NFL Week 12: Fantasy Football waiver wire priorities for every position – CBS Sports

Week 12 of the NFL season should be an interesting one on the waiver wire based on who is available and the players you might have to replace due to injury. The good news is no team is on a bye in Week 12. But that doesn’t mean your Fantasy roster is intact.

In Week 11, Joe Burrow (knee), Rex Burkhead (knee), Lamical Perine (ankle) and Greg Olsen (foot) suffered serious injuries, and we’re also keeping an eye on the status of Julio Jones (hamstring) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (toe) — along with all the other players who have already been out. On top of that, we got hit with COVID-19 related stories we have to monitor in Baltimore (J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram) and Minnesota (Adam Thielen).

Thankfully, there are a few good options on the waiver wire at each position, including some potential starters in Taysom Hill, Gus Edwards, James White, Michael Pittman and Deebo Samuel, among others. We also have streaming options at tight end, DST and kicker.

The Fantasy playoffs start in most leagues in Week 14, so be aggressive on the waiver wire this week if you’re fighting for a postseason spot. You can’t take your FAB dollars with you into the offseason — at least in most leagues — so spend your money now if there’s a player you think can help you win.

Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65% of CBS Sports leagues.

More Week 12 help: Waiver Wire | Trade Values Chart | Cut List | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | Week 11 Winners and Losers | Believe It Or Not     

Week 12 Waivers

• Injuries of note: Kyler Murray (shoulder), Joe Burrow (knee), Drew Brees (ribs), Matthew Stafford (thumb), Teddy Bridgewater (knee), Philip Rivers (toe), Nick Foles (leg), Gardner Minsher (thumb), Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), Sam Darnold (shoulder)
• On a bye: Nobody! Week 13 is the final week of byes.
• Priority list: Taysom Hill (64% rostered), Philip Rivers (49%), Daniel Jones (30%), Andy Dalton (18%), Alex Smith (28%) and P.J. Walker (4%)
• Check to see if available: Derek Carr (70% rostered). I liked Carr a lot going into Week 11 against Kansas City, and he had one of his best games of the season with 27 Fantasy points. He gets the Falcons in Week 12 and the Jets in Week 13 and has top-10 upside in those matchups.
• Potential drop candidates: Drew Brees (81% rostered), Carson Wentz (77%) and Jameis Winston (31%). There’s no reason to stash Brees unless you have an injured reserve spot for him, and Winston is clearly behind Hill at this point for the Saints. As for Wentz, there’s talk he could get benched for Jalen Hurts, and Wentz has scored 18 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row. The only reason you might want to keep Wentz is for his matchup against Seattle in Week 12, but he’s not close to a must-start quarterback in any league right now.

• Injuries of note: Christian McCaffrey (shoulder), Joe Mixon (foot), Chris Carson (foot), Austin Ekeler (hamstring), Raheem Mostert (ankle), D’Andre Swift (concussion), David Johnson (concussion), David Montgomery (concussion), Jerick McKinnon (neck), Myles Gaskin (knee), J.K. Dobbins (illness), Mark Ingram (illness), Rex Burkhead (knee), JaMycal Hasty (collarbone), Justin Jackson (knee), Devonta Freeman (ankle), Tevin Coleman (knee), Jeff Wilson (ankle) and A.J. Dillon (illness)
• Priority list: Gus Edwards (42% rostered), James White (45%), Cam Akers (46%), Carlos Hyde (48%), Frank Gore (15%), Devontae Booker (37%), Cordarrelle Patterson (18%) and Kerryon Johnson (22%)
• Check to see if available: Zack Moss (80% rostered), Wayne Gallman (78%), Jerick McKinnon (77%) and J.D. McKissic (76%). Moss could be a sneaky starting option this week against the Chargers, who have allowed eight touchdowns to running backs in their past five games. Gallman has five touchdowns in his past four games and should continue to play well with Freeman out, including in Week 12 against the Bengals. Mostert and Coleman are expected to return in Week 12 for the 49ers, but I don’t mind stashing McKinnon since he could still have a prominent role in San Francisco, especially on passing downs. And McKissic should be rostered in all PPR leagues even though he had a down game in Week 11 against the Bengals (nine PPR points).
• Potential drop candidates: Darrell Henderson (85% rostered), Le’Veon Bell (82%) and Devin Singletary (76%). Henderson is part of a messy three-headed backfield with the Rams and could be on the verge of losing his job to Akers. Even though Bell scored in Week 11 at the Raiders he’s clearly just a handcuff for Clyde Edwards-Helaire. And Singletary has scored nine PPR points or less in six games in a row and can’t be trusted, even with a good matchup against the Chargers.

