Fantasy Football: Waiver-wire targets for Week 12

We look around the league and help fantasy managers choose which players to add to their roster.

It was an exciting and interesting Week 11, where we saw some new names enter into our collective fantasy football minds. Injuries and breakout stars are going to send fantasy managers scrambling to waivers this week, and we can fill you in on who to target before waivers clear.

Best Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups for Week 12

Here are some waiver wire options for fantasy this week.

After the 12th full slate of regular season action, the NFL and fantasy football are nearing the end of the regular season.

If you had a tough injury in Week 11, or you just didn’t get the production from one of your players that you expected, we’ll scan the waiver wire. For potential pickups, we’ll consider players who are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 12 of the NFL campaign.

Fantasy Football: 10 best waiver wire targets for NFL Week 12

Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet headlines this week’s list of the top waiver wire targets in fantasy football.

We’ve reached Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season and fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner for most leagues.

Many fantasy football managers will be scrambling to find help on the waiver wire this week after running backs Aaron Jones (knee) and Ken Walkers (oblique) suffered injuries on Sunday.

The No. 1 tight end in fantasy football this year, Mark Andrews, also suffered a season-ending* ankle injury in Week 11 (Baltimore says there is an outside shot Andrews might be able to return this year, but that would presumably be after the fantasy season has ended).

So fantasy football managers will need to find replacements for several key players this week. To help in that search, we’ve put together a list of the ten best waiver wire targets this week with options at running back, wide receiver, tight end, quarterback, defense/special teams and even kicker.

Each player’s rostered percentage in ESPN fantasy football leagues is listed in parentheses. Ready? Let’s get to the full list!

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 12 free-agent forecast

Check out the top waiver wire targets in fantasy football for Week 12.

The fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner, and managers will need to utilize all aspects of the waiver wire entering Week 12 with most trade deadlines arriving this week.

After four teams were on a bye in Week 11, there will be no teams getting the week off. Keep in mind, though, that six teams will be on a bye in Week 13, so some moves may need to be made ahead of time.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Trevor Lawrence  262-17 4
 Brock Purdy 333-14 3
 Justin Herbert 260-73 2
 Josh Allen 275-15 3
 Lamar Jackson 264-54 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Saquon Barkley 14-83
4-57
2
Jaylen Warren 9-129
3-16
1
Jahmyr Gibbs 8-36
6-59
1
Christian McCaffrey 21-78
5-25
1
Gus Edwards 12-62
2-8
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Calvin Ridley 7-103 2
Tyreek Hill 10-146 1
Tank Dell 8-149 1
Keenan Allen 10-116 1
Brandon Aiyuk 5-156 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
George Kittle 8-89 1
David Njoku 7-56 0
Stone Smartt 1-51 1
Dalton Schultz 2-32 1
Logan Thomas 5-58 0
Placekickers XP FG
Tyler Bass 2 4
Cairo Santos 2 4
Jason Meyers 1 3
Justin Tucker 4 2
Jason Sanders 2 2
Defense Sack – TO TD
Bills 6-4 0
Giants 4-6 1
Cowboys 6-2 1
Cardinals 4-3 0
Bears – Comm 2-4 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Geno Smith – Elbow
RB D’Onta Foreman – Ankle
RB De’Von Achane – Knee
RB Aaron Jones – Knee
RB Kenneth Walker – Oblique
WR Darius Slayton – Arm
WR Cooper Kupp – Ankle
WR Tyreek Hill – Wrist

Chasing Ambulances

QB Geno Smith – Injured his elbow and left the game. Drew Lock played for two series in the fourth quarter, but Smith returned for the final drive and got the Seahawks in position for a 55-yard field goal that was missed and prevented a win. Smith has bruised triceps, and his status for Thursday night isn’t certain. Lock would replace him if needed.

 RB D’Onta Foreman – He injured his ankle early in the game but returned. He later reaggravated the same ankle and was held out for the rest of the contest. He’ll be examined on Monday to determine the severity. Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson take up the slack if Foreman misses any time.

RB De’Von Achane – The rookie hurt his knee when he was tackled, and HC Mike McDaniel said that Achane wanted back into the game, but was held out because “I was a little worried with the rust.” Which sounds more proactive and preventative than reactive to a serious injury. Practice reports will indicate how much of a setback Achane has (or doesn’t have). Raheem Mostert just handles all the touches if Achane isn’t back this week at the Jets.

RB Aaron Jones – He was no longer on the injury report from his season-long hamstring issue but then injured his knee in the win over the Chargers. He was carted to the locker room, though HC Matt LaFleur said he didn’t believe the issue was severe. AJ Dillon takes over in any absence of Jones, though earlier this year, it happened, and Dillon wasn’t much of a factor. Jones himself said he feared it was an ACL at first but that he didn’t think it would be anything serious. He’ll have an MRI on Monday to determine the prognosis.

