The home stretch of the fantasy football season is finally upon us as managers aim to make their push for the playoffs.
Regardless of whether you’re looking to secure a playoff spot or playing spoiler to other teams in the league, the waiver wire in Week 12 will be crucial.
There are six teams on a bye this week, including the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo, using the 75% rostered mark (at least 25% availability) as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!
We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.
Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.
Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.
Priority Free Agents
1. QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
The rookie quarterback has been on fire over the last two months, averaging 21.3 fantasy points per game over his last seven. He has six top-15 performances during that stretch. Even when he’s not throwing touchdown passes, he is making up for it with stable rushing. This is likely the last time Nix will be available, but with his favorable schedule, he’s a back-end QB1 the rest of the way.
Availability: 52%
FAAB: 10%
2. TE Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
Over his last six games, Smith has become a major part of the Dolphins’ passing attack. During that stretch, Smith has averaged 6.5 targets and a 22% target share per game. He’s coming off a stellar 6-101-2 game, which will skew his numbers a bit. But Smith is a starting tight end option for the remainder of the season when taking into account his usage and upside.
Availability: 46%
FAAB: 5%
3. RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
The backfield still very much belongs to D’Andre Swift, but Johnson saw 10 carries in a game for just the second time this season. It only amounted to 33 rushing yards, but he also found the end zone in a goal-line situation. The change at offensive coodinator is why Johnson could be a worthwhile add. He won’t overtake Swift, but he had a signficant role on short-yardage downs, so that could become his role moving forward.
Availability: 93%
FAAB: 5%
4. RB Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings
Akers has fully taken over the backup role behind Aaron Jones, but it’s a bit more than that. Over his last two games, Akers has seen 14 and 12 opportunities, respectively. Even though Jones is the starter, Akers has been getting usable touches. He hasn’t been overly efficient, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry over those two games, but he’s tied to a strong offense, and they haven’t been afraid to use him in the red zone with four carries and one target in that area. He also has fringe RB2 upside if Jones were to get hurt.
Availability: 83%
FAAB: 10%
5. WR Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots
The second-year wideout has seemingly built a strong rapport with rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Boutte has recorded six targets in each of the last four games with four receptions in each of his last two. The offense as a whole limits Boutte’s upside, but he’s carving out a steady role with at least a 96% snap share in each of his last three games.
Availability: 96%
FAAB: 5%
6. RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Ford hasn’t reached double-digit opportunities since Week 5, and the return of Nick Chubb will likely keep that streak going. However, Ford does have seven targets over his last two games, and the Browns should be in negative game scripts considering their upcoming schedule over the next month. His upside is capped, but his receiving work keeps him afloat as a bench addition for running back needy teams.
Availability: 71%
FAAB: 3%
7. TE Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Hill would be higher on this list if the Saints weren’t going into the bye week. He put together a monster game in Week 11, posting a 7-138-3 rushing line while adding eight receptions for 50 yards, amassing 37.5 half-PPR points. Hill is averaging five rushing attempts per game and 5.3 targets per game over his last four. It’s difficult to find similar upside on the waiver wire, so Hill could be stashed through the bye week for teams that can afford the bench space.
Availability: 46%
FAAB: 5%
8. WR Ray-Ray McCloud, Atlanta Falcons
This one is totally contingent on the Darnell Mooney (hamstring) injury. It’s not clear whether Mooney was held out due to a severe injury or because the game was already so out of hand that Atlanta was playing it safe. The Falcons also are going into their bye week, and McCloud isn’t in such high demand that he should be rostered through the bye week. But if it comes out that Mooney is set to miss time, McCloud becomes an intriguing flex option at least.
Availability: 83%
FAAB: 5%
9. WR Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers
Coming out of the bye week, Thielen is expected to make his return from the Reserve/Injured list after missing the majority of the season due to a hamstring injury. Rookie Xavier Legette has looked solid in recent games, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Thielen returned as the target leader down the stretch. Managers shouldn’t expect Thielen of old, but he could become a flex option in the right matchups.
