Fantasy Football Week 12: Waiver-Wire Pickups, Rankings and Stat Projections

Who will fantasy managers be thankful for in Week 12 of the NFL season?

With several favorable matchups for key players, quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Joe Burrow and running backs such as Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley are poised to tally big numbers and reward those who picked them in their league drafts handsomely.

If injuries or bye weeks have plagued your lineup and you need to dive into the waiver wire to find replacements, do not fret: There are plenty of serviceable players with high upsides available to carry your team in the meantime.

The players within are just a few to grab off the wire.

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All stats, including waiver-wire availability, according to Fantasy Pros.

Quarterbacks

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Taylor Heinicke faces a Falcons defense giving up the 8th most points to opposing QBs

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, at Detroit Lions (375 yards, 4 TDs, Fumble)
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, at Tennessee Titans (350 yards, 3 TDs, INT)
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, at Jacksonville Jaguars (250 yards, TD, INT; 60 yards rushing, 2 TDs)
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers, at Arizona Cardinals (320 yards, 3 TDs)
5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, vs. Los Angeles Rams (290 yards, 3 TDs)
6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Green Bay Packers (250 yards, 2 TDs, 40 yards rushing, TD)
7. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins, vs. Houston Texans (250 yards, TD)
8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars, vs. Baltimore Ravens (250 yards, 2 TDs)
9. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears, at New York Jets (150 yards, 131 yards rushing, 2 TDs)
10. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders, at Seattle Seahawks (275 yards, TD)

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Waiver-Wire Pickup: Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders (240 yards, 2 TDs, INT)

There is nothing particularly flashy about Taylor Heinicke, his numbers or the Washington Commanders offense.

All three are efficient, at best, but the team is riding a wave of momentum following a win over the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10 and their dismantling of the Houston Texans in Week 11.

Heinicke is hardly throwing up numbers that would earn him the first look from fantasy managers looking to fill a hole on their roster, but a favorable matchup against a porous Atlanta pass defense that gives up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and two game-changing wideouts make him an intriguing option.

Rostered in under 25 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, respectively, he will not be especially difficult to pick up, either. Will he explode for 30 points and be the genius fantasy move that fuels you to victory?

Most likely not, but he will not lose it for you, either. His numbers have diminished over the last two weeks, but that was against stronger competition in Minnesota and the aforementioned Philadelphia.

His serviceable numbers, with a huge upside if Washington can exploit that Falcons secondary, almost make him a no-brainer, even if there are other "name" quarterbacks available.

Running Backs

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Rachaad White has been a breath of fresh air for a stagnant Bucs running game.

1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans, vs. Cincinnati Bengals (30 rushes, 215 yards, 3 TDs)
2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants, at Dallas Cowboys (20 rushes, 145 yards, 3 rec., 25 yards, 2 total TDs)
3. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns, vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20 rushes, 175 yards, 2 TDs)
4. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings, vs. New England Patriots (18 rushes, 150 yards, TD, 3 rec., 30 yards)
5. Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans, at Miami Dolphins (15 rushes, 120 yards, TD)
6. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders, at Seattle Seahawks (15 rushes, 115 yards, TD)
7. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Green Bay Packers (13 rushes, 80 yards, 5 rec., 40 yards)
8. Jeff Wilson, Miami Dolphins, vs. Houston Texans (10 rushes, 95 yards)
9. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers, vs. New Orleans Saints (13 rushes, 50 yards, 6 rec., 35 yards)
10. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks, vs. Las Vegas Raiders (10 rushes, 85 yards)

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Waiver-Wire Pickup: Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18 rushes, 85 yards, TD)

The time to pick up White from your waiver wire is now. The Bucs running back is trending upward and has breathed much-needed life into the Tampa Bay offense in its previous two games against Los Angeles and Seattle.

A dynamic runner in the way that Leonard Fournette is not at this point in his career, he provides a spark that the stalling Buccaneers offense desperately needs. In Week 10 against the Seahawks, he exploded onto the fantasy scene with 22 rushes for 105 yards and 10.5 fantasy points, perhaps capitalizing on flashes seen in the Rams game the week prior.

