Week 12 Waiver Wire: Examining Top Fantasy Football Targets

If the early bird gets the worm, the football equivalent would be the early owner getting Jonas Gray.

The Week 12 waiver wire is both brutally predictable and downright outstanding after a week in which a number of players broke out and ingrained themselves in the minds of owners.

Whether it was a running back such as Gray finally making his mark or a player simply getting enough opportunities to contribute, there seem to be more viable waiver adds than usual at this time of year.

With the playoffs approaching, there are a number of top names owners can do no wrong with when it comes to fleshing out the roster.

Quarterback

Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8.1 percent owned)

Come on, owners know the deal with Josh McCown.

The veteran saved more than a few fantasy teams last year with the Chicago Bears. Good news—McCown is back for the second time to do just that again. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith made the change a few weeks back and it has been smooth sailing—pun intended—since:

WK	OPP	YDS	TD	I/F	PTS
10	Atl	301	2	2 / 0	19
11	@Wsh	288	2	0 / 0	19

This is exactly what happens when a quarterback who takes care of the football gets to wing it with the season in hand.

Better yet, this is what happens when McCown gets to play with two massive receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. The latter caught seven passes for 209 yards and two scores last week on his own.

McCown is consistent. Take away his dud after an injury and the man has reached double digits in all four of his starts this season. Week 12 is a date against McCown's former team, which has allowed the second-most points to quarterbacks this season.

Owners in need at quarterback are spoiled this week.

Honorable Mentions: Drew Stanton, Arizona Cardinals; Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins.

Running Back

Jonas Gray, New England Patriots (8.4 percent owned)

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The new lead man in the New England Patriots backfield is quite effective when used.

Gray exploded this past weekend on 38 totes, gaining his small legion of owners 199 yards and four touchdowns, which converts into 43 points.

As Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus illustrates, his opportunities inside the red zone were staggering:

Suffice it to say, Tom Brady and the Patriots are not going to turn away from Gray at this point. Early projections suggested the team would shy away from him on passing downs, but that has been anything but the case as of late.

With Gray as the potential workhorse in an offense led by Brady, he is now in the matchup-proof realm.

Honorable Mentions: Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns; Roy Helu, Washington; Bryce Brown, Buffalo Bills.

Wide Receiver

Malcom Floyd, San Diego Chargers (31.2 percent owned)

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

How important is Malcom Floyd to San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers when actually on the field? 

Let a recently broken streak do the talking, as explained by Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego:

Floyd is one of the best deep-ball targets in the NFL with a per-catch average of 17.9 yards, good for the fourth-best mark in the NFL.

The veteran is consistent, too, having caught a minimum of three passes in each of his last seven games. Pair that with the gaudy per-catch average, and fantasy owners have a fringe WR3 regardless of matchup.

Now add in a great matchup such as last week, when Floyd totaled 10 points thanks to four grabs and a score against the Oakland Raiders. Floyd's next two opponents (St. Louis and Baltimore) happen to rank among the five worst teams in the NFL in terms of points allowed to wideouts this season.

Floyd is a great add no matter which angle owners take to view the situation.

Honorable Mentions: Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles; Kenny Britt, St. Louis Rams; Rueben Randle, New York Giants.

Tight End

Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals (6.2 percent owned)

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Last week had all the makings of a nightmare scenario for the few owners who for some reason owned Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham.

Gresham, who entered last weekend having never recorded more than six points in a game and had yet to find the end zone, was tasked with overcoming a New Orleans Saints defense that allowed the fewest points to the position.

Naturally, Gresham exploded for two touchdowns and 13 points.

The trick is to figure out whether or not it will continue. With the Cincinnati coaching staff looking to make things easier on quarterback Andy Dalton just a few weeks removed from one of the worst performances in recent memory for any quarterback, Gresham was a major part of the plan.

Owners in need of a quality bench option should bank on that to continue. It never hurts to have a high-upside option hanging around on the chance that upside is realized consistently, especially at tight end.

Honorable Mentions: Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts; Tim Wright, New England Patriots.

All stats and fantasy information courtesy of ESPN.com.