November 21, 2017

Chris Mangano's recommended fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 12. Free agent fantasy WRs to add, and potential PPR sleepers to stash.

Just two weeks left before most leagues begin the fantasy playoffs. Mercifully, the bye weeks are over and if you are in the hunt, your roster should be pretty much solidified.

At this point, bench spots should primarily be used for guys who can help your team win. This means guys who have upside in the right matchup or guys who could potentially see a larger role and improve one of your wide receiver slots.

If you are not exactly sure who you should add (or drop) from your teams, or have a question about your lineups, you can find me on twitter @ChrisMangano and I will be more than happy to help you out.

Can Help Now and Later - Week 12 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Corey Davis (WR, TEN) - 50% owned (100% FAAB)

I'm begging those of you who are in leagues where Davis is still available, make this the last week I have to discuss him please. Davis is a guy with league-winning upside and is still only owned in half of leagues. He is second only to Delanie Walker on the team in targets over the last two weeks, has 192 air yards over that stretch and a weighted opportunity rating of 0.52. His role is only going to increase and his schedule is super soft with games against the Colts, Texans, Cardinals, 49ers and Rams left.

Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) - 32% owned (100% FAAB)

The only reason Coleman is second on this list is because of the brutal schedule. He has remaining games against the Bengals, Chargers, Packers (easy), Ravens and Bears. Still, Coleman became just the second receiver this year to top 70 yards against the Jaguars. The other? Just some guy named Antonio Brown. He saw a huge 34% target share, had 134 air yards and finished behind only Dez Bryant and A.J. Green in weighted opportunity rating. Like Davis, Coleman has league-winning upside and cannot be left on waivers.

Josh Doctson (WR, WAS) - 28% owned (50% FAAB)

Doctson has been coming on of late and finished second on the team with seven targets on Sunday, hauling in four catches for 81 yards. He also had 127 air yards and a weighted opportunity rating of 0.60. His schedule is probably tougher than even Coleman's with games against the Giants (Janoris Jenkins), Cowboys, Chargers (Casey Hayward), Cardinals (Patrick Peterson) and Broncos (Aqib Talib). Still, this is a team that throws a lot with a good quarterback and Doctson is now their number one outside receiver.

Dede Westbrook (WR, JAC) - 31% owned (30% FAAB)

Making his first NFL start, Westbrook predicted he'd have a 200-yard game. While he came up a tad short, he showed signs in less than ideal conditions. He finished second on the team with six targets, led the team in air yards, and had a weighted opportunity rating of 0.58. He did this while only playing 34 snaps as well. Westbrook has big time upside and his role should increase as the season wears on.

Can Help In A Pinch - Week 12 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Kenny Stills (WR, MIA) - 38% owned (20% FAAB)

Stills and Matt Moore have some kind of bromance connection. As pointed out by Scott Barrett, dating back to last year when Matt Moore plays quarterback, Stills has run 244 routes, has 44 targets, 30 catches, 512 yards, and six touchdowns. Over that stretch, Stills ranks fourth in PPR points per route run and first in PPR points per target. FOR ALL RECEIVERS. Stills value takes a hit with Cutler under center, but if Cutler isn't ready to play this week Stills could make a great start for teams who need to win now.

Dontrelle Inman (WR, CHI) - 13% owned (10% FAAB)

Since making his first start with the Bears in Week 10, Inman leads the team in targets, air yards and is second in weighted opportunity rating. Only Jordan Howard has more PPR points over that stretch. Inman isn't a guy you want to start every week, but in the right matchups he makes for a solid WR4/flex start.

Marquise Goodwin (WR, SF) - 15% owned (10% FAAB)

It's easy to see Goodwin's two-target Week 10 game and blow him off, but that was a strange week where the 49ers actually played with a lead and only one player, Garrett Celek, had more than three targets. In the prior two weeks, Goodwin was second on the team behind only Carlos Hyde in targets and had 175 air yards and a weighted opportunity rating of 0.40. He isn't an every week starter but has a huge ceiling in the right matchups.

Danny Amendola (WR, NE) - 49% owned (5% FAAB)

Amendola is another one of these guys who when the matchup is right can pay off, especially in PPR formats. Week 11 was one of those matchups as he lit up a struggling Raiders secondary to the tune of eight catches, 66 yards and a touchdown. His low yardage total and aDot make him borderline unstartable in standard formats, but he'll have value in PPR leagues.

Bruce Ellington (WR, HOU) - 8% owned (2-3% FAAB)

Ellington's value is hinged on how long Will Fuller will be out. In the first game without Fuller, Ellington saw seven targets (just two less than DeAndre Hopkins), had a 22% market share, caught six passes for 63 yards, and had a weighted opportunity rating of 0.43. Ellington is little more than a matchup play, but if you're desperate he has some value.

Stash and Hope - Week 12 Wide Receivers Waiver Wire

Russell Shepard (WR, CAR) - 1% owned (2-3% FAAB)

Shepard tied for the team lead with seven targets in Week 10, and could see even more going forward as the Panthers lost Curtis Samuel to an ankle injury. Shepard suffered from the drops, but it was encouraging that Cam Newton kept going back to him. Greg Olsen is slated to return from his foot injury which could hurt Shepard's target share. Still, he's a guy worth stashing in case his role increases.

Mike Williams (WR, LAC) - 5% owned (2-3% FAAB)

Williams' rookie season has not gone according to plan. Unable to see game action until October because of a back injury, the Chargers have slowly worked him into the gameplan. He is coming off his best game of the season, however, as he finished second on the team with eight targets and had a 0.52 weighted opportunity rating. Granted, a lot of that was in the second half when the Chargers had a big lead, but opportunity equals fantasy points. The Chargers have no clear number two at the moment and Williams is worth stashing in case he can take it.

Kenny Golladay (WR, DET) - 11% owned (2-3% FAAB)

Golladay only has six targets in his two games since returning from injury, and has been out-targeted by T.J. Jones eight to six over that stretch. Still, we've seen Golladay's upside and he's worth stashing for teams already locked into a playoff spot. Don't drop a usable player for him, but if you have a bench spot that you can waste, he's worth the gamble.

Time To Say Goodbye

Randall Cobb (WR, GB) - 54% owned

Hundley is killing the value's of Jordy Nelson and Cobb. While I don't suggest dropping Nelson just in case Aaron Rodgers returns in Week 15, Cobb can safely be cut for a player with more upside.

Martavis Bryant (WR, PIT) - 40% owned

Bryant only has a nine targets over the last two games (0.12% share) and a weighted opportunity rating of just 0.29. He just hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations this year and is now behind JuJu Smith-Schuster on the depth chart. Grab someone who can help your team win.

Terrelle Pryor (WR, WAS) - 37% owned

Pryor was just placed on IR. Enough said.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis