Week 12 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet for Deep Sleepers to Grab on Waiver Wire

Week 12 will get underway with Thursday night's AFC battle between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.

The Bills are chasing the New England Patriots in the AFC East race while the Texans are trying to claw their way back into the wild-card picture. After 11 weeks, many fantasy managers can probably relate.

Those looking to make one last playoff push may have to rely on a few deep sleepers in Week 12. Injuries are still a league-wide issue, and the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders are all on bye.

Before we dive into this week's top waiver-wire targets, let's examine some updated point-per-reception (PPR) flex rankings.

PPR Flex Top 40, Week 12

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

3. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

6. Bijan Robinson RB, Atlanta Falcons

7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

8. Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

10. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

11. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

12. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

13. Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers

14. Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys

15. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

16. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

17. Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams

18. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

19. Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots

20. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills

21. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams

22. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

23. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

24. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

25. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

26. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

27. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

28. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

29. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

30. George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

31. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

32. Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans

33. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

34. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

35. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

36. Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears

37. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

38. Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions

39. D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

40. Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Waiver Wire Cheat Sheet, Week 12

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett

Quarterback

1. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

2. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

3. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

4. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers

Running Back

1. Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers

2. Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

5. Zonovan Knight, Arizona Cardinals

Wide Receiver

1. Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

2. Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars

3. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

4. Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons

5. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Tight End

1. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

2. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

3. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

4. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

5. Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers

Deep Sleeper: Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

To be clear, Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears has a horrible matchup in Week 12. The Titans will host the Seattle Seahawks, who have surrendered only six rushing touchdowns and the 10th-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs.

However, managers desperate for a running back might get enough from Spears in the passing game. During last week's loss to the Houston Texans, he caught five passes for 31 yards.

Spears is unlikely to be a high-volume play this week, as Tony Pollard still leads Tennessee's ground game. Spears has yet to receive double-digit carries in a game this season.

However, Spears should prevent managers from drawing a blank, and he's still available in over half of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Deep Sleeper: Mack Hollins, WR, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Steven Senne

With Kayshon Boutte sidelined by a hamstring injury, Mack Hollins has gotten a chance to shine for the New England Patriots. While Boutte did return to practice this week, Hollins remains a solid sleeper play against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Hollins reached double-digit fantasy points in each of the past two games and has hit that mark in three of his last four. The Bengals haven't been especially friendly to opposing receivers—they've surrendered the 19th-most fantasy points to the position—but that's largely because teams have attacked their horrendous run defense.

Cincinnati ranks 30th in yards per carry allowed. It also ranks 31st in net yards per pass attempt allowed. A big play or two may be enough to get Hollins back to 10-plus points once again.

Hollins is available in over 80 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.