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Rob's Week 12 waiver wire pickups, fantasy football adds, and sleepers ahead of Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season. Free agent QB, RB, WR, and TE waiver wire targets. Top defense/kicker streamers.
Welcome to our Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire pickups article for the 2024 season. The waiver wire is a fantasy manager's best friend in most years. That hasn't been the case this year. However, Week 12 offers plenty of players to target this week.
While we still don't have a quality running back to target on the waiver wire, this week offers plenty of options at the other three positions. In a year where so few running backs have been hurt, there are plenty of widely available handcuffs to choose from if you wish to go that route.
Our rosters should never stay stagnant. There's almost always a spot on our roster that we can improve, and this article aims to help you identify who that upgrade can be. If you want to take advantage of our great premium tools, please use promo code "BOOM" to receive a 10% discount. With this being Veteran's Day, if you're a Veteran reading this, thank you for your service!
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Parameters
A few rules before we get started. Every league is different. Different roster formats. Different roster sizes. That makes this one of the more challenging articles because every league’s waiver wire can look dramatically different.
Even what host site you use matters. ESPN has rankings that are different from those of Yahoo!, which have rankings that are different from those of CBS or NFL, and all of that impacts which players are drafted or not drafted. This year, we’ll be using ESPN’s roster percentages.
The vast majority of players use ESPN. It’s a simple numbers game. We’ll only identify quarterbacks and tight ends with a roster percentage of less than 55%. For running backs and receivers, that number will drop to 45%. We won’t be diving into defenses and kickers too much, but I’ll identify a few streamers to target at those positions each week with a roster percentage below 60%.
Each position will be arranged based on who you should prioritize first at that position. In an attempt to cater to leagues of all sizes, you will see many players listed at each position, but remember, they're arranged in the order in which you add them. Hopefully, this makes the article relevant to even those playing in deep 12-team leagues or 14-team leagues.
Quarterbacks - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 12
League-Winner
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts - 43.5% Rostered
You might think that we've been down this path before, and you're somewhat right. However, previously, it took a high mid-round pick to acquire Anthony Richardson. This time, all it takes is a waiver bid. Everything we loved about Richardson as a fantasy prospect this offseason is still true.
Anthony Richardson: Two-week benching ‘allowed me to take a step back and just clean up some things up… And that was really my focus.’
Via @HolderStephen
https://t.co/BIFbDWCiZO— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 18, 2024
Richardson showed all of that in Week 11. He threw for 272 yards and one touchdown. He was efficient too, completing 66.67% of his passes. He ran the ball 10 times for 32 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with 28.1 points in his first game back under center. With an upcoming matchup against the Lions, Richardson and the Colts' offense will surely need to put up points to keep up.
High-End QB2 Options with Weekly Top-10 Potential
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams - 28.3% Rostered
There are a lot of things working in Matthew Stafford's favor. The Rams' defense is not good. They give up a ton of points. Los Angeles' offensive line has gotten healthier in recent weeks with the return of several preseason starters off IR. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are studs. All of that creates a very fantasy-friendly environment.
Matthew Stafford vs the blitz in Week 11:
🐏 12/17
🐏 218 yards
🐏 3 TDs
🐏 152.6 passer rating https://t.co/5mT56Se425 pic.twitter.com/2Pc6PGc1Pg— PFF (@PFF) November 17, 2024
This past weekend, Stafford had 295 yards and four touchdowns en route to 27.8 points. Their Week 12 opponent isn't an easy one. The Eagles have been much better defensively in recent weeks, but Philadelphia's offense will have no problem scoring on Los Angeles' defense. That'll mean Stafford and company will be chasing points.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions - 57.2% Rostered
After back-to-back outings with fewer than 10 points, Jared Goff got back on track in a big way. He scored 34.6 points against Jacksonville, going for over 400 yards with four touchdowns. Goff has been playing fantastic for the season and is in the running for MVP. The Lions continue to operate as one of the league's best offenses, giving fantasy managers and Goff a chance to put up big numbers weekly.
