Top Players to Add in Week 12
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Michael Wilson – Jacoby Brissett set the NFL record for completions with 47 on Sunday. While everyone was feasting, no one had a better day than Michael Wilson. His 185 receiving yards are the highest in a game this season. Add 15 catches on top of that, his finish of WR2 with 26 points is all but secured heading into Monday Night Football (at the time of writing this). With fellow Arizona wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. dealing with appendicitis, Wilson has the space to emerge as the WR1 on a high-powered offense and has the makings of a league winner. Wilson is my number one waiver target this week, and someone I would consider using your FAAB savings on if you need a wide receiver.
2. Emanuel Wilson – It’s a good week to be a Wilson. On Sunday, Josh Jacobs exited the game in the second quarter due to a knee injury. In his absence, Emanuel Wilson stepped into the lead role, handling a bulk of the carries and finding his way into the end zone. We’re still waiting on an injury update on Jacobs at the time of writing this piece. If he were to miss any time, Wilson would be in a position to continue lead back responsibilities. Monitor Jacobs’ health carefully over the next two days. If he’s expected to miss an extended period of time, Wilson is my top running back target.
3. Alec Pierce – It’s easy to forget about Alec Pierce with him and his Colts coming off a bye, but it’s impossible to forget he has finishes of WR14 and WR15 in his last two games. The most impressive thing to me is that he has only one touchdown this year, which is understandable with Johnathan Taylor gobbling them all up for himself. I see Pierce continuing to be a staple in this offense, especially while he’s averaging 8.75 targets and 91.5 yards over his last four games. If you miss out on Wilson, I consider Pierce an excellent consolation prize.
4. Devin Singletary – Feels like every other week I’m writing about this backfield, and never the same player twice. Something changed, though. We have Jameis Winston at the head of this offense now. We can trust Winston to create offense and move the ball downfield. When that ball gets into the red zone, there is no player more utilized than Devin Singletary. Singletary, or should I say Deca-carry, had ten red zone opportunities last week, more than any other player. His nine carries and one target resulted in two touchdowns and a finish of RB11 (before Monday Night Football). While Tyrone Tracy Jr. had three more carries and double the rushing yards, his one red zone look could not get the job done. If red zone opportunities operate through Singletary, then so does my fantasy team.
5. Darnell Mooney – It’s been a rough few days for the Atlanta Falcons. They got swept by division rival Carolina Panthers, their quarterback of the future, Michael Penix Jr., is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, and Drake London will miss at least one game with a PCL sprain. Where does that leave them? In the hands of Kirk Cousins with Darnell Mooney as their WR1. Cousins is still playing for pride and will try to win this game. This pickup, we’re banking on a similar (but smaller) bump that Michael Wilson saw in the absence of Marvin Harrison Jr. in Arizona. Mooney is a high-upside dart throw I like in deeper leagues.
Others Receiving Votes
Chris Rodriguez Jr., WAS (7% ESPN, 12% Yahoo) – Chris Rodriguez Jr.very narrowly missed out on being a top-five waiver target. Unfortunately, he has a minor obstacle in his way, his schedule. As if it couldn’t get any worse with his bye week next week, his following matchup comes at Denver, who allow the sixth-fewest points against running backs. After that, the Commanders’ schedule softens up, including a premium matchup for Weeks 15 and 17.
Sean Tucker, TB (29% ESPN, 26% Yahoo) – Sean Tucker was an honorable mention last week, and if you picked him up there’s a very good chance he won you the week. Can he do it back-to-back? It all depends on how Bucky Irving looks this week. The Buccaneers also face a tough Rams defense in Los Angeles. I think Tucker’s best game is behind him, but he could be a valuable piece without Irving.
Kenneth Gainwell, PIT (32% ESPN, 42% Yahoo) – Jaylen Warren says his ankle injury is minor and that he was held out of the game last week as a precaution. In his absence, Kenneth Gainwell took over as the primary ball carrier and found the end zone twice. When Gainwell took over starting duties back in Week 4 overseas, he finished as RB3. We could have a similar opportunity this week. This will depend heavily on Warren’s health and if he misses more time. If he does, Gainwell climbs up the rankings. If Warren returns, Gainwell continues to be a premium handcuff and one that should be rostered in more than 40% of leagues.
Jayden Higgins, HOU (20% ESPN, 16% Yahoo) – For the second week in a row, Jayden Higgins saw seven targets. He continues to put up Low-WR2/High-WR3 numbers. The Texans will have a short week this week as they host the Bills on Thursday. I don’t expect C.J. Stroud to return due to the short week, and Davis Mills has understood the assignment of spreading the ball. I like Higgins as a high-upside WR3 this week.
Juwan Johnson, NO (35% ESPN, 45% Yahoo) – Since Week 7, Juwan Johnson is TE8. Did I mention the Saints were on bye last week? Johnson is putting up 11.5 points per game in that stretch. He was so impressive, I had to call him out as a top waiver target last week. It’s clear the people didn’t drop their FAAB on a bye week tight end, as Johnson is still available in ~40% of leagues. With Alvin Kamara‘s presence in this offense fading and Rashid Shaheed getting shipped to Seattle, the gap in the offense is being filled by a player at a premium position who’s available in over half of fantasy leagues. I expect Johnson to keep up his nearly 6 targets per game. Johnson is my top tight end waiver target.
Jacoby Brissett, ARI (24% ESPN, 34% Yahoo) – Last week, I asked if Jacoby Brissett is for real. This week I’m declaring it: Jacoby Brissett is for real. After two straight weeks of QB10, Brissett ascended to QB3 (before Monday Night Football). Will Brissett continue to throw the ball 57 times every week? No, but if his floor is QB10 and his ceiling is top three, that is a waiver target I am after. If you’ve been streaming or rotating different quarterbacks all season, I feel comfortable picking up Brissett as your set-and-forget starter moving forward.
Defense Wins Championships
Unfortunately for us, the Seattle Seahawks (79% rostered) face the Tennessee Titans this week. If you happen to play in the 21% of leagues they’re available in, they would be my number one defense to start. Since most of us aren’t so lucky, I have you covered with a few backup options.
At the time of writing, I don’t know how the Las Vegas Raiders (4%) looked against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. What I do know is they host the Cleveland Browns and what looks to be Shedeur Sanders‘ first professional start. Sanders did not look great in the time he played last week. He could look better after a full week of practice, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.
In the inverse of my above blurb, the Cleveland Browns (41%) are coming off a dominant 17-point outing against division rival Baltimore Ravens. Myles Garrett is one of two players with double-digit sacks this season. The Browns travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders, who will be coming off a short week. The Raiders allow three sacks a game. It’s a matchup where you can’t go wrong with either defense.
Finally, if you’re lucky enough to look ahead to the playoffs, I love the New Orleans Saints (2%). They face Kirk Cousins without Drake London, and they have arguably the top playoff schedule for a defense. Week 15 hosting the Panthers, a matchup they scored 12 against back in Week 10, Week 16 they host the Jets, and whoever is their quarterback by then, and finally Week 17 they travel to Tennessee. The Week 17 matchup alone is worth the stash; the rest of the playoffs are gravy.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)