November 23, 2016

Demetri Raftopoulos examines which NFL wide receivers and tight ends saw a surprisingly high number of targets in Week 11 of the fantasy football season and could become a desirable waiver target and add for Week 12.

Fantasy playoffs inch closer. No teams are on a bye this week, but a ton of crucial injuries during last week's action have left fantasy owners scrambling, panicking, and again looking towards the waiver wire for solid fill-in options.

Here is a look at the surprise target grabbers from Week 11, and a look at possible breakout options for Week 12 based on the usage they are seeing in the passing game. You can ask me more waiver wire and game day questions on Twitter @DemetriRafto.

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Surprise Week 11 Target Grabbers

Jared Cook - (TE, GB)

Welcome back, Jared Cook. After missing six straight games with an ankle injury, Cook made his return to the field count with six receptions on 11 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Washington Redskins on Sunday night. According to Yahoo Sports, Cook was on the field for 43 of 70 offensive snaps in easily his best performance in a Green Bay uniform.

Cook did drop what would have been his second touchdown of the game, and fumbled during a late fourth quarter drive; something to be expected from Cook. He's a risky option moving forward, but on a team desperately searching for a boost, Cook could be that guy. He is a streaming tight end option as the Packers head to Philadelphia Monday night.

C.J. Fiedorowicz - (TE, HOU)

The name isn't fun to spell, but the player is enjoyable to watch. Fiedorowicz has surprisingly moved his way past DeAndre Hopkins as the most effective player in Houston's inefficient passing game. The third-year tight end saw a season-high 10 targets on Monday night, reeling in six for 82 yards.

There aren't too many Texans trusted in fantasy because of the underwhelming play of Brock Osweiler, but Fiedorowicz holds the most appeal playing alongside a quarterback that loves checking down and throwing short. Poor Hopkins, and fantasy owners of last year's top-five receiver. Fiedorowicz is a TE1 next week against the San Diego Chargers.

DeVante Parker - (WR, MIA) 

Before last week's impressive performance, it took a while for Parker to return to fantasy-relevance, struggling to put anything together since Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. But for the second straight contest, Parker displayed his undervalued abilities and posted his best showing of the season. Parker caught eight passes on 10 targets for 79 yards and a touchdown; his first since the aforementioned game against the winless Browns.

Parker heads into a mouthwatering matchup against a San Francisco 49ers squad that has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. He's a WR3 moving forward.

Possible Week 12 Breakout Options

Brandon LaFell - (WR, CIN)

Many fantasy owners, more specifically the entire Cincinnati Bengals organization, held their breath as A.J. Green was carted off the field last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. And then cursed at the television. I was one of them.

With that small bit of venting now out of the way, Brandon LaFell has a golden opportunity in Week 12 to produce in the absence of arguably the best receiver in the National Football League. LaFell was unable to produce once Green and then Giovani Bernard went down with injury, reeling in only four of nine targets for a forgettable 32 yards. He heads into another favorable matchup this Sunday. The Bengals visit Baltimore and face off against a Ravens team that has allowed seven touchdowns through the air over their last five contests. This is good news for someone who hasn't found the end zone since Week 7. He's a borderline WR3 in deeper PPR formats, but more of a WR4.

Eddie Royal - (WR, CHI)

The poor Chicago Bears. After an impressive first half showing against the New York Giants last Sunday, Zach Miller broke his foot (after posting 15 fantasy points over two quarters). And then, the real Bears suddenly showed up. Jay Cutler also suffered what believed to be a torn labrum in his shoulder, according to NFL.com. Oh, and Alshon Jeffery will miss another contest as he continues to serve a suspension.

Now with Matt Barkley likely under center, the depleted Bears will look to Jordan Howard and Eddie Royal to give them some type of production against the Tennessee Titans. Royal has caught only three passes on five targets over his last two games and missed two contests due to injury in late October. Royal started the season strong with three productive showings in his first four contests, but hasn't found the end zone since Week 4. This is one of those situations where you say who else does this team have? Cameron Meredith has also been a no-show but could find some room as well. Royal is certainly a punt, but provides a ton of cap-relief in daily fantasy.

Adam Thielen - (WR, MIN) 

The man no one really knows about continues to make some noise on an offense people have already begun to forget about. In a must-win, the Vikings topped the Arizona Cardinals behind touchdowns from their defense and special teams, along with another under-the-radar performance from Adam Thielen.

Thielen is only owned in 4% of Yahoo leagues, but that should go up during the week. Thielen has produced efficiently for PPR formats three weeks in a row and has scored a touchdown over his last two. He caught all five of his targets for 65 yards versus the Cardinals and heads into a favorable matchup against a Detroit Lions team that has already surrendered 22 receiving touchdowns, fourth-most in the league.

Other Options: Lance Kendricks (TE, LA) @NO, Cordarrelle Patterson (WR, MIN) @DET, Kenny Stills (WR, MIA) vs SF