Lions QB Jared Goff today:
24-of-29
412 yards
4 TD
158.3 passing ratingGoff is the first player in NFL history with 2 games of 400+ passing yards, 4+ passing TD and a perfect passer rating.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 18, 2024
Week 12 will be one of those weeks. While Detroit will be on the road, it will again be in a dome facing off against the Colts. Historically, Goff has done far better indoors. The Colts have one of the most generous defenses to opposing quarterbacks. They are giving up the 10th-most points at 18.0 PPG.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks - 49.5% Rostered
Geno Smith's 2024 season has not been pretty, but he's getting the job done. Despite only throwing for 221 yards and no touchdowns, he still finished with a quality outing (15.7 points) off the back of 29 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. He has seven games with 15 or more points this season, including three with more than 21.
Smith remains one of the best bets for some touchdown progression for the rest of the season. He has just 11 passing touchdowns on 374 pass attempts. That's just a 2.9% touchdown rate. Through 10 games, among the 34 qualified passers, the 17th-best touchdown rate is 4.3%.
Strong Bench and Streamer Options
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings - 59.9% Rostered
Sam Darnold had a big bounce-back game this past weekend. He scored 23.6 after a pathetic 6.4-point showing against Jacksonville. He's been a different player since their Week 5 bye, but he's still been a decent QB2. He has two games with fewer than 6.5 points but has cleared 14.5 points in every other game this season. He scored 19.0 or more points in five of his ten games.
Darnold has shown that he has top-12 upside as the signal-caller for this high-powered offense, but he's also shown he can flop pretty hard, even in a great matchup. That keeps him firmly as a QB2 and a streamer quarterback. The Vikings' have a tough Week 12 matchup on the road against the Bears but have a solid Week 13 matchup with the Cardinals.
Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns - 8.5% Rostered
Jameis Winston has scored 23.5 and 26.6 points in two of his three starts this season. While we love fantasy points, we want to make sure they continue. Winston has thrown over 40 pass attempts in all three of his starts, indicating that those fantasy points will continue.
While it's easy to want to fall in love with Winston, his remaining schedule is brutal. His next games are against the Steelers, Broncos, and Steelers again. Pittsburgh has allowed the second-fewest points to quarterbacks, and Denver has the fourth-fewest. It doesn't get any better after that, either. He finishes with Kansas City in Week 15, league-average against quarterbacks, and Miami in Week 17, tied with Pittsburgh for the second-fewest.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins - 42.7% Rostered
Tua Tagovailoa and this Miami offense look very different from last year. Tagovailoa is not throwing the ball downfield with any frequency. That new development has decreased the likelihood of him reaching his weekly ceiling. Tagovailoa did score 23.5 points this past weekend against the lowly Raiders, who have allowed the ninth-most points to quarterbacks this season.
Since returning from IR, Tagovailoa has scored 14.6, 17.5, and 8.2 points. The Raiders were a great matchup; to Tagovailoa's credit, he came through. However, with the lack of big plays, it's more challenging to trust Tagovailoa unless the matchup is appealing. Unfortunately, his next three matchups are all against defenses in the top-12 in the fewest points allowed to quarterbacks this season. His remaining schedule is not fantasy-friendly whatsoever.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots - 17.8% Rostered
Drake Maye continues to impress. Although his turnover struggles have persisted, he keeps making big plays and using his legs for fantasy football. He has 25 or more rushing yards in four of his six starts this season, which helps increase his weekly ceiling. Maye has scored over 15 points in four out of his six starts, which includes three games scoring between 17.9-20.8 points. He cleared 11.5 in both of his other two starts.