RB Kenneth Walker – Injured his oblique and was in a lot of pain. HC Pete Carroll said that Walker’s injury was significant and that he may miss games. Zach Charbonnet will replace him for any missed time, and the Seahawks did not bump up any other backs’ workload. Charbonnet will see a workhorse role if Walker is out.

WR Cooper Kupp – He only caught one pass before the injury when he was blocking for Royce Freeman. HC Sean McVay said after the game that Kupp wanted to return but that he wasn’t 100% healthy, and they held him out. McVay said he did not know how severe the ankle injury might be. We should know more on Monday. Austin Trammel replaced him for the rest of the game. Puka Nacua caught his first touchdown in five games.

WR Tyreek Hill – Left the game in the second quarter with a wrist injury that sent him to the locker room, presumably for X-rays. He returned in the third quarter but then had no catches in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins went to a run-heavy script to finish the game. Apparently, there were no fractures, but it is unknown what soft-tissue injury may still exist.

 Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB  Trevor Lawrence – He was the top fantasy quarterback for the week despite having been given up on by fantasy owners tired of single-touchdown efforts with 200 yards or so. He threw for 262 yards and two scores to Calvin Ridley and ran in two scores – his first rushing touchdowns of the year. That did reflect a down game for Travis Etienne.

QB Tommy DeVito – Another player that entered Sunday with no expectations and yet left after passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Commanders. The game was still almost entirely about Saquon Barkley as a rusher and a receiver, but DeVito was not a liability like he had been the previous week when he had totaled just 86 passing yards.

RB Devin Singletary – Dameon Pierce disappointed this year and is currently out on injury. But Singletary took the primary role in Week 10 and ran for 150 yards and a touchdown. Yesterday, he gained 112 yards on 22 rushes and another score. His only two starts resulted in the only 100-yard games by a Houston rusher this year. The Texans’ next games are at home versus the Jaguars and Broncos.

RB Ty Chandler – He is still the No. 2 guy in Minnesota, but he just rushed for 73 yards on ten carries at the Broncos and caught a season-high four passes for 37 yards. He had 14 touches to only 15 for Alexander Mattison.

Bears backfield – Khalil Herbert returned from injured reserve and ran 16 times for 35 yards in the loss to the Lions. Roschon Johnson gained 30 yards on six runs, while D’Onta Foreman only ran for 14 yards on six carries but bulled in the score. Foreman injured his ankle, and his status for the matchup with the Vikings this week won’t be known until later, but Foreman is the best back for inside and goal-line work as the most physical rusher. And the Bears are willing to use all three backs, and they still combine for less than what Justin Fields (18-104) turned in as the leading rusher.

QB Jordan Love – Granted, it came at home against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL, but Jordan Love turned in a season-best 322 passing yards and two touchdowns for his best performance of the year. It was his first 300-yard game and primarily relied on the wide receivers who caught both touchdowns.

WR Tank Dell – The Texan’s rookie now owns three 100-yard games and he just turned in a season-best eight catches for 149 yards and a touchdown – his third straight game with a score.

WR Odell Beckham – He played back on Thursday, but he’s one to remember for free-agent pickups. He was just another over-the-hill player latching on to what he described as potentially his final year, and for the first half of the season, that looked like a reality. But he scored in Weeks 9 and 10 with around 50 yards in each. And against the Bengals, he caught four passes for 116 yards. He injured his shoulder, but it’s been described as not an issue. The loss of Mark Andrews means other receivers have to step up. Beckham looks like the most likely of the bunch.

WR Jayden Reed – The Packers’ wideout turned in marginal stats this year but then posted 80+ yards in three of the last four games and scored in both Weeks 10 and 11. Romeo Doubs has been the primary target in the red zone, but now Reed is scoring weekly and gains more yards than the other Green Bay receivers.

 Huddle player of the week

Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Calvin Ridley  –  He was much-maligned after six sub-40-yard performances that left him unreliable for a fantasy start. Facing the Titans seemed like just another chance to be disappointed but Ridley led all NFL receivers with seven catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns, plus an 18-yard run. That happened on many, many fantasy benches this week, but there had to be a few fantasy owners that started him from a lack of other options and discovered that they had “the guy” for the week.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Tommy DeVito 246-7 2 QB Joe Burrow 101-7 1
RB Jaylen Warren 9-129
3-16
1 RB De’Von Achane 1-1
1-4
0
RB Devin Singletary 22-112
2-6
1 RB Kenneth Walker 4-18
1-(-2)
0
WR Calvin Ridley 7-103
1-18
2 WR Cooper Kupp 1-11 0
WR Khalil Shakir 3-115 1 WR Garrett Wilson 2-9 0
WR Darius Slayton 4-82 1 WR Stefon Diggs 4-27 0
TE Stone Smartt 1-51 1 TE Mark Andrews 2-23 0
PK Cairo Santos  2  XP  4 FG PK Greg Zuerlein   nope
Huddle Fantasy Points = 157 Huddle Fantasy Points = 28

