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Week 12 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings

Q1. Who is your top waiver wire option of the week, and why?

Ty Johnson. Michael Carter is down for 2-3 weeks with an ankle sprain, leaving a void in the Jets’ backfield. Enter Johnson, who had been a viable 1B to Carter’s 1A over the several weeks when Tevin Coleman was sidelined. Once Carter got hurt against the Dolphins, Coleman saw more of the running downs work, with Johnson taking passing downs, but I’m not ready to draw any conclusions from that. On a team going nowhere, it makes far more sense to see what a 24-year-old Johnson can do than the 28-year-old Coleman. It’s a weak group of waiver wire options and there isn’t that much differentiating Johnson from Coleman or anyone else. But he’s the top option given that Carter needs to miss some time.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Jamison Crowder is the boring, but useful choice this week to pick up at WR. After catching 6 of his 7 targets for 44 yards and a TD, and guessing Joe Flacco (a boring but experienced QB) will be under center likely again this week, Crowder can slide in as a FLEX WR with floor in Week 12.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Let me just start by saying it’s a gross week for waiver claims, probably the worst of the season. Ty Johnson is the only player worth more than a handful of FAAB dollars, and Johnson is a mere Band-Aid, not any sort of long-term solution at running back. He and Tevin Coleman are going to share work while rookie Michael Carter is sidelined by what’s probably going to be a multiweek ankle injury. Johnson has more juice than Coleman and is more active on the passing game. I think he can be a useful RB2/RB3 while Carter is out, and Johnson’s next two matchups are favorable ones against the Dolphins and Texans.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Marquez Valdes-Scantling gets the nod as my top waiver wire add of the week, but it comes with plenty of caution tape. MVS played the same amount of snaps in Week 11 as he did in Week 10, but he saw his target totals jump up from 2 to 10. He certainly comes with plenty of upside based on his speed as a downfield threat, but we have to acknowledge that he has a very low floor too. Without Aaron Jones in the lineup, MVS may have benefited from a target share perspective, but there’s a strong possibility that he comes out next week and goes back to seeing just two targets. He’s a deep league FLEX option moving forward and he purely gets the No. 1 ranking because it’s an overall abysmal week for the waiver wire.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Q2. Which high-end waiver wire option for Week 12 was the most difficult to rank?

Tevin Coleman. Coleman has a legitimate chance to be the most valuable player available on the waiver wire this week. With Michael Carter out for a few weeks, if Coleman takes over as the primary rusher, he could provide RB2 value this week against the Texans and for a few weeks. Or the team could turn over the reins in the offense to Ty Johnson and Coleman could offer little value. Where I’ve ranked him – as worth a pickup but not someone to target – balances out the risk, but it’s unlikely to represent whatever his actual value is.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Qadree Ollison looked sharp in his limited work last Thursday’s shutout. He has burst when he ran, which is something we have yet to see from any Falcons’ running back this season outside of Cordarrelle Patterson. However, that’s the trouble. Patterson will eventually come back healthy in theory, while Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman are still on this roster. Ollison should get more of a look, but will he? Tough to say, so don’t pay to find out.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Qadree Ollison. Has he replaced Mike Davis as the complementary back to Cordarrelle Patterson in Atlanta? It sure looked that way last Thursday night, but it’s not completely clear that’s the case, and it’s hard to tell what that role is worth if it’s performed competently. Since being drafted in 2019, Ollison hadn’t been able to get any sort of traction in the Falcons’ backfield until last week, and it’s hard to tell if the Week 11 usage will stick. The Atlanta offense is a sinkhole, and the Falcons’ offensive line is one of the worst in the league, but Ollison will have at least some low-level fantasy value if he continues to get touches.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Am I allowed to say all of them? In all seriousness, Robby Anderson remains a difficult evaluation from a fantasy perspective. He’s now seen back-to-back decent performances, but we still don’t feel like we can fully trust him in our lineups just yet. He’s worth adding to see if this trend continues, but we might have to wait it out another week or so before we can feel confident playing him as a FLEX option.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Q3. For managers renting a D/ST in Week 12, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target?

It’s got to be Chicago Bears D/ST. The Lions struggle against DSTs on a good day and Tim Boyle was clearly in over his head against the Browns. Cleveland’s D/ST didn’t light up the fantasy scoreboard, mostly because Boyle avoided sacks. He still threw two interceptions, continuing his college trend, and gained only 77 yards. Jared Goff is unlikely to be ready to go by Thanksgiving and with a short turnaround, expect Chicago to pile up the fantasy points.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

The Chicago Bears D/ST have a short week and play against the Lions. Don’t overthink this.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

The Chicago Bears D/ST ranks in the middle of the pack in fantasy scoring and gets a mouth-watering Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Lions. It’s not clear whether Detroit will start Jared Goff or Tim Boyle at quarterback on Thursday, but either is capable of delivering a cornucopia of fantasy points to an opposing defense. The smell of turkey in the oven and the sight of a Lions quarterback being sacked on third-and-long — what a great way to begin the holiday season.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

The Chicago Bears D/ST gave up a couple of crucial big plays at the end of the game this past week, but they’re still a strong play on Thanksgiving due to the matchup against the Lions. The Tim Boyle Experience went about as well as we all expected and even if Jared Goff comes back on a short week, he’s historically struggled against Chicago. They’re going to be a top-10 play in my DST rankings for Week 12.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Notable Week 12 Waiver Wire FAB Recommendations (in %)

Q4. Which Week 12 waiver wire option carries the biggest risk of being a waste of FAB dollars?

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Fantasy managers have to target Westbrook-Ikhine given that Julio Jones is on IR and both A.J. Brown and Marcus Johnson are likely to miss time. Westbrook-Ikhine is coming off a huge game and should be in line for a massive target volume against the Patriots. But New England has an incredibly tough pass defense, and then the Titans have a bye, and the last time fantasy managers thought Westbrook-Ikhine was going to provide value, he was a no-show. He's worth a pickup, but he has a high chance of being a waste of dollars.
- Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Robby Anderson is not "back" just because he caught a TD two weeks ago. Cam Newton is not a prolific passer, and Anderson is still at best the 3rd option in his offense that frankly doesn't suit Anderson's deep threat ability. Assuming he still has that ability...or any ability. Just pass, ok?
- Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Um ... all of them? It's such a terrible week for waiver claims. I'll say it's Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The production is just so-o-o-o inconsistent. The big games draw you in and make you want to start him, and then he'll completely disappear for a few weeks. He probably won't cost you many FAAB dollars, but he could do you harm with a goose egg if you're bold enough to start him.
- Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

All of these options have the potential to be a waste of FAAB, quite honestly. None of these options should be anything more than a 10% FAAB bid and that's only if you're completely desperate. This is a bad week to need some help off the wire.
- Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

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