The Fantasy Football Playoffs commence in just three weeks. For most leagues, trade deadlines will come to pass this week. The excitement is real all across the fantasy landscape. Well, except for the Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire pickups. You would think the waiver wire would bring the juice at such a pivotal point in the season, but that isn’t exactly the case. While it may be an underwhelming week regarding waiver options, managers are still encouraged to do their due diligence and take any opportunity to upgrade their roster. Hopefully, some of the players below can help you do just that!
As always, managers are advised to prioritize situations, snap counts, workload and target shares over a one-week scoring output when deciding on which players to claim. These are the stats and trends that will better predict sustainable success. Let’s jump into our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 12.
Note: Players must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. Ownership percentages will reflect their status on Tuesday mornings ahead of standard waiver processing.
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Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (43.6%)
Perhaps a two-week benching was all Anthony Richardson needed to get righted around after all. The second-year Indianapolis Colts QB had arguably his best game as a pro in Week 11, as he completed 67% of his passes and accounted for three total touchdowns (two rushing). All we hear about the New York Jets’ defense is how talented they are, so it was only fitting that Richardson “got right” against that outfit. Whether he can sustain it going forward now becomes the question. Regardless, he has to be considered among this week’s fantasy football waiver wire pickups due to the upside he presents and his ability to pad fantasy stat lines using his legs.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (42.7%)
In three games played since returning from the concussion that sidelined him for several weeks, Tua Tagovailloa has been fairly steady in terms of fantasy production. Week 11 saw the Miami Dolphins’ signal-caller post his best stat line of the season to date, albeit against a horrendous Las Vegas defense. In a world where it seems like way too many QBs are rostered in more than 50% of ESPN leagues, Tagovailoa is one of the best options available. He has 28 passing attempts and at least 20 completions in all four games since returning and also boasts a TD:INT ratio of 7:1 over that span. Week 12 presents another positive matchup against the New England Patriots.
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RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns (34.6%)
The Cleveland Browns stink, but at least the offense has some juice now with Jameis Winston at the helm. As far as the team’s backfield is concerned, it appears as though touches will be fairly even between Jerome Ford and Nick Chubb moving forward. Given the severity of the knee injury Chubb is coming back from, it makes sense not to overload him in what is a lost season. Week 11 marked Ford’s second game back from a hamstring injury of his own, and he played 56% of the team’s offensive snaps compared to Chubb’s 30%. Ford is also clearly the preferred pass-catching back, which could serve his fantasy floor well given that the Browns figure to be trailing often.
Audric Estime, Denver Broncos (35.8%)
The Denver Broncos’ backfield situation is arguably the messiest in the NFL through 11 weeks. One week after Audric Estime appeared to wrestle full control, it was veteran Javonte Williams who went back to leading the way with 14 total touches and 52% of the snaps on Sunday. Estime still did get nine total touches in the game on 23% of the snaps. While the overwhelming hype and rumblings that he would completely take over the team’s RB1 role may have been a bit premature, the rookie is still worth rostering in fantasy leagues. Estime sort of feels like a risky FLEX or an RB handcuff with upside (think Tyler Allgeier) at this juncture.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots (26.2%)
The returns may still be somewhat limited, but there’s no denying that Drake Maye has breathed some life into the New England Patriots’ passing attack. As a result, DeMario Douglas has to be considered among the Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire pickups for teams in need of WR help. Despite fluctuating snap counts, Douglas has seen nine, five and seven targets in the last three games, respectively. While he isn’t a big-play receiver and has only found the end zone once all year, that kind of steady volume makes him a viable depth piece or bye-week fill-in.
If Douglas is rostered in your league, Kayshon Boutte (2.6%) could be another name to consider from this same Patriots team. He has now seen six targets in four straight games.
Nick Westbrook-Ikine, Tennessee Titans (1.6%)
In case you couldn’t tell, the WR position is incredibly thin when it comes to fantasy football waiver wire pickups this week. Then again, it is difficult to fully dismiss what Nick Westbrook-Ikine has done over the last several weeks while being a part of a dreadful Tennessee Titans offense. The DeAndre Hopkins trade freed up more snaps, and Westbrook-Inkine has taken advantage. He has now seen four targets in four of the last five games, has reached the end zone in five of the last six and has recorded double-digit PPR points in three of the last four weeks. He is the WR2 in this offense and might be worth a look as a depth add or streamer depending on your team’s condition.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (46.2%)
If you are a regular reader of this fantasy football waiver wire pickups column and you only got eight points out of your TE spot last week, then you need to look in the mirror. It is officially last call for Taysom Hill after he finished as the top scorer in fantasy across all positions in Week 11. The New Orleans Saints’ Swiss army knife had 10 targets in the passing game and seven carries. He exploded for 188 all-purpose yards and scored three rushing touchdowns. With the Saints decimated by injuries at wide receiver, this uptick in involvement was merely a formality. He won’t finish as TE1 every week, but Hill must be added and is a viable weekly start going forward.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins (31.7%)
Fun fact: Jonnu Smith has three games this season in which he scored less than four PPR points, yet he still ranks as the TE8 on the season. The concerns regarding his target volume upon Tua Tagovailoa’s return from injury have all but ceased to exist. Smith has been remarkably consistent over the last several weeks, and a two-touchdown effort in Week 11 will make him a hot commodity amongst this week’s fantasy football waiver wire pickups. Granted, he won’t go out and find the end zone twice let alone once every game, but having 6+ targets in six straight games reflects a stable presence in the Miami Dolphins’ offense.
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