Fournette will continue to have a presence in the offense given his experience both in the league and playing with quarterback Tom Brady, but White is clearly the RB of the future.

Pick him up now, release an underperforming flex player and reap the rewards. His numbers may be nondescript now, but when he is a key factor in the Bucs' push for the playoffs and another NFC South title, you will regret not adding him before he was the buzz of fantasy.

He is currently rostered in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues and 34 percent in ESPN, an indication that the more astute mangers are opening their eyes to his potential productivity.

Wide Receivers

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Zay Jones could benefit from lining up against a Ravens D allowing the sixth-most points to WRs.

1. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills, at Detroit Lions (8 rec., 150 yards, 2 TDs)
2. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals, at Tennessee Titans (6 rec, 140 yards, TD)
3. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders, vs. Atlanta Falcons (5 rec, 135 yards, TD)
4. Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5 rec, 130 yards, TD)
5. Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams, at Kansas City Chiefs (5 rec, 115 yards, TD)
6. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos, at Carolina Panthers (4 rec, 120 yards)
7. Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills, at Detroit Lions (4 rec, 110 yards)
8. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at Cleveland Browns (4 rec, 100 yards)
9. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks, vs. Las Vegas Raiders (3 rec, 95 yards)
10. AJ Brown, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Green Bay Packers (3 rec, 80 yards)

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Waiver-Wire Pickup: Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars (6 rec., 55 yards)

There is nothing flashy about Jones' fantasy numbers in 2022. He is very much a possession receiver and safety blanket for second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He is not going to win anyone their week's matchup and has not sniffed 10-plus fantasy points since a Week 3 upset over the Chargers.

So why waste your time seeking him out ahead of Week 12?

The Baltimore Ravens defense is uncharacteristically leaky on the back end and is giving up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Christian Kirk may be the ace wideout in Jacksonville, but with him potentially seeing extra coverage, do not be surprised to see Jones take advantage of lackluster secondary play and have one of his better fantasy performances of the season.

Somewhere in the range of five-to-eight catches and 60 yards should not be out of the realm of possibility. Do not expect him to find the end zone, though. Jones has not found paydirt since the aforementioned showdown with Los Angeles.

Still, the matchup is favorable, and if your team is struggling with injuries or your wideouts are lacking the output you expected, there are far worse options than taking a chance on Jones, especially if you have someone you need to drop off your lineup anyway.

Tight Ends

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Foster Moreau faces Seattle, who gives up the most fantasy points to opposing TEs.

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs, vs. Los Angeles Rams (8 rec., 115 yds, 2 TDs)
2. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings, vs. New England Patriots (5 rec., 110 yds, TD)
3. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers, at Arizona Cardinals (6 rec., 85 yds)
4. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills, at Detroit Lions (5 rec., 90 yds)
5. Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals, at Tennessee Titans (4 rec., 75 yds)
6. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers, vs. New Orleans Saints (3 rec., 75 yds)
7. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins vs. Houston Texans (3 rec., 60 yds)
8. Austin Hooper, Tennessee Titans, vs. Cincinnati Bengals (5 rec., 40 yds)
9. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears, at New York Jets (3 rec., 65 yds)
10. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints, at San Francisco 49ers (rec., 30 yds, 2 rushes, 25 yds) 

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Waiver-Wire Pickup: Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders (7 rec, 65 yds, TD)

No team has given up more fantasy points to opposing tight ends than the Seattle Seahawks. It is probably a good thing that Darren Waller is on the IR and will not be a factor in the game, right?

Wrong.

Backup Foster Moreau wasted little time a week ago establishing himself as a potential target in Waller's absence, catching three of four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. With Davante Adams likely to pull coverage to his side of the field, Derek Carr will always have the opportunity to find someone in the middle of the field, be it underneath or deep.

Add to that the fact that his favorite target from a year ago, Hunter Renfrow, is on the IR and the Raiders QB will need every weapon possible to step up in hopes of fueling the offense.

Against a Seahawks team that has given up an average of 16.5 points per game, there will be ample potential for Moreau to emerge as a budding factor in the remainder of the fantasy season.