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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire pickups and fantasy football sleepers for Week 12. His top free agent options for 14-team fantasy leagues or deeper.
The waiver wire is as thin as ever and there are no teams on a bye in Week 12, but there's never a time to stop searching for late-season upside as the fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner. These fantasy football waiver wire pickup suggestions are for fantasy managers in deep leagues of 14-teams or more or a higher number of bench spots than traditional fantasy leagues. That said, chalky waiver pickups like Joshua Palmer and Treylon Burks won't be featured here.
Some players on this list might be able to produce right away, while guys like Isaiah Spiller and Dontrell Hilliard are purely handcuff stashes for later down the road in the fantasy football season. As always, these players are usually cheap to obtain and can be dropped if it's clear they won't have value after a few weeks. With 11 weeks of data to examine, advanced stats and fantasy statistics carry more weight for the rest of the season.
Without further ado, here are the top deeper league waiver wire targets for Week 12, including Jameson Williams, Julio Jones, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, and Austin Hooper.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets for Week 12.
Kyren Williams logged eight touches in the loss to the New Orleans Saints, and although the Rams' offense is one of the worst in the NFL, he could have value down the stretch if the team simply wants to see what they have in the fifth-round rookie running back.
DeeJay Dallas nor Travis Homer logged a touch in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they're both top contenders for plenty of volume in a top offense if something were to happen to Kenneth Walker down the stretch.
Dontrell Hilliard caught his fourth touchdown reception of the year in Week 11 and would be oozing with PPR upside if Derrick Henry has to miss games down the stretch of the season. He won't have immediate flex appeal, but we're at the point in the season where handcuff stashes could mean a lot come playoff time.
Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell should remain on the fantasy radar as handcuffs to Miles Sanders in one of the best offensive attacks in football.
Justin Jackson saw 10 touches and led the Lions in rushing yards (66) against the New York Giants. He won't be a startable player, but he can be stashed as a handcuff to D'Andre Swift or Jamaal Williams. He'd have a role if either of those lead backs goes down.
Isaiah Spiller handled six touches for 22 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs, so he's the top handcuff to Austin Ekeler, at least until Joshua Kelley (knee) returns from injured reserve.
Chuba Hubbard looks to be relegated to the RB2 role in Carolina, but there's a chance he regains some of his touches as he distances himself from his ankle injury. If nothing else, he's at least the handcuff to D'Onta Foreman, and you'd think Carolina will want to see what they have in their second-year back.
DeAndre Carter won't be a hot waiver wire add since it was Joshua Palmer who went for over 100 yards and two touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs, but with Mike Williams (ankle) suffering a setback, Carter could still be on the fantasy radar moving forward.
Richie James and Kenny Golladay are likely the top two wideouts behind Darius Slayton after Wan'Dale Robinson tore his ACL in Week 11. Both have limited upside, but someone has to catch passes for New York.
Terrace Marshall Jr. has seen 23 targets in his last four games, which is more than you can say about most wide receivers on waivers this late in the season.
Devin Duvernay, DeSean Jackson, and Demarcus Robinson have low floors in a low-volume passing offense, but with Rashod Bateman (foot) out for the season, both have the opportunity to be fantasy football factors. Robinson caught all nine of his targets for 128 yards against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is far from a safe fantasy option in a crowded skill group for Kansas City, but he has the boom-or-bust upside that can win weeks, and he's a top "handcuff" wideout in an elite offense.
Zay Jones has drawn 15 targets in his last two games, catching 13 of them for 108 yards as the Jaguars' No. 2 wideout. The defense for Jacksonville is falling apart, so expect a ton of pass-happy game scripts moving forward for Trevor Lawrence and company.
Julio Jones always carries injury concerns, but he's been targeted 10 times in the last two games, netting five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. If this Tampa Bay offense is finally turning the corner, you want to roster the No. 3 wideout for Tom Brady.
Mack Hollins continues to operate as Derek Carr's No. 2 target while Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller are on injured reserve with hamstring injuries. Renfrow and Waller will remain out for at least another two games, so Hollins is worth picking up after catching six passes for 52 yards in the win over the Denver Broncos.
Jameson Williams (knee) is set to practice this week, meaning he could play as soon as Thanksgiving day. Even if he has to wait until Week 13 to return, he's worth picking up as he could at least be the No. 2 option in the passing game behind Amon-Ra St. Brown in a solid Lions' offense.
Randall Cobb returned from injured reserve against the Titans and caught all six of his targets for 73 yards. Aaron Rodgers loves to target Cobb over the middle, so he could be a solid PPR flex play moving forward with Christian Watson demanding the defense's attention after catching five touchdowns in two games.
Tutu Atwell saw just one target in the first game without Cooper Kupp (ankle) in the Rams' offense, but he caught the lone target for 62 yards and a touchdown. With the Rams seemingly in the midst of a lost season, Atwell could begin to get more involved for Sean McVay down the stretch after flashing his big-play ability.
Skyy Moore finally showed up for Kansas City, catching five of six targets for 63 yards in the win over the Los Angeles Rams. However, it took Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) injuries to open the door for him, so he might go back to fantasy irrelevance if those two are healthy heading into Week 12.
Cade Otton has received 14 targets in his last three games and was the primary receiving option against the Seattle Seahawks, even with Cameron Brate (neck) back in the lineup. The Tampa Bay offense is finally getting it together and expect Tom Brady and company to improve even more after the team's Week 11 bye.
Juwan Johnson caught another touchdown in Week 11, giving him five on the year. He's currently a mid-tier TE1 in fantasy, and now this is probably fantasy managers' last chance to pick him up.
Austin Hooper won't catch two touchdowns often as he did against Green Bay, but he now has 14 targets in a Titans' passing attack that looks to be coming alive. He's not worth a ton of FAAB or a high waiver priority, but he could be in for some steady production as he's gotten on the same page as Ryan Tannehill in recent weeks.
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