, susceptible to the whims of the Fantasy Gods and it’s now winner take all. Remember, on any given Sunday great behemoths and powerful titans can be felled by merely executing the plan you’ve been following all season. Now take what is yours and slay anything that stands in your way.

Week 13 Sleepers

*Seeing Melvin Gordon go down the past Sunday underlined the need to be prepared in case The Curse tries a late-season run to ruin your team. How some of these guys are this available was surprising when I looked, telling me people aren’t prepared for the Fantasy Gods if they decide to grab the wheel and yank right. Most of this week’s sleepers represent deep insurance plays, for the most part, should life not go with the initial plan if you can afford the bench space. Great choices at WR this week, D.J. and David Moore come to mind. Good luck, friend. 

Chris Thompson (RB, Washington Redskins 43% owned)

Almost convinced Chris Thompson was going to the IR when he didn’t suit up last week, it appears I was very wrong as he is now practicing with a game on Monday. Forgotten due to injury, Thompson is in a very good position to be a roster difference maker down the stretch. Much more valuable in full point PPR leagues, pass-catching backs on teams desperate for wins is a nice combination for racking up volume based points.

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Jaylen Samuels (RB/TE, Pittsburg Steelers, 6% owned)

I was watching the game when Melvin Gordon took that pop to his left knee. You could feel the rumble of a tank in that moment rolling over the hearts and dreams of many a team manager across America. As discussed previously in the column, Jaylen Samuels is a very interesting insurance policy should James Conner get a concussion and miss a game, which has been known to happen. Every game for Pittsburgh is life or death at this point — they’re going to play hard. With ability to slot into the tight end roster position, Samuels offers unique investment upside that doesn’t amount to much risk on your part.

Malcolm Brown (RB, Los Angeles Rams, 9% owned)

You might not know who Malcolm Brown is. There will be many a running back who play behind Todd Gurley that nobody will most likely ever know existed. That is until a 1st round bye is locked up by the Rams, which is a very real possibility. A pure speculative investment, buy now while you don’t have to burn a waiver priority; certainly you have a roster spot that has been dedicated to dead weight to spare.

Tennessee Titans (DST, 24% owned)

We are looking to eek out that extra 5-7 points needed in those close finish pinches. This isn’t so much a validation that the Titans defense is a need to own squad — they’re not. The Jets, however, are so terrible that most decent defenses are going to have a good day against them. The Titans have the added benefit of facing off against the mess that are the Jags in Week 14, so you might be able to get two very favorable matchups at the right time.

Spencer Ware (RB, Kansas City Chiefs, 8% owned)

Much like Malcolm Brown, it’s tough to play second fiddle to Beasts. Kareem Hunt is the undisputed king on the ground with the pill in Kansas City. Playoff seeding is a bit tighter in the AFC but it is clear the Chiefs have what it takes to lock up a bye early. In this situation, we have the benefit with Spencer Ware being a previous starter to know you’ve got a playmaker should his number get called. Again, a speculative add that could pay a handsome return should the coaching staff decide to rest Hunt or The Curse strikes.

Crypto Corner (NOT Financial Advice)

1. The state of Ohio announced late last week that they would be accepting Bitcoin ($BTC) as payment for some fees and taxes. It’s unfortunate that the latest price drop is what’s getting all the attention as this is really big news. If Ohio accepts Bitcoin, how long before California where the newly elected Governor Gavin Newsom has in the past shown support for BTC? I can’t imagine New York would be far behind, either. This is a domino moment for adoption in the space and something to consider when you hear wild claims that Bitcoin is dead.
2. A few weeks ago Switzerland approved the first exchange traded product, the Amun Crypto Basket. It is essentially a fund comprised of Bitcoin ($BTC), Bitcoin Cash ($BCH), Ripple XRP ($XRP), Etherium ($ETH) and Litecoin ($LTC). Similar type products (ETFs) have been trying to get governmental approval in the United States but thus far have been unsuccessful. An interesting note, as reported by theblockcrypto.com, the Amun has the highest trading volume of any product on that Swiss exchange beating out gold, silver and oil. It is clear institutional investors are hungry to enter the crypto space.
3. The Securities and Exchange Commission ($SEC) last week issued fines and ordered two ICOs, AirFox and Paragon, to register their token as a security and repay investors who purchased it. This is a shot across the bow for the Wild West days of ICOs, at least in the United States, as this opens the door for possible investor lawsuits should the investment lose value. While it’s still very early to see how this develops, at the very least there is now a clearer method for projects to legally bring their tokens to market.