Availability: 81%
FAAB: 5%
10. WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
Probably rostered in most leagues but worth a look, Odunze led the Bears offense with 10 targets, turning them into six receptions for 65 yards. While Caleb Williams hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in four games since coming out of the bye week, Odunze has the type of profile to bet on for the home stretch of the fantasy season.
Availability: 36%
FAAB: 15%
11. WR Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
Another option that skews toward more casual leagues, Jeudy has been trending in the right direction since Jameis Winston took over as the starter. He’s averaged 10 targets and 98 yards per game over his last three since Deshaun Watson‘s injury, and he came through with an explosive 6-142-1 line on 11 targets last week. The schedule isn’t all that favorable, but Winston is going to sling it, and Jeudy appears to have a solid rapport with his new quarterback.
Availability: 49%
FAAB: 10%
12. QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Back from a two-game benching, Richardson finally showed the type of poise and upside that was expected of him coming into the season. Richardson had the best game of his career, completing 20 of 30 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions while adding 10 carries for 32 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He’s still extremely risky considering the gauntlet of matchups Richardson faces over the next two games leading into the Week 14 bye, so it’s best to be cautiously optimistic. But if he figured something out during his benching, it could mean a great deal for fantasy.
Availability: 53%
FAAB: 5%
Grab-n-Stash
Suggested FAAB usage for potential stash players shouldn’t exceed more than 5%. It’s best to try to get these players without spending any FAAB at all, if possible.
RB Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens: The electric second-year back hasn’t seen any work since being activated two weeks ago, but he’s still worth monitoring in case the Ravens want to give him more work over Justice Hill like they did last year.
Availability: 95%
WR Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens: His game will be highly volatile, but Bateman is worth a stash as an upside play in desperate times.
Availability: 68%
WR Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts: With Anthony Richardson back as the starter, Pierce resumed his starting role as well. He’s a volatile asset, but he has at least 70 yards in each of his last two games.
Availability: 82%
WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers: The rookie wideout will have some competition with Adam Thielen‘s return, but Legette has flashed some upside this season, and he has a decent schedule coming up.
Availability: 72%
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers: The rookie tight end is coming out of the bye week and has three TE1 (top 12) performances over his last four games.
Availability: 98%
Running back handcuffs to stash or monitor
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets (67% available)
- Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (60% available)
- Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (79% available)
- Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (99% available)
- Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks (58% available)
- Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins (94% available)
- Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (85% available)
- Dylan Laube, Las Vegas Raiders (100% available)
- Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills (77% available)
Streamers of the Week
QB Will Levis at Houston Texans: You never know what Levis is going to bring, but he always has the potential for multiple scores. Meanwhile, Houston has allowed multiple touchdowns in five of their last seven games.
Availability: 91%
QB Russell Wilson at Cleveland Browns: Mr. Unlimited put up an absolute dud last week, but there’s still upside here. Cleveland has allowed at least two touchdown passes in each of their last five games.
Availability: 51%
QB Jameis Winston vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: The matchup isn’t great, and it’s on a short week, but Winston’s upside is fine for managers in an extreme pinch.
Availability: 88%
TE Will Dissly vs. Baltimore Ravens: With at least six targets in five of his last six games, Dissly is again in play as a trusted option for Justin Herbert.
Availability: 77%
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers: We touched on Sanders in the stash section. It’s risky trusting Bryce Young against the Chiefs defense, but they’ve been exposed by tight ends all season long.
Availability: 98%
Washington Commanders D/ST vs. Dallas Cowboys: With Dak Prescott (hamstring) out for the season, the Cowboys have become a prime target for fantasy defenses.
Availability: 80%
Arizona Cardinals D/ST at Seattle Seahawks: It sounds crazy, but Arizona has been solid lately. They have 13 sacks and have allowed just 14.3 points per game over their last four.
Availability: 96%
PK Chase McLaughlin at New York Giants: Coming out of the bye week, the Buccaneers should have no issues moving the ball into field goal range against the Giants.
Availability: 89%
PK John Parker Romo at Chicago Bears: Romo has been solid since taking over for rookie Will Reichard (hamstring), and he should have plenty of opportunities to kick in this game.
Availability: 92%
