Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Top Fantasy Football WR Adds for Week 12 Include Jerry Jeudy, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Elijah Moore, Alec Pierce

November 19, 2024

Justin Carter's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season. His free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.

Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season is almost behind us. The Chiefs finally lost a game, which ended a long win streak for the franchise. The last time the Chiefs lost, my son was still three days away from being born. Now, he says words! He stood up for like seven seconds yesterday before he fell down!

Below, you'll find our Week 12 wide receiver fantasy football waiver wire pickups list with players you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 12. Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.

Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 12 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list are around 50% rostered or below.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns - 51% rostered

It's wild how moving from Deshaun Watson to Jameis Winston at quarterback just completely changed the fantasy situation in Cleveland. The team itself is still bad, but there are actually passing yards to go around.

Jerry Jeudy had a huge Week 11, catching six of his 11 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown. It was the second game in a row with 11 targets for Jeudy and his third game in a row with at least five catches and 70 receiving yards.

Since the QB switch and the Amari Cooper trade, Jerry Jeudy has been playing arguably his best football since college. He's a strong fantasy WR3 play going forward.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, New Orleans Saints - 25% rostered

This was a weird one for the Saints as Taysom Hill was the only player with over four targets. He had 10 of them on his way to a wild game where he had 188 scrimmage yards and 18 passing yards.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling doing it all with his legs for a 71 yard TD pic.twitter.com/uWUhznMfbq

— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) November 17, 2024

But lost in that was that Marquez Valdes-Scantling scored his third touchdown in the last two weeks, getting loose for a 71-yard score. He caught just two passes all game, but his downfield speed makes him one of the top boom plays in the league.

He's kind of like a poor man's Rashid Shaheed in this offense. The ceiling is similar because of his ability to break off a huge touchdown at any moment, but the floor is much lower because he doesn't do much outside of big plays.

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - 44% rostered

Another weird game for the Packers offense, as no one had more than five targets and Christian Watson was the only wide receiver on the roster with more than two targets.

Watson was targeted four times in the 20-19 win over the Bears, catching all four for 150 yards. He firmly dominated the receiving group this week. It was by far his best game of the year and ended a streak of three games in a row with under 50 receiving yards.

DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots - 28% rostered

I still don't know how much I trust the Patriots' offense. Drake Maye has thrown for over 200 yards in all but one of the full games he's played and while his interception issues hurt him in fantasy and the Pats in real life, they don't really impact his receivers' fantasy appeal.

The #Patriots have something special in the duo of Drake Maye and DeMario Douglas!pic.twitter.com/ND7DDegEXd

— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) November 17, 2024

Backups Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne feel hard to project. For example, Bourne was benched last week. This week, he caught five passes for 70 yards and a score.

One thing we do know is that DeMario Douglas is the No. 1 guy in New England. He was targeted seven times this week, catching five passes for 59 yards. It was his sixth game this season with at least five targets.

Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 12

Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns - 8% rostered

Elijah Moore might not have the upside of Jerry Jeudy, but he had another strong showing this week, catching six of his eight targets for 66 yards and a score.

He's seen a major uptick in targets over the past three games, with 29 over that span. Only two of those three games have been strong for fantasy, so he's definitely not a reliable option yet, but he has upside in 14-team leagues.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans - 4% rostered

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has a touchdown in five of the last six games. He also has two or fewer receptions in four of the last six games and 50 or more yards just twice in that span.

It’s time to give Nick Westbrook-Ikhine the multi-year contract he deserves #TitanUppic.twitter.com/vteu4ku9Ig

— Russell Vannozzi (@RussellV_MSP) November 17, 2024

But Week 11 showcased his potential for boom weeks as he caught two of his six targets for 117 yards and a touchdown. Now, look: a 98-yard touchdown isn't going to happen again, but Westbrook-Ihkine's ability to find the end zone over and over and over makes him an upside streaming play.

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts - 18% rostered

Alec Pierce continues to be a key part of this Colts offense, no matter who is taking snaps at quarterback for the franchise. On Sunday, he caught three of his four targets for 74 yards against the Jets, showcasing his ability to make big plays down the field.

While his low volume means his floor is relatively low, Pierce has boom appeal as long as Anthony Richardson's strong arm is delivering pass attempts in his direction.

Curtis Samuel, Buffalo Bills - 9% rostered

The Bills were without Keon Coleman this week, which led to an elevated role for Curtis Samuel. He was targeted six times, catching five passes for 58 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Back in the preseason, Samuel was a popular sleeper pick in a Bills receiving unit that looked like a mystery. But over the first nine weeks of the season, Samuel never had more than four targets in a game.

But with Coleman out the last two weeks, Samuel is averaging 7.0 targets and 4.5 receptions per game. The team has a bye up next, but Samuel has appeal if Coleman misses time after the bye.

Ray-Ray McCloud III, Atlanta Falcons - 17% rostered

Ray-Ray McCloud III caught six passes for 46 yards on Sunday against Denver, finishing second on the team in targets behind Drake London. We also saw Darnell Mooney exit the game with a hamstring injury. If Mooney misses time with the hamstring injury, McCloud has a shot to be a solid streaming play after the team's Week 12 bye week.

Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos - 2% rostered

It's tough to figure out who to roster in this Broncos receiving group aside from Courtland Sutton. And honestly, the answer just might be as simple as "no one."

But Devaughn Vele feels like he's in the best spot to emerge as that guy. He caught four of his five targets for 66 yards this week and seems to be playing a larger role as the season goes along.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice