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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for NFL Week 12

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for NFL Week 12

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By: Zach Thompson

The next three weeks are absolutely crucial for season-long fantasy football with the playoffs just around the corner. It will take all your wisdom and savvy to navigate the critical stretch since the NFL has six teams scheduled for bye weeks in Week 12, everyone back for Thanksgiving in Week 13, and then six more bye weeks in Week 14. Check your depth, make every roster spot count, and if you plan it out right, you’ll be ready to roll into the postseason.

Every week, there are players that emerge as options to shore up the end of your bench who are available on most leagues’ waiver wire. DK Network will have coverage throughout the week of all the hot pickups and best additions, but on Sunday night, I will give you some of the players that popped as good additions heading into the week.

Hitting the waiver wire and getting just the right pieces is key every week, but it’s especially important with the upcoming bye week schedule. In Week 12, the Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Saints and Jets are on their bye week.

In addition to players on bye, every week there are new injuries that occur that change the fantasy football landscape and open up new opportunities for players. There weren’t as many injuries in Week 11, but there are still some situations to keep a close eye in leading into next week. Before we get to the pickups, here are some of the players who left early or were sidelined on Sunday with injuries to monitor in the coming week.

Players with new injuries from Week 11 to watch:

  • RB Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders
  • RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
  • RB Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders
  • RB Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
  • WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
  • WR CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
  • WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons
  • WR DJ Moore, Chicago Bears
  • WR Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
  • WR Gabe Davis, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
  • TE Foster Moreau, New Orleans Saints

With those injuries in mind, here are some of my top names to watch on the Week 12 waiver wire.

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans

Last week, I highlighted Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($4,400; 16.7) in this spot, and the Saints’ veteran had another strong week and is worth a look if available in your league, like he is in about 75% of leagues.

Another option that stepped up on Sunday was the Titans’ Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($3,600; 22.7). Westbrook-Ikhine tied for the team with six targets against the Vikings and took one of those targets 98 yards for a touchdown.

NWI has scored five touchdowns in the last six games and stepped into a much more involved role since the trade of DeAndre Hopkins ($5,700; 5.9 FPTS) to the Chiefs. Even though he only had two catches on Sunday, the target volume from Will Levis ($5,100; 16.6 FPTS) is a very encouraging sign for him going forward.

Westbrook-Ikhine has very favorable matchups in the weeks it’s most likely that you’ll need him. In Week 12, he faces the Texans and in Week 14 he faces the Jaguars, who both rank in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. He also finishes the fantasy season with a juicy rematch with the Jags in Week 17.

He’s available in over 90% of leagues but looks like he’s in a stable enough role to me a solid addition at this point.

Other options that had good weeks and are available in many leagues include Jerry Jeudy ($5,400; 29.2 FPTS), Jauan Jennings ($5,300; 23.6 FPTS) and MVS. Ray-Ray McCloud III ($4,200; 10.6 FPTS) also stepped up with Mooney out and would be a good play if Mooney is out after the Falcons’ bye week. An even deeper sleeper to keep a close eye on is Marvin Mims Jr. ($3,100; 13.3 FPTS), who I mentioned in my WR sleepers for the week and continues to get more work in the impressively improving Broncos’ offense.

RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears

Last week, I highlighted Cam Akers ($4,600; 11.6 FPTS) as an addition since he was getting more work since returning to Minnesota. That trend continued in Week 11, and he had 10 carries and two catches for a total of 36 yards and a touchdown. He’s still owned in under 20% of leagues and a solid pickup.

Another good option who looks to be set up for a growing role in his timeshare is Roschon Johnson ($4,600; 11.1 FPTS). The Bears looked much better in their first week with Thomas Brown as the offensive coordinator, and Johnson was more heavily involved.

He finished with 10 carries and one catch compared to 14 carries and two catches for D’Andre Swift ($6,600; 16.4 FPTS). Both backs were effective, but Johnson is only owned in under 5% of leagues, so if you can grab him from waiver wires, he makes a nice addition.

