9 Fantasy Football Players to Drop or Hold (Week 12 Waiver Wire)

Let’s take a look at players our analysts consider on the fringe as you weigh your waiver wire additions for the week. And here’s all of our fantasy football Week 12 waiver wire advice and targets.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Drop or Hold?

DROP RECOMMENDATIONS

Droppable:

• Mark Andrews
• Tyler Boyd
• Joe Burrow
• Darrell Henderson
• Justice Hill

Fair thee well, Mark Andrews. One of the most prolific fantasy scorers at the TE position, Andrews sustained an ankle injury against the Bengals on Thursday night that will likely end his season. Although the Ravens haven’t declared the injury to be season-ending, there’s basically zero chance Andrews returns by Week 17 to help his fantasy teams in the playoffs.

Tyler Boyd is a third wheel in the Cincinnati offense when WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are both healthy. But the real reason Boyd is droppable is QB-related (see below).

Joe Burrow is out for the season with a wrist injury. It’s a shame, because Swaggy Joe had struggled early in the season while still recovering from a calf injury sustained in training camp but had gotten his mojo back of late. From Week 8 to Week 10, Burrow averaged 23.9 fantasy points per game. He should return to QB1 status in 2024, but Burrow will provide fantasy managers no further help in 2023.

Rams RB Kyren Williams is expected to come off injured reserve this week. Before he went down with an ankle injury, Williams had been getting the vast majority of offensive snaps and touches in the Rams’ backfield. Henderson with an ankle injury, Williams was dominating snaps and touches in the Rams’ backfield. That will most likely be the case upon his return, rendering Darrell Henderson irrelevant for fantasy purposes. Henderson has been sharing backfield work with Royce Freeman in Williams’ absence. Henderson has been more fantasy-viable than Freeman, but with Henderson averaging just 2.4 yards per carry over his four games as the lead back, the Rams will be delighted to have Williams return.

Justice Hill has given way to speedy youngster Keaton Mitchell and is now a distant third in the Baltimore backfield. As long as Mitchell and Gus Edwards are healthy, Hill isn’t rosterable in fantasy leagues.

Droppable with a chance of regret:

• D’Onta Foreman
• Quentin Johnston

With the return of Khalil Herbert from injured reserve in Week 11, the Bears’ backfield now appears to be a three-man committee, and Herbert led the way in snaps and carries on Sunday. Foreman sustained an ankle injury, leaving his status for Week 12 in doubt. Even if he’s able to play, it doesn’t seem as if he’ll have a fantasy-relevant role considering his lack of usage in the passing game.

Quentin Johnston has frying pans for hands. Injuries to WRs Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer have given the Chargers’ first-round pick a golden opportunity to assert himself, but Johnston is literally letting the opportunity slip through his fingers. It’s possible we’ll see splash plays and high-scoring games from Johnston in the weeks to come. But it seems unlikely that fantasy managers will be able to confidently start Johnston at any point this season.

Don’t drop yet:

• Gabe Davis
• Dameon Pierce

The WR21 in fantasy scoring (0.5 ppr) for the first eight weeks of the season, Gabriel Davis has hit the skids of late, with 2-56-0 on eight targets over his last three games. The emergence of second-year WR Khalil Shakir seems to have had a deleterious effect on Davis’ role in the Buffalo offense. Don’t drop the big-play receiver yet, but keep him out of your starting lineup until he gives us a prove-it game.

It seems damning for Dameon Pierce that Devin Singletary has been shining in Pierce’s absence, particularly after Pierce got off to such a slow start this season. In fairness, the Houston offensive line was riddled with injuries in the opening weeks of the season, when Pierce was playing a workhorse-type role. The Texans’ offensive line is much healthier now, and Singletary has been capitalizing while Pierce has been nursing an ankle injury. Pierce is likely to return this week. Don’t throw him overboard until we see what the Texans do with their backfield.