The Patriots play the Dolphins next week, who have allowed the second-fewest points to quarterbacks this season through Weeks 1-10. It'll be tough to trust Maye next weekend, but in Week 12 New England gets the Indianapolis Colts. They've allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. The Patriots have a Week 14 bye before closing out his fantasy season against the Cardinals, Bills, and Chargers. All three of those opponents have been stingy to opposing quarterbacks.
Other Players to Consider:
- Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars - 26.1% Rostered
- Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers - 59.6% Rostered
- Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets - 54.9% Rostered
- Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears - 40.0% Rostered
Running Backs - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 12
RB3s
Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders - 58.6% Rostered
Las Vegas fell behind Miami quickly this past weekend, leading to Alexander Mattison getting the fewest carries in a game since he became the starter. However, he still scored 8.4 half-PPR points, eclipsing 7.0 points for the fifth time in the six games since becoming the Raiders' No. 1 running back. Mattison is not winning any weeks. He's not scoring 20 or more points. What he is doing is consistently giving fantasy managers 7.0-15.0 points.
He's got two brutal matchups against Denver and Kansas City in the next two weeks, but beggars can't be choosers. If you need a running back and Mattison is available, he consistently gets most of the backfield touches and is a decent RB3 volume play. Mattison did seem to have injured his ankle, so that'll be something to watch.
RB4s with High Contingency Value
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons - 47.8% Rostered
You can completely ignore Atlanta's Week 11 game. They lost 38-6 to Denver, and that kind of game script is brutal for Tyler Allgeier. He didn't finish with a single carry, but that shouldn't be surprising, considering how quickly Atlanta fell behind. Atlanta has a Week 12 bye, but fantasy managers should expect Allgeier to return to his 8-to-10 touch role when Atlanta returns to action in Week 13. He's scored 5.0 half-PPR points in six out of their 11 games, giving fantasy managers some weekly appeal.
Allgeier's real fantasy value comes from his handcuff value. If Bijan Robinson were to miss time, Allgeier would vault into the top 20 weekly running backs.
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers - 54.2% Rostered
Fantasy managers have no idea what to expect from Jonathon Brooks in Week 12. He hasn't played at all this season, but Carolina has been very patient in his return from a torn ACL injury he suffered in college. Chuba Hubbard has been one of the most effective running backs in the NFL this season. We shouldn't expect Hubbard to stop being Carolina's workhorse.
How much volume Brooks gets is mainly unknown. Is he an RB4, someone who will get 8-to-10 touches a game, or is he a pure handcuff only mixing in for 4-to-7 touches per game? We don't know. However, given his talent profile, I'm okay with treating him as an RB4. Miles Sanders avoided a significant injury in Week 10, which could keep him involved moving forward. What kind of contingency value does Brooks have if Hubbard gets hurt?
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans - 47.0% Rostered
Tyjae Spears is a good bet for 7-to-10 touches in most games, giving him some weekly standalone value, albeit relatively minimal. No one wants to start Spears right now, but he's seeing enough volume and playing enough snaps to be started if you're desperate. Tennessee has several favorable matchups for the rest of the season, which could slightly increase his weekly value.
However, the primary reason to roster Spears is his contingency value if Tony Pollard were to miss any games. If that were to happen, Spears would become an RB2 play. One thing to pay attention to is that Spears was evaluated for a concussion near the end of the game.
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars - 42.4% Rostered
Tank Bigsby missed Week 11 due to an ankle injury, but it doesn't sound like a long-term injury. Once he can return, Bigsby will likely return to a role where he's getting 8-to-12 carries per game. We haven't seen Travis Etienne and Bigsby play together since Etienne's injury, so we don't know how the team will treat the scoring opportunities.
Jacksonville's offense has been nonexistent for the last two weeks, but they hope to get Trevor Lawrence in Week 13 following their bye this upcoming week. That extra time should give Bigsby an additional week to return to the field.
