Waiver Wire Roto Wizard Waiver Wire Free Agents week 12 2022

Let me be one of the first people to wish you and your family a very Happy Holidays! This upcoming Thursday we celebrate Thanksgiving, which happens to be my favorite holiday of the year (though it can be debated that the NFL Draft is a festival as well in my house). Plenty of food around the table, surrounded by loved ones from near and far, not to mention football on all day long. Fingers crossed the New York Giants manage to put on a better display on Turkey Day than this past weekend.

It goes without saying, but I have plenty to be thankful for and reflect upon. Through a bit of luck, hard work and blessings, my life is better than I could have ever hoped, and I'm very privileged to be in my position. Thanksgiving is a time that I've often used to not only be grateful for what I have, but remember that not everyone is as fortunate. This holiday season I'd encourage you to perhaps give a phone call to someone who might be in need of a little cheer, or consider volunteering some of your time towards a good cause of your choosing. This world could always use a little more compassion and kindness.

Onto the task at hand!

Week 12 of the Fantasy season is an interesting one, as the league takes a break from having teams on bye. Every NFL team will be back in action, starting off with three games on Thursday. Due to the increased action earlier in the week, it is important to be ahead of the curve if possible and have your lineup ready ahead of time, before tryptophan starts to kick in from the baked bird. Who might you consider adding this week? Check out my thoughts below:
 

Quarterbacks

Ryan Tannehill (8 percent rostered) - I'll touch on Tannehill again, given his recent string of success since returning in Week 10. On Sunday Tannehill looked as sharp as I've seen him in quite some time, completing 22-of-27 pass attempts for 333 yards (a season high) and two touchdowns. The return of Treylon Burks has made a world of difference in this offense, and Tannehill can spread the ball around to Robert Woods or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine if need be. His upcoming contest against Cincinnati has all the markings of a higher scoring affair, and I'd anticipate Tennessee to continue to take a balanced approach into this game. Tannehill isn't a recommended start in Week 13 against Philadelphia, but afterwards things open up against Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Chargers. He's a low-end streaming option in 12-team leagues.

Recommendation: Bid $3-$5 on Tannehill if your quarterback has a less than stellar matchup this week, or if your starter is underperforming (Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers) or hurt (Kyler Murray).

Taylor Heinicke (23 percent rostered) - Heinicke's statistics over the last two weeks are putrid, but I have faith that his incredibly easy upcoming schedule will lead to increased production for Fantasy purposes. Washington squares off against Atlanta in Week 12, a team that allows the fifth-highest completion percentage to quarterbacks. The Falcons are tied for allowing the fifth-most passing touchdowns, and rank fourth worst in yards-per-attempt allowed. Heinicke's trio of wideouts in Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson is elite, and I think that this team should have a field day throwing the ball. To make matters more enticing, Washington faces the New York Giants in Week 13, who are projected to be without their top cornerback Adoree Jackson for the next 3-5 weeks. He's worth a dart throw as a potential streamer.

Recommendation: With Ron Rivera's endorsement as the new starting option and a controversy behind him, Heinicke is a short-term add as a streaming consideration in SUPERFLEX or 2-QB leagues over the short-term. His potential upside puts him in the upside QB2 territory.

Running Backs

Rachaad White (34 percent rostered) - Fantasy players occasionally fall trap to making waiver decisions based solely upon the upcoming "projected points" for the following week. I tried to caution folks against this before, but let this serve as a reminder! With White on bye in Week 11 and some leagues having shallower benches, he remained below the 35 percent threshold that I use for this article, which is a mistake. Throughout the course of the year, White has become increasingly involved in Tampa Bay's offense, culminating in Week 10, where he was handed 22 carries. With Leonard Fournette now recovering from a hip pointer, all signs point to White being the dominant ball carrier in this backfield, with Fournette taking the short-yardage and goal-line work (akin to the mix between Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas). White is an upside RB2 in most formats, and should be universally rostered.

Recommendation: In shallower formats where White remains available, pick him up down the stretch run. It is clear from beat writer reports (as well as the eye test) that he is the more explosive player in the back field, and the team will look to give him steady work moving forward. Spend $15-$30 to acquire him.

Latavius Murray (34 percent rostered) - News broke mid-afternoon on Monday that Denver would be releasing veteran Melvin Gordon, and newly acquired Chase Edmonds sustained a high-ankle sprain in Week 11. These two factors clear the way for Murray to be a "bell cow" back in the near future, until Mike Boone returns off of the IR. Denver squares off against Carolina in Week 12, and the Panthers have surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards in 2022, and the sixth-most rushing touchdowns. It wouldn't be surprising to see Murray find himself north of 20 total touches per week moving forward, and these sort of situations are few and far between in the later stages of the season. He might not have as much upside as other lead backs, but volume is king in this league.

Recommendation: Drop $10-$15 to acquire Murray as an upside FLEX or low-end RB2 moving forward. Even though Denver has their fair share of struggles, he should still see a fair amount of volume and is a capable receiver.

