This is the Waiver Wire Week 12! Which players should you be prioritizing as the march towards the fantasy football playoffs continues?
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UPCOMING BYE WEEKS
Week 12
Atlanta
Buffalo
Cincinnati
Jacksonville
New Orleans
New York Jets
Week 14
Baltimore
Denver
Houston
Indianapolis
New England Patriots
Washington
Shallow League Adds
(Players Rostered in 30-40% of Leagues)
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville (40%)
Lawrence could return soon. He posted back-to-back 20-point performances in Weeks 8 and 9.
Lawrence and the Jaguars face Las Vegas in Week 16 during the fantasy playoffs, a potentially favorable matchup.
TE Zach Ertz, Washington (33%)
Ertz caught six passes for 47 yards and a touchdown in Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia. He projects as a low-end TE1 moving forward.
RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets (33%)
Allen is one of the league’s most valuable handcuffs but lacks enough touches to be fantasy-relevant when Breece Hall is active.
WR Rashod Bateman, Baltimore (32%)
Bateman is a viable bye-week fill-in. He had a strong Week 10 performance but contributed little in Week 11.
Standard Roster Size and Deep League Adds
(Players rostered in 30% of leagues or fewer)
Note: Every player is available in at least 70% of leagues. Each player has their roster percentage in parenthesis. For example, if a player has (25%) next to them, then they are available in 75% of leagues.
Quarterbacks
Drake Maye – New England (14%)
Maye played well in Sunday’s loss to LA.
He finished with multiple TDs for the fourth time this season and totaled 309 combined yards—the most he has had this season.
Jameis Winston – Cleveland (12%)
Winston recorded his highest passing total of the season with 395 yards in Cleveland’s loss to New Orleans. This marked his highest passing yardage since 2019. He also added two TD passes and zero interceptions. He is a locked-in Superflex starter.
Will Levis – Tennessee
Levis passed for a season-high 295 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and added seven rushing attempts. He has performed better since returning from injury. While Levis is unlikely to be on the streaming radar in single-QB leagues, he is a viable Superflex option.
Bryce Young – Carolina (4%)
Young will remain the starter in Carolina. He is a Superflex option only.
Tommy DeVito – New York Giants (1%)
Tommy “Cutlets” is back. In a surprising move, Brian Daboll announced that DeVito—not Drew Lock—would step in at quarterback for New York. He is on the streaming radar for Superflex leagues and has value due to his fantasy-friendly schedule in the playoffs.
Gardner Minshew – Las Vegas (3%)
Minshew is back on the low-end Superflex radar. He will remain Las Vegas’ starter heading into a tough Week 12 matchup against Denver.
Trey Lance – Dallas (1%)
(Written before Monday Night Football)
Lance may get a chance this season. He would be fantasy-viable in Superflex leagues due to his rushing upside.
Running Backs
Trey Benson – Arizona (14%)
Look for Benson to be more involved when Arizona returns from its bye week. The rookie has finished as an RB2 in two consecutive games despite playing fewer than 30-percent of snaps.
James Conner is performing well as a low-end RB1, but incorporating more Benson as a “handcuff-plus” option could help keep Conner fresher as Arizona makes its playoff push.
Gus Edwards – LA Chargers (27%)
Edwards has logged 16 carries over his last two games. He is the handcuff to roster behind J.K. Dobbins.
Ameer Abdullah – Las Vegas (0%)
Abdullah caught a touchdown on Sunday and would be the next man up if Alexander Mattison and Zamir White are unable to play. He offers solid receiving upside in an expanded role and could be a valuable one-week fill-in, especially during bye-week crunches.
Dylan Laube – Las Vegas (0%)
Laube is a speculative play here. The sixth-round pick out of New Hampshire might finally get a larger role this week. It would also make sense for Las Vegas to evaluate his performance with increased opportunities. Dynasty managers should take note.
Jaylen Wright – Miami (6%)
Wright has moved ahead of Raheem Mostert in the RB pecking order. He has recorded at least five carries in three straight games and caught his only target this week. View him as De’Von Achane‘s primary handcuff moving forward.
Ray Davis – Buffalo (23%)
Davis is one of fantasy’s most valuable handcuff RBs. If James Cook were to miss time, Davis would instantly become a top 15 start at the position.
Cam Akers – Minnesota (17%)
Akers returns to the top 10 overall handcuffs this week. He has logged 25 touches over the last two games and caught a touchdown pass on Sunday.
Akers appears to be part of Minnesota’s weekly game plan moving forward. He is a viable low-end flex dart throw during bye-week chaos and remains the handcuff to roster behind Aaron Jones.
Blake Corum – LA Rams (14%)
Corum had six touches on Sunday in LA’s win over New England. He remains one of the most valuable handcuffs in football.
Roschon Johnson – Chicago (7%)
Johnson saw increased usage under new OC Thomas Brown. He had 10 carries, including a touchdown, and caught his only target. Johnson accounted for 41-percent of Chicago’s rushing attempts. He returns to this week’s top 10. His role could be expanding, and even if it isn’t, he remains the direct handcuff to D’Andre Swift.
Marshawn Lloyd – Green Bay (6%)
Lloyd is finally activated off injured reserve this week. Finally!
