Waiver Wire Targets: Week 12

The difference in your week one game may have been changed based on one injury or one player putting up a dud. In order to prevent that from happening next week and each week following, here are a couple guys at each position who are owned in 50% of leagues or less according to NFL.com:

Quarterback:

Nick Mullens, 49ers – Owned in 6.7% of leagues

Nick Mullens fell back down to Earth in week 10 after his breakout start week 9. Even though he may have lowered some expectations here on out, he has a tremendous matchup this week against the Bucs who have allowed more points to opposing fantasy QBs than any other team. If there is a week in which he will have success again this season, this will be that week.

Lamar Jackson, Ravens – Owned in 34% of leagues

Lamar Jackson showed some of why he was drafted in the first round in this year’s draft. He certainly has tremendous playmaking ability and as long as he continues to start, his upside is someone that should definitely be on a roster in most leagues. His ability to run the football will allow him to rack up points faster than other backup QBs at this point. With Flacco missing practice so far this week, it looks as if Jackson will get another shot to start this week.

Jameis Winston, Buccaneers – Owned in 30.7% of leagues

I do not think I have ever seen two QBs switch of the starting role this many times in one season. The Bucs are pretty much done as far as this season goes, but if Jameis wants to get paid next offseason, he is going to need to step up and show he still can be the same Jameis Winston that we saw in previous years. He has all the talent around him to be successful, so the potential is there for him to be a viable fantasy QB.

Running Back:

Gus Edwards, Ravens – Owned in 33.4% of leagues

Before this week, very few fantasy owners would’ve been able to claim they knew of Gus Edwards. Let me tell you folks, it is time to get on the Gus Bus. Gus finished last week for 115 yards and a touchdown on only 17 carries. His familiarity with Lamar Jackson has turned to be extremely helpful and he looks like the future of the Ravens backfield with him taking the starting role from Alex Collins.

Royce Freeman, Broncos – Owned in 39.9% of leagues

Royce Freeman has been trending down recently because of injuries and the performance of Lindsay. Because of that, his owned percentage has dropped below 50% despite still having a role in the offense. Freeman is still in line to receive carries every week and he would be a huge improvement if anything were to happen to Lindsay before or during the fantasy playoffs.

Ronald Jones, Buccaneers – Owned in 3.3% of leagues

Ronald Jones has been one of the biggest disappointments of this fantasy season. From not even playing in the beginning of the season to missing time recently due to an injury, his season is for sure one to forget. Even with all that being said, the Bucs are going to be looking towards players that they expect to be a part of their future and Rojo should still be one of those people. Expect the Bucs to give him more opportunities as the season continues.

Elijah McGuire, Jets – Owned in 2.8% of leagues

In the two weeks since he has returned, McGuire has showed he can take over the role that was left when Bilal Powell got injured. He has over 50 total yards in each game and he led the Jets in yards from scrimmage last week. Expect his role to continue in the offense and he should see an improvement when Darnold eventually returns to the lineup.

Duke Johnson, Browns – Owned in 37.5% of leagues

Duke Johnson displayed why he is still a useful fantasy asset in week 10. He is a great receiver out of the backfield and a perfect complement to rookie Nick Chubb. He has two straight weeks of double digit fantasy points. While Duke’s potential is limited due to Chubb’s success, he still has a high floor and is a great bench RB as playoff approaches.

Wide Receiver:

Anthony Miller, Bears – Owned in 19.4% of leagues

Anthony Miller did not do as well as he did in week 10, but he did still manage to salvage his week with yet another receiving TD. Miller is the future of the Bears’ offense and he should continue to be used during the rest of the year. While his short-term outcome could be rough with Trubisky expected to miss at least this game, he will come in handy by the time fantasy playoffs are here.

D.J. Moore, Panthers – Owned in 36.3% of leagues

Moore bounced back in a huge way after two weeks in a row of disappointing performances. He finished this week with 157 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. He is clearly the new favorite target of Cam Newton and he that should only continue as the season goes on. He is the 2nd most added WR this past week and there’s a good reason for that.

Josh Reynolds, Rams – Owned in 33.7% of leagues

Reynolds stepped up significantly last week for the Rams. He played a big part in the shootout between the Rams and his 80 receiving yards was a career high for him. While he still is the 3rd option in the Rams’ offense, they run enough three WR sets that he will definitely remain relevant. Reynolds will be a great young WR to stash while he is on his bye this upcoming week.

Chris Conley, Redskins – Owned in 1.8% of leagues

Chris Conley was on the other end of the Monday night shootout with the Rams. Conley stepped up as well with Sammy Watkins clearly still dealing with injuries. He finished with 74 yards and two TDs which was by far his best performance of the season. Conley’s stock will definitely take a hit when Watkins returns to full health, but if he can continue to have success, there’s no reason why Conley can’t carve out a nice role in one of the best offenses in the NFL.

Keke Coutee, Texans – Owned in 12.9% of leagues

Coutee’s stock looked very bleak after the Texans traded for DT a couple weeks ago. Fortunately for him, he has continued to produce and he still has an edge for the #2 WR spot in the offense. Keke is one of the biggest playmakers the Texans have behind Hopkins. With Watson performing at the level he has so far this season, Coutee is another young receiver who has tremendous potential coming closer to the end of the year.

Tight End:

Cameron Brate, Buccaneers – Owned in 18% of leagues

Cameron Brate has been a very capable fantasy tight end in the past. He is a great receiver and with Winston coming back, his familiarity with him should give him an easy access to targets. With O.J. Howard out for the rest of the season, it is officially Brate’s time to shine in Tampa. He should be a priority pickup for anyone who is in need of a tight end.

Gerald Everett, Rams – Owned in 4.9% of leagues

Everett is a great asset to the Rams’ offense. He has the receiving and athletic ability to be a starting fantasy TE, but since he is underutilized, he typically does not get the opportunities to display his playmaking ability. That could change following the Rams’ bye week after Everett caught two TDs last week against the Chiefs. If McVay can figure out a way to make Everett’s targets more consistent, he will continue to produce.

Evan Engram, Giants – Owned in 40.9% of leagues

Evan Engram has been extremely disappointing this season due to injuries and the overall failure of the Giants’ offense. Engram is one of the most athletic and talented TEs in the league and he has shown he can continue to be an asset for Eli when targeted this season. His potential is as high as any top five TE and he is at least worth a roster spot with how thin the TE position already is

Defenses:

This section of the article is based primarily on streaming defense options for each week. It will sight defenses that have good matchups and are owned in less than 15% of leagues according to NFL.com:

Indianapolis Colts – Owned in 13.8% of leagues

The Colts have one of, if not the best, end of the year schedules. They are not the best defense from a talent perspective, but with the matchups they have upcoming, they should still be able to produce great numbers. They are a must stash defense and they have a solid matchup against a struggling Dolphins’ offense this week.

Buffalo Bills – Owned in 7.3% of leagues

The Bills defense looked fantastic last time they took the field against the Jets in week 10. They are in for a great matchup against the Jaguars who have yet to fix their offensive issues. They currently give up the 6th most points to opposing defenses. The Bills have been trending in the right direction and this week should be a continuation of that trend.

San Francisco 49ers– Owned in 2.6% of leagues

The 49ers are a high-risk high-reward defense play this week. The Bucs have allowed the 3rd most points to fantasy defenses, but they also average 458 yards per game. Winston has struggled with turnovers in the games he has played this season so it would not be surprising if they get over 5 points from Jameis’ turnovers this week.