If you’ve read this article or any of my pieces for any period of time, you may be aware that Thanksgiving is BY FAR my favorite holiday. I get to spend time with family, I love the food, and the fact that we get three football games to pass the time is just Cool Whip on the pumpkin pie. #Perfection. This is also the point in the fantasy season where the playoff picture starts to get a lot more clear. Hopefully, you’re in the running, and these picks from the Week 12 Waiver Wire will help put you over the top.
On a personal note, I am thankful to each and every one of you for using your valuable time to read this article every week, and I hope you have a great holiday.
Pro Tip: Remember the bye weeks. Because of depth issues, managers may have to drop players that they usually wouldn’t. Last week, the Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints were all off. Check for players from those teams that should not have been cut.
Quick Note: All players listed are available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues. While not everyone plays on ESPN, studies show most do. So, if they’re available there, they’re likely available on your Week 12 Waiver Wire. Pick ‘Em Up!
Week 12 Waiver Wire
Quarterbacks
Normally, I don’t advocate blowing FAAB on QBs. There is always plenty to choose from in free agency after waivers, and you should just stream the position. This list will usually be small, but if you’re desperate, this is who I would prioritize this week.
Jordan Love (56% Available)
It’s pretty interesting to me that Love is available in so many leagues. He is the QB13 on the season and averaging about 20 fantasy points per game. He’s in the top half of the league in yards and TD passes and has even added two rushing TDs. Going back to Week 7, he’s the QB11 over the last five games. He has a very favorable schedule for the rest of the season and could be an exit from the streaming grind for some managers.
Running Backs
Zach Charbonnet (67% Available)
With Kenneth Walker dealing with an oblique injury, Charbonnet should see an expanded workload, and the 2nd-round pick has looked good with limited touches. The schedule for the next three weeks is ROUGH, but you can’t ignore a starting RB with high draft capital.
Ty Chandler (50% Available)
Chandler split work with Alexander Mattison and outperformed him on fewer touches. The Vikings do have a Week 13 bye but a good matchup with Chicago in Week 12.
Keaton Mitchell (64% Available)
Mitchell had a disappointing Week 11 but still worked ahead of Justice Hill. His explosiveness makes him a threat to score on any play, making Mitchell a perfect RB3/Flex play.
Chuba Hubbard (50% Available)
Hubbard is starting to cede work back to Miles Sanders but is still a decent option for those needy at RB. The team is splitting the work 50/50 right now, which should mean 10-15 touches for Hubbard, and that is enough to keep him in the RB3 conversation.
Tyjae Spears (65% Available)
Spears isn’t taking as much work from Derrick Henry as I’d hoped, but he is still getting enough work to make him a bye-week fill-in, and he’s an injury away from making a real impact in fantasy leagues.
If you missed our new Monday Hangxiety show, you missed a great time! Josh and Special Guest Austin Amandolia recapped Sunday’s action, and we will let you know whether it’s time to panic or Chill TF Out! We’ll be live every Monday at 11 AM EST. Check out last week’s episode now!
Wide Receivers
Romeo Doubs (60% Available) / Jayden Reed (81% Available)
For many of the same reasons I want Jordan Love, I’m happy to add his favorite targets. Both are top-35 fantasy WRs this season, and both are coming off games where they scored 16 and 19 fantasy points, respectively. Doubs has managed 10+ fantasy points in seven of 10 games this season.
Rashee Rice (50% Available)
If I said it once, I’ve said 10 times in this article series: You. Want. The. WR1. In. Kansas. City.
Odell Beckham (57% Available)
Beckham has stepped his game up tremendously over the last month. He has put up nine or more fantasy points in four of his five games. He just put up his first 100-yard game last week and could be the biggest benefactor of the Mark Andrews injury.
Josh Downs (56% Available) / Demario Douglas (75% Available) / Rashid Shaheed (76% Available)
All three were on a bye last week, and not one of them should be on waivers. This is the order I would target them.
Khalil Shakir (94% Available)
Shakir’s emergence is in line with Dawson Knox’s injury, so it’s hard to say this will continue once Knox returns, but you can’t ignore 115 yards and a TD against a Jets defense that has done quite well against WRs. He has also scored nine or more fantasy points in three of his last four games.
Tight Ends
Much like QB, I don’t usually recommend blowing any waiver priority or FAAB on a tight end, either. You can generally wait until Wednesday and play the streaming game. However, there are sometimes players that should be rostered due to a late-season breakout. These are those players.
Cade Otton (73% Available) / Michael Mayer (93% Available)
Two young TEs in very similar situations. They are the third or fourth target on their team but seem to be improving and bonding with their QB. Both had five targets in Week 11, and both had eight fantasy points. They still feel better as streaming options, but if I just lost Mark Andrews, this is where I’d be looking.
Isaiah Likely (99% Available)
A second and more popular option to replace Andrews will be his direct backup. While I agree with the premise, the fact that Likely was only targeted twice and caught neither after Andrews got hurt is a mild concern. Throw in a Week 13 bye, and Likely is unlikely worth the FAAB he’ll cost you.
Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find our Week 12 rankings here and the rest of our Week 12 content here!