Justice Hill – Baltimore (20%)
Last week on my Sleepers pod, I predicted that Keaton Mitchell might surpass Hill in the RB touch order. I appear to have been terribly wrong. Hill was targeted seven times and out-touched Mitchell 6-0. He remains the handcuff behind Derrick Henry.
Khalil Herbert – Cincinnati (16%)
He has no defined role yet, but he could earn a few touches coming out of Cincinnati’s bye week. He is the handcuff to Chase Brown.
Kenneth Gainwell – Philadelphia (1%)
Gainwell is the handcuff behind Saquon Barkley.
Wide Receivers
Elijah Moore – Cleveland (8%)
Moore has become a target magnet lately, with 35 targets in Cleveland’s last four games. Unlike Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy, he is still widely available—for now. On Sunday, he caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Keep an eye on Moore’s shoulder, but if he practices on Tuesday, he’s a priority add this week and makes the top 10 once again on the Waiver Wire Week 12.
Xavier Legette – Carolina (28%)
Legette projects as a WR4 in usage for the rest of the season. Post-bye, Carolina will prioritize getting him involved to see if the first-round pick can gain some momentum heading into 2025.
Demario Douglas – New England (28%)
Douglas continues to provide a solid PPR floor, though without much ceiling. On Sunday, he was targeted seven times and caught five passes for 59 yards, finishing with 10.9 PPR points—about what you can expect from him on a weekly basis. He’s likely to be in many lineups for Weeks 12 and 14.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling – New Orleans (25%)
He did it again. MVS has now delivered big performances in consecutive weeks, silencing skeptics. With 196 yards and three touchdowns over his last two games, he can’t be ignored on the waiver wire Week 12, even if it feels surprising to hype him up. Don’t break the bank, but he’s worth a roster spot to see if his role continues post-bye.
Alec Pierce – Indianapolis (18%)
Pierce is back on the radar after two productive weeks. He made a big play late and helped Indianapolis down the stretch in their win over the Jets during Anthony Richardson‘s return. Pierce remains a TD-or-bust option most weeks.
Michael Wilson – Arizona (11%)
Wilson is a deep-league option. His production has waned, but Arizona has positive matchups on the horizon.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – Tennessee (4%)
NWI scored another touchdown on Sunday—a 98-yarder this time. He has now scored five touchdowns in his last six games. While not yet a recommended start, he is playing every down.
Ray-Ray McCloud – Atlanta (17%)
McCloud is on the flex radar if Darnell Mooney (hamstring) misses time.
He could command a 20-percent target share in any game Mooney is absent. On Sunday, McCloud caught six passes for 46 yards.
Devaughn Vele – Denver (2%)
Vele caught four passes for 66 yards on Sunday. While the rookie lacks spike-week potential, he has eight receptions over his last two games and could offer deep-league value.
Marvin Mims – Denver (1%)
Mims is a role player who doesn’t see enough snaps to be fantasy-relevant. However, he’s worth a deep-league dart throw to see if his role grows. With 12 touches over the last two weeks, there’s probably not much to see here, but he’s a speculative add.
Jalen Coker – Carolina (5%)
Coker was targeted eight times in Carolina’s last game and is worth monitoring.
Adam Thielen – Carolina (20%)
Thielen is a wild card for the rest of the season, but Carolina could ramp up his usage immediately after the bye week.
Kayshon Boutte – New England (4%)
Boutte has posted four consecutive games with six targets. On Sunday, he caught four passes but has only one game with double-digit PPR points all season, despite being an every-down player.
Adonai Mitchell – Indianapolis (7%)
A speculative stash, Mitchell took a major step back on Sunday and is trending down.
John Metchie – Houston (5%)
(Written before Monday Night Football)
Metchie is coming off a career-high performance. With Nico Collins returning, Metchie will likely fall to the WR3 role but remains worth monitoring.
Tight Ends
Will Dissly – LA Chargers (24%)
Dissly is on the rise. He has found an ideal fit in LA with a coaching staff that features him prominently. In Week 10, Dissly caught four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, leading the team in targets.
He has logged six or more targets in four of his last five games. Dissly cracks the top 10 overall this week and is a strong consideration for TE streamers moving forward. With four straight TE-friendly matchups upcoming, he’s a priority add.
Isaiah Likely – Baltimore (26%)
Likely caught four passes for 75 yards in Baltimore’s loss to Pittsburgh. He is fully back on the radar.
Theo Johnson – New York Giants (1%)
Johnson boasts the best first name in football and has been targeted six times in consecutive games. The athletic rookie is worth monitoring with Tommy DeVito under center.
Ja’Tavion Sanders – Carolina (2%)
Sanders is a TE2 moving forward. He caught a touchdown in Week 10 and recorded 87 yards in Week 9.
Dawson Knox – Buffalo (26%)
Knox will likely take a back seat to Dalton Kincaid when Buffalo returns from its bye week. However, he should remain rostered in deeper TE-premium formats, especially by Kincaid managers. Knox has tallied 40 or more yards in three of his last four games.
Top 10 Overall
1- Trey Benson RB Arizona
2- Elijah Moore WR Cleveland
3- Will Dissly TE LA Chargers
4- Drake Maye QB New England
5- Cam Akers RB Minnesota
6- Ameer Abdullah RB Las Vegas
7- Marquez Valdes-Scantling WR New Orleans
8- Blake Corum RB LA Rams
9- Roschon Johnson RB Chicago
10- Xavier Legette WR Carolina
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