Waiver Wire Week 12: Bo Scarbrough, Jonathan Williams Highlight Pickups to Know

The Detroit Lions may finally have a solution to their running back struggles. 

Bo Scarbrough broke out in Week 11's loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and with injuries depleting the depth chart, he could be the go-to backfield option moving forward. 

Scarbrough was one of a few running backs who surged on to the fantasy football radar Sunday, with the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Williams also earning top billing. Williams could be in line for a production increase with Marlon Mack expected to miss at least one game with a hand injury. 

A handful of others stood out as potential waiver-wire steals, including a backup to one of the league's top tight ends and a reliable target in the New York Jets offense. 

Fantasy Football Pickups to Know

Bo Scarbrough, RB, Detroit 

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Scarbrough made the most of his move from the practice squad to active roster. 

The seventh-round pick out of Alabama ran for 55 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, which was 11 more touches than either J.D. McKissic or Ty Johnson received out of the backfield. 

Lions head coach Matt Patricia heaped praise on the 6'1", 235-pound rookie for providing some energy into the offense, per MLive.com's Benjamin Raven. 

"I thought he ran hard, thought he showed the physical part of the run game. That was good for us to see. Certainly, we have to go back and look at all the runs and the decisions and the vision and all the rest of it, but I just thought it definitely gave some life to some of the downhill runs that we had and some of the physicality in the run game that we needed."

Since Kerryon Johnson hit injured reserve, the Lions have not been able to develop consistency in the run game. 

Sunday marked the first time since Week 4 that the Lions earned over 100 yards on the ground. 

If anything, Scarbrough proved he deserves another shot at leading the ground attack in Week 12 against Washington. 

That matchup could be beneficial to his development since Washington allowed over 100 rushing yards in each of its the last four games. 

Jonathan Williams, RB, Indianapolis

AJ Mast/Associated Press

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Mack suffered a fractured hand and is out for Thursday's game with Houston. That opens the door for Williams to be the primary ball-carrier in the Indianapolis backfield. 

Williams picked up 116 rushing yards on 13 carries and also produced a 31-yard catch in Sunday's win over Jacksonville. 

Colts head coach Frank Reich said after the victory that he has been trying to give Williams more opportunities, per the team's official website. 

"We've been wanting to get him an opportunity for a while. We feel really good about all the running backs we have—I mean, we feel like that's a strength," he said. "And I was really happy for Jonathan; he's waited patiently, he's really worked hard (and) did a great job."

With Mack out for at least one game, the 6'0", 233-pound third-year pro could receive more touches than he did in his breakout performance. 

The former fifth-round pick out of Arkansas may be able to find success against a Houston defense that was gashed for 263 rushing yards by Baltimore on Sunday. The Colts likely will not explode for that high of a rushing total, but they have produced at least 100 rushing yards in the last four games. 

Ross Dwelley, TE, San Francisco 

John Hefti/Associated Press/Associated Press

Ross Dwelley made the most of his four catches by finding the end zone twice in San Francisco's win over Arizona. 

While George Kittle has been out injured the last two games, Dwelley has seven catches on 12 targets for 38 yards. The backup's performance impressed the starter as he watched from afar, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco.

“Fortunately, a guy like Ross doesn't really need a lot of help," Kittle said. "He's been preparing to play. He prepares every game like he's going to start, and he's going to play every single rep, so he just hopped in, pretty similar to Nick [Mullens] last year." 

Kittle missed the last two games with knee and ankle injuries, and even if he tries to play in Week 12, Dwelley could be an asset in San Francisco's offense. 

Green Bay has given up the fifth-most receiving yards and touchdowns to tight ends, so the undrafted free agent out of San Diego has a chance to either star again in the red zone or be a trustworthy second option at the position for Jimmy Garoppolo.

Ryan Griffin, TE, New York Jets

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Ryan Griffin caught all five of his targets in the New York Jets' road victory over Washington. In the last four weeks, the tight end has 16 catches on 18 targets for 223 yards and three touchdowns. 

Jets head coach Adam Gase noted his team was not doing anything different offensively, but Griffin still got open on a few occasions, per the New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy. 

"It was one of those games where he kept popping free," Gase said. "We didn't do anything different than we'd done in the past. It was just his turn. Those guys have a good feel working together in practice. Those guys just do it on their own."

With Chris Herndon on injured reserve, the UConn product should be Sam Darnold's top tight end target for the rest of the season. 

Week 12 foe Oakland has conceded the third-most scores to tight ends, and in Weeks 13 and 14, the Jets could take advantage of the struggling Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.