Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 5 Players Available on the Waiver Wire

So...well...THAT happened.

Oh, Matt Leinart we hardly knew thee. Or actually, we knew you already, but we were hoping for more.

I could almost insert several names into that sentence when referring to disappointing performances or injuries we witnessed this weekend.

Injuries like Leinart's can be especially crippling this late as there is precious little left on the waiver wires.

Still, the value is out there if you know where to look. Some of the people listed we've talked about before, though their value might have increased. Some of them are long shots.

All could help you salvage a bad situation in the push for a playoff spot.

Andrew Garda is a staff writer at Footballguys.com.

Donald Brown

Against all odds and after several seasons of mediocrity, the light switch has flipped to "on" for Donald Brown.

Over the last three games, Brown has been averaging 14 carries a game, scored twice in the last four and been over 60 total yards a game the last three.

Lest you turn your nose up at this, think about how bad things have been for the Colts and consider Brown is likely seeing a lot of stacked fronts, and yet, is still able to gain ground.

I'm not saying he's the next Jim Brown or anything, but he's begun to potentially turn the corner on a career which looked pretty bad not that long ago. The risk is that the Colts, so far out of the playoff race, they can't see it with the Hubble telescope, might decide to work Joe Addai or Delone Carter back in.

It's a risk worth taking, though, as both the Titans and the Jaguars are on the schedule.

Kyle Orton

Sure, we probably have one more week of "The Tyler Palko Show," but with the weapons the Chiefs have, once Orton steps into the huddle, he could be in for some good point totals.

Now, the schedule isn't ideal with the Packers, Raiders and Jets on the docket, but all of those teams have been thrown on, and if Orton can absorb the playbook quickly, he could be a good substitute for poor Matt Leinart on your squads.

Johnny White

While we haven't had much chance to see what the rookie could do, we have seen enough of CJ Spiller to remain unimpressed with his abilities, and Tashard Choice hasn't been all that impressive for some time.

White showed good burst and ran hard at North Carolina, both things I feel lack in the other two choices the Bills have right now. I believe that even though the Bills will give Spiller more rope to hang himself with, White will slowly get worked into the lineup.

We'll get some longer looks at White, and the Bills see the Titans, Chargers, Broncos and Miami, all of whom can be run on.

Riley Cooper

We mentioned Coop last week, but in my opinion, he has more value than a one-week wonder.

Cooper has played very well and been reliable for replacement quarterback Vince Young and with Jeremy Maclin still out, and DeSean Jackson vacillating between alligator-armed and dynamic, Cooper is earning a permanent spot in the offense.

The way he's playing, I don't think we see a huge drop when/if Maclin comes back, and if Jackson cannot get his act together, we may see a lot more of Cooper and a lot less of DeSean—especially when the Eagles are officially eliminated.

At that point, I assume head coach Andy Reid will have no use for Jackson's antics and want to find out just how much talent Cooper has.

Danny Ware

Sure, the Giants were destroyed by the Saints on Monday Night Football. Sure, a bunch of Ware's receiving yards were in garbage time (admittedly you could say most of the game was garbage time).

Still as long as Ahmad Bradshaw is out—and we see no sign of him returning—Ware is a solid option for fantasy owners and potentially still on the waiver wire.

Ware only had five carries but added eight catches for 45 yards. Teams will continue to blitz a streaky offensive line, and Eli Manning will need to check down, so expect solid receiving production out of Ware even if the yards are sometimes harder to come by.

Ware did catch eight out of his nine targets, and his reliability will be something Manning should look for in the coming weeks, especially under pressure.

Ware won't put up tremendous points, but he should be a reliable source of production as a flex or low-end RB2.

Andrew Garda is a staff writer at Footballguys.com. Check them out for rankings, projections and player analyses. More than 50,000 pages of content every year to lead you to the championship.