We’re getting down to the stretch run of the fantasy football season and that makes the waiver wire thinner than ever. With that said, we do have our final BYE week of the season, with four teams sitting out this week. That may force people to make some strange drops and it’s key to monitor your waiver wire all week long. With that in mind, let’s dig into our Week 12 Waiver Wire pickups.
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Week 12 Waiver Wire Running Backs
Jonathan Williams (IND)
With Marlon Mack suffering a fracture in his hand, Williams should fill in as the early-down back for the Colts. That was certainly the case in Week 11 when Williams collected 13 carries for 116 rushing yards after Mack went down. That means they’d like to keep Nyheim Hines in his third-down role while giving Williams the early-down work and the goal-line carries. That’s big news when you consider that Mack is one of the league leaders with 178 total carries this season. That equates to 15 carries per game and Williams would be a heck of a pickup if he sees that sort of usage for the next 2-3 weeks.
Derrius Guice (WSH)
I was unsure how Guice would look after such a severe injury but his Week 11 performance is hard to overlook. While he only received seven carries and two targets, Guice accrued 69 total yards and one TD in those eight total touches and nine opportunities. That’s the top prospect that fans have been waiting for and Washington will surely give him a chance to succeed with nothing to play for the final five weeks.
Feeding a 34-year-old Adrian Peterson would be silly ahead of a young stud like this, especially with the Redskins using a second-round pick on him last season. We love his matchups too, facing the Panthers, Lions, and Packers the next three weeks. All three of those clubs sit in the bottom-8 in rushing yards allowed this season, making Guice a potential league-winner.
Bo Scarbrough (DET)
I feel like this is the 1,000th time that a Detroit running back has been in this article but this is the guy I’m most hopeful about. The simple fact is, they don’t trust players like Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic. That’s evident when you see that Scarbrough had 14 carries in Week 11, the highest total for any Lions RB since Kerryon Johnson went down. He also provided 55 rushing yards and a TD in that loss, proving that he’s established himself as their early-down back. I hate to use narratives but Matt Patricia gave Scarbrough a big hug after his game-high 23-yard rush in Week 11 and you simply can’t overlook when a head coach shows that sort of affections towards a new player.
Week 12 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
Deebo Samuel (SF)
The eye test is always dangerous but Samuel looks like an absolute stud. Over his last two games, Samuel has 16 catches for 146 receiving yards on 21 targets. That directly correlates with Emmanuel Sanders joining the team and it’s clear that he’s opened up the defense for Samuel to succeed. It also correlates with George Kittle missing games and it’s evident that San Fran wants to lean on Samuel with Sanders and Kittle both banged up right now. Playing at least 83 percent of the team’s snaps in each of the last two games while attaining double-digit targets in each tell you everything you need to know about this potential stud and he should continue to see a large workload while those two recover.
Darius Slayton (NYG)
Slayton was in our article last week but the Giants were on a bye, so many people may have overlooked him. That’s why we’re going to go right back to him here. Slayton finished the Week 10 loss against the Jets with 10 catches for 121 yards and two TDs. What we really like is the increase in opportunity. Injuries to Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard have allowed Slayton to play on 93 percent of the snaps in Week 10, which actually matches his snap share from the last five weeks in total. That has led to four TDs over the last three games and it’s simply tough to fade a guy who’s playing so much while being targeted so regularly. As long as Engram and Shepard are out, Slayton’s target and snap share make him a tempting waiver wire pickup.
Week 12 Waiver Wire D/ST Streamer
Cleveland Browns (vs. MIA)
A lot of the talk around Cleveland’s defense is surely swarming around Myles Garrett and his wild helmet, but it does have people overlooking a rather special performance. Cleveland held Pittsburgh to seven points in that 21-7 win, recording four sacks and four interceptions. That extends a rather impressive stretch from this defense altogether, with the Browns allowing just 16.3 points per game over their last three games.
That’s the talented defense that we’ve been waiting for all season long and we have to love them in a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins. In fact, Miami currently ranks 31st in both points scored and total yardage while ranking fourth in turnovers and dead-last in sacks surrendered. Vegas agrees with our assessment, making the Browns a 10.5-point favorite in this game with a total of 44.5. That gives the Dolphins a 17-point projection, one of the lowest teams totals of the week.
Week 12 Waiver Wire Adds to Consider
- Ross Dwelley (SF): Dwelley just got two TDs in the Week 11 victory and could continue to start at tight end as long as George Kittle is sidelined.
- Nick Foles (JAX): Foles threw for 296 yards and two TDs in his return from injury and gets to face the Falcons, Raiders and Buccaneers over his final five games.
- DeVante Parker (MIA): Parker just continues to be widely-owned and continues to produce. In fact, Parker is a Top-20 wide receiver over his last seven games.
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