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

You might think 11 weeks of the 2020 NFL season would've exhausted fantasy football's pool of sleepers by now.

It hasn't. Not even close.

Week 12 simply puts a new batch of sleepers into the discussion, though there are familiar faces among them. One has a tremendous matchup. One should be pressed into heavier duty with teammate absences around him. The last one simply should have been rostered in most leagues already, but hasn't.

Either way, all three players make our list of Week 12 waiver-wire targets who are available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros.

Quarterback: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (36 Percent Rostered)

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

Two different paths could lead you to submit a waiver claim on Derek Carr.

The first is the realization he's been awfully productive this season. He might not be the most consistent fantasy contributor around, but he completes almost every pass he throws (69.7 percent) and limits his mistakes (three interceptions). He's also capable of popping off for big numbers. He's had at least 275 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in three different games this season.

He might make it four with a delectable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons defense. They're dead last in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, per Yahoo Sports, and even that might undersell their generosity.

"From an efficiency standpoint, they've allowed 1.68 [point-per-reception] points per play, which is six percent higher than any other team," Mike Tagliere wrote for FantasyPros. "The NFL is a hard game to predict because there are so many small details, but when you see that type of gap, it stands out."

As an added bonus, Carr and the Raiders draw the New York Jets—fourth-most fantasy points allowed to the position—in Week 13, so he could boost your roster in back-to-back games if you're in need of a streamer.

Running Back: Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (29 Percent Rostered)

Zach Bolinger/Associated Press

No team has rushed more often (327 times) or for more yards (1,605) than the Baltimore Ravens. While Gus Edwards is just of one several running backs to contribute to those numbers, he'll handle something similar to a featured role in their Thanksgiving matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore will be without both Mark Ingram II and J.K. Dobbins because of positive tests for the coronavirus. That's 129 carries for 612 yards and five touchdowns suddenly stripped from this offense. Someone will need to help replace that production, and Edwards is the likeliest candidate.

His 85 carries actually pace the Ravens' running back room (quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the team with 103), and Edwards is second on the team with rushes for first downs (24). He's almost always moving forward, and he has the back-end jets to turn open running lanes into home runs.

Now, the matchup isn't favorable (Pittsburgh has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs), and Edwards gets almost no work in the passing game (12 career receptions in 37 games). But the potential rushing volume is too great to ignore, and he did just fine on a run-heavy diet against these same Steelers in Week 8 (16 rushes for 87 yards and a score).

Wide Receiver: Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (50 Percent Rostered)

Terrance Williams/Associated Press

Corey Davis' roster percentage has demanded a double-take for much of this season.

He's treated like a fringe-roster talent, with managers seemingly undecided on if he's worth keeping around. In reality, he's producing like a no-doubt weekly starter. He has delivered the 29th-most standard scoring points per game at the position (9.1), per FantasyPros. He could've ranked even higher if not for a disastrous clunker in Week 9 (three targets, zero receptions).

Other than that, he's been rock solid and sometimes spectacular. Throw that game out, and he's had at least five targets in every outing. He has five-plus receptions in six of his eight contests and at least 67 receiving yards in five.

"Davis has produced double-digit fantasy points in all but one game that he has played this season, including his third game with more than 100 receiving yards in Week 11," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "Davis is a talented dude who has played well all season and should be rostered in more leagues."

Davis should be rostered in all but the shallowest of leagues and started in most of them. Even if you can't find a starting spot for him against the Indianapolis Colts this week, grab him now and get ready to play him against the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions over the following three weeks.