Now get back to work…

Bobby Wagner: Running style of Zach Charbonnet a tone-setter for Seahawks

Bobby Wagner: Running style of Zach Charbonnet a tone-setter for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have been well-known to have one of the more talented wide receiving corps in the league, but they have quietly developed one of the better backfields as well. Leading the way is second year pro, Kenneth Walker III, who was taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

But during the 2023 NFL draft, the Seahawks did a very Seahawks-y move by drafting another running back in the second round – Zach Charbonnet from UCLA. While some fans may have scratched their heads about why Seattle would pick Charbonnet, the Seahawks’ vision is coming to fruition. Charbonnet has helped develop a remarkable 1-2 punch for Seattle’s offense. Paired with Walker, these two make defenses pay in different ways.

One player who is certainly noticing is linebacker Bobby Wagner. Wagner spoke about Charbonnet and his tone-setting ways via Gregg Bell at the Tacoma News Tribune:

“I always respect and appreciate running backs that don’t go out of bounds… Like, they would rather hit the person instead of going out of bounds or they finish their runs. As a rookie, that’s always been impressive, the way that he seeks contact, likes to run through people. And it’s a tone-setter, for sure.”

Charbonnet is slowly getting more integrated into Seattle’s offensive attack. Last week against the Commanders, Charbonnet had 44 yards on six carries. Two weeks before that against Cleveland, he had 53 yards on five carries.

Utilizing Charbonnet to spell Walker, and give defenses a new look is proving to be crucial for the Seahawks’ offensive success.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Pete Carroll calls Tyler Lockett one of the all-time greats

Seahawks to wear white jerseys and gray pants on Sunday

Bobby Wagner and Tyler Lockett could make history vs Rams 

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 11 free-agent forecast

Here are the top targets on the waiver wire in Week 11.

With just a few more weeks until the fantasy football playoffs are here, the waiver wire has a number of intriguing targets for managers to consider entering Week 11.

The slate of Week 10 games will come to a conclusion Monday night when the Buffalo Bills host the Denver Broncos.

Teams on a bye in Week 11 include the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Fantasy Football: Waiver-wire targets for Week 10

We take a look across the league and help fantasy owners navigate the waiver wire heading into Week 10.

It was an exciting and interesting Week 9, where we saw some new names enter into our collective fantasy football minds. Injuries and breakout stars are going to send fantasy managers scrambling to waivers this week, and we can full you in on who to target before waivers clear.

Seahawks Week 8 injury report: 8 players did not practice

Seahawks Week 8 injury report: 8 players did not practice

Another week, another lengthy injury report for the Seattle Seahawks. Wednesday practices have been rough this year, as several key players either did not practice or were limited.

On Wednesday, eight players did not practice, including the likes of Bobby Wagner, Tyler Lockett, and of course linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.

The good news is wide receiver DK Metcalf was a full participant, after missing the Week 7 game, as well as a pair of starting offensive linemen. Below is the full practice report:

Week 7 preview and prediction: Seahawks vs Cardinals

Week 7 preview and prediction: Seahawks vs Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks are back at Lumen Field for their first home game in a month. Crazy to think, huh? Following their last one, the Seahawks had a Monday Night Football showdown, a bye week, then a trip to Cincinnati. Now they are back on home turf for their first game against the Arizona Cardinals this season.

The Cardinals were widely expected to be the worst team in football this year. Through six weeks of play, this is hardly the case. No, Arizona hasn’t won many games, but they are far more competent and competitive than folks assumed they would be.

Two of their five losses have been decided by one score, they played the Bengals tough through three quarters, and outright dominated the Dallas Cowboys in their lone win. Their only losses where they looked outmatched were against the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. Needless to say, the Cardinals are not to be overlooked as a pushover.

The Seahawks swept Arizona last year, winning 19-9 at Lumen Field last year, and 31-21 during their rematch in the desert. Seattle’s rivalry with the Cardinals is an odd one, as the road team often finds a way to win in the other’s building. The Seahawks will need a win to keep pace with not only the 49ers, but the resurgent Rams.

Prediction: Seahawks over Cardinals 20-17

Seattle’s offense sputtered badly in the red zone last week, and it won’t get any easier with DK Metcalf, Zach Charbonnet and two starting offensive linemen out. Arizona is tough, and a division rival, which means they will be even more competitive than normal.

But this is a team that is still rebuilding, and doesn’t always have enough gas in the tank late. Last week I picked the Bengals to win out of desperation, and that’s exactly why I’m going with Seattle. They are better coached, have the better roster, and simply in need of a win more than the Cardinals are.

However, backup quarterbacks – especially from Arizona – have given the Seahawks fits over the years. I fully expect this one to come down to the wire.

More Seahawks Wire stories

6 things to know about Seattle and Arizona

53-man roster tracker: 4 more moves for Sunday’s game