Adam Strangis NFL Waiver Wire Week 12
Covid and injuries are wreaking havoc at one of the worst possible times with the playoffs right around the corner. Most leagues start next week so it is imperative to find reinforcements right now. That’s what we’re here to do with the NFL Waiver Wire Week 12 and there are already some major options out there to boost your squad! Make sure to take advantage of our Black Friday Deal where everything on WinDailySports.com is 50% off!
*Note* The ownership referenced will be based on Yahoo and if this needs updated after Monday Night Football, it certainly will be before your waivers run.
Quarterback
Taysom Hill, Saints – 43% rostered
Last week, Jameis Winston was in this slot but this article is written on Monday and we didn’t find out Taysom was starting on Friday. While he’s not going to be Drew Brees at any point, he’s going to be fantasy relevant with his rushing upside alone. Brees is not capable of doing things like this on the football field –
He wasn’t that bad as a passer either, totaling over 220 yards and having at least one long bomb touchdown taken off the board by penalty. The jury is absolutely still out on being a “franchise quarterback” but the next four games are Denver, Falcons again, Eagles and Chiefs. We don’t have a timeline for Brees yet and Hill is a worthy option regardless of position. If he’s eligible at tight end, he’s beyond a cheat code for his time as a starter.
Derek Carr, Raiders – 36% rostered
Carr is the streamer of the week this week since he’s got a matchup with the Falcons on deck. Atlanta is not only a major pass funnel, but Carr is playing what is likely the best football of his career. No, actually it’s not likely. It IS the best football of his career and he has 19 touchdown passes on the season. The Falcons have given up 22 touchdowns through 10 games thus far and only the Seahawks give up more yards per game. It’s a weird week in that we have no teams on a bye, but don’t overlook Carr if you happen to be in a bind this week.
Honorable Mention
Gardner Minshew – We need clarity but he practiced in limited fashion last week. If he makes it back, Minshew gets matchups with Cleveland, Minnesota and Tennessee the next three weeks.
P.J. Walker – Just like Minshew, Walker is not a guaranteed start this week. However, if Teddy Bridgewater remains out Walker could have some potential. He played well this past week except two interceptions in the end zone. If he fixes that error, he could have a massive day against the Vikings.
Running Back
Gus Edwards, Ravens – 28% rostered
With the news that Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins on the Covid list, Edwards is going to be the last man standing in this backfield. Baltimore has the best rushing offense in yardage per game in the league. Edwards already has 80+ yards in a game against the Steelers this season. Quietly, Pittsburgh has given up over 150 yards rushing per game over the past month. With Edwards almost guaranteed 15 or more touches this week, he’s a plug and play. As a side note, if someone drops Dobbins, pick him up ASAP. Dobbins took over the backfield last week with 17 touches and likely does it again when he’s healthy.
James White, Patriots – 40% rostered
White has done virtually nothing this season and I didn’t figure on him being included in this article. However, Rex Burkhead is done for the season and now White is about the only pass catcher the Pats have at this position. White actually played 57% of the snaps this past week, a season high. Neither Damien Harris nor Sony Michel are a threat to passing game work in this offense. Burkhead only had an 11.6% target share but that’s not terrible if White takes all that work.
Honorable Mention
Wayne Gallman, Giants – With Devonta Freeman still on IR, Gallman is leading this backfield. He’s not been exactly spectacular but he’s logged 10, 12, 14 and 18 carries in those games. Getting the Bengals this week won’t hurt in the least.
Carlos Hyde, Seahawks – He’s at least the handcuff in the Seattle backfield. The thought is Chris Carson is coming back this week but A. that’s not set in stone and B. Carson has had some serious injury issues in his career. Hyde is the clear answer when Carson is out and racked up 16 touches in the last game for Seattle.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Bears – On Yahoo, Patterson has RB/WR eligibility and operated as the lead back in the Bears offense without Daivid Montgomery. This is definitely more of a deep league target and if Montgomery is back this week, we can keep Patterson on the sidelines.
Wide Receiver
Michael Pittman, Colts – 44% rostered
I wouldn’t get too giddy with Pittman, as he’s coming off a game with only three targets. He made the most of them with 66 yards and a score but the Colts offense spreads it around a good bit. T.Y. Hilton has the highest target share in the offense at 16.6% but Pittman does have 18 over the last three games. If you’re in a 10 team league, this likely isn’t the pickup for you but 12 teams or more he makes sense and is on the flex radar. The next three weeks really set up well for him with the Texans, Raiders and Texans again.
Russell Gage, Falcons – 7% rostered
This is pretty dependent on Julio Jones not playing on Sunday but if he doesn’t, Gage is in play as a WR3 in PPR leagues. He saw 12 targets this past week as Julio was out the majority of the game. He cam back late for one play and immediately left so at a guess, he’s not likely to play. Gage has the Raiders on the docket and if he sees even eight targets, he’ll be a decent play this week.
Cole Beasley, Bills – 52% rostered
He’s technically just over the threshold we use but Beasley deserves more love. His ceiling is a lot higher if John Brown would be out again but Beasley is attached to one of the best passing games in football. He has an 18.8% target share and seven red zone looks. Of his 10 games played, seven have been into the double-digits for fantasy points. The Chargers defense is nothing to write home about and provided the Buffalo weather cooperates, this game projects to shootout.
Honorable Mention
Nelson Agholor, Raiders – No player outside of Darren Waller is that heavily targeted, but Agholor has found new life in Vegas. Of the seven games he’s played since Week 4 (when he started to get consistent targets) five have been double-digits. One game was zero but weather played a role and then he did have a floor game. However, he deserves to be rostered more than 20%.
Willie Snead, Ravens – One aspect that Gus Edwards has not shown so far is a lot of pass catching ability. Snead has led the Ravens in receiving yards since Week 8 and his targets have really jumped. With Marquise Brown being a non-factor for most of the year, Snead is very sneaky this week. I wouldn’t trust him in shallow leagues.
Tim Patrick, Broncos – He just keeps producing somehow. After the loss of Courtland Sutton, Patrick has played and finished in six games. He’s scored or recorded at least four receptions and 61 yards in every single game.
Jalen Reagor, Eagles – The Eagles offense is a disaster but they get Seattle this week. Sometimes, that’s enough said.
Tight End
Jordan Reed, 49ers – 15% rostered
Reed had the bye week to get full healthy and played almost 50% of the snaps in the last game. He was targeted six times and brought in five of them for 62 yards. George Kittle is still not Riley to be back for a while and a 5/60 line is plenty to play every week in the tight end spot this season. If you don’t have an elite player, you’re looking for anything viable.
Jordan Akins, Texans – 2% rostered
The Texans should have a fairly easy time this week in Detroit but they are a little short staffed on the offense. Randall Cobb is all but out and Akins saw six targets last week when Cobb missed most of the game. This is definitely a deep league play but he’s shown the ability to score double-digit points in any given game.
D/ST
New York Giants – 16% rostered
It’s not exactly often that we want to play a defense that is 26th in total DVOA. After the Bengals lost Joe Burrow for the season (serious sad face, hoping he’s back to full strength next year), the Bengals offense is a target the rest of the year. That’s certainly the case in NFL Waiver Wire Week 12. Burrow had been sacked the third-most times in the league and the Giants do have 25 themselves. With 15 turnovers forced, I’m going after the Giants in any league I need a defense.
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