RADIO
Welcome to Week 12 everyone. How hungry are you to earn a berth in your fantasy league's postseason tournament? While the waiver wire has thinned considerably since earlier in the year, there may still be a few goodies out there to catapult you over the hump on Thanksgiving week of the NFL.
Let’s look around the league at who is worth a bid going into Week 12. Bye weeks are finished, meaning waiver pickups may be harder to justify in starting lineups, and tougher lineup decisions will be more prevalent with just two weeks until playoffs begin.
Each FAAB auction price recommendation will be based on a $100 FAAB budget, and all players listed have less than 50 percent ownership on Yahoo.
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Austin Ekeler (LAC) - $10-15 (35% owned)
Don't look now, but the rookie has scored four touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing) in the last four weeks, and he's averaging a healthy 5.3 yards per carry as Melvin Gordon's primary backup. He's definitely become a must-own handcuff for Gordon owners, at the very least.
Ekeler managed to score his second rushing touchdown of the season in Week 11's blowout against the Bills, but it did come in garbage time with the game well out of hand. Regardless, his touches are on the rise, and he may continue to have standalone value in deeper leagues as an RB3/flex on Thanksgiving day against Dallas.
Rod Smith (DAL) - $5-10 (19% owned)
While the numbers aren't much to look at and Alfred Morris is the clear lead runner with Ezekiel Elliott serving his six-game suspension, Smith is the No. 2 now and is the better pass catcher of the two, although he didn't have any targets in the blowout loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night.
In the two games Elliott has missed so far, Smith has 11 carries for only 25 yards, but he did manage four receptions for 15 yards in Week 10 against the Falcons. Negative game script in the last two lopsided losses hasn't helped his cause. Consider Smith a PPR stash in deeper leagues as the fantasy playoffs approach.
NEW - J.D. McKissic (SEA) - $10-15 (9% owned)
While Russell Wilson remains Seattle's best rusher, the Seahawks tipped their hand a little Monday night on how they might approach their backfield moving forward. Don't get too excited. Thomas Rawls was a surprise healthy inactive, showing us how much they think of him. Mike Davis, just promoted off the practice squad last week, saw a decent workload and looked fresh until he suffered what looked to be a serious groin injury.
Eddie Lacy looks done (three carries for two yards), and he's averaging just 2.5 yards per carry on 51 attempts. Rawls will surely be active again soon with Davis injured, but McKissic is the best option not named Wilson. He led all Seattle runners in touches Monday night while carrying the ball seven times for 30 yards and catching five passes for an additional 23 yards.
McKissic also has a high motor and runs hard on every play, something you can't necessarily say about the oft-injured Lacy. The 24-year-old converted wide receiver is lightning quick, too. He had been the primary third-down option with C.J. Prosise (ankle) injured, but it looks like he'll take on a bigger role for the rest of the year.
Devontae Booker (DEN) - $10-15 (7% owned)
While it was C.J. Anderson with the lone rushing touchdown for Denver in Week 11, Booker was more productive and a bigger part of the game plan in the loss. The second-year back out-touched Anderson 14 to 13 on the ground and five to two through the air.
Booker's five catches were tied for the team lead with Demaryius Thomas, and the 25-year-old was the quickest and freshest of Denver's offensive weapons. With Jamaal Charles (three carries for seven yards) tumbling to third on the depth chart, Booker and Anderson figure to share backfield work heading into Week 12.
Both running backs are RB3/flex options, but Anderson may be a more boom-or-bust, touchdown-dependent option than Booker. Also working in Booker's favor is the fact that Anderson lost a crucial fumble late in their comeback effort.
Also Consider: Alfred Blue (HOU) - $3-5, Byron Marshall (WAS) - $3-5, Andre Ellington (HOU) - $1-2
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Wide Receivers
Josh Doctson (WAS) - $15-20 (28% owned)
Mostly out of necessity, Washington has given Doctson a bigger role in the passing game, and he's delivered with back-to-back games with exactly four catches on seven targets, although in Week 11 he posted a career-high 81 yards with a 20.3 yard-per-catch average.
The soon-t0-be 25-year-old was a massive disappointment in his rookie season after being a first-round pick, but he's starting to figure things out and has a great opportunity to continue his improvement down the stretch with oft-injured tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring) still hurt and free-agent bust Terrelle Pryor (ankle) disappearing.
Both Doctson and Ryan Grant, who caught all three of his targets for 59 yards and a score on Sunday, are trending upward and could feast this Thursday night against the Giants.
Zay Jones (BUF) - $10-15 (7% owned)
It was unfortunate that the rookie had to sit out in Week 10 after scoring his first NFL touchdown in Week 9, but he returned in the Week 11 blowout loss to the Chargers to another solid stat line -- four catches on seven targets for a season-high 68 yards.
