Week 12 Waiver Wire
Note: Every suggestion will be pulled from either the Yahoo or ESPN rostership, and everyone in these articles will be less than 50% rostered on at least one of those sites. Only some leagues are cut and dry the same so this is just a template for a 12 team full PPR league. There may be players that would have made this article but are rostered in over 50% of the leagues on both sites so they were not included because you’re either in a smaller league or bigger league. If you have questions, please get in chat and ask. Going forward, I will list the bye week schedule below as it is going to become more important as we plan for that moving forward.
Week 5: DET, LAC, PHI, TEN
Week 6: KC, LAR, MIA, MIN
Week 7: CHI, DAL
Week 8: NONE
Week 9: PIT, SF
Week 10: CLE, GB, LV, SEA
Week 11: ARI, CAR, NYG, TB
Week 12: ATL, BUF, CIN, JAX, NO, NYJ
Week 13: NONE
Week 14: BAL, DEN, HOU, IND, NE, WAS
QB
Will Levis (Tennessee Titans) – 3%
A solid Bye Week filler during this six team gauntlet. He is coming off what is probably his best on field play of his career against a very tough Minnesota Vikings defense. He only scored 15.6 but he ran the ball seven times which is a season high and threw for 295 yards and a score. The Titans travel to Houston in Week 12 in what should be a high scoring affair with the Texans pushing the Titans to pass.
Matthew Stafford (LA Rams) – 0%
The wire sucks this week but if you need a guy for Week 13 (no byes) the Rams play the Saints. He is a desperation play in Week 12 against the Eagles who have the 2nd best EPA/Play (-0.21) and 2nd best Pass EPA/Play (-0.28) since Week 6.
Tommy DeVito (New York Giants) – 0%
QB change bump could happen here if you’re desperate. The Bucs are allowing the 3rd most passing yards per game (264.1) and have the 5th worst EPA/Pass (+0.07) on the season.
Trey Lance (Dallas Cowboys) – 0%
Again, when he gets the nod you’ll want him on your team. He takes shots and runs the ball. He is raw so he will turn the ball over and cause chaotic games but it will run the score up which is what we want for fantasy. Stash him if you need a QB.
RB
Cam Akers (Minnesota Vikings) – 0%
Brutal week for RBs so we’re resorting to backup handcuffs who get some usage at the top. Over the last two weeks Akers has seen a 33% rush attempt share and has a 28% route participation. It seems KOC is perfectly fine splitting this down as a 65/35 split between Jones and Akers to preserve Jones as the season goes on. The Bears have been beatable on the ground this season, allowing the 7th most rush YPP (4.8) and are bottom ten in RYOE/Att (+0.63), YBCo/Att (1.71) and YACo/Att (3.11). He can be used as a FLEX flier this week while holding elite handcuff status as well.
Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals) – 0%
The same concept as above with Cam Akers with Benson still having to fight off Emari Demercado for air work. Over the last two weeks Benson has a 27% rush attempt share and 21% route participation and is an elite handcuff. The Cardinals face the Seahawks in Week 12, which is a great matchup on the ground for Benson. They are allowing 4.8 YPP (7th most) and have allowed +0.02 EPA/Rush (5th most). They are also allowing the 2nd most RYOE/Att (+0.89) and 2nd most YACo/Att (3.61).
Ameer Abdullah (LV Raiders) – 0%
Both Alexander Mattison and Zamir White got banged up in the Raiders Week 11 loss to the Dolphins. Grasping at straws this week and this could be strictly because Abdullah was the only healthy back as Laube was a healthy inactive, but Abdullah saw a 19% TPRR after those backs went down. The Raiders have a tough schedule coming up as they face the Broncos, Chiefs, and Bucs in consecutive weeks so we should see some dump offs to Ameer that could give us a few points.
Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville Jaguars) – 0%
The Jaguars are most certainly going to fire Doug Pederson, and will probably be fired after I write this and before I drop this article but given that, QB Coach Mike McCoy is expected to take over. Given this, we could see a full blown fuck it mode with Mac Jones under center the rest of the season and a very run heavy approach. There will be no allegiances and players will be shut down and we could see them at least latch on to Tank Bigsby, who could give the Jaguars fans a glimmer of hope.
