Week 11 is in the books, which means we’ve finally arrived at Thanksgiving Week. This week comes at you fast: Monday Night Football ends and we only have 36-hours until kickoff for Detroit-Houston.
I cannot wait.
While the Week 12 waiver wire looks to be about as weak of a wire that we have seen all season, that does not mean there are not important adds to be made. With no teams on bye weeks, lineups should be stronger. This is not a week to squeak by; this is a week to put up a big scoring number and get a W.
If you are a playoff team, this week is a great opportunity to shore-up the bottom of your roster; an opportunity to add necessary handcuffs or a future defense to use later in the year. Do not spend a lot of FAB. If you are a 6-5 win-type team on the brink, there are a few players you can plug-in. You also need to factor-in that Week 13 will have Tampa Bay and Carolina, two teams with multiple fantasy starters, on a late bye — so plan accordingly.
Here are a few players who are more highly rostered than our threshold, but should be grabbed before anyone on this list.
Taysom Hill QB New Orleans (46%)
Hill should have at least two more starts for the Saints. This past week, he ran for 2 scores and passed for 1 other. He also showed a connection with Michael Thomas that many were worried he was not capable of. For as long as he starts, he is low-end QB1 and high-end QB2 and can be streamed as needed.
Carlos Hyde RB Seattle (46%)
Hyde should see another start if Chris Carson misses.
Gus Edwards RB Baltimore (28%)
Edwards could see 25 carries this week with JK Dobbins and Mark Ingram on the COVID-19 list.
Salvon Ahmed RB Miami (64%)
Ahmed was on the field nearly every snap. He is locked-in until Myles Gaskin returns, and even then, would have a chance to keep his job if his play improves.
Michael Pittman WR Indianapolis (44%)
If Pittman is somehow still available in your league, spend as much FAB as you have to get him. This is the WR1 in an offense that is trending up.
Tim Patrick WR Denver (21%)
Patrick is coming off of a season high 119 yards against Miami. He is certainly usable.
As always, our threshold is players rostered in less than 20 percent of Yahoo! Leagues.
QB Andy Dalton Dallas (9%)
Dalton returned from injury to throw 3 touchdown passes in the Cowboys’ win over Minnesota. He is back on the Superflex radar and will be a QB2 this week against Washington on Thanksgiving Day.
QB Jalen Hurts Philadelphia (1%)
The drumbeats continue for the rookie QB to get his chance at replacing Carson Wentz as starter in Philadelphia. Hurts would immediately have fantasy appeal due to his scrambling ability. Dynasty teams and Superflex teams should roster Hurts preemptively.
RB Justice Hill Baltimore (0%)
Dobbins and Ingram are both on the COVID-19 list as noted above; monitor their status. Fourth-string RB Justice Hill has been an afterthought all season, but he should see some touches against Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving Night.
RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson Chicago (7%)
For Yahoo! leaguers, Patterson is now RB/WR eligible. Last week he saw 12 carries with David Montgomery out with an injury. If Montgomery were to miss another game, Patterson would see a similar, high-touch workload.
RB Frank Gore NY Jets (10%)
The 37-year old Gore is an option for desperate teams in need of a low-ceiling floor-play this week. Last week, Gore had 15 carries for 61 yards rushing and a score. This week, with Lamical Perine out, Gore should see similar volume against a good Miami defense.
RB Tony Pollard Dallas (19%)
Pollard found the end zone last weekend on a 42-yard run. Pollard remains one of the best handcuffs to roster in all of fantasy; if Ezekiel Elliott were to go down, he would be a RB2 for the rest of the season.
RB Samaje Perine Cincinnati (1%)
Perine is the clear handcuff to Giovani Bernard. With Joe Burrow done for the season, the Bengals offense could turn south in a hurry. Nevertheless, Perine would see a huge workload if Bernard was to miss time (Joe Mixon was placed on the IR, eliminating him for at least three weeks).
Devontae Booker Las Vegas (10%)
After two big weeks, Booker came down to earth as it was the Josh Jacobs show in the thriller Sunday Night contest against the Chiefs. Even still, Booker should be viewed as a high-end handcuff in a very good offense. If Josh Jacobs were to miss time, Booker could win leagues.
WR Keke Coutee Houston (0%)
Randall Cobb went down with an injury last week and Coutee filled-in at the slot position, producing 4 catches with a score. Coutee has been a non-factor all season, but could be a sneaky one week add against an awful Detroit secondary. He could see 8 or so targets as a floor-play WR3.
WR Nelson Agholor Las Vegas (19%)
We cannot ignore Agholor. He looks to be the WR in Las Vegas (someway, somehow). He has scored 14 or more fantasy points in 5 of his last 7 games. He is WR32 for the season. Last week, he had 9 targets for 6 catches, 81 yards and 1 TD. This week, he gets a great match-up against Atlanta.
WR Damiere Byrd New England (2%)
Byrd had his best game of the season with 6 catches for 132 yards and 1 TD against Houston last week. He now faces another winnable match-up against Arizona. There is a chance he could see Patrick Peterson, but I am not sure which way that will go.
If you are WR-needy, Byrd has shown a ceiling, and is a WR4 who can be used as a WR3 in good match-ups. There is a lack of weapons in New England and every week Byrd should be a top-3 option in their passing game.
WR Breshad Perriman NY Jets (11%)
Perriman has shown a real connection with quarterback Joe Flacco. He now has three touchdowns in his last two games. As long as Flacco is the starter, Perriman is fantasy viable. If Sam Darnold returns, it is unclear who will see the targets.
WR Denzel Mims NY Jets (5%)
Mims has now seen 8 targets in back-to-back games. Mims will see downfield targets, and is clearly a part of the Jets’ weekly game plan; an athletic talent who could have some high-upside games down the stretch.
WR Russell Gage Atlanta (7%)
Julio Jones could miss this week. Last week, with a hobbled Jones, Gage saw 12 targets. This is more of an emergency floor-play if you are in a real bind (and assuming Jones does miss).
WR Darnell Mooney Chicago (8%)
Coming off of a bye, look for Chicago to try and take some shots downfield to the speedy rookie wideout. Mooney has displayed an ability to get open, but plays in a putrid Bears’ passing attack. This week, he has a strong match-up against a Green Bay team that has a bottom-10 defense against fantasy wide receivers.
WR Demarcus Robinson Kansas City (2%)
Robinson is a cheap way of getting in on the Chiefs’ passing attack this week, provided Sammy Watkins misses another game. Robinson saw 8 targets and had 6 catches. He would be a WR4 this week against Tampa and the “number two” receiver in KC.
TE Trey Burton Indianapolis (5%)
Burton found the end zone last week. He is a low-floor streamer, but can be considered for TE-needy teams.
TE Will Dissly Seattle (1%) and/or Jacob Hollister (0%)
Dissly sees more time, but Hollister has seen more targets. With Greg Olsen out with an injury, one of these two could become fantasy viable down the stretch. TE-needy teams should consider rostering one and monitoring the situation. Philadelphia has been bad against tight ends, but I would hold off on using one until we see the usage.
TE Jordan Akins Houston (2%)
Akins has missed some time this season, but will look for a strong finish after posting a 5 catch, 83-yard performance against New England. Darren Fells is still a threat to see targets, but Akins started the season well, and he would be my bet to lead Houston tight ends in fantasy production moving forward.
TE Jordan Reed San Francisco (15%)
Reed was well ahead of Ross Dwelley, and had a 5 catch, 62-yard performance his last game against New Orleans. Reed could be a real help for teams down the stretch — and the 49ers offense is getting healthier.
Best of luck in Week 12!