Doing your weekly waivers in fantasy football can be more stressful than performing life-saving surgery on a loved one without any professional tools or medical knowledge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, deciding which players to add off the waiver wire each week can be stressful.
Finding and adding the right guys in shallow leagues is simple, as there are plenty of appealing options, and the waiver wire is full of talent. Unfortunately, making your waiver wire claims in deeper leagues can be a massive pain in the neck.
However, I’m here to help by giving fantasy players six waiver wire targets they should add in deeper leagues in Week 12.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 12
All the players in this article are rostered in under 20% of ESPN leagues.
Derek Carr (QB – NO): 14.4% Rostered
Fantasy players that need a quarterback in Week 12 shouldn’t add Carr off the waiver wire, as the Saints have their bye this upcoming week. However, the veteran quarterback has played well after being left for dead by fantasy players. Despite not having Chris Olave or Rashid Shaheed for the past two weeks, Carr has completed 71.2% of his pass attempts for 258.5 yards, two touchdowns, and 19.6 fantasy points per game.
The veteran quarterback totaled two passing touchdowns and at least 18.7 fantasy points in both contests despite facing solid pass defenses. While he has his bye in Week 12, Carr is an excellent streaming option for the rest of the year. The veteran has matchups against the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Las Vegas Raiders following the bye week. Carr is a solid starting option for fantasy players in deeper leagues despite a lack of weapons.
Cam Akers (RB – MIN): 16.5% Rostered
Thankfully, Aaron Jones played in Week 11 after suffering a rib injury the week before against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the veteran running back struggled in the win over the Tennessee Titans, averaging only 2.6 yards per rushing attempt, totaling a season-low 4.8 half-point PPR fantasy points. By comparison, Akers scored 10.6 fantasy points on four fewer touches, scoring his first touchdown as a member of the Vikings this year.
For the second consecutive week, Akers was the clear-cut No. 2 running back ahead of Ty Chandler. He had 12 touches, while Chandler didn’t see the football. The former Florida State star has played well lately, averaging 0.65 fantasy points per touch over the past three weeks. If he continues to see double-digit touches, Akers could become a weekly flex option in deeper leagues. More importantly, he is a must-add handcuff.
Roschon Johnson (RB – CHI): 14.2% Rostered
While the Bears backfield was a fantasy football nightmare earlier in the year, they have figured this out lately. D’Andre Swift has settled into a low-end RB2. Meanwhile, Johnson has become a boom-or-bust touchdown-dependent flex option in deeper leagues. The former Texas star had double-digit rushing attempts only once before Week 11, averaging 5.1 per contest. By comparison, the second-year running back had his second double-digit rush attempt game on Sunday.
Johnson totaled 10 rushing attempts for 33 yards against the Green Bay Packers. He had a rushing touchdown, ending the game with 10.6 half-point PPR fantasy points. By comparison, Swift had 14 attempts for 15.4 fantasy points against the division rivals. The 14 to 10 rushing attempt distribution is the closest the two running backs have been in a game this season. Hopefully, Johnson’s role on offense keeps growing, leading to more consistent fantasy production.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – NO): 13.9% Rostered
Hopefully, fantasy players listened to me and added Valdes-Scantling off the waiver wire last week. However, not enough fantasy players listened because the veteran wide receiver is under the 20% threshold to be in the article again in Week 12. Valdes-Scantling caught all three targets for 109 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 24.4 fantasy points in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. While he wasn’t quite as productive on Sunday, Valdes-Scantling once again led the Saints wide receiver core.
The veteran had two receptions on four targets for 87 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 15.7 fantasy points against the Cleveland Browns. Taysom Hill led the team in targets (10), but Valdes-Scantling finished second in the win. Unfortunately, New Orleans has their bye in Week 12, which might make it hard for some fantasy players to add the veteran this week. However, Valdes-Scantling has appealing matchups after the bye, including against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13.
Elijah Moore (WR – CLE): 9.4% Rostered
Unfortunately, Cedric Tillman’s three-game streak of top-14 finishes ended last week. However, Moore had his best game this season in Week 11. He has seen an uptick in targets since the Amari Cooper trade and the change at quarterback. The veteran averaged 3.8 targets and 2.9 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the first six weeks. By comparison, he has averaged 8.8 targets and 9.9 fantasy points per game over the past four contests.
More importantly, the former Ole Miss had six receptions on eight targets for 66 receiving yards and his first touchdown this year on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Moore scored a season-high 15.6 fantasy points, finishing with a 17.4% target share. The veteran wide receiver has scored 12.5 or more fantasy points in two of the past three games. Expect the Browns to keep up their pass-happy offense, making Moore fantasy relevant.
Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE – CAR): 0.7% Rostered
I mentioned Sanders in this article last week despite him having his bye in Week 11. The rookie is one of my favorite tight end options for the rest of the season. He plays for one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Yet, the former Texas star has played well lately. Sanders has averaged 4.2 targets and 7.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the past five contests, totaling 7.4 or more in all but one matchup.
By comparison, the rookie tight end had only two targets in the win over the New York Giants in Week 10. However, Sanders had 7.8 fantasy points, scoring his first NFL touchdown in Germany. Furthermore, the former Texas star nearly had a second touchdown against New York. His 26 targets over the past six games lead the team. Expect Sanders’ role on offense to keep growing following the Panthers’ bye week with the team playing for the future.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.