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Who Should I Drop for Week 12? Fantasy Football outlooks for Emari Demercado, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, Keon Coleman, Calvin Ridley, Cooper Kupp, Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Who Should I Drop? Who Should I Keep? Some of the most common Week 12 fantasy football cut candidates involve players like Emari Demercado, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, Keon Coleman, Calvin Ridley, Cooper Kupp, Jacory Croskey-Merritt. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make the right waiver wire decisions and winning moves for Week 12. Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football pickups for Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool helps make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to add... all free!
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Fantasy Football Drop Candidates
Read about fantasy football players to consider dropping for Week 12:
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
The knee injury that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) suffered during his team's Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers is "potentially season-ending," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter reports that Penix Jr. "will be seeking a second opinion, but it is not encouraging." Knee troubles are particularly worrisome for Penix Jr.'s long-term outlook, as he suffered two ACL tears during his college career.
If his 2025 season is indeed over, he will finish the year with 1,982 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions across nine games played. Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins took over for Penix Jr. in Week 11 and would likely be Atlanta's starter for the remainder of the 2025 season. Cousins has struggled so far this year, completing 32 of 52 pass attempts for 250 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions across three games (one start).
There should be more clarity around the exact nature of Penix Jr.'s injury in the coming days, but fantasy managers should prepare for Cousins to get the start in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints and beyond.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
NFL insider Ian Rapoport mentioned on Good Morning Football that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist) is dealing with a fracture in his left wrist, but has not been ruled out for Sunday and is pushing to play. Rodgers missed the entire second half of Sunday's game with the injury, and backup quarterback Mason Rudolph played great, completing 12 of 16 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
If Rodgers were to miss time, Rudolph, who does have 32 career NFL games under his belt, is a solid backup quarterback who can certainly keep the Steelers afloat. Through 11 weeks of the season, Rodgers has thrown for 1,969 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and has been a fantasy streamer quarterback at best at this point in his career.
The Steelers face the Chicago Bears in Week 12, who allow the third most points to the quarterback position in fantasy football, making Rudolph a solid QB2 streamer if Rodgers doesn't go. UPDATE: Whether Rodgers' ability to grip a football will dictate whether he can play against Chicago. He was described as 50-50 for Sunday in Week 12.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku continued his recent quiet stretch in a 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Njoku finished the game with just one catch for seven yards on two targets.
The veteran tight end has only caught three passes for 28 yards and one touchdown over his past two games as the Browns have not been looking his way frequently when they drop back to pass.
Extremely hard to trust as a fantasy starter going forward, Njoku will hope to get his season jump-started in Week 12 on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy caught just three of his seven targets for 21 yards in a 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Jeudy turned in his best performance of the season back in Week 10, catching six of his 12 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown, but was unable to stay hot against the Ravens, despite what appeared to be a plus matchup for receivers on paper.
Jeudy is turning in a disappointing season as the Browns' No. 1 receiver and has been borderline unusable in fantasy most weeks. He will look to break out in Week 12's road matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (leg) broke his fibula during Sunday's Week 11 contest against the Houston Texans, according to interim head coach Mike McCoy. Ridley is done for the season. It's been a very frustrating year for the veteran receiver health-wise.
After a slow start offensively, he finally found a groove with five catches and 131 yards in Week 5. The next week, though, he injured his hamstring, forcing him to miss three games. He finally returned from that injury this Sunday before breaking his fibula just one quarter into Week 11.
The 30-year-old finishes the 2025 season with 17 catches, 303 yards, and zero touchdowns through parts of seven games. Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike (concussion), and Van Jefferson will operate as the Titans' top receivers for the rest of the season.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire instead? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.
Week 12 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on finding replacements for specific players like Emari Demercado, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, Keon Coleman, Calvin Ridley, Cooper Kupp, Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football waiver wire replacements. Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for Week 12 for Emari Demercado, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, Keon Coleman, Calvin Ridley, Cooper Kupp, Jacory Croskey-Merritt:
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