Welcoming to stashing season! As playoff pictures snap into focus in fantasy football leagues, contenders are stocking up on assets who might — might — be able to help in the postseason. As such, guys who have yet to play this year, including Deshaun Watson, Jameson Williams, and Odell Beckham Jr., will be among the top Week 12 fantasy waiver pickups and free agent adds. These guys aren’t worth waiver claims like Samaje Perine, Latavius Murray, and Cam Akers, but they are worth targeting after waivers clear around 4-5 a.m. ET on Wednesday mornings in Yahoo and ESPN leagues.
Our full free agent list features plenty of other live bodies who could help next week and beyond (Demarcus Robinson, Treylon Burks, James Cook, Darius Slayton, Greg Dortch, Skyy Moore, Juwan Johnson). And even though streamers might not be in high demand this week with every team in action, we still have plenty of one-week recommendations at QB, WR, TE, and D/ST. They’re grouped by position and can be found at the end of this list.
With three potentially high-volume RBs for Week 12 widely available, at least a couple of high waiver claims will likely be used this week. Perine will likely get the highest bid pending reports about Joe Mixon’s health, while Murray won’t be far behind in deeper leagues. In shallow leagues, Akers might pass through waivers, but it’s not something you should bank on if you want/need depth at running back.
MORE WEEK 12 PICKUPS: Full waiver list
Most of the top WRs and streamers don’t merit waiver claims at all, never mind high ones. You’ll likely see someone bid on guys like Robinson, Burks, and maybe even Williams and Watson in deeper leagues, but shallow leaguers shouldn’t worry about that. There are plenty of comparable pass-catchers and signal-callers to go around if you need a streamer or a little bench depth going forward.
WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 12
Unless otherwise noted, only players owned in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues are considered.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns. For the second straight week, we’re featuring Watson here because we’re coming up on last call if you want him for the stretch run. He’s eligible to return in Week 13 and will start right away. A revenge game against the Texans has to be considered a favorable matchup, and a fantasy playoff schedule against the Saints, Ravens, and Commanders is friendly enough for Watson to shine if he’s not too rusty.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Free Agent. OBJ has said he’ll sign with a team after Thanksgiving and be ready to play sometime in December. At this point, it’s tough to expect OBJ to make a huge fantasy impact, but on the off chance he shows up and shows out with his new team, now is the time to stash him. Even if he only has a good game in Week 17, that could be enough to swing the outcome of your league.
WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Jameson Williams, WR, Lions. Williams (knee) was designated to return from the IR on Monday, so Detroit has 21 days to activate him or he’ll officially miss the rest of the season. It’s unlikely that he’ll be back for Thursday’s game in Week 12, but he has a real shot at returning in Week 13 against the Jaguars. Another favorable matchup awaits in Week 14 (Vikings), and after a tough one against the Jets, he’ll get two more above-average matchups against the Panthers and Bears to close out the fantasy season. Grab him now, as the explosive rookie could be a factor down the stretch.
MORE WEEK 12 PICKUPS: Full waiver list
James Cook, RB, Bills. Cook has only received more than five carries in a game twice this year, but one of those was last week against Cleveland when he rushed for a career-high 86 yards on 11 rushes. It’s possible the rookie continues to see his role expand going forward, as Devin Singletary has been mostly mediocre as Buffalo’s lead back. Even if Cook remains nothing more than a valuable handcuff, he actually has some streamer value on Thanksgiving in a highly favorable matchup against the Lions. Cook can work as a flex in standard leagues.
Treylon Burks, WR, Titans. Burks finally had that big game fantasy owners have been waiting for, catching seven-of-eight targets for 116 yards last Thursday against Green Bay. It’s too soon to say this is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season, but it’s clear Burks has the tools to be a productive NFL receiver. He likely won’t see eight targets every week in Tennessee’s run-heavy approach, but he’s at least worth stashing just in case this is the start of a breakout. Keep him on your bench next week against Cincinnati, but monitor his target share.
For additional waiver/free agent suggestions, including top pickups Samaje Perine, Latavius Murray, Cam Akers, and more, check out our full Week 12 list.
Hits: 0
