Waiver Wire Pickups Week 12

A.J. Green owners might have a hard time giving thanks this Thursday with the star wide receiver expected to miss the remainder of the season. Luckily, those players sitting on the waiver wire are there to help you out, and hopefully, we can assist you in finding a replacement to beat the stuffing out of your opponent. We apologize for that basic joke. Here are this weeks top waiver wire pickups.

QB

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Colin Kaepernick (18%)

Kaepernick has been good for fantasy purposes over the past three weeks. He’s thrown the ball at least 30 times a game and has thrown seven touchdowns and only two interceptions on the season. He gets Miami, Chicago, the Jets, and Atlanta over the next four weeks.

Ryan Tannehill (24%)

He’s hard to trust, but he gets one of the worst defenses in the San Francisco 49ers. Over their past four games, the 49ers have given up nearly three touchdowns per game. The only quarterback who failed to throw a touchdown on them all season was Case Keenum in week one.

Joe Flacco (26%)

The face of streaming quarterbacks is back again in week 12 as he has a date with Cincinnati. They were able to contain Tyrod Taylor last week, but average quarterbacks like Eli Manning, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Siemian, and Ryan Fitzpatrick have all had good fantasy games against them.

RB

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Tim Hightower (51%)

He’s above the 50% mark but he is still worth mentioning in an article like this, because that number is only going to rise once the waivers clear in your league. Mark Ingram suffered a concussion, so he could potentially miss week 12. This was a 50/50 split to begin with, but at this point, Hightower’s usage should certainly see a rise in week 12.

Wendell Smallwood (5%)

Ryan Mathews got hurt, yet again, making Smallwood the top pickup for the week. It still isn’t confirmed if Mathews will miss week 12, but all signs point to yes. There is some potential he misses multiple games, which would make Smallwood the lead back and Darren Sproles the receiving back. Speaking of Sproles, he hurt himself as well in the Eagles last game. Smallwood could get a hefty workload in week 12 if the Eagles coaching staff decides to play it slow with Sproles.

Mike Gillislee (25%)

LeSean McCoy underwent surgery on Sunday night to repair his thumb, which could mean he is limited or ruled out for week 12. McCoy owners who are in need of an RB to replace him will greatly benefit since they can move Gillislee to the bench to be kept as a handcuff, given the fact the Shady has been shady a few times this season.

Other guys to look at: Chris Ivory, Rex Burkhead, Kenneth Dixon

WR

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Sammy Watkins (42%)

Rostering a talented wide receiver like Watkins could be the winning move this year. He’s aiming for a week 13-14 return, just in time for the playoffs. If you lost Green, this is something you could look into, but really anybody looking to win their league should be looking at Watkins. Tyrod Taylor has been a good quarterback (let’s forget about this past week) despite his lack of receiving options. When Watkins was healthy, he was Taylor’s favorite option – getting the ball fed to him despite being double covered on a number of occasions.

Brandon LaFell (11%) or Tyler Boyd (6%)

LaFell is the main receiver to add with the injury to Green. He is the the receiving red zone threat after Tyler Eifert, and has caught four touchdowns on the season. However, if you are in a PPR league, Boyd is the more affordable option to go after. The slot receiver had his first touchdown on the season with Green out and should see a bump in usage going forward.

Tajae Sharpe (12%)

The hype train on Sharpe died a few weeks back when he was seeing a lot less snaps. Now it appears he is getting consistent usage in the offense and has even caught a touchdown pass in each of the Titans last two games.

Other guys to look at: Tyreek Hill, Eddie Royal, Marqise Lee

TE

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Hunter Henry (18%)

Henry was still able to catch a touchdown pass in week 10 despite a lingering knee issue. He should be closer to full strength coming off the bye, but his upside is tamed down with a healthy Antonio Gates. Even with Gates in the lineup, Henry has fantasy potential with an unhealthy wide receiving core in San Diego.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (22%)

Making his weekly appearance is Fiedorowicz. He is one of the few tight ends sitting on the waivers who gets a good amount of usage in an offense that will have a friendly schedule moving forward.

Jared Cook (12%)

It took a while, but Jared Cook finally did something! He caught six receptions for six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown, but in Jared Cook fashion, it wasn’t all pretty. He dropped an easy touchdown pass and also fumbled a ball. He’s hard to recommend, but if the Packers get hime more involved, he could actually end up being a startable tight end.

DEF

New York Giants (48%) at Cleveland Browns

Baltimore Ravens (48%) vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions (17%) vs. Minnesota Vikings