After doing next to nothing early in the year, Jones appears to finally be figuring things out. More production could be on the horizon, too, as he may be the team's No. 1 wideout in Week 12 against the Chiefs with both Kelvin Benjamin (knee) and Jordan Matthews (knee) ailing.
Not only will Jones continue to see more opportunities this weekend, but he'll also be facing a Kansas City secondary that allows a whopping 41.5 fantasy points per game to opposing pass catchers, which is the worst mark in the NFL.
Russell Shepard (CAR) - $5-10 (1% owned)
The Panthers come off their bye week feeling good about themselves coming off a 45-21 drubbing of the Dolphins. However, they're also entering the Week 12 matchup against the Jets knowing that they'll be without promising rookie wideout Curtis Samuel (ankle) for the rest of the year.
The expected return of tight end Greg Olsen (foot) will inject life into the passing game, but someone must step up in Samuel's absence across from No. 1 receiver Devin Funchess. To close out the game against Miami, that man was Shepard, who posted a season-high three catches (seven targets) for 40 yards.
He'll be on the WR4/5 radar in deeper leagues moving forward, although Kaelin Clay could compete for touches with Shepard in what remains a run-first squad in Carolina.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Tight Ends
O.J. Howard (TB) - $5-10 (22% owned)
Howard has mostly taken a back seat to Cameron Brate as the pass-catching tight end this year, which was expected, but with Brate disappearing (three catches total the last three weeks), Howard's appeal is growing.
The 23-year-old rookie tight end caught three of four targets for 52 yards and his fourth touchdown of the year in the Week 11 win over the Dolphins. Aside from his three games with scores in 2017, though, Howard has been virtually non-existent in the passing game, making him a boom-or-bust streamer.
With Jameis Winston (shoulder) out at least another week, though, Ryan Fitzpatrick's presence under center seems to benefit Howard more than it does Brate.
Adam Shaheen (CHI) - $5-10 (0% owned)
The rookie from Ashland has a fine opportunity down the stretch as Chicago's No. 1 tight end with Zach Miller (leg) done for the year and Dion Sims (illness) out indefinitely with an undisclosed illness.
In the two games since Miller's injury, Shaheen has caught all six of his targets for 80 yards and a touchdowns. His greatest asset to the Bears is his presence in the red zone and as a safety blanket for rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
However, despite the attractive long-term upside here, Shaheen remains a touchdown-dependent streamer on a run-first team. He will have another attractive matchup against the Eagles this weekend, though.
Also Consider: Austin Traylor (DEN) - $3-5
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Quarterbacks
Blaine Gabbert (ARI) - $5-10 (3% owned)
In his first start filling in for the injured Drew Stanton (knee), Gabbert had a decent showing, going 22-for-34 for 257 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions against the Texans. The Cardinals will continue to run Gabbert out there until Stanton is 100 percent healthy.
Gabbert is a slight upgrade over Stanton and gives Larry Fitzgerald the most upside, but he'll remain more of a low-end QB2 option, especially in a very tough matchup with Jacksonville's stingy secondary in Week 12.
Matt Moore (MIA) - $3-5 (1% owned)
In relief of a concussed and ineffective Jay Cutler in Week 11, Moore nearly led another successful comeback against the Buccaneers, going 17-for-28 for 282 yards and a touchdown in the second half. At this point in the season it's hard to argue that Moore isn't the better option under center.
If Cutler doesn't get clearance to play this weekend, Moore will receive another start against a Patriots defense that allows the second most fantasy points per game to receivers (20.4), although they've been much better of late.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Defense
Cincinnati Bengals - $1-3 (41% owned)
The Bengals are ranked 27th in the NFL in takeaways (10), but they created two in a Week 11 win over the Broncos and nearly had a 100-yard interception returned for a TD. They are a must-play this weekend against a Browns team that leads the NFL with 28 total giveaways.
Despite lacking turnovers this year, Cincy's D-line gets consistent pressure, ranking fourth with 29 total sacks. They are a no-brainer plug and play in Week 12.
Los Angeles Chargers - $1-3 (35% owned)
The Bolts are a team on the rise, and they have arguably the best pass-rushing duo in the league in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. LA as a team is third in the NFL with 30 sacks, behind just the Steelers and Jaguars.
They are also opportunistic in the turnover department with 17 on the season, including five interceptions and a fumble returned for a TD in the Week 11 blowout of the Bills. Despite being on the road on a short week on Thanksgiving at Dallas, the Chargers are licking their chops with Ezekiel Elliott serving his suspension and All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith in question to play.
