Waiver Wire Week 12: Potential Stars You Must Add for Playoff Push

Becoming a fantasy guru is all about staying up to date on the latest player news, playing the matchups and making smart claims on the waiver wire.

I’m here to focus on the latter, as a wise waiver addition at this point in the season could be the difference between a championship run and yet another disappointing end to your fantasy campaign.

If you want to join the guru ranks and avoid being known as a fantasy chump, you must keep reading to find out which players to bring aboard your roster in Week 12.

Bobby Rainey, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs lost a star back—Doug Martin—and his backup—Mike James—in the span of a few weeks, but their rushing game is only looking up as we head down the stretch.

Rainey took the reins of the backfield in Week 11, carving up an Atlanta Falcons front for a career day. The second-year back out of Western Kentucky went off for 163 yards and two scores on 30 carries, while also helping owners in PPR formats by hauling in two catches for four yards.

Those are ridiculous numbers—better than any Martin or James were able to put up during their runs as the starter—but most feel they won’t be sustainable.

While that much is obvious, Rainey should still be considered a solid RB2 over the last six games of the season. Matchups against Detroit (Week 12), Buffalo (Week 14), St. Louis (Week 16) and New Orleans (Week 17) are all favorable for this elusive 26-year-old scatback.

Factor in that Tampa is suddenly surging—winning two games in a row—and it seems that this team is on the verge of a strong finish. That means the rushing game should be prominently involved on a weekly basis and Rainey will get the touches needed to put a fantasy team on his back.

Josh McCown, QB, Chicago Bears

With Russell Wilson and Nick Foles—as well as EJ Manuel and Andy Dalton—on bye in Week 12, a number of fantasy owners are going to have to dip into the waiver pool to fish out a quarterback.

Josh McCown is the best catch available, as the Chicago signal-caller has proven to be a solid backup in Jay Cutler’s place and will once again get the start against the St. Louis Rams.

The 34-year-old veteran has connected on 61 of 101 passes for 754 yards, five scores and zero turnovers this season. He may not have put up the biggest numbers this past week, but the weather was definitely a factor against the Baltimore Ravens.

McCown still finished with 216 yards and a score in the overtime battle, which is a good sign for his prospects of having a bigger statistical outing this coming Sunday.

He has the weapons to succeed—Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall combine to form one of the best receiver tandems in the league—and should have the green light to air it out against a beatable St. Louis secondary.

Player	Receptions	Targets	Yards	Touchdowns
Alshon Jeffery	54	96	818	3
Brandon Marshall	64	103	828	8

While the Rams have been keeping the fantasy points output of opposing quarterbacks low lately—holding passers to 204 yards or fewer in three of the last four contests—those performances came against Jake Locker, Cam Newton and Wilson, quarterbacks who aren’t exactly pocket passers that rely on their arms like McCown.

Don’t be afraid to fire up this solid backup in Week 12. McCown is a great option for however long he remains the starter in Chicago.

Garrett Graham, TE, Houston Texans

The Texans are an absolute mess and even went so far as to juggle quarterbacks last week, but they should still be fine for fantasy purposes against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12.

Graham projects to put up big numbers against this weak opposing defense, as the big tight end is coming off his best performance yet—seven catches, 136 yards and a score against the Oakland Raiders—and has a dream matchup.

Jacksonville has given up the second-most points in the league to opposing players at his position and has given up at least one touchdown to a tight end in six of the last eight games.

Because of a rash of injuries at the TE spot, it would be wise for many fantasy owners to scoop this underrated 27-year-old off the waivers and onto their rosters.

Don’t sit around hoping for good news on an injured player—such as Jordan Reed of the Washington Redskins—and instead be proactive by claiming a possible top-five scorer in Graham for Week 12.