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns - 34.7% Rostered
With Nick Chubb in the lineup, Jerome Ford has shifted into the pass-catching back for the Cleveland Browns. He is primarily playing on third downs and passing situations. With Cleveland playing from behind almost the entire game this past weekend, Ford nearly doubled up Chubb in snaps played. He finished with 5.9 half-PPR points, catching all four of his targets for 29 yards.
In matchups where the Browns are underdogs (which will be most of them), Ford will be an RB4 start in PPR leagues. He won't be a great start, but he's someone fantasy managers could start in a pinch. When Chubb was out last year and earlier this year, Ford was a decent RB 2/3. Ford's fantasy value would skyrocket if Chubb were to get hurt again.
Pure Handcuffs
Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings - 16.5% Rostered
Cam Akers has done more than move ahead of Ty Chandler on the depth chart. He's starting to carve out a weekly role. He has eight or more touches in three consecutive weeks, scoring over 5.0 half-PPR points in all three contests. While I'm still not ready to move Akers into the RB4 range, where he offers standalone value, he is making a case for it.
More importantly, he has solidified his role as the Aaron Jones backup for the Vikings. He has top-24 potential if Jones misses any time and would have 15 or more touches in any contest.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks - 54.3% Rostered
Zach Charbonnet gets just 2-to-6 touches per game, which gives him no standalone value. However, he's one of the elite handcuffs. He averaged 20 touches per game in the two games Kenneth Walker missed earlier this season.
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins - 5.4% Rostered
Jaylen Wright seems to have moved ahead of Raheem Mostert. Last year, there was enough volume in this backfield for De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert to be fantasy-relevant. Achane is getting far more volume this year than last, but that should give fantasy managers hope that Wright could yet carve out an RB4 type of role, even with a healthy Achane. At this time, Wright seems to be the preferred Achane handcuff, which would give him major upside if Achane were to miss any games.
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills - 15.5% Rostered
Ray Davis is getting around five touches per game, which isn't enough to give him any standalone value. He has flashed in his minimal touches and should be considered the heavy favorite to lead the Buffalo backfield if James Cook were to miss any games. In that scenario, Davis would be an RB2.
Braelon Allen, New York Jets - 19.8% Rostered
Braelon Allen is Breece Hall's handcuff, and his fantasy value would spike if he were to miss any games. He holds no standalone value but would likely be an RB3 if Hall misses time. This offense is putrid, which would limit Allen's scoring opportunities.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals - 17.4% Rostered
Trey Benson's role has grown over the past few weeks, and he's begun to look more like the third-round rookie we expected to see this season. James Conner has been one of the most effective running backs this season, and Arizona is comfortable with him in a workhorse role. That eliminates any standalone value he could have, but Benson is a high-value handcuff.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams - 15.0% Rostered
Blake Corum has no standalone value but would become a top-2o running back if Kyren Williams gets hurt. He's another high-value handcuff. The Rams' offensive line is starting to get healthy, and now Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both back. The offense should be a high-scoring unit for the rest of the year.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears - 14.2% Rostered
In Thomas Brown's first game as offensive coordinator for Chicago, Roschon Johnson had ten carries and one reception. He finished with 33 rushing yards and a touchdown. In the three games before Week 11, Johnson had just six carries. If his Week 11 utilization continues, Johnson could carve out some low-level weekly value.
#Bears RB usage in first game under OC Thomas Brown...
Snaps
D'Andre Swift: 57%
Roschon Johnson: 42%Routes
Swift: 49%
Johnson: 36%Carries
Swift: 14
Johnson: 10Targets
Swift: 2
Johnson: 1— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) November 18, 2024
That'll be something to keep an eye on in Week 12. As it stands right now, though, Johnson should still be viewed solely as D'Andre Swift's handcuff. If his workload from this past weekend carries over into Week 12, we might have to consider moving him up the weekly ranks.