Wide Receivers

Demarcus Robinson (1 percent rostered) - Robinson initially caught my eye in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he caught 6 passes for 64 yards, but his follow-up performance against New Orleans (just one catch for 12 yards) made him fall off the radar. His performance in Week 11 (9/128 on nine targets) can't simply be ignored, however. Robinson led Baltimore in receptions, yards and (most importantly) targets on a week where Mark Andrews was healthy. With Devin Duvernay failing to separate himself from the pack and Rashod Bateman out for the rest of the season, Robinson will become the de-facto 1B option that Bateman was supposed to be. Baltimore does have a difficult upcoming schedule against Jacksonville, Denver and Pittsburgh, but as long as he surpasses 5 targets (which he's done in three of the past five games) he makes for an upside FLEX option.

Recommendation: Robinson won't have the same gaudy output as Week 11 consistently, but his overall usage and large frame suggest that the team is comfortable making him a key part of their offense moving forward, amidst a depth chart void of talent. Stash him for a $3-$5 bid.

Darius Slayton (21 percent rostered) - The New York Giants not only suffered a crippling loss against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they lost their most explosive wide receiver in Wan'Dale Robinson with a torn ACL. His absence opens a bevy of additional targets for Slayton, who has posted double-digit performances in a PPR league in five of the last six weeks. New York is a low-volume offense that is highly reliant upon the legs of Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, but when they look downfield it does generate big plays. He deserves to be rostered in more than 20 percent of leagues, even with only modest overall volume. Slayton is averaging 17.2 YPC this season, which puts him amongst company like Gabe Davis and A.J. Brown.

Recommendation: In 14-team leagues or larger consider adding Slayton as a viable WR3/FLEX option for the foreseeable future. He is more valuable in non-PPR formats due to overall modest volume, but has tremendous big-play ability. Add for $3-$5.

Treylon Burks (22 percent rostered) - It didn't take long for Burks to make his impact felt upon his return. In a 27-17 victory over Green Bay, Burks led Tennessee in receptions, yards and targets, posting a 7/111 stat line. Burks has 14 targets over the last two weeks since returning from a lengthy stint on the IR with a foot injury, and is he inheriting the AJ Brown role that many expected. As mentioned earlier in the blurb about Ryan Tannehill, the Titans aren't a high volume offense, and they funnel touches through relatively few players. Burks unique blend of size and athleticism makes him both a downfield threat and red zone target, and for the remainder of the season I can see him floating around WR3 production.

Recommendation: Burks lengthy absence away from Week 5-10 made Fantasy players forget about his upside, but remember that he was supposed to be amongst the elite of rookie wideouts. He could have the same sort of impact as a Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson. Spend $10-$15 to acquire him.

Tight Ends

Juwan Johnson (19 percent rostered) - As I've alluded to so many times over the years, looking for tight ends as magical fixes off of the waiver wire is extremely difficult. Once or twice per season a player comes along that will be a weekly streamer, and those opportunities need to be pounced upon. In the case of Johnson, he clearly has the trust of Andy Dalton around the red zone, as he has scored 5 touchdowns since Week 7. His total targets are relatively modest and he is no better than third in the pecking order behind Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, but the quality of his targets is elite. New Orleans is in the midst of chasing the NFC South title and is right behind Tampa Bay and Atlanta, and the team isn't afraid of having Andy Dalton chuck the ball around if need be.

Recommendation: Johnson should be viewed as a low-end TE1 player who is touchdown dependent, akin to a Cole Kmet. Quietly, he's currently seventh in the league in points at the position, but his roster percentage doesn't reflect that. Add him for $5 if you're in need of help at the position.

Defense/Special Teams

Washington Commanders - Washington has been on an absolute tear over the last two weeks, piling up two touchdowns, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and six sacks (not to mention a partridge in a pear tree). Chase Young was activated off of the IR on Monday afternoon, adding another piece to a dynamic defensive front. Even as a rotational piece, Young will present major challenges to offensive lineman. The Commanders DST will benefit from two plus-matchups with Atlanta and the New York Giants, and is in strong position to produce top-five numbers. Atlanta will also be playing without Kyle Pitts for the rest of the season.

Kansas City Chiefs - Any defense taking on the Los Angeles Rams is a strong streamer at the moment, and Kansas City is no exception. No Matthew Stafford, no Cooper Kupp, a non-existent running game and a porous offensive line make an easy combination to exploit. Kansas City doesn't generate many turnovers, but they are capable of putting plenty of pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Kickers

Ryan Succop - Succop was dropped in a number of leagues with the Buccaneers on bye in Week 11, but prior to that he had been on a strong stretch since Week 6, with a number of double-digit performances. Tampa Bay's offense should reap the benefits of having a full week off to regroup and adjust. They face Cleveland and New Orleans in the next two weeks, and both squads surrender yards hand over fist.

Cameron Dicker - Couldn't get by without a "Dicker the Kicker" reference, right? Dicker had converted every opportunity this season, in both field goal attempts and extra point efforts. Now with Los Angeles, Dicker has scored a minimum of eight points in each of the last three weeks on an ascending team. The return of a healthy Keenan Allen will greatly aid Justin Herbert and company.