NFL Week 12 sees 6 teams on a bye, meaning a reduced talent pool for fantasy managers looking to make a run. Don't worry, we've got a few waiver wire gems to consider.
With a season-high six teams on bye for Week 12 (Bills, Bengals, Falcons, Jets, Saints, Jaguars) and the fantasy playoffs rapidly approaching, it’s critical to navigate this week’s waiver wire smoothly.
As always, you’ll find several top waiver options in this weekly feature — along with FAAB suggestions — followed by a selection of players to monitor in deeper formats. Generally, players listed here will be available in at least 50% of Sleeper leagues.
Top Waiver Wire Additions After Week 11
QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson topped 27 fantasy points in Week 1, then failed to reach 13 fantasy points the next nine weeks. Part of that stretch was a four-game benching for veteran Joe Flacco, and as a result, Richardson was only rostered in 43% of Sleeper leagues heading into Week 11 against the Jets.
Despite a difficult matchup, Richardson poured in 28 fantasy points, with 272 passing yards and two rushing scores on 10 carries. More reassuring was that he completed 20 of 30 pass attempts (67%) — his first game above a 50% completion rate this year.
Richardson could always turn back into a pumpkin, but it’s rare to have a QB who can give you consistent, elite fantasy production on the waiver wire. Richardson is worth a 20-40% FAAB bid, and his price may be elevated with several fantasy starters on bye this upcoming week.
TE Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Owner of the most surprising stat line of 2024, Hill reached 42 PPR fantasy points in Week 11. Hill carried seven times for 138 yards and three scores, while also catching eight passes for 50 yards. He even completed an 18-yard pass. Hill’s usage is almost impossible to predict on a weekly basis, but Chris Olave is on IR, so there’s a strong chance the tight end cheat code has a few more high-usage games after his Week 12 bye.
He’s available in 51% of Sleeper leagues and worth a 15-30% FAAB bid if you’re looking for upside at the position.
WR Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
Moore (19% rostered) has now played three games with Jameis Winston, and he’s averaging 10 targets, six receptions, 60 yards and nearly 14 fantasy points per game. The Browns defense has regressed in recent weeks, and the team seems perfectly comfortable letting Winston air it out, much to Moore’s benefit. Consider a 7-12% FAAB bid on the Browns receiver.
D/ST Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers (25% rostered on Sleeper) have great matchups in five of the final six games of the 2024 season. Well-rested off their Week 11 bye, they face a tumultuous Giants team that will be rolling out third-stringer Tommy DeVito in Week 12.
In Week 13, they face Bryce Young and the Panthers, before a Week 14 matchup with Gardner Minshew’s Raiders. A Week 15 date with the Chargers is a time to keep the Buccaneers on the bench, before Cooper Rush’s Cowboys in Week 16 and the Panthers (again) in Week 17. It’s rare to find a defense with this easy of a remaining schedule, so the Buccaneers are worthy of a 10-15% FAAB bid if you are lacking a top fantasy defense down the stretch.
QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots
TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
An every-week headliner here, Maye is still just 25% rostered on Sleeper. The dual-threat rookie has hit 17 fantasy points in all but one of his full starts this year. Week 12 presents a tough matchup against Miami, before he’s gift-wrapped a struggling Colts defense.
Henry (48% rostered), meanwhile has at least six targets in five of his past six games and is a low-end fantasy TE1 option each week. A 5% FAAB bid should lock up either of these Patriots.
TE Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Ertz is still available in 54% of Sleeper leagues, and he’s averaged nearly 11 fantasy points per game over his past six outings — the same as Dallas Goedert’s season-long output (TE7).
With the Commanders’ early success, it’s looking increasingly likely that they’ll lean on the veteran Ertz over exploring how rookie TE Ben Sinnott can contribute. A 5% FAAB bid should secure Ertz on waivers.
Handcuff Watch: Top 10 Backup RBs to Target
With the fantasy playoffs just three weeks away, contending teams should start filling their fantasy benches with one-injury-away backup running backs. The 10 names below are roughly listed in order of preference, and all have immediate fantasy RB1 potential if the starters ahead of them were to suffer an injury over the next month.
- Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
- Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings
- Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
- Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
- Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
- Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
- Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets
- Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
- Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Deeper and Potential Future Additions
WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
The speedy deep threat has still not hit five receptions in any game this year, so his four-catch (on four targets), 150-yard performance in Week 11 is most likely just a blip on the radar. Still, for receiver-needy teams, Watson could be an every-week fantasy starter if Jayden Reed or Romeo Doubs suffered an injury.
RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
The second-year back is starting to look like a poor man’s Jaylen Warren. Johnson has an all-purpose skill set that could serve fantasy managers well should D’Andre Swift get hurt.
RB Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
The 29-year-old veteran has just one reception this year (31 career), but he could have fantasy RB2 value in a surging Chargers offense if the oft-injured JK Dobbins were to go down.
RB Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase Brown has averaged 27 touches over the past three games, and Herbert would have top-15 fantasy appeal if he became the workhorse back in a high-flying Bengals offense.
RB Marshawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
The third-round rookie had a string of bad injury luck to begin his first season, but he was just activated off IR. We may see him step back into the RB2 role behind Josh Jacobs in Week 12.
Line Up Your Targets
Make sure to act quickly to secure your waiver wire targets, with most leagues running waivers on Tuesday nights. For more in-depth stats and to view all the trending players in real time, check out the Sleeper app.
Working the waiver wire to your favor is a critical part of fantasy football success, and we’ll be with you every week to help you chase down those playoff berths and fantasy championships.