Devin Singletary, New York Giants - 50.9% Rostered
Tyrone Tracy Jr. has completely supplanted Devin Singletary as New York's starting running back. Some believed that it would be a committee once Singletary returned to the field, but Tracy has maintained his bellcow status. Singletary is nothing more than a handcuff, but he would return to RB2/3 value if Tracy misses time.
Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals - 10.8% Rostered
Khalil Herbert was traded to the Bengals before the trade deadline after Zack Moss was put on IR. That makes him the handcuff to Chase Brown. Since he's so new to the team, he's unlikely to have any standalone value, especially with how well Brown is playing, but if he were to miss time, Cincinnati wouldn't have any other choice but to lean on Herbert.
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans - 1.5% Rostered
He's been injured for most of the season, but given the depth chart behind Joe Mixon, Dameon Pierce would still be the most likely beneficiary if Mixon missed time. When he did earlier in the year, Cam Akers benefited, but with Akers now in Minnesota, it would be Pierce who gets the first shot.
Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2.2% Rostered
The Buccaneers are utilizing a two-man backfield committee between Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. While Sean Tucker's fantasy value wouldn't skyrocket like some of the other handcuffs on this list, he would become a low-level flex player if either player were to get hurt, giving him two outs instead of one.
Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots - 20.4% Rostered
The Patriots aren't very good, but when Rhamondre Stevenson missed time earlier in the season, Antonio Gibson played most of the snaps and handled most of New England's backfield touches. If Stevenson were injured, Gibson would likely be considered a solid flex play in positive matchups.
Wide Receivers - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 12
WR4s and WR5s Who are Solid Bye-Week and Injury Replacements
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers - 50.6% Rostered
Justin Herbert took several deep shots to Johnston last night, but they struggled to connect. Quentin Johnston now has three consecutive weeks where he's found the end zone. He is up to six touchdowns this year. He now has five games with 9.0 or more half-PPR points in eight of his games this season.
He's been incredibly touchdown-dependent, however. He has just two games with more than three catches and only two games with more than 50 yards receiving; one was 51. He also has just two games with more than five targets. That's the downside to Johnston.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - 48.4% Rostered
Christian Watson has been more involved in the past three games. This past weekend, he led the team in receiving yards. In Week 9, before the team's Week 10 bye, he paced the team in targets. He has scored 5.9, 7.2, and 17.0 half-PPR points in his last three contests. That's undoubtedly the production of a decent WR4.
Don't look now, but Christian Watson is averaging more yards per route run (2.35) in 2024 than:
2.25 - Terry McLaurin
2.20 - Zay Flowers
2.10 - CeeDee Lamb
2.03 - Drake London
2.00 - DK Metcalf https://t.co/pVxuYVFINF— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) November 18, 2024
If Watson can continue this positive trend, he could work into WR3 status. Jordan Love seems to finally be healthy, having been removed from the injury report before their game this past weekend. Over the next four weeks, Green Bay has several challenging matchups against the 49ers, Dolphins, Lions, and Seahawks. These games should all have shoot-out appeal, increasing Watson's value.
DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots - 26.2% Rostered
Since Drake Maye became the starter, DeMario Douglas has seen seven or more targets in three of his six starts. In one of those games, Douglas was dealing with an illness and barely played. However, if someone on your bench gets seven or more targets in 50% of their games, that's a solid bench player.
Douglas has been a quality player for the past three weeks. He's scored 7.0, 7.0, and 8.4 half-PPR points in those three outings. Douglas is close to being a WR3 but lacks touchdown opportunity, given New England's offense and Douglas's short stature. Douglas has two good matchups against the Dolphins and Colts in the next two weeks.
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns - 9.4% Rostered
Since Jameis Winston has become the starter, Elijah Moore has scored 12.5, 4.3, and 15.6 half-PPR points. He has games of 12, nine, and eight targets. The volume is there. The production is there. While Cleveland has a lot of other pass-catchers commanding volume, Winston has thrown over 40 passes in each of his three starts.