The Bears already had their bye week but do have tough matchups against the Vikings (twice), Lions (twice) and 49ers over the next five weeks. Despite those matchups, he’s worth adding if you’re in need of depth at running back.

Other options that are worth a look that are on many leagues’ waiver wires include Gus Edwards and Audric Estime, although both are in timeshares as well. The Raiders lost both Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) to injuries which could open up playing time for Ameer Abdullah and Dylan Laube.

QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

I’ve been hyping Bo Nix as a QB1 for the last few weeks and he continues to deliver on a weekly basis. Nix remains available in about half of fantasy leagues, but he should be added and started almost everywhere with so many bye weeks ahead.

He was the No. 2 QB in all of fantasy in Week 11, throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns against the Falcons, including this one to cap his huge day.

Nix has proven he can pile up rushing yards when needed and has thrown 13 touchdowns in his last seven games since the team’s win in the nasty weather in New York. He struggled against the Ravens in Week 9 but has been a top-10 QB almost every other week.

He has the Raiders next week followed by the Browns in Week 13. Unfortunately, if you need a Week 14 starter, Nix doesn’t work since that’s his bye week, but he returns after that with great matchups against the Colts and Bengals sandwiched around a tough game against the Chargers in Week 16.

Nix is the top QB add to grab, but if he’s gone, Anthony Richardson ($5,300; 29.08 FPTS) looked good enough in his return to be a nice add, and Jameis Winston ($5,500; 29.6 FPTS) continued to show boom-or-bust upside with the Browns in their loss to his former team, the Saints.

TE Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs

Hopefully, you jumped on the Taysom Hill ($4,500; 46.5 FPTS) train when I highlighted him two weeks ago or the Zach Ertz ($3,700; 18.7 FPTS) last week. I also highlighted Jonnu Smith ($3,800; 31.1 FPTS) twice earlier this year, and he was huge in Miami’s win over the Raiders. All of them had good weeks and are solid options if available in your league.

If you missed out on all of them or need a deep league grab, Noah Gray ($2,800; 18.3 FPTS) is over 95% available and is an important part of the Chiefs’ offense, which is no longer unbeaten but still a great one to have a piece of.

Next week, the Chiefs roll into Carolina to face the Panthers in the ultimate bounce-back spot. Then they face the Raiders and Chargers before tougher matchups with the Browns, Texans and Steelers to close out the season.

Against the Bills, Gray had two touchdowns and finished with a season-high 18.3 fantasy points. However, he has been regularly involved for the Chiefs since they started losing receivers. He has multiple catches in six of the last seven games, which is enough to make him an emergency option at the position.

Along with the options at the top of this section, some other tight ends worth considering as additions include Will Dissly, Noah Fant (if ready to return from injury), Hunter Henry and Panthers rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders coming back from his bye week.

Commanders DST

The Commanders DST is only owned in 20% of fantasy leagues after a tough matchup this past week against the Eagles. The defense still had two sacks but didn’t force a turnover for the first time since Week 3.

They’re in a great bounce-back spot, though, since they face the Cowboys and Titans in the next two weeks before their bye week in Week 14. After that, they’re in tougher matchups down the stretch but can be a great short-term add for the next two weeks.

Other top streaming options to check out for Week 12 include the Buccaneers DST (vs. the Giants) the Broncos DST (vs. the Raiders) and the Cardinals DST (vs. the Seahawks). 

All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

Zach Thompson
Zach has been part of the DraftKings team since 2017 and covers baseball, basketball, golf, football and any other sport that offers DFS fun. He has been playing fantasy sports since box scores were only available in the newspaper the following day. Even though he grew up almost 8,000 miles away in Guam, he is a diehard Boston sports fan but will take a fantasy value play wherever he can get it, even if it’s from the Yankees.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.