It’s Week 12, which means for many of you it’s the last chance you have to make a trade before your deadline. Much like the real trade deadline, many fantasy football managers get the itch to make moves at the last second. For our Week 12 Trade Targets, I’m going to focus on players that other managers might want to trade based on bad optics, but you should snag up before time runs out.
More Week 12 Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Weekly Rankings | Dynasty Risers and Fallers
Week 12 Trade Targets
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers WR
It sure was nice seeing Ricky Pearsall return to action in Week 11. Unfortunately, the end result was far less pleasant to look at, as he finished with one catch for zero yards. That outcome after waiting so long for his return could send owners into full-blown panic mode. If that’s the case in your league, you should jump at the chance to acquire him.
Don’t forget, Pearsall was leading the league in receiving yards per game before he got hurt. While CMC and Kittle are likely to remain the target leaders on the team, the Niners will need a receiver to step up and establish themselves atop the pack.
Jauan Jennings has had plenty of chances to do so, but ultimately seems best suited as the WR2 for the team. Brandon Aiyuk is still waiting to be activated, and that seems less and less likely to happen this season. Then there’s Pearsall.
Remember that Pearsall was a first-round NFL draft pick, handpicked by Shanahan because of how well he fits the scheme. While he had to wait to get on the field as a rookie due to an off-the-field injury (dude was shot, y’all), he ended last season on a tear, averaging over 100 yards and a touchdown in the final two games. He had two games with over 100 yards in the first three weeks of this season.
The Niners have a decent schedule to finish out 2025, with three plus matchups for receivers: Carolina in Week 12, Tennessee in Week 15, and Chicago in Week 17 for the Fantasy Championship.
Don’t let the box score from his return week fool you. Pearsall is in line for some big games to end this season. If it’s anything like last season, you’ll be happy you traded for him.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars WR
BTJ is a little hard to bet on right now, given the injury, but that also makes him acquirable. I understand if you’ve written him off as a bust on the season already, after all, he’s only had one finish inside of the Top-10 this season. That was back in Week 6 when he finished as the WR #9. In fact, that’s his only finish inside the Top-25.
So why trade for him? The simple answer is upside.
In his final six games last season, he never finished outside of the Top-26. Four of those games had finishes inside the Top-13, including two straight weeks as the WR #4.
That upside is the reason he was drafted so highly this year, and also the reason managers are so upset.
Fantasy is not a game where you are happy finishing in second place. As the playoffs tick on, you need to have the best possible chance of your team erupting to stand a chance. Other than Week 16, when they play Denver, the Jags have one of the best remaining schedules out there. They still get to play the Titans in Week 13 and the Jets in Week 15. They also have two matchups with the Colts remaining (one of which is the Fantasy Championship), which could turn into boat races.
Thomas does have more competition for targets this year, and his current track record is worrisome. If you have the guts for it, though, he could still be one of the biggest end-of-season league winners. The best part is that he’s been struggling long enough that managers no longer care about the draft capital they paid, and instead should just be happy getting any offer for him. Go see if you can get him for a steal.
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos RB
While I’m not sure Harvey has shown enough to be considered a “league winner,” he should have enough volume from this point on to be a roster lock if you’ve been shallow at RB.
J.K. Dobbins has been placed on IR, and he won’t be coming back this season.
In his first week as a starter, Harvey received a team-high 11 carries, in addition to three receptions. While the team still used a bit of a committee, as Sean Payton is wont to do, Harvey led the way with a 61% snap share.
Before the Dobbins injury, Harvey was already the team’s receiving back, having scored four times through the air this season. It appears he still gets to retain that job in addition to now being the lead runner.
The team has a bye this week, which should deflate his value in a trade, especially if the manager needs someone to play this week. The team also has more good matchups than bad matchups left. While you may be worried that they face Kansas City during the Week 17 Championship, remember that you have to make it there first for that to be an issue. The Broncos get to play Washington and Las Vegas in Weeks 13 and 14, respectively. The Week 15 matchup against Green Bay is the one to be wary of.
Again, I’m not saying that Harvey is about to turn into a monster. I do think that he can be a valuable piece that will volume his way to about the RB#15 in most weeks. Unless you have a handful of running backs you think can do better, he is a worthy trade target.
Check out all of our Week 12 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings
Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins TE
Odds are this is less of a trade target and more of a waiver pickup, but either way, you should be able to acquire him for the price of a droppable player.
This is, of course, a speculative add as Waller is still on IR and there hasn’t been any news on him since the team placed him there. I think the team will only activate him if he is actually ready to go, but if that happens, he could be a Top-5 TE to finish out the season.
During his three games played this season, he finished inside the Top 5 twice. His other finish was TE #15. The team had a plan for him all along. When he was on the field, he was there to catch passes. Not block, not decoy, just catch.
The Dolphins have one of the best remaining schedules, without a bad matchup in sight. Starting in Week 13, they face the Saints, Jets, Steelers, Bengals, and Buccaneers.
They have a bye in Week 12, which likely means we won’t hear anything on Waller until next week at the earliest. The point is to find a way to get him on your roster now, before there’s a bidding war.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
