X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Target Acquired: Surprise Target Grabbers and Possible Breakouts for Week 12

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.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

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




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Malik Nabers

Dealing With Back Injury
Khamzat Chimaev

Is The New UFC Middleweight Champion
Dricus Du Plessis

Gets Dominated At UFC 319
Aaron Pico

Suffers Knockout Loss In His UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Scores Stunning First-Round Knockout
Leodalis De Vries

Earns Promotion to Double-A
Nathaniel Lowe

Finalizing Deal with Boston
Geoff Neal

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Ketel Marte

Arizona Could Trade Ketel Marte in the Offseason
Carlos Prates

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Page

Dominates At UFC 319
Jared Cannonier

Gets Outclassed
Tim Elliott

Gets Submission Win
Kai Asakura

Still Winless In The UFC
Austin Cindric

has Arguably his Best Run of the Season at Richmond
Ryan Blaney

Contends for First Richmond Win but Comes Up Short
Alex Bowman

Finishes Second but Loses Ground in Playoffs
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Sets Personal Laps-Led Record at Richmond
Chris Buescher

Falls Out of Playoffs After Miserable Richmond Run
Coby White

Bulls Not Interested in Trading Coby White
Dereck Lively II

Expected to be Ready for Camp
Brian Robinson Jr.

Commanders "Shopping" Brian Robinson Jr.
John Metchie III

Texans Trade John Metchie III to Eagles
Victor Scott II

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Listening to Trade Offers for Trey Hendrickson
Marcelo Mayer

to Have Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Samuel Basallo

Called Up From Triple-A Norfolk
J.K. Dobbins

Expected to Win Starting RB Job?
Quentin Johnston

Suffers Concussion in Preseason Loss
Jaxson Dart

Plays Well on Saturday Night
Marcus Semien

Avoids Serious Injury
Kyle Stowers

Heads to Injured List With Left-Side Strain
Zack Wheeler

Placed on Injured List With Blood Clot in Shoulder
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Optimistic Terry McLaurin Deal Can Get Done Soon
De'Von Achane

De’Von Achane Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Avoids Serious Injury
Josh Hader

Unlikely to Return During Regular Season
Denny Hamlin

the Heavy Favorite to Win at Richmond
Christopher Bell

Has Been Great at Richmond
Kyle Stowers

Out Saturday With Left-Side Tightness
Tyrese Haliburton

No Longer Using a Scooter, Crutches
Ryan Blaney

Can Ryan Blaney Finally Break Through at Richmond?
Joey Logano

Will Start Last at Richmond After Practice Trouble
Chase Elliott

Lack of Top-Line Speed Hurts his DFS Potential
Kyle Larson

Recent String of Crashes Make Him a Big Risk at Richmond
William Byron

Probably Slightly Too Inconsistent at Richmond to Start for DFS
Ryan Preece

on Pole at Richmond as Playoff Deadline Looms Closer
Brad Keselowski

Probably the Best RFK Racing DFS Option at Richmond
Chase Briscoe

Still Figuring Out Richmond
Chris Buescher

a Solid Choice for DFS Play, but Teammates Look Faster
Ty Gibbs

is Mediocre at a Track Where his Grandfather's Team Won 19 Times
Ross Chastain

Despite Qualifying 33rd, Ross Chastain Not As Strong a DFS Option As Usual
Carson Hocevar

Will Carson Hocevar's Speed Overcome His Lack of Racecraft?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Not Enough Attrition at Richmond for Shane Van Gisbergen to Be Viable
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Looking for Another Solid Richmond Race
Jhoan Duran

Feels "100%"
Marcus Semien

Out on Saturday, Going for X-Rays on his Wrist
George Springer

Activated and Starting on Saturday
Dylan Beavers

Called Up by Orioles
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Activate Terry McLaurin From PUP List
Jhoan Duran

Takes Comebacker Off Foot, X-Rays Negative
Rashee Rice

NFL Could Reach Settlement Before Hearing
Matt Chapman

Goes to Injured List
George Springer

Likely Returning on Saturday
Max Muncy

Lands on 10-Day Injured List
Joe Mixon

Not a Lock to be Ready For Week 1
Rashee Rice

Receives Clearance to Travel to Brazil for Week 1
Haywood Highsmith

Dealt to Brooklyn on Friday
Amir Coffey

Signs One-Year Deal With Bucks
Jacob Misiorowski

Activated and Starting on Friday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Back From the Injured List
Khamzat Chimaev

A Favorite At UFC 319
Dricus Du Plessis

Set For His Third Title Defense
Aaron Pico

Set For UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Geoff Neal

Looks For His Second Win In A Row
Travis Hunter

Dealing With Upper-Body Injury, Could be Held Out of Preseason Game
Michael Page

Set For His Second Middleweight Bout
Jared Cannonier

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kai Asakura

Looks For His First UFC Win
Tim Elliott

Set To Open Up UFC 309 Main Card
CBJ

Mikael Pyyhtia Re-Signs With Blue Jackets for One Year
UTA

Caleb Desnoyers Expected to Miss 12 Weeks After Wrist Procedure
Tyson Foerster

on Track to Be Healthy for Season Opener
NHL

Olivier Rodrigue Signs KHL Deal
NHL

Emil Bemstrom to Join Swiss Team
Payton Pritchard

Reportedly Moving Into Starting Lineup
Quinshon Judkins

Won't Face Formal Charges
Sam LaPorta

To "Miss a Little Bit of Time"
Rashee Rice

Disciplinary Hearing Scheduled For Late September
Chris Godwin

Likely to Start the Season on PUP List?
Kevin Durant

Rockets Not Interested in Keeping Kevin Durant with Max Extension
NBA

Isaiah Mobley Joins Turkish Team
NBA

Cole Swider Links Up with EuroLeague Powerhouse
Ethan Thompson

Joins Heat for Training Camp
Los Angeles Clippers

Clippers Add Jason Preston for Training Camp
Stefon Diggs

Unsure About Availability for Week 1
Justin Jefferson

Won't Practice This Week, Will be Re-Evaluated Next Week
Akshay Bhatia

a High-Upside Play at BMW Championship
Robert MacIntyre

a Safe Play at BMW Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im a Risky Play at BMW Championship
Xander Schauffele

Chases Big Week at BMW Championship
Shane Lowry

Aims to Rebound at BMW Championship
Si Woo Kim

Looks to Build Momentum at BMW Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick

Looking to Rebound at BMW Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Eyeing Another BMW Championship Victory
Neemias Queta

Wants to Raise His Free-Throw Attempts
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Stuggling to Trade Anfernee Simons
James Cook

Bills Agree on Four-Year Extension
Cole Anthony

Focuses on Winning with Bucks
NBA

Jesse Edwards Moves to Australia
Kessler Edwards

Joins Nuggets
Bradley Beal

Feeling Rejuvenated in Los Angeles
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Looking "Incredible"
PIT

Chad Ruhwedel Retires From NHL
MIN

Jack Johnson Signs Tryout Deal with Wild
Ryker Evans

Kraken Extend Ryker Evans with Two-Year Deal
Bud Cauley

Needs a Big Result in Maryland

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP