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

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is a fantasy football machine. Every week, owners can count on him to put up big numbers to help them win their fantasy matchup.

However, it's not always that easy. Many players can't just be plugged into a lineup with no worries like McCaffrey can.

That's why fantasy owners are constantly scouring the waiver wire throughout the season to try to improve their depth or find a streaming option during a week when a lot of their players are on a bye. With the fantasy playoffs getting closer, that becomes even more important.

Heading into Week 12, here's a look at the fantasy rankings by position for the upcoming week, followed by three potential waiver-wire targets.

Week 12 Fantasy Rankings

Quarterback

1. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson at Los Angeles Rams

2. Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson at Philadelphia Eagles

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston at Atlanta Falcons

4. Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson vs. Indianapolis Colts

5. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield vs. Miami Dolphins

7. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady vs. Dallas Cowboys

8. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at San Francisco 49ers

9. Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz vs. Seattle Seahawks

10. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees vs. Carolina Panthers

Running Back

1. Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey at New Orleans Saints

2. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara vs. Carolina Panthers

3. Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb vs. Miami Dolphins

4. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott at New England Patriots

5. New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley at Chicago Bears

6. New York Jets RB Le'Veon Bell vs. Oakland Raiders

7. Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette at Tennessee Titans

8. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones at San Francisco 49ers

9. Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson at Philadelphia Eagles

10. Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs at New York Jets

Wide Receiver

1. Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas vs. Carolina Panthers

3. Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Indianapolis Colts

4. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams at San Francisco 49ers

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans at Atlanta Falcons

6. New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman vs. Dallas Cowboys

7. Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Miami Dolphins

8. Detroit Lions WR Kenny Golladay at Washington Redskins

9. Seattle Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett at Philadelphia Eagles

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin at Atlanta Falcons

Tight End

1. San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle vs. Green Bay Packers

2. Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews at Los Angeles Rams

3. Philadelphia Eagles TE Zach Ertz vs. Seattle Seahawks

4. Oakland Raiders TE Darren Waller at New York Jets

5. Atlanta Falcons TE Austin Hooper vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. New York Giants TE Evan Engram at Chicago Bears

7. Los Angeles Rams TE Gerald Everett vs. Baltimore Ravens

8. Carolina Panthers TE Greg Olsen at New Orleans Saints

9. Houston Texans TE Darren Fells vs. Indianapolis Colts

10. Seattle Seahawks TE Jacob Hollister at Philadelphia Eagles

Kicker

1. New England Patriots K Nick Folk vs. Dallas Cowboys

2. Los Angeles Rams K Greg Zuerlein vs. Baltimore Ravens

3. Baltimore Ravens K Justin Tucker at Los Angeles Rams

4. Houston Texans K Ka'imi Fairbairn vs. Indianapolis Colts

5. Atlanta Falcons K Younghoe Koo vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. New Orleans Saints K Wil Lutz vs. Carolina Panthers

7. Seattle Seahawks K Jason Myers at Philadelphia Eagles

8. Cleveland Browns K Austin Seibert vs. Miami Dolphins

9. San Francisco 49ers K Robbie Gould vs. Green Bay Packers

10. Philadelphia Eagles K Jake Elliott vs. Seattle Seahawks

Defense/Special Teams

1. Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

2. Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins

3. Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants

4. Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos

5. New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers

6. New England Patriots vs. Dallas Cowboys

7. Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

8. Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Rams

9. San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers

10. Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins

Week 11 Waiver-Wire Targets and Projections

Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Williams (0 percent owned on Yahoo, 0 percent owned on ESPN)

Injuries provide opportunities, and that will be the case for Williams in the Colts' offense on Thursday night.

Starting running back Marlon Mack suffered a fractured right hand in Sunday's game against the Jaguars. It's not clear how long he'll be out, but he won't be available on the short turnaround this week. That will make Williams the starting back for the Colts.

In the win over Jacksonville, Williams rushed for 116 yards on 13 carries and had a 31-yard reception. Prior to that, he had only one total yard this season. But now the former Arkansas running back has an opportunity, and he should get plenty of carries in the Colts' AFC South matchup in Houston.

It will be a tough matchup against the Texans, but Williams' number of expected total touches should make him a solid fill-in option at running back this week.

Detroit Lions RB Bo Scarbrough (0 percent owned on Yahoo, 0 percent owned on ESPN)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Don't think you'll get Williams in your league? That's OK, because there's another running back option available.

The Lions have been seeking for a back to step up in place of the injured Kerryon Johnson, and Scarbrough proved he could be that guy in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. The former Alabama running back had 55 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown in his first career NFL game.

It took nearly two seasons for Scarbrough to get on an NFL field during a regular-season contest, but now he has the chance to prove himself. Expect him to continue to do that on Sunday against the Redskins, who rank 28th in the NFL in rushing defense (133.9 yards allowed per game).

Scarbrough will be a strong play this week as the Lions' offense should have a big day.

San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel (53 percent owned on Yahoo, 25 percent owned on ESPN)

John Hefti/Associated Press

Past the halfway point in his rookie season, Samuel is beginning to put things together at the NFL level. And he could be a big boost to a fantasy team making a playoff push.

In each of the 49ers' past two games, Samuel has had eight receptions. He had 112 yards a week ago vs. the Seahawks and 134 yards on Sunday against the Cardinals. Prior to those contests, Samuel hadn't gone over 100 yards in any of his first seven games.

Even though San Francisco added veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to its offense earlier in the season, there have still been plenty of available touches for Samuel. Over the past two weeks, Samuel has been targeted 21 total times.

It's only a matter of time before Samuel scores his second NFL touchdown, as he hasn't scored since Week 2. That could change in a big prime-time matchup vs. the Packers on Sunday night.