Top RB Handcuffs
- Braelon Allen (New York Jets)
- Zach Charbonnet (Seattle Seahawks)
- Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons)
- Blake Corum (LA Rams)
- Ray Davis (Buffalo Bills)
- Cam Akers (Minnesota Vikings)
- Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals)
- Emanuel Wilson (Green Bay Packers)
- Sean Tucker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears)
- Dameon Pierce (Houston Texans)
- Jalen Wright (Miami Dolphins)
- Antonio Gibson (New England Patriots)
- Dalvin Cook (Dallas Cowboys)
- Tyler Goodson (Indianapolis Colts)
WR
Xavier Legette (Carolina Panthers) – 5%
I had Legette here last week and with it being a Bye week for the Panthers, you could have got him for free. This is what I wrote last week, which still applies.
“It gets lost that Legette is a raw rookie himself due to the QB attention in Carolina this year. Over Legette’s last four games, he has a 83% route participation, as he has emerged as the team’s number 1 WR. He has a 20% TPRR and a respectable 10.4 ADOT to go with it. The Panthers are likely going to be down a lot as the season runs out so they will be throwing at a higher clip, giving Legette the volume we need mixed with his big play ability after the catch. The Panthers have a Bye in Week 11 so you should be able to get him cheap if he is available in your league.”
Ricky Pearsall (San Francisco 49ers) – 3%
Flipping Legette and Pearsall here as Pearsall was barely used in Week 11 as Jauan Jennings is completely taking over this WR room. Pearsall still saw a 64% route participation so there is still a ton of optimism around him progressing as a rookie. We all know Deebo can miss any given week and if he does, Pearsall will see a big bump.
Elijah Moore (Cleveland Browns) – 0%
Swing and a miss by me with Cedric Tillman in Week 11. This trio of WRs is virtually splitting volume with Winston under center. In Winston’s three starts Moore has a 82% route participation and a 23% TPRR with a generous 13.2 ADOT and has accounted for 27% of the teams air yards. The Browns play the Steelers in Week 12 on a short week.
Demario Douglas (New England Patriots) – 0%
No one wants to start Douglas for some reason but the Patriots WR room seems to have settled down with Douglas and Boutte seeing the majority of the week. Over the last three games Douglas has a 69% route participation and 24% TPRR with at least 9 PPR points in each of those last three games. The Patriots play the Dolphins in Week 12.
TE
Taysom Hill (New Orleans) – 50%
I hate it here. Taysom just dropped 41.5 PPR points and is listed as a TE. He ran the ball 7 times for 138 yards and three scores including a 75 yard TD with only a few minutes left. If you need a TE Taysom is now a plug and play weekly starter.
Will Dissly (LA Chargers) – 20%
A successful spot start for everyone who went with Dissly in Week 11 as he hauled in four of his six targets for 80 yards and a score. He now has a 26% TPRR on the season and the Chargers face the Ravens in Week 12 on MNF, a defense giving up the 3rd most receiving yards (66.9) and 8th most fantasy PPG (13.8) to TEs this year.
Jonnu Smith (Miami Dolphins) – 3%
As long as teams focus on shutting down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Jonnu Smith is going to get home. He caught six of his eight targets for 101 yards and two scores in Week 11, ending with 28.1 PPR points. With mixed games of QBs and not all Tua, Jonnu has a 25% TPRR since Week 5 and has been ingrained as an integral part of this offense, a player Mike McDaniel is scheming plays to week in and week out. The Dolphins host the Patriots in Week 11, a neutral matchup for TEs.
DST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 0%
This week is brutal for steaming DST’s and it comes with six Bye weeks. The Bucs will visit the Giants this week and they get a Bye Week bump. This game should be low scoring and while DeVito is unlikely to turn the ball over or make a ton of mistakes, this is a tough defense that now has had extra time to prepare. They will be blitzing left and right and offer a high floor in a low scoring game.
Arizona Cardinals – 0%
As I’ve mentioned before, the Cardinals are playing good ball on defense and are very well coached. They are coming off their Bye Week and will be visiting a Seahawks team that is coming off a win high in San Francisco. This Seahawks offense has been known to stall at times and Ryan Grubb can be out coached, which I think happens here. Again, looking for floor this week rather than ceiling because there just isn’t much out there.
Chicago Bears – 0%
Again, floor this week. I don’t expect the Vikings to implode here by any means but maybe we can steal some sacks and a pick six. The Bears defense is still good and this is a home divisional game. Looking for 5-7 here in a low scoring game with some sacks and a turnover or two.
