Top 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Defenses (Week 12)

We will have you covered throughout the fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential fantasy football waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top fantasy football waiver wire defenses to target for the week below. And here are all of our fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 12.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Defenses

Defenses

Written by Pat Fitzmaurice

Cleveland Browns: 47% Rostered

• Next Opponents: @LV, SF, TEN
• True Value: $2
• Desperate Need: $4
• Budget-Minded: $1

Analysis: The Browns flexed their defensive muscles in Week 11, sacking Lamar Jackson five times and intercepting him twice before falling to Baltimore 23-16. The Browns have recorded 32 sacks for the season, led by Myles Garrett‘s league-high 15. The Browns have an attractive Week 12 matchup against the Raiders, who are giving up 10.3 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses.

Las Vegas Raiders: 4% Rostered

• Next Opponents: CLE, @LAC, DEN
• True Value: $2
• Desperate Need: $3
• Budget-Minded: $1

Analysis: The Raiders will get to face a rookie quarterback in Week 12, though it’s not clear which rookie they’ll face. Dillon Gabriel had been starting at quarterback for the Browns. He sustained a concussion on Sunday and was replaced by fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders. Gabriel has started six games for Cleveland, throwing two interceptions and absorbing 13 sacks. The Browns have scored 20 or fewer points in five of Gabriel’s six starts. Sanders got his first taste of NFL action on Sunday and looked completely overwhelmed, completing 4-of-16 passes for 47 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and two sacks. He finished with a passer rating of 13.5. Chances are good that Sanders will make his first NFL start in Week 12, making the Raiders an attractive defensive option even though they ranked 25th in defensive fantasy points per game heading into their Monday-night game against the Cowboys.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 20% Rostered

• Next Opponents: @ARI, @TEN, IND
• True Value: $1
• Desperate Need: $2
• Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: Jacksonville’s pass defense had been struggling before Week 11, but the Jaguars took advantage of the Chargers’ injury-depleted offensive line on Sunday, holding Justin Herbert to just 81 passing yards while intercepting him once and sacking him twice. The Jaguars’ defense is averaging 7.7 fantasy points a game, making it a top-10 fantasy defense. The Jags get a playable Week 12 matchup against Arizona. In five starts in place of the injured Kyler Murray, Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett has thrown three interceptions and taken 18 sacks. In Week 13, the Jaguars face the Titans, who have given up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses by far.

Minnesota Vikings: 39% Rostered

• Next Opponents: @GB, @SEA, WSH
• True Value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: A road game in Green Bay wouldn’t normally be a great spot for the Vikings’ defense, but the Packers’ offensive line is banged up and Josh Jacobs seems unlikely to play in Week 12 due to a knee injury. During Brian Flores’ time as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, Jordan Love has made four starts against the Vikings and has thrown four interceptions and taken eight sacks in those games. The Vikings are a sneaky-good streaming option this week.

San Francisco 49ers: 18% Rostered

• Next Opponents: CAR, @CLE, BYE
• True Value: $1
• Desperate Need: $1
• Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had a career game against the Falcons last week, throwing for 448 yards and three touchdowns. It’s hard to believe that one big day is the start of a career turnaround for Young, who had struggled for most of the season. The San Francisco pass rush is anemic, ranking last in the league in both sacks and pressure rate. But a home matchup against Young and the Panthers is appealing, and then the 49ers get a really tasty Week 13 matchup against the Browns.