#Browns targets with Jameis Winston over last 3 games
Jerry Jeudy: 30
Elijah Moore: 29
Cedric Tillman: 28
David Njoku: 23— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) November 18, 2024
The Browns' schedule gets a lot more difficult moving forward with games against the Steelers, Broncos, Steelers (again), and Chiefs over the next four weeks. The next three games could be low-scoring games against some elite defenses, but it's hard to ignore his target volume the past three games.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, New Orleans Saints - 14.0% Rostered
It's hard to ignore what Marquez Valdes-Scantling has done for the Saints in the last two weeks. The volume isn't there. He has just seven targets the past two weeks, but he's caught five for 196 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints are without Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, meaning MVS will remain a full-time player for the rest of the year.
Most receiving yards in the NFL over the last two weeks:
Ja'Marr Chase (264)
Amon-Ra St. Brown (221)
Puka Nacua (221)
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (196)— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 18, 2024
Despite his two great weeks, MVS should continue to be valued as a WR4/5, but he has shown enough weekly potential to help flip weeks from the flex position. Ideally, you still don't want to start him, but fantasy managers need to take notice, given his production over the past two weeks.
Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers - 40.7% Rostered
With the Diontae Johnson trade, Xavier Legette moves into the No. 1 receiver role for the Carolina Panthers. Carolina will utilize a receiver by committee, but Legette should be viewed as the pack's leader. Over his last seven games, Legette has scored 9.5 half-PPR points or more in four. The Panthers were on bye in Week 11 but will return to face the Chiefs this week.
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers - 38.4% Rostered
Ricky Pearsall maintained his hold on the No. 3 role in the San Francisco offense. That didn't mean anything this past week. He had just two targets and caught neither of them. However, he'll likely be the No. 4 option most weeks behind Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. That'll lead to dud weeks like the one we saw this past weekend.
However, this offense is explosive enough that Pearsall will have some splash weeks. He can be started in the flex spot of your lineups in a pinch. He doesn't make for a good start, but he's a full-time player on an explosive offense. He also holds a lot of contingency value if Samuel or Jennings were hurt.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 23.9% Rostered
Rashod Bateman hasn't ceded to Diontae Johnson since the trade. He's maintained his starting role as Baltimore's No. 2 receiver. While Bateman can be a bit boom-or-bust, he hasn't given fantasy managers five games of 9.0 half-PPR points or more. He has scored below 5.0 half-PPR points in five games this season.
Fantasy managers should target Bateman on weeks when Baltimore will be in a close game or against strong run defenses. He's done better in games where Baltimore has gotten into a high-scoring matchup. That could be the case in Week 13 against the Eagles and Week 17 against Houston.
Others to Consider (Deep-Bench Options):
- Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers - 3.3% Rostered
- Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers - 11.4% Rostered
- Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts - 15.1% Rostered
- Noah Brown, Washington Commanders - 10.9% Rostered
- Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals - 10.7% Rostered
- Mike Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers - 28.9% Rostered
- Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos - 0.6% Rostered
- Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 18.1% Rostered
- Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts - 7.9% Rostered
- Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams - 18.4% Rostered
- Ja'Lynn Polk, New England Patriots - 6.6% Rostered
- Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers - 25.6% Rostered
- Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Steelers - 1.6% Rostered
- Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars - 1.5% Rostered
- Darius Slayton, New York Giants - 8.7% Rostered
- John Metchie III, Houston Texans - 1.4% Rostered
Tight Ends - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 12
Must-Add Tight End
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints - 46.2% Rostered
Taysom Hill will be ranked as a top-eight tight end when the Saints return to action in Week 13 by every ranking system. He'll find himself in the top five of several of those rankings. He has the potential and the utilization finish as a top-five tight end for the rest of the season. Given how the Saints are currently using him, there are not many tight ends you'd choose to have on your roster over Hill.
Taysom Hill ran 18/30 routes (60%) & caught 8/50 on 10 targets.
