Week 12 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Available Sleepers in Most Yahoo Leagues

Maybe you need a boost. Perhaps you're a fantasy football manager who was relying on a player such as Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey or Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon to put up big points, but both are out now with injuries.

If you're on the verge of a playoff berth, you may still need to be hitting the waiver wire hard to find players who can give you a necessary late-season push. And while you're likely not going to discover any huge stars there, there are some names available who could end up being the difference in how your season ends.

In many leagues, there are only two weeks remaining in the fantasy regular season. So, make sure the moves you make ahead of Week 12 are the right ones to help you finish strong.

Here are some sleeper waiver-wire targets who will be available in most Yahoo leagues.

Before the New York Giants' bye in Week 11, Daniel Jones was starting to put up better numbers than he had early in the season. He threw for more than 200 yards in three straight weeks, accounting for four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing).

Those may not be the best stats, but it was something for the 23-year-old to build on after struggling against some difficult opponents early in the season.

The Giants now have some favorable matchups coming up and are in the thick of the NFC East race (despite being 3-7), so Jones could be poised for even better showings.

That will start in Week 12 when New York has a road matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who just lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow to a season-ending left ACL tear. Their offense may have trouble getting anything going, which should give Jones and the Giants more time on the field and an opportunity to control the game.

Cincinnati is allowing 390.9 passing yards per game (seventh most in the NFL), so if you need to stream a quarterback this week, Jones (available in 71 percent of Yahoo leagues) is one of the best options.

The Giants then face the Seattle Seahawks, who are allowing an NFL-high 343.7 passing yards per game, making the Duke product more than a one-week option.

It's been difficult to play any Rams running back in fantasy this year, as they've split carries between several players. That was the case again in Week 11, but there were signs that rookie Cam Akers could be getting more touches moving forward.

Although the 21-year-old had only five carries for 15 yards on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he also scored his first career touchdown on a four-yard reception in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Darrell Henderson Jr. struggled to get anything going, rushing for five yards on eight carries, and Malcolm Brown had only three rushing attempts, turning those into 20 yards.

Akers missed some time earlier in the season due to a rib injury, but he had 10 touches in each of Los Angeles' previous two games before Week 11. If he can capitalize on those (like he did by getting into the end zone on Monday), he could be poised to get even more opportunities, especially because the Rams don't have a clear top back at the moment.

Available in 68 percent of Yahoo leagues, the Florida State product could be a worthwhile investment as a player who could really break out in the next few weeks.

Tim Patrick has become a reliable fantasy option at wide receiver, proving he has a high floor and can be trusted to put up at least decent numbers. He also has a lot of upside and is capable of breaking out for big games at any time.

In Week 11, the 27-year-old had five receptions for a season-high 119 yards (his third 100-yard game of the season) in the Broncos' win over the Miami Dolphins.

The third-year receiver has three touchdowns this year and has been targeted at least six times in five of his past six games, which is unlikely to change moving forward. Quarterback Drew Lock clearly wants to get the ball to Patrick on a consistent basis.

Denver has tough games the next two weeks against the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, two teams with strong offenses. That means the Broncos may have to pass a lot to keep up, which should bode well for the San Diego native's fantasy value in those matchups.

Despite his success this season, Patrick is still available in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues. So if you're in need of a receiver who can be plugged into your lineup in the next few weeks, he should be a reliable option.

The 49ers' offense has been banged up and missing key players in recent weeks. In Week 11, they had their bye, which came at a great time considering they had lost three straight games while frequently playing shorthanded during that stretch.

Although Jordan Reed has dealt with quite a few injuries throughout his career, he's currently healthy. Normally when he's on the field, he's capable of producing, and he should get the opportunity to do so moving forward with starting tight end George Kittle out due to injury.

Reed had one of his best showings of the year prior to San Francisco's bye, when he had five receptions for a season-high 62 yards in a Week 10 loss to New Orleans. He was targeted six times, showing a big uptick from the previous week, and is likely to stay involved in the offense moving forward.

The 49ers may have some tough opponents coming up, but that may lead to more pass attempts for quarterback Nick Mullens and more receptions for Reed, who is available in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues.

With not many top-tier tight ends available this season, it could be worth taking a flier on the 30-year-old moving forward.