Stop using your precious clicks on five different positional waiver wire articles. Football Absurdity’s Waleed Ismail has all your week 12 waiver wire needs on one page!
Week eleven of the 2019 NFL season is in the books and you’ve made every mistake a man can make. You thought Myles Garrett was a reasonable human being… and you were wrong. You believed the Bears had finally found a kicker…. And you were wrong. You thought fantasy football was fun….and boy, were you wrong. You and your team have utterly failed in week eleven. Lucky for you, there are waiver wire options to save you from yourself. If I don’t mention someone whom you think I should be talking about, just know there are many reasons why I overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad I don’t even consider them. Or, maybe it’s because your opinions cannot be trusted. After all, you are here. So let us examine what our best week 12 waiver wire players for your championship run are…
Week Twelve Waiver Wire QBs
Should I Pick up Jeff Driskel? – Owned in 4% of leagues – With Matthew Stafford broken, you might be desperate for quarterback help. It is worth noting that in week eleven, Jeff Driskel was a QB1 against one of the toughest defenses against fantasy quarterbacks. In the two games that he has started in place of Stafford, he hasn’t looked too bad. Driskel even kicked in over 80 yards rushing in those two games. Even better is that in week twelve, he gets to face a Washington team that made Sam Darnold look like Dan Marino in week eleven.
Should I Pick up Nick Foles? – Owned in 26% of leagues – Nick Foles is a popular waiver-wire option in fantasy football articles today. I can only assume the people recommending him didn’t watch the Jaguars play the Colts. Foles was inconsistent in his first game back and doesn’t have a great mustache to hide behind when his play becomes inconsistent. It is hard to get excited for Nick Foles. He does have a tasty matchup against Tampa Bay in a couple of weeks, so he may be worth a look then, but not for his Tennessee matchup.
Should I Pick up Sam Darnold? – Owned in 17% of leagues – Remember when I apologized for recommending you pick up Sam Darnold off of waiver wires and he proceeded to make me look foolish? Remember when I apologized the next week for recommending him and he proceeded to play well again. Well, I’m not going to recommend him again, even if he has the best fantasy schedule of any quarterback in the NFL. No, I definitely won’t point out his four-touchdown performance against an abysmal Washington team. So if you grab him and he burns you, don’t come crying to me!!!
[editor’s note: I appreciate Waleed’s strong “you’re not dumping me, I’m dumping you” energy, I do need to emphasize that Darnold has Oakland, Cincinnati, and Miami in the next three weeks, who allow the fourth, third, and seventh-most fantasy points to QBs, respectively]
Week Twelve Waiver Wire RBs
Should I Pick up Jonathan Williams? – Owned in 2% of leagues – With Marlon Mack out for at least one week, you should be taking a long, hard look at Jonathan Williams. While some might tell you to target Hines, he is more of a third-down back. Jordan Wilkins might be back from his ankle injury, but Williams will probably be getting the start. And if you watched him decimate the Jaguars in week eleven, you know that is probably the right decision. Williams showed flashes of speed and power that I never saw when he played for Buffalo. Probably because he was playing for Buffalo. The way the Colts offensive line is playing right now, anyone getting 10+ carries is probably a guy you want to roster.
Should I Pick up Derrius Guice? – Owned in 38% of leagues – I’ve been touting Derrius Guice the past few weeks as a great value pick on the waiver wire, but the more I watch of Washington, the less confident I am about this. Washington just lost to the Jets. It is hard to believe there is anything worth rostering on this team. However, Guice had several good runs and was used as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. If you are desperate for running back help, go ahead and grab Guice. He’ll probably end up making you hate yourself, but if you are at the point in the season where you need Guice to save your team, you probably already hated yourself anyway.
Should I Pick up Bo Scarbrough? – Owned in 2% of leagues – Man, remember when we all rushed out and got Kerryon Johnson in the preseason? Then, like a month ago, we all rushed out and got Ty Johnson? After that, it was J.D. McKissic as a sneaky pickup? Now, it’s Bo Scarbrough? Who hurt you? I can tell you. Matt Patricia. Scarbrough ran powerfully against the Cowboys, but a touchdown wallpapered over the fact that he turned 14 carries into 55 yards. He gets Washington this week, so if you’re in a pinch you can get Scarbrough. However, I’m not burning any waiver priority or hoping for a long-term fix with him in my lineup. After Washington, he gets a strong defense in Chicago, then he gets two awful matchups (Minnesota & Tampa Bay). Don’t go out of your way to get Scarbrough.
Week Twelve Waiver Wire WRs
Should I Pick up Darius Slayton? – Owned in 24% of leagues – Last week, I pointed out that Daniel Jones seems to really like Darius Slayton. With Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard missing extended periods of time, you might want to start liking Darius Slayton too. In week ten, Slayton saw a whopping 14 targets. An emerging target on an offense that is going to spend a lot of its time playing from behind is someone worth rostering.
Should I Pick up Randall Cobb? – Owned in 23% of leagues – If you were to look at just the stat-line of his last two performances, Randall Cobb would be a no-brainer addition on the waiver wire. 10 catches for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns ain’t no joke. What is a joke are the teams he got those numbers against. The Lions get absolutely abused by opposing quarterbacks and the Vikings have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. This brings us to the Cowboys’ next opponent: The New England Patriots. It doesn’t get any better for Cobb after that. Over the next three weeks, he plays three defenses that give up the fewest points to opposing wide receivers. So don’t let the numbers fool you, Randall Cobb is fool’s gold.
Week Twelve Waiver Wire TEs
Should I Pick up Kyle Rudolph? – Owned in 48% of leagues – Last call for Kyle Rudolph, the last good tight end on the waiver wire. The reason I say it’s the last call for Rudolph is that after putting up four touchdowns in his last three games, he probably won’t be on the waiver wire next week. Over the last four weeks, he has been a top-five fantasy tight end. If you need tight end help, you should grab him. Even if you don’t, he might be a worthwhile addition, just to ensure nobody else ends up with him.
Should I Pick up David Njoku? – Owned in 42% of leagues – David Njoku is about to become eligible to return from injured reserve. Before he was hurt, he was considered a top-ten tight end prospect. And let’s be real. If you are looking at waiver wire tight ends right now, you are probably desperate. Njoku has a higher ceiling than anyone you can pick up.
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