Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Advice

The waiver period of Week 12 may be over but that does not mean you still can’t make moves to improve your roster before Thursday night’s game.  While many big names were likely claimed on Wednesday let’s take a look at some players who might still be floating around the waiver wire that you should grab.

Quarterback

Sam Bradford, Min- The Vikings offense has struggled this season, largely due to the lack of a running game, but Bradford makes for an interesting streaming option in Week 12 as he faces a Lions defense that is allowing the third most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. In Week 9 Bradford threw for 273 yards and a touchdown against Detroit which is a number that should be reachable again this week even if Stefon Diggs is ruled out.

Josh McCown, Cle– McCown is once again the quarterback in Cleveland and while the matchup against the Giants is not necessarily a great one there is some upside with McCown who has fared much better when starting this season than when he is coming off the bench.  The Giants are allowing the second fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season however they have also rarely been tested and McCown certainly has the arm and receiving weapons that could help him put up some fantasy points.

Running Back

Bilal Powell, NYJ – Powell finds himself in a solid spot in Week 12 against a Patriots defense that has really struggled to cover running backs out of the backfield this season.  Powell is still playing second fiddle to Matt Forte but in a game where the Jets figure to be playing from behind Powell could see additional snaps given his skill set as a receiver.  Powell is owned in just about 40 percent of leagues so those in PPR formats should check to see if Powell is available.

Christine Michael, GB- Packer coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that Michael should be involved in the team’s offense in Week 12 after finding himself inactive in Week 11 after he was claimed off of waivers.  James Starks is better suited as third down back which should lead to Michael getting both early down and goal line work.  With Seattle this season Michael averaged 4.0 yards per carry, totaling 469 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Wide Receiver

Sammy Watkins, Buf– This is likely your last call on Sammy Watkins who was listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday and could be activated as soon as this week against the Jaguars.  While it’s unlikely that Watkins does in fact play in Week 12 it is a realistic possibility that he comes off of IR in Week 13 against the Raiders after a full week of practice.  The Bills are really hurting at receiver to the point that they pulled Percy Harvin out of retirement and seeing as the team is competing for a playoff spot it seems likely that Watkins will return soon.  Once activated Watkins will be the Bills No.1 receiving option and he possess the talent to be a top 10 receiver in the league when healthy.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Min– In Week 12 there is a realistic possibility that Stefon Diggs will be inactive due to injury and many will focus on picking up Adam Thielen given his recent success but I am looking at Cordarrelle Patterson given his big play ability and the fact that he is averaging 6.7 targets over the last seven weeks.  The Vikings will be facing a Lions defense that has struggled against the pass this season and saw Patterson catch 6-of-8 targets for 45 yards just two weeks ago in a game which Diggs was active so it is safe to assume that without Diggs there should be more passes heading Patterson’s way.

Marqise Lee, Jax– Lee has found his way on this list a few times this season but despite his recent success he still finds himself owned in under 10 percent of standard leagues.  In Week 11 Lee caught 4-of-8 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown.  The touchdown was his first of the season but Lee has seen fewer than six targets just twice all season long which includes three eight target contests over the last five.  In PPR leagues Lee is a flex option and at the very least is worth being on a fantasy bench given his consistency.

Tight End

Jared Cook, GB– Cook turned in a monster performance in Week 11, catching 6-of-11 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown.  That output made him the top added tight end heading into Week 12 and increased his overall ownership to about 20 percent in standard leagues.  The Packers figure to be in plenty of high scoring, back and forth games over the remainder of the season so it’s possible that Cook continues to produce at a high level but owners should know that Cook was not targeted often earlier in the year when healthy and Aaron Rodgers has not typically involved his tight end in the offense since Jermichael Finley left town.

Vance McDonald, SF– The 49ers passing attack is certainly erratic under the inaccurate arm of Colin Kaepernick but since Kaep has taken over Vance McDonald has seen exactly six targets in each contest which he has turned into some decent games.  In Week 11 McDonald caught 3-of-6 targets for 46 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots and over the last three games he is averaging three catches on six targets for 60 yards. In Week 12 the 49ers will face a Dolphins defense that been a middle of the road defense against opposing tight ends this season.  In PPR formats McDonald is certainly worth a look if you find yourself in need of help at the tight end position.