RADIO
In fantasy football leagues that use FAAB (free agent acquisition budget), it can be hard to know how much money to spend on key players at QB, RB, WR, or TE. Nick Mariano gives fantasy owners his recommendations on how to spend FAAB for Week 12.
Assisting our famous waiver wire pickups list, and our weekly waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on suggested waiver wire bidding percentages for fantasy football owners in leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
As a caveat, these prices do not by any means indicate how much these free agent players will go for. Each league values players differently and will continue to do so. These values are here to provide a baseline to understand roughly how much you should be targeting to spend on a particular player. You only have so much FAAB money, spend it as wisely as possible.
Those of you with remaining FAAB $ need to pick your spots -- are you in win-now mode, needing to leap on glimmers of short-term hope? Or are you looking forward towards the playoffs? To help you plan appropriately, here are our FAAB auction bidding recommendations for Week 12 below.
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FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold (QB, NYJ) - FAAB Bid: 2-3%
22% owned
Darnold made one mistake in Week 11 -- an ugly interception -- but tossed four touchdowns with 293 yards in a 34-17 win. Reports are that Darnold went to Adam Gase and made "recommendations" for how he'd like to see the offense operate, and the results have been solid. He and the Jets face the Raiders, Bengals and Dolphins over the next three weeks, meaning Darnold could walk you right into your league's semifinal as a streamer.
Jacoby Brissett (QB, IND) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
38% owned
Brissett was a side dish in Week 11, contributing two TDs (one pass, one rush) while the ground game dominated Jacksonville with 264 yards. With Marlon Mack on the shelf, Brissett will likely need to shoulder more on the short turnaround against Houston in Week 12. The Colts face the Bucs in Week 14, with their incredible offensive line sure to buy Brissett enough time to build on his 15:4 TD:INT mark.
Nick Foles (QB, JAC) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
21% owned
Foles was respectable in his return, completing 33-of-47 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. A road date against Tennessee in Week 12 has a similarly mediocre ceiling, but Week 13 against the Buccaneers should see a top-10 performance. Those facing two must-win games to reach the playoffs should scoop him now before people see "TB" on his matchup sheet.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Running Backs
Bo Scarbrough (RB, DET) - FAAB Bid: 20-25%
2% owned
J.D. McKissic is not built like a feature back but Paul Perkins wasn’t impressing, which prompted Detroit to sign Scarbrough. He stepped right into 32-of-65 snaps even though Ty Johnson (19 snaps) was healthy, turning 14 totes into 55 yards and a score. He’ll lead the Lions into a date with Washington in Week 12, one of six defenses that have surrendered an average of 110+ ground yards to RBs this 2019.
Jonathan Williams (RB, IND) - FAAB Bid: 50-60%
4% owned
Williams stepped up after Marlon Mack broke his hand with Jordan Wilkins already out, delivering 116 yards and a TD on 13 carries. Nyheim Hines did his usual pass-catching thing on 35% of the snaps, and it seems that Wilkins will join that pair in a committee for Week 12.
Derrius Guice (RB, WAS) - FAAB Bid: 5-6%
48% owned
Washington’s coach, Bill Callahan, says Guice is on track to return in Week 11. He’s been out since Week 1 on the IR with a return designation and would surely retake the starting job. Remember, Adrian Peterson was inactive in Week 1 and they need to see how the youngster looks over extended play before the 2020 offseason evaluations. The schedule isn’t soft, but a Week 16 date with the Giants could help deep-leaguers take home the title.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Wide Receivers
Allen Lazard (WR, GB) - FAAB Bid: 15-20%
6% owned
Lazard’s 15 targets over the last three weeks speak louder than his lesser snap counts, which trail Geronimo Allison (and obviously Davante Adams.) Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both had four red-zone opportunities in Week 10, but Lazard and Adams each had two. Green Bay still goes through Adams and its RBs, but Lazard will be needed against San Francisco’s strong defense in Week 12 before great matchups against NYG and WAS in Weeks 13 and 14.
Josh Reynolds (WR, LAR) - FAAB Bid: 12-15%
16% owned
Reynolds had a 51-yard TD taken away by a (stupid) illegal formation penalty, but still finished with a respectable 3-55-0 line despite a slow 17-7 victory on Sunday night. Brandin Cooks is still working back, which leaves Reynolds in the three-wide fold for next Monday night against the Ravens. Reynolds would be a top-36 WR in Week 13 against Arizona If Cooks still can’t go.
James Washington (WR, PIT) - FAAB Bid: 10-12%
8% owned
Washington held his own in Week 11, seeing the field on 85% of the snaps in a gritty divisional game where the Steelers could barely move the ball. His 49 yards paced the Steelers on a sad night for Mason Rudolph, but the real news is that JuJu Smith-Schuster hurt his knee and Diontae Johnson is in the concussion protocol. James Conner isn’t 100% either, which stunts the scoring potential overall but helps siphon action towards Washington against Cincinnati in Week 12.
Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI) - FAAB Bid: 8-10%
13% owned
Nelson Agholor is Philadelphia’s de facto No. 1 WR with Alshon Jeffery banged up and DeSean Jackson out. They have a solid RB stable and two stud TEs, but Agholor still saw nine targets in Week 11 as a result. He failed to hold onto a TD in the fourth quarter and wound up with a disappointing 4-40-0 line, but do recall he posted 8-107-1 and 8-50-2 lines in Weeks 2 and 3. His shaky hands mean a low floor, but Philly should need to stay on the gas pedal in Week 12 against Seattle.
Other quick WR hits: Zach Pascal, A.J. Brown, Taylor Gabriel, Hunter Renfrow, Randall Cobb, Jakeem Grant, Marcus Johnson, N'Keal Harry.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Tight Ends
Jacob Hollister (TE, SEA) - FAAB Bid: 6-8%
31% owned
Hollister and the Seahawks come off their bye to face PHI, MIN, LAR, CAR and ARI in Weeks 12-16, with Hollister seeing 16 targets in the past two weeks. With those 16 looks, he’s posted a stellar 12-99-3 box score, becoming a preferred option in the red zone for Russell Wilson. This will only get emphasized should Tyler Lockett be limited.
Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - FAAB Bid: 4-5%
2% owned
O.J. Howard is squarely in the doghouse now, with a bobbled pass leading to a pick that gave the Saints early momentum in Week 11. This led to his being benched and Brate stepping up with a season-high 14 targets, 10 receptions and 73 yards while playing on 75% of their snaps.
Noah Fant (TE, DEN) - FAAB Bid: 3-4%
28% owned
Fant appears to be in Brandon Allen’s good graces, as two games have seen the rookies connect seven times for 175 yards and a score on 15 targets. Fant is Denver’s clear No. 2 passing option behind Courtland Sutton, though it remains an inefficient unit that may have a further wrinkle thrown into it should Drew Lock step in for Allen down the road.
Ryan Griffin (TE, NYJ) - FAAB Bid: 3-4%
3% owned
Griffin posted a season-high 109 yards on five catches and a score in Week 11, giving him four scores since Week 6. He’s topped 50 yards in three of his last four games and now Chris Herndon’s return doesn’t loom in the shadows. Griffin tees off against a Raiders Defense that has been ripped by the TE -- a bottom-three unit against them on the year.
Dallas Goedert (TE, PHI) - FAAB Bid: 2-3%
17% owned
Goedert produced Philadelphia’s only touchdown of Week 11, giving him three TDs in his last four games. He played 58 snaps to Zach Ertz’s 64 and has averaged six targets per game since Week 6. With Alshon Jeffery banged up and Nelson Agholor as inconsistent as ever, Goedert should be a solid TE2 threat to score, especially with SEA, MIA, NYG and WAS in his next four games.
David Njoku (TE, CLE) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
18% owned
Njoku has been on the IR since breaking his wrist in Week 2, and is currently “day-to-day” per Freddie Kitchens. He posted a 4-37-1 line while playing nearly every down in Week 1 and would step into cupcake schedule heading into the playoffs, with MIA, PIT, CIN and ARI in Weeks 12-15.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Defense/Special Teams
Atlanta Falcons Defense (vs. TB) - FAAB Bid: 2-4%
2% owned
One game can be a fluke, but two games may yield a pattern. Two games ago, Dan Quinn gave up defensive playcalling to Jeff Ulbrich, their LB coach, and Raheem Morris shifted back to working with the defensive backs. Week 10 saw them limit the Saints to three field goals with six sacks before holding the Panthers to one field goal with five sacks and four interceptions. 12 points and 11 sacks since the switches paints an optimistic picture heading into a home date with the Bucs in Week 12.
Cleveland Browns Defense (vs. MIA) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
49% owned
The Browns Defense will be without Myles Garrett, but they’re still facing the struggling Dolphins at home after a stellar performance against Mason Rudolph and the Steelers. The locker room may be fracturing, but the Dolphins are capable of unifying anything placed in front of them into a formidable defense.
Detroit Lions Defense (at WAS) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
7% owned
The Lions are a below-average defense, but capable of performing in top-tier matchups. Detroit travels to D.C. next in Dwayne Haskins’ latest audition for 2020 and beyond. Not only is the rookie prone to mistakes and dealing with a lesser playmaking corps around him, but Washington ranks dead last in pace of play in neutral situations by over a full second. That 34.36 seconds per play remains last within a +/- six-point spread and only bumps up to 27th when trailing by over seven. Fewer plays run makes for lesser offensive potential.
New York Jets Defense (vs. OAK) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
40% owned
The Jets’ defense has stepped up in recent weeks, capitalizing on weak matchups to yield 16 sacks in the last three weeks against MIA, NYG and WAS. Week 12 against Oakland won’t be as easy, especially with Josh Jacobs rounding into form, but Weeks 13 and 14 against CIN and MIA are worth targeting now.