Hell yeah – legit TE1 usage!
Oh & by the way he also had another 7 rushing attempts for 138 yards & 3 TD’s.
& 2 passing attempts too…
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) November 18, 2024
The Saints may be on a bye in Week 12, but Hill is a must-add. He has the potential to be a league-winner. The Saints are void of many playmakers on offense, but Hill has established himself as one of those players. Unlike in years past, when he was used as a jack of all trades, he had legitimate tight end utilization this past weekend. He still finished with two pass attempts and seven rushes, but he also had a 60% route participation and 10 (!!!) targets.
Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers - 13.1% Rostered
Since the team's Week 5 bye, Will Dissly has 37 targets, just over six per game. He has become a focal point of the Chargers' offense. In his last six games, Dissly has two with more than 80 yards. The utilization has been fantastic, and we will see him ranked in the top 15 next week.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots - 64.4% Rostered
Hunter Henry may not have Hill's upside, but he's been consistent since Drake Maye took over. He has five or more targets in five out of six Maye starts. He has five or more receptions in four of those six games. He has 7.0 half-PPR points in five of those six games. He has 40 or more receiving yards in five of them. It's just outstanding consistency.
Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt talking to @JonesandKeefe this week:
"I'd say right now if we had one guy that we would say is probably the guy we try to scheme up to get the ball to a ton it's probably Hunter [Henry]" pic.twitter.com/x0TQnXR31S
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) November 16, 2024
TE2 with Upside
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins - 31.7% Rostered
Jonnu Smith has a higher ceiling than Henry, evidenced by his 25.1 half-PPR point performance this past weekend, but he isn't quite as consistent. However, that upside could be more appealing for some fantasy managers. Since Tua Tagovailoa's return from IR, Smith has established himself as a top-15 tight end with weekly upside. He has six targets in three of the team's last four games, coinciding with Tagovailoa's return.
Since Week 7, Miami Dolphins leaders in...
Targets
1. Jonnu Smith (31)
2. Tyreek Hill (28)Receiving Yards
1. Jonnu Smith (308)
2. Tyreek Hill (237)Fantasy Points per Game
1. Jonnu Smith (14.8)
2. Tyreek Hill (11.3)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) November 17, 2024
Sleeper TE with Upside
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers - 0.7% Rostered
Over his last five games, Ja'Tavion Sanders has 21 targets, 18 receptions, 212 yards, and one touchdown. He's also averaged 7.4 half-PPR PPG, which includes four games with more than seven points. With Diontae Johnson in Baltimore, Jonathan Mingo in Dallas, and Adam Thielen on IR, Carolina has needed to lean on their rookie pass-catchers, and Sanders has stepped up. He's worth throwing a dart at.
Others to Consider:
- Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders - 57.5% Rostered
- Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers - 46.9% Rostered
- Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals - 38.9% Rostered
- Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears - 42.6% Rostered
- Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans - 48.1% Rostered
Team Defenses (D/ST) - Waiver Wire Streamers for Week 12
- Kansas City Chiefs - 58.2% Rostered (at Carolina Panthers)
- Denver Broncos - 69% Rostered (at Las Vegas Raiders)
- Washington Commanders - 28.6% Rostered (vs Dallas Cowboys)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 9.0% Rostered (at New York Giants)
Kickers - Waiver Wire Streamers for Week 12
- Jake Moody, San Francisco 49ers - 45.1% Rostered (at Green Bay Packers)
- Joshua Karty, Los Angeles Rams - 4.1% Rostered (vs Philadelphia Eagles)
- Matt Gay, Indianapolis Colts - 17.4% Rostered (vs Detroit Lions)
- Chase McLaughlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 33.0% Rostered (at New York Giants)
- Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins - 26.8% Rostered (vs New England Patriots)
As a reminder, please use promo code "BOOM" at checkout for 10% off any premium purchase.
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