• Injuries of note: JuJu Smith-Schuster (toe), Julio Jones (hamstring), Adam Thielen (illness), Kenny Golladay (hip), Brandon Aiyuk (illness), John Brown (ankle), Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Sammy Watkins (hamstring), Julian Edelman (knee), Laviska Shenault (hamstring), Preston Williams (foot), Tre’Quan Smith (concussion), Randall Cobb (toe), Kenny Stills (quad), Danny Amendola (hip) and DeSean Jackson (ankle)
• Priority list: Michael Pittman (45% rostered), Deebo Samuel (50%), Nelson Agholor (41%), Sterling Shepard (51%), Tim Patrick (55%), Josh Reynolds (16%), Russell Gage (16%), Denzel Mims (12%), Damiere Byrd (2%), Jakeem Grant (11%) and Larry Fitzgerald (9%)
• Check to see if available: Curtis Samuel (81% rostered), Corey Davis (76%), Darius Slayton (75%), Jakobi Meyers (72%) and Cole Beasley (69%). Samuel has at least 16 PPR points in four of his past five games, and in two of those games he has at least nine targets. Davis has scored at least 11 PPR points in every game he’s played this season, including Week 10 against the Colts, who he faces this week. Slayton has a great matchup against the Bengals in Week 12, and Cincinnati is tied for third in touchdowns allowed to receivers this year with 14. Meyers had a down game in Week 11 at Houston with six PPR points, but he scored at least 13 PPR points in his three previous games and should continue to be involved for the Patriots. Beasley has scored at least 11 PPR points in 7-of-10 games this year and could be a sneaky sleeper this week against the Chargers with John Brown hurt.
• Potential drop candidates: Marquise Brown (85% rostered), Emmanuel Sanders (81%), John Brown (64%) and A.J. Green (53%). Marquise Brown has scored nine PPR points or less in five games in a row, and it’s hard to justify holding him in most leagues at this point. Sanders has five targets or less in three games in a row since Michael Thomas has been back for the Saints. John Brown is hurt, and you don’t have to stash him if he’s going to miss time. And Green, despite scoring last week against Washington for the first time all season, isn’t worth stashing with Burrow out.

• Injuries of note: George Kittle (foot), Zach Ertz (ankle) and Greg Olsen (foot)
• Priority list: Dalton Schultz (40%), Jordan Reed (26%), Austin Hooper (58%), Jordan Akins (4%), Logan Thomas (59%), Jimmy Graham (45% rostered), Will Dissly (1%) and Robert Tonyan (58%)
• Check to see if available: Evan Engram (77% rostered), Zach Ertz (73%) and Dallas Goedert (71%). Engram has scored at least 11 PPR points in two of his past three games, and he has a great matchup against the Bengals, who are No. 4 in Fantasy points allowed to tight ends. Ertz could return in Week 12 against Seattle, and he would potentially be a must-start Fantasy tight end again. If he’s out, Goedert would remain a must-start option, and he just had 18 PPR points in Week 11 at Cleveland.
• Potential drop candidate: Jared Cook (87% rostered), Noah Fant (82%) and Tyler Higbee (66%). Cook has six targets in his past three games with three catches for 36 yards and no touchdowns over that span. Fant hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 2 and has nine PPR points or less in six of his past seven games. Higbee hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 2 and has scored nine PPR points or less in seven games in a row.

• Giants (24%) at CIN
• Seahawks (38%) at PHI
• Packers (57%) vs. CHI
• Texans (19%) at DET

• Mason Crosby (58%) vs. CHI
• Tyler Bass (24%) vs. LAC
• Joey Slye (29%) at MIN
• Ka’imi Fairbairn (45%) at DET