Week 12 Waiver Wire Additions: Can We Trust Christian Watson?

You have just THREE more waiver cycles to put the finishing touches on your playoff-bound fantasy football roster. You might be able to grab players once the playoffs begin, but do you really want to risk the possibility of an out-of-the-race leaguemate making waiver claims because they’re jealous of your standing in the league? No one wants that. So, it’s best to get out in front of controversy and seek out the trends.

This week’s waiver column isn’t about handcuffs that might become a thing. We want spike-week players who can pop in any given game to give you the feeling you started Ja’Marr Chase against the Ravens.

So, if you like running backs, sorry, not sorry.

Let’s get into the top waiver claims of Week 12 to help you navigate SIX TEAMS on a bye this week.

A friendly reminder: This article gives you our Top 5 picks from the Week 12 waiver wire, but if you need more help, check out our YouTube channel every Tuesday morning to catch WireTapped. We break down all of the popular waivers and answer your questions live.

Week 12 Waiver Wire Additions

Elijah Moore, WR, Cleveland Browns

Available in 92% of Yahoo leagues, 90% of ESPN leagues, and 81% of Sleeper leagues

Remember when the Browns were a running football team, and the only player you really wanted to roster was Nick Chubb? I’m sure Nick Chubb fantasy managers are pining for those days right now. But alas, this is the Jameis Winston-led Cleveland Browns. And that means we slangin’ all over the gridiron. Over the last three seasons, the Browns have gone from 21st to 12th to 6th in the league in 11 personnel usage (three wide receivers on the field). And number three WR Elijah Moore has seen an uptick in targets and routes run as a result.

Moore currently sits 2nd among the Browns WRs in targets (29) and receptions (17), and is third in fantasy points per game (13.6). All this while Winston has thrown 41, 46, and 46 passes in his three starts, respectively. While Moore isn’t the downfield threat that teammates Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy have been, getting 13 points from your flex is pretty damn good.

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Available in 55% of Yahoo leagues, 51% of ESPN leagues, and 51% of Sleeper leagues

This is a difficult one to type out because we’ve been telling you for weeks that Watson can be dropped from your fantasy teams. None of us can accurately tell you which Packers WR is a good start from week to week. But here’s the reality of the situation: Christian Watson, when healthy, is good at football. And that means he should be on your roster because injuries happen (just hopefully not to Watson **knock on wood**).

On only four targets in Week 11, Watson had 150 yards. Go ahead and read that again. We talked a lot in the offseason about how Watson was on pace to be the Packers’ WR1 when healthy because he was the guy the team looked at the most. Now that he’s healthy, Watson is the only Packers WR over the last three weeks with over a 20% target share. He’s also seeing 5.67 targets per game and is averaging a team-high 19.1 yards per reception. Add in that Jordan Love is averaging 260 passing yards per game, and you’re on the verge of some serious BOOM out of the flex.

Jonnu Smith, TE, Miami Dolphins

Available in 46% of Yahoo leagues, 68% of ESPN leagues, and 44% of Sleeper leagues

Look, if you listened to my man Ryan Weisse, you’d already have Jonnu Smith rostered since he was the Week 11 Stream of the Week at TE. But just in case you’re new to the site, it’s time to start considering Smith with weekly top-10 upside at TE.

Smith has seen fewer than six targets only once over his last six games. Twice in his last five games, Smith has scored more than 20 PPR points. To further hammer home the point- over his last four games, all with Tua Tagovailoa back at QB, Jonnu Smith hasn’t had a target share LOWER than 14%.

Yes, we preach streaming TEs here at Club Fantasy FFL. But when a TE shows you their role in the offense, we ride with them if it’s worth it. In Jonnu, We Trust.

Will Dissly, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Available in 76% of Yahoo leagues, 86% of ESPN leagues, and 71% of Sleeper leagues

Yes, I just recommended TWO TIGHT ENDS in a waiver wire column. Andrew Cooper would be so proud. But I felt the need to mention Will Dissly because he helped me win a week as an emergency flex earlier this year. Back when the Chargers were trotting out practice squad WRs due to the number of injuries they suffered. But since those WRs have come back healthy, Dissly has continued to produce. So here we are.

In five of his last six games, Dissly has seen less than six targets only once. Since Quentin Johnston returned to the lineup in Week 9, Dissly has averaged five targets per game and is the TE9 over the last three weeks.

Justin Herbert has been unleashed, and he’s found himself a target that can make plays. Dissly can be a rotational TE for you based on matchups, something he has quite a few of over the remainder of the season.

Jameis Winston, QB, Cleveland Browns

Available in 88% of Yahoo leagues, 91% of ESPN leagues, and 82% of Sleeper leagues

Much like TEs, I’d prefer to stream versus burning waiver priorities on a QB. But it’s hard to ignore a QB averaging 44 pass attempts per game and sits as the QB9 in PPG since Week 8. He’s tossed six touchdowns in those three games and is averaging more than 320 passing yards a game. Garbage time hasn’t been kind to us fantasy managers in 2024. But Jameis Winston has our back as the savior of Garbage Time, given how bad the Browns offense has looked in the first half this season.

*Bonus Pick*

Taysom Hill, QB/TE, New Orleans Saints

Available in 46% of Yahoo leagues, 54% of ESPN leagues, and 50% of Sleeper leagues

Sorry, Ryan. I know you hate this. But he fits the theme. After dropping 41.5 fantasy points in Week 11, be prepared for 0.0 in Week 12 (because he’s on a bye week, duh). But for the last three weeks, I’ve been telling people Hill is worth a start because he’ll operate as the team’s RB2 with Kendre Miller on IR and Jamaal Williams missing time. Add to that Chris Olave’s injury, and Derek Carr has no one to throw to besides him and Alvin Kamara. So, the upside is there. And we’ve seen it in the past. Two weeks ago, Hill scored 16 PPR points. In Week 4, he scored 14.4 PPR points. Seven times last year, Hill scored 11 or more PPR points.

If Taysom Hill is only a QB in your fantasy league, you’re exempt from the fun. But if you can play him at TE, he has a weekly overall TE1 upside because of how the team uses him. He is the Fantasy Football Cheat Code, and you should take full advantage.

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