Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Wire: Treylon Burks Headlines Must-Add Free Agents
The fantasy football regular season is winding down, but there's still plenty of work to be done on the waiver wire.
If you are fighting for a playoff spot over these final few weeks, you'll need to make as many shrewd free-agent pickups as possible. There are still some useful players on waivers, including some who could potentially swing a matchup as an injury fill-in or bye week replacement.
Even teams that are already guaranteed a postseason berth shouldn’t be resting on their laurels. Overturning the bottom of your bench and keeping quality free agents away from your potential playoff foes could make the difference between an early exit and a championship.
With that in mind, here are five of the top waiver wire targets heading into Week 12. All suggested pickups are rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Matt Ryan, QB, Indianapolis Colts (16 Percent Rostered)
1 of 5
After getting benched by the previous coaching staff, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan has come back with a vengeance under interim head coach Jeff Saturday.
Over the past two weeks, Ryan has completed 44 of his 60 pass attempts for 435 yards and a touchdown. He's also rushed five times for 39 yards and a score.
The 37-year-old has avoided turnovers—a major development after he led the league in interceptions over the first seven weeks of the campaign—and looked sharp, even against a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense this past Sunday.
While he wasn’t as effective against the Eagles as he was against a soft Las Vegas Raiders defense in his first game since Frank Reich’s dismissal—Ryan scored the fifth-most fantasy points of any quarterback in Week 10, while he was 21st in Week 11 heading into Monday Night Football—he’s set to show out this coming week.
Ryan and the Indianapolis offense are heading into a dream matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12. The Steelers have allowed the most passing yards in the league and were just torched by Joe Burrow, who led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 37-30 win with a 355-yard, four-touchdown outing.
Anyone unhappy with their current fantasy quarterback should take a long look at Ryan, as he should continue his return to prominence with another stellar showing on Sunday.
Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (8 Percent Rostered)
2 of 5
DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600
Samaje Perine had been having a quiet 2022 campaign until Sunday. The Cincinnati Bengals backup running back had only 25 carries for 133 yards and caught 18 passes for 126 yards across the nine games leading up to a Week 11 clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While Perine wasn’t a huge factor on the ground against Pittsburgh—he had 11 carries for a pedestrian 30 yards—he was a scoring machine in the passing game. The 27-year-old reeled in all four of his targets for 52 yards and three touchdowns, a major improvement upon the one end-zone trip he had taken all season prior to Sunday.
Starting running back Joe Mixon exited Sunday’s game with a concussion, which is why Perine played a season-high 70 percent of the Bengals' offensive snaps. However, he had found the end zone twice even before Mixon went down.
Perine could now see a major increase in volume if Mixon isn’t able to clear the league’s concussion protocols in time for Cincinnati’s Week 12 meeting with the Tennessee Titans.
Fantasy managers should monitor this situation closely as it develops over the coming week. Those with the bench space to stash Perine should do so, as he'd be a strong RB2 play if Mixon can’t go against the Titans.
Even if Mixon does suit up in Week 12, those in deeper PPR leagues may want to take a flier on Perine due to the touchdowns he scored prior to Mixon going down. His floor will be much lower, but there is some upside for another big pass-catching performance.
Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans (20 Percent Rostered)
3 of 5
DraftKings DFS Value: $4,200
Tennessee Titans rookie wideout Treylon Burks got off to a rocky start this season, but he's finally starting to make an impact now that back from injured reserve.
The Arkansas product saw action in the first four games of the season before turf toe kept him sidelined for a month. He re-emerged in Week 10 with a three-catch, 24-yard showing against a stingy Denver Broncos defense before having a career-best game this past Thursday.
Burks drew the start and was a key piece in Tennessee’s statement win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. He reached new career highs in targets (eight), receptions (seven) and receiving yardage (111) in the contest.
More importantly, Burks appears ready to carry a receiving corps that has lacked a game-breaking weapon since the Titans traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during the draft.
With 14 targets over the last two games, Burks should only build on that momentum when the Cincinnati Bengals visit in Week 12. Cincinnati’s defense has looked vulnerable over its last three games, allowing a combined 83 points to opponents led by Jacoby Brissett, Baker Mayfield and Kenny Pickett.
If the Bengals and Titans start trading blows in a shootout, expect Burks to see plenty of targets and potentially even score his first NFL touchdown.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Demarcus Robinson, WR, Baltimore Ravens (4 Percent Rostered)
4 of 5
DraftKings DFS Value: $4,300
The Baltimore Ravens receiving corps hasn’t been the best source of fantasy production this year, but Demarcus Robinson is quietly emerging as a respectable contributor.
With Rashod Bateman’s season now over, Robinson has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the No. 1 wideout’s absence. After Bateman exited the Ravens' 27-22 win over the Tampa Buccaneers in Week 8, Robinson caught six of his eight targets for 64 yards.
While Robinson was quiet during Baltimore’s run-heavy win over the New Orleans Saints the following week, he had his best game of the campaign Sunday. The Florida product torched the Carolina Panthers for 128 yards while hauling in all nine passes thrown his way.
It’s no secret that the Ravens prefer to keep the ball on the ground. Only five teams are running on a higher percentage of their offensive plays this season. But there is generally enough passing volume for at least one wideout to excel alongside star tight end Mark Andrews each week.
With Robinson clearly earning the trust of quarterback Lamar Jackson and no other receiver seeing more than two targets against the Panthers, there is plenty of reason to believe Robinson can continue to thrive down the stretch.
You might not want to rely on him as one of your top receivers, but Robinson is now a great flex option with a rising floor and high ceiling.
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints (30 Percent Rostered)
5 of 5
DraftKings DFS Value: $3,400
Tight end is the toughest position to find any semblance of consistent production at this year. Despite that, a relatively consistent performer is still widely available in most leagues.
Although he has scored five touchdowns over the last five weeks, New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson remains a free agent in approximately 70 percent of leagues. That figures to change after he helped guide the Saints to a win over the Los Angeles Rams with three catches for 47 yards while scoring again in Week 11.
Johnson has now caught at least two passes, eclipsed the 42-yard mark and scored a touchdown in three straight weeks.
While Johnson’s volume can be sporadic—he followed up a two-target Week 9 outing with a season-high seven targets in Week 10 before dropping back to four on Sunday—he clearly has a nose for the end zone and is one of New Orleans’ preferred goal-line targets.
Johnson’s playing time has remained relatively stable as well. He’s been on the field for at least 57 percent of the Saints’ offensive snaps in every game since Week 5, including four games in which played at least 73 percent of the snaps.
Managers seeking some stability at tight end should feel confident in Johnson at this point. A more consistent performer isn't likely to pop up on waivers over the ensuing weeks, so pick him up him up before a rival does.
Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
