Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Advice

Yikes! Week 11 of the NFL season was a rough one as injuries hit key players such as A.J. Green, Andrew Luck, LeSean McCoy, CJ Prosise, Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews and Giovani Bernard just to name a few.  With the fantasy playoffs starting up in just a few weeks this could be the most important week of waivers this season.  With that said let’s take a look at some players who should be floating around the waiver wire that are a must add heading into Week 12.

-FAAB bids based off of $100 budget

Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick, SF-  Kaepernick continues to put up fantasy points and despite what you think of him personally you can’t deny his fantasy value right now.  Since taking over as the starter in Week 6 Kaepernick has scored at least 18 fantasy points in 4-of-5 games and will face off against the Dolphins in Week 12 who boast a middle of the road defense when to comes to limiting quarterbacks but Kaepernick’s running ability has helped stabilize his production even if he struggles throwing the ball consistently.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Ryan Tannehill, MIA- The Dolphins passing attack has taken a back seat to their running game since Jay Ajayi took over and while the team figures to run a ton against the 49ers in Week 12 it is also worth mentioning that Tannehill has now thrown five touchdowns over the last three games with just one interception.  The 49ers are allowing the sixth most fantasy points to opposing QB’s and the Dolphins have the big play receivers in DeVante Parker and Jarvis Landry to help Tannehill do some damage in the passing game for his fantasy owners.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Carson Wentz, PHI- Wentz has been far from an inspiring fantasy quarterback this season but in Week 12 he gets to face off against a Packers defense that has allowed three or more passing touchdowns in four of the last six games, including seven touchdown passes allowed over the past two weeks.  The Eagles saw both Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews go down with injuries in Week 11 which could force the offense become more pass heavy as they look to keep up with the Packers offense.  If there ever was a week to start Carson Wentz this would be the week to do it.

FAAB Bid $0-$5

Running Back

Wendell Smallwood, PHI–  Week 11 was a rough one for the Eagles as both Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles went down with injuries.  Mathews is considered day-to-day with a knee injury while Sproles is going to be limited with week with a rib injury but could play Monday night against the Packers.  Either way it looks as though Wendell Smallwood should be in line for an increased workload in Week 12.  Smallwood carried the ball 13 times for 48 yards and added four catches for 31 yards against the Seahawks in Week 11 which followed up a 70 yard performance against the Falcons in Week 10.  Smallwood is the Eagles running back to claim off of waivers this week as he should at the very least get 10 plus carries in a game that should be pretty high scoring.

FAAB Bid- $15-$20

Mike Gillislee, BUF– LeSean McCoy suffered a hand injury on Sunday which required him to have surgery and while some reports are out there that McCoy is still expected to play on Sunday those who own McCoy especially should be looking to snag Gillislee off of the waiver wire this week just in case.  After McCoy went out Gillislee carried the ball 14 times for 72 yards against the Bengals.  The Bills are among the top rushing teams in all of football and thus would make Gillislee a RB2 in Week 12 if he is starting.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Dion Lewis, NE–Lewis made his season debut in Week 11 for New England and totaled 23 yards on five carries while adding 26 yards on three catches.  James White will still limit the overall upside of Lewis but Lewis is a better runner than White and could find snaps spelling Blount and White which should stabilize his value.  You never know how Bill Belichick will use his running backs but Lewis is certainly worth an add and has flex play upside in PPR formats.

FAAB Bid-$10-$15

Wide Receiver

Brandon LaFell/Tyler Boyd, CIN- Week 11 was not kind to the Bengals as they lost both A.J. Green and Gio Bernard.  The injury to Green was much more significant to fantasy owners as he strained his hamstring and is expected to miss multiple weeks if not the remainder of the season all together.  With Green out of action the Bengals will turn to Brandon LaFell and rookie Tyler Boyd to fill the gap. LaFell has been the team’s No.2 receiver for the majority of the year, having caught 33 passes for 419 yards and four touchdowns.  Boyd was the Bengals second round pick this season and has caught 33 passes himself for 349 yards and one score.  It’s tough to estimate which will find themselves as the No.1 option with Green out and therefore both should be added in all formats.

FAAB Bid- $0-5

Rishard Matthews, TEN–Matthews has seen his stock rise steadily over the past few weeks and has now seen his ownership levels rise to around 60 percent so this is likely going to be your last chance to claim him off of waivers.  Matthews in Week 11 had a season best performance which saw him catch nine passes for 122 yards.  In Week 12 the Titans will face a Bears defense that is allowing the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers which should lead to yet another big game from Matthews as he has established himself as the Titans No.1 receiver.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Ted Ginn Jr., CAR–  Ginn has flown under the radar this season but he has now turned in five straight weeks with at least 40 yards receiving while averaging nearly seven targets a game during that stretch.  In Week 11 Ginn scored one touchdown and could have very easily had two scores but was ruled out near the goal line in the first quarter.  In Week 12 the Panthers will face off against the Raiders who are allowing the 10th most fantasy points to opposing receivers which could lead to another productive outing from Ginn, especially in PPR formats.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Tight End

C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU– Fiedorowicz had yet another strong performance in Week 11, catching 6-of-10 targets for 82 yards.  He has now seen at least seven targets in five of his last six games as he finds himself as Brock Oswieler’s safety blanket.  In Week 12 the Texans will face off against the Chargers who have played tight ends well this season but the volume will be there for Fiedorowicz to meet value.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Zach Ertz, PHI– Ertz has had a strong stretch of games after the offensive coordinator stated the team wanted to get him more involved in the passing attack which has led to 26 targets over the last three weeks.  In Week 11 he caught six passes on 11 targets for 35 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks and in Week 12 he will go up against a Packers defense which has been torched by opposing passing games over the past few weeks which can lead to a big day from Ertz.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Will Tye, NYG– Tye was named the Giants starting tight end heading into Week 11 and Larry Donnell was inactive which only solidified his role on the team’s offense.  In Week 11 against the Bears Tye caught just 2-of-5 targets for 12 yards but did find the end zone.  Over the previous two weeks Tye was targets a total of 15 times and in Week 12 he will get to face a Browns defense that is allowing the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.  Tye can be a low end TE1 with the matchup and his value is only increased in PPR formats as long he continues to see consistent targets.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5