Ivan Herrera 
As Week 11 of the NFL season has come and gone, fantasy football managers are already looking to make adjustments to their rosters. Injuries, surprising performances, and emerging talents often prompt the need for some shrewd waiver wire pickups. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, along with a few honorable mentions to keep an eye on.
1. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
This past weekend, the Seahawks starting RB, Kenneth Walker, suffered an oblique injury, so Charbonnet stepped up as the main RB for Seattle. Charbonnet finished the game with 15 carries for 47 yards and added six receptions on six targets for 22 yards. Charbonnet is a capable back who rushed for 2500 yards in his final two seasons at UCLA. With Seattle having a shorter week thanks to their Thanksgiving game against the Niners, I expect Seattle to not force Walker back in and allow him to rest. That elevates Charbonnet to a solid RB2 fantasy role this week.
2. Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Likely and his teammate, who is coming up next, should likely see an uptick in work as Lamar’s number one target, Andrews, is done for the season. On Thursday, Likely only saw two targets and didn’t catch either after Andrews went down. But that shouldn’t discourage current and future Likely fantasy owners, as with 10 days of game planning, Likely should see more plays catered to him. In his season, Likely had 36 catches for 373 yards and three touchdowns, so he showed he can be a usable fantasy TE. Going into this weekend, I would use Likely as a bye-week replacement, but if he can get targets, he’ll make a good TE1.
3. Odell Beckham, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Like I mentioned above with Likely, Beckham should see a bigger workload now that Andrews is out. Andrews accounts for 20.3% of the Ravens targets this season, only behind Flowers (24%). Those targets will now be going to the other skill players on the Ravens. One of those is Beckham, who is already third on the Ravens in target percentage with 14%. Beckham should have the opportunity to have a huge game as they have a SNF game against the Chargers this week, who are terrible against the pass. Beckham could be a league winner as he gets an easy fantasy playoff schedule against teams that give up a lot of points to WRs.
4. Justin Watson, WR, Kansas Chiefs
Justin Watson had 11 targets on Monday night against the Eagles, which was a team high for the game. Patrick Mahomes does not have a lot of weapons behind Kelce, and even he dropped an easy catch on Monday. But with WRs dropping easy touchdowns (looking at you, MVS), Mahomes needs players to step up, and that’s what Watson did against the Eagles. He finished the game with five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. With teams focusing more on Kelce, one of the WRs needs to step up, and my bet is on Watson, as he has been the WR with the most snaps and targets over the past two weeks.
5. Tanner Hudson, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
Hudson, for the third straight week, led all Bengals TEs in targets. Hudson now has 14 catches for 127 yards on 16 targets over the past three weeks. Hudson’s snap count is still worrying and is the reason why I still have him as a bye-week replacement TE. He has only played 29% of the Bengals snaps, which is less than both Smith and Sample, but with him seeing a target in 28% of his snaps, he is still a viable TE in fantasy, especially in PPR leagues since he hasn’t scored a TD yet.
6. Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings
With Mattison not missing any time after his concussion, Chandler’s fantasy value did take a small dip. But against Denver, Chandler was the better back of the two. He had 10 carries for 73 yards as well as four catches for 37 yards. Meanwhile, starter Mattison had 19 total touches for 80 yards and a fumble. While I still think Mattison is the starter for Minnesota, Chandler should slowly creep into a bigger role right before the fantasy playoffs. His matchups late in the year are favorable, as the Raiders, Bengals, and Packers are all bad against RBs in fantasy.
7. Greg Dortch, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Dortch had his best game of the season on Sunday against the Texans. He saw eight targets for six receptions and 76 yards; all three stats led the Cardinals. This was surprising, as Dortch replaced the injured Michael Wilson, who missed the game. Dortch is towards the bottom as he is still an unknown player this season, as this was his first real workload of the year. Right now, he is a stash-only player.
8. Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Mayer saw his second straight week of five receptions, the third time he has had at least five this season. Mayer has had good chemistry with O’Connell, as he has 12 targets in the past three games with O’Connell at QB. This past week, he caught four of his five targets for 46 yards. The four receptions were the second most of his rookie campaign. If he continues this production, then he will be a viable TE going forward this season.
9. Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Reed has put together back-to-back WR1 performances. Since Green Bay’s bye week, Reed has 24 targets for 19 receptions, 253 yards, and two touchdowns. With Green Bay on the edge of a playoff spot, Reed should see a lot more work, which is great for fantasy owners.
10. Jake Browning, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
The loss of Joe Burrow is going to hurt Cincinnati, but Browning looks to be a decent backup who can help this team make a push for a playoff spot. Browning has a lot of experience as a backup and has great weapons around him that can elevate him to a better spot. He gets soft games against the Jags and the Vikings in the upcoming games.
Honorable Mentions:
- Brandin Cooks, WR, Dallas Cowboys
- Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
- Joshua Dobbs, QB, Minnesota Vikings
In the world of fantasy football, being proactive on the waiver wire can often be the difference between success and failure. These Week 11 waiver wire pickups should help you strengthen your roster as the season progresses. Make sure to prioritize your team’s specific needs and potential long-term upside when making your choices.
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