Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups
Following a Week 11 that was filled with surprises, including a breakout Taysom Hill performance, the benching of Tua Tagovailoa, and the reemergence of Jonathan Taylor, as well as a devastating injury to Joe Burrow, it’s time to look ahead to Thanksgiving week. As we sit down with our families to watch the Lions and Cowboys get humiliated on national television, let’s also remember to scour the waiver wire early in order to assure victory and relaxation for the long weekend.
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Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill
New Orleans Saints | Rostered in 86.5% of ESPN leagues
Hill found himself in many lineups this week following Sean Payton’s announcement that he would be making the start for New Orleans in place of the injured Drew Brees. Those lucky few who were able to start Hill as a tight end (me, for example) were very pleased with the former BYU star’s performance against the Falcons. Hill finished the day with a pair of rushing touchdowns while completing 18 of his 23 passes. Against the Broncos next week he’s a solid streamer at the QB spot and an even better tight end start.
Carson Wentz
Philadelphia Eagles | Rostered in 65.2% of ESPN leagues
Wentz continues to struggle with turnovers, with two particularly ugly interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Browns. This week he faces off against a Seattle defense that has been prone to giving up big doses of passing yardage, making Wentz a fine streaming option. I especially like Wentz’s big-play potential, as he currently ranks top-ten amongst qualified passers in money throws and air yards.
Philip Rivers
Indianapolis Colts | Rostered in 9.4% of ESPN leagues
Don’t look now but the Colts may actually be a contender. While Rivers started this season slow, he’s been an excellent fantasy asset in recent weeks, scoring 20+ fantasy points in four of the last five games. Facing the Titans, Texans (twice), and Raiders in coming weeks, Rivers is a rock-solid streaming option for the red hot Colts.
Running Backs
Philip Lindsay
Denver Broncos | Rostered in 52% of ESPN leagues
For some reason I found myself watching the entirety of Sunday’s game between the Broncos and Dolphins. Though this was an ugly game on both sides of the ball, one player, in particular, stood out to me. That player was Lindsay. After seeing only 18 touches in his previous three games, Lindsay exploded for 82 yards on 16 carries against a stout Miami defense, consistently ripping off big-time runs. Though he’s fallen behind Melvin Gordon in the pecking order, Lindsay remains one of the most explosive backs in the league, averaging 5.5 YPC and an 8.8% breakaway rate — the second-highest mark among qualified rushers. An impending free agent, watch for Lindsay to use these final games of the season as an audition for his next contract.
Frank Gore
New York Jets | Rostered in 8.8% of ESPN leagues
The Jets fed Gore the ball a ton on Sunday, with the veteran seeing 15 touches for 61 rushing yards and a touchdown. New York ran the ball really well with the tandem of Gore and La’Mical Perine. Gore made it clear after the game that he intended to win a game this season, so my gut tells me to stash him for this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
Carlos Hyde
Seattle Seahawks | Rostered in 32.5% of ESPN leagues
The Seahawks rode Hyde all night long in their victory over the Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. The veteran carried the ball 15 times for 79 yards and a touchdown, turning in a vintage performance in his first game back from injury. Hyde is a solid flex play this week if Chris Carson (foot) misses another game.
J.D McKissic
Washington Football Team | Rostered in 74.9% of ESPN leagues
Alex Smith has been good to McKissic since taking over as Washington’s starter. The receiving back has caught 21 passes for 134 yards in the last three games, replicating the Chris Thompson role in Washington’s offense perfectly. In PPR formats it’s hard not to love McKissic as a flex play, as he leads Washington’s backfield with a 57.4% snap share while sitting second among his position rates in targets behind only Alvin Kamara.
Wide Receivers
Breshad Perriman
New York Jets | Rostered in 14.6% of ESPN leagues
Perpetually disappointing yet tantalizing, Perriman has reemerged as a valuable commodity in fantasy leagues thanks to his connection with former Ravens teammate Joe Flacco. Perriman has now caught three touchdowns in the last two games, with games against Miami, Las Vegas, and Seattle on the horizon. For anyone in need of a high-upside WR3, Perriman is a nice pickup.
Damiere Byrd
New England Patriots | Rostered in 0.8% of ESPN leagues
With the Texans’ defense locked onto Jakobi Meyers all day long, it was Byrd who stepped up to the plate as Cam Newton’s go-to receiver. A dynamic deep threat who has firmly established himself as a starter in New England, Byrd came through with his best game of the season on Sunday, finishing the day with six receptions, 132 receiving yards, and a touchdown. Next up for Byrd is an intriguing revenge game against his former club, the Arizona Cardinals. Byrd leads the Patriots with a 97.4% snap share this season and his opportunities to produce should be fruitful down the stretch.
Steven Sims Jr.
Washington Football Team | Rostered in 1.8% of ESPN leagues
Sims was one of my favorite preseason sleepers, following his scorching finish to the 2019 campaign. A slippery slot target with blazing speed, Sims excelled as the go-to target for Dwayne Haskins in the final month of his rookie season. Hampered by injuries until very recently, Sims has been rediscovered after being buried on Washington’s depth chart. While eight receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown over the course of two games may seem insignificant, Sims’ recent uptick in usage leads me to believe that he could return to form down the stretch.
Keke Coutee
Houston Texans | Rostered in 0.1% of ESPN leagues
The Texans lost both Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills to injuries this week. While Coutee is no longer the shiny prospect he was in the second half of 2018, he could be a serviceable PPR piece if both Cobb and Stills miss time. While this is a highly speculative pickup, talent has never been the issue for Coutee, rather his inability to stay healthy has been what’s kept him off of the field.
Tight Ends
Dalton Schultz
Dallas Cowboys | Rostered in 24.8% of ESPN leagues
Schultz seems to have the trust of Andy Dalton, as the veteran targeted him six times in Sunday’s win over the Vikings. Based on volume alone the former Stanford star could be a nice streaming option for those who aren’t blessed to have Taysom Hill in their tight end spot. With an 83.8% snap share and the sixth-most targets among his position mates, Schultz’s should be able to turn opportunity into production.
Jordan Akins
Houston Texans | Rostered in 2.1% of ESPN leagues
Another beneficiary of the injuries to Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills, Akins had one of his best games of the season on Sunday. The veteran tight end hauled in five of his six targets for a season-high 83 yards, looking absolutely dynamic for the first time since his injury earlier in the year. Averaging 2.1 yards of target separation per-route run this season, Akins has had no trouble getting open, which leads me to believe that he could be a nice tight end stash for the fantasy playoffs.
