Top-50 WR Rankings - Week 17

5 Starts & 5 Sits - Week 17

Streamers for the Desperate - Week 17

Week 12 Fantasy Football Waiver Adds

Alex Ciulla

If there was any doubt that the Detroit Lions were the best team in football, they've certainly put those doubts to rest with another impressive outing -- a 52-6 trouncing of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's the fourth time Detroit has scored more than 40 points this year, and the second time in their last four contests reaching 52. Just incredible! They weren't the only team that proved their salt on Sunday, as the Buffalo Bills knocked off the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in a rather convincing fashion. Buffalo won their sixth in a row, and have put up 30 or more points in five straight outings. Alas, it wouldn't be a weekend of football if the Cincinnati Bengals didn't lose another close one despite QB Joe Burrow's heroics. The team is 4-7 with the league's passing leader (Burrow), receiving leader (WR Ja'Marr Chase), and leading sack-getter (Trey Hendrickson). Look no further to understand how whacky 2024 has been. It was a great weekend of football, but perhaps my favorite part was the injuries -- or lack thereof.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (hamstring) exited his team's loss against the Denver Broncos and did not return. Fortunately, it is not considered serious, but don't be surprised if Mooney misses some practice this week. Las Vegas Raiders running backs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) were both forced from Sunday's loss to the Dolphins and did not return. Mattison is the only back worth owning for now, but the severity of his injury is unknown. If you need him, keep an eye on his status over the next few days, as it could be Ameer Abdullah's time for Las Vegas. Finally, Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (concussion) has entered the league's concussion protocol. He's likely going to be out for another game.

As always, this column assumes PPR scoring and will only feature players with around or less than 50% ownership on Yahoo!. Let's get into this week's waiver pickups.

Also, for those interested in deep league waiver gems, don't miss Streamers For The Desperate - Week 12 by ASL Founder Leonard LaPadula!

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (57% Owned)

Rams QB Matthew Stafford has been hot of late. It hasn't always shown up in the box score, but the 36-year-old went off against the New England Patriots in Week 11. It was the second time in his last four outings that Stafford tossed four TDs, and he's cleared 293 yards in each of his previous three appearances. He was one of my favorite sleeper candidates coming into the year in both 2QB and best-ball formats. With his full complement of weapons finally healthy, he could be an excellent streaming candidate moving forward, particularly during a week with six teams on bye.

Despite his recent play, the sixteen-year veteran has a challenging upcoming matchup in Week 12. Heading into Week 11, the Philadelphia Eagles had allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to the quarterback position (13.9) and just shut down Washington rookie QB sensation Jayden Daniels on Thursday Night Football. Still, Philly will likely put up a decent amount of points against a Rams' D that's been porous against the pass, so Stafford projects to have to throw it to keep up.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (49% Owned)

If anyone still questioned whether or not Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix belonged on an NFL field, he undoubtedly quelled those fears in Denver's 38-6 rout of the Atlanta Falcons. The former Oregon Duck has been superb in his first taste of NFL action, and he's turned it on recently. Nix completed 85% of his passes against the Falcons (28-of-33) for 307 yards and four passing touchdowns. It was the second time in his last four outings that he totaled four TDs and turned the ball over just once in that stretch.

The 24-year-old will line up for a divisional clash next Sunday when he and the Broncos square off against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road. These two teams already played each other back in Week 5, and the rookie scored 23.14 fantasy points on the back of three scores (one rushing) to go with 206 passing yards. He's certainly earned our trust and is my favorite streamer of this bunch for Week 12.

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (48% Owned)

I'll admit I drafted Colts QB Anthony Richardson far too much this year, and I mean everywhere. Redraft, dynasty, Superflex -- it didn't matter. I was calling my shot to see a massive breakout and hopefully, he'd be in the discussion for overall fantasy QB1. Well, we all know how that has turned out so far. However, he still has a chance to turn it around, and I was excited about Sunday's performance in Indy's 28-27 win over the New York Jets.

Richardson completed 20 passes for the first time, with a first-time 50% completion rate, too. He tossed just one touchdown across his 272 yards but carried the rock ten times and scored two touchdowns. The dual-threat ability that made him so tantalizing this summer in drafts showed up, and it's possible that a few weeks on the bench put things into perspective.

I'm still trying to determine whether he has turned a corner, but he'll be forced to score points next weekend when the Colts host the visiting Detroit Lions. The matchup isn't great for the second-year quarterback (ask Jags QB Mac Jones), but this will be one of those sink-or-swim matchups for the 22-year-old, as the talent is there.

Running Backs

Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears (8% Owned)

The running back well has dried up recently, though that isn't necessarily bad. Despite not having any noteworthy rushers to vie for on the wire, we should be pleased with that outcome because it means no one has gotten hurt, and the way we thought things would shake out regarding backfield pecking order has stayed true.

With the firing of Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the team introduced a new look under new OC Thomas Brown. The first notable change was RB D'Andre Swift wasn't the only show in town. Even against a tough Packers defense, Chicago leaned on their rushing attack, and second-year back Roschon Johnson racked up 11 touches (ten carries) while scoring his fifth touchdown on the year.

Swift still led the team's backfield in touches (and was far more efficient than his counterpart), but if Johnson will garner a sizable touch-load moving forward, then he's worth keeping on our radars. I'm not clamoring over him, but he could be a nice stash if this workload persists.

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Wide Receivers

Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns (51% Owned)

Cleveland WR Jerry Jeudy has been excellent since the Browns turned to quarterback Jameis Winston. Jeudy was the recipient of a long touchdown in this weekend's 35-14 loss to a suddenly reborn New Orleans Saints squad. Fellow wideout Cedric Tillman was still involved, but Jeudy stole headlines in Week 11. The 25-year-old brought in 6-of-11 targets for 142 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown.

The Alabama product now has 11 looks in back-to-back games and has racked up an impressive 18/294/1 line over the last three contests. It appears that with Winston manning the helm, every Cleveland pass-catcher is in play. However, they'll have a tougher time out in Week 12 against a staunch Pittsburgh Steelers defense. While you can still start Jeudy, Tillman, and even WR Elijah Moore, expectations should be tempered.

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (41% Owned)

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston has come around in 2024, and in Sunday night's thriller against the Cincinnati Bengals recorded his third-straight outing with a touchdown reception. If he wasn't able to secure the TD, you'd likely have been disappointed, as he would have had just one catch for 22 yards. Despite this, his eight targets ranked second on the team behind rookie wideout Ladd McConkey, and quarterback Justin Herbert just missed him on a few deep throws, meaning he could have had an even bigger day.

Moving forward, I like this offense a lot, and that stays true for their Week 12 home tilt against the visiting Baltimore Ravens. I've got a feeling the Ravens are about to go scorched Earth on their opponents after a disappointing outing against the Steelers in Week 11, where they scored a season-low 16 points. If that's the case, QB Justin Herbert will again have to air it out against a sieve-like Baltimore D. That matchup should present plenty of opportunities for Johnston.

Ray-Ray McCloud, Atlanta Falcons (17% Owned)

This week, the case for Atlanta WR Ray-Ray McCloud as a waiver add is pretty cut-and-dry. If WR Darnell Mooney is out, McCloud can be FLEX'd. If Mooney is in, McCloud can be left on waiver wires. The 28-year-old McCloud has been a solid WR3 for the Falcons but has yet to amount to much in the fantasy department. With uncertainty surrounding Mooney's status, you can preemptively add McCloud. However, I'd rather have one of the two wideouts mentioned above before taking a chance on another Falcons' WR.

Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos (2% Owned)

Broncos WR Devaughn Vele is more of a deep-league PPR option, but I felt he was worth mentioning due to the Denver Broncos' quickly ascending offense. Additionally, Vele was one of the most hyped players in training camp, and it is noteworthy that he has carried some momentum into the regular season in just his first year with the team.

Vele was again solid in Denver's victory, corralling 4-of-5 targets for 66 yards. While he's not the fastest or most athletic guy on the field, the 26-year-old finds a way to get open and is a weapon after the catch. I wouldn't rush to add him in 10-man leagues or even short-bench 12-team leagues, but I'm monitoring him in those formats, and you should, too.

Tight Ends

Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins (54% Owned)

This performance from Miami TE Jonnu Smith may have felt like it came out of nowhere, but he's been trending up in Miami's offense since Week 5 when he reeled in 5-of-8 targets for 62 yards. Additionally, Smith would have likely been the fantasy TE1 in Week 11 if it weren't for a monster performance from the New Orleans Saints' Taysom Hill. However, I don't consider Hill a TE, and you shouldn't either. 

Smith was excellent in the Dolphins victory over the Raiders on Sunday, catching 6-of-8 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, including a long gain of 57 in which he beat all of the Raiders' defense in a foot race to the end zone. The 29-year-old has had nice involvement in Miami's scheme (much to the detriment of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle).

Moving forward, Smith's fantasy outputs could be spotty on a week-to-week basis, especially considering the sort of firepower Miami garners in its arsenal. While he's not my favorite pickup, he's worth monitoring after a spectacular performance.

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (45% Owned)

A one-week reprieve. That's all you'll get from me incessantly promoting Patriots TE Hunter Henry as the streaming TE to own. From Week 6 to 10, Henry was the PPR TE10 (two points ahead of the Lions' Sam LaPorta), and all he did again in Week 11 was produce. The 29-year-old racked up 63 yards on 6-of-9 receiving, again leading his team in both receptions and targets.

Henry's ownership percentage is finally at an acceptable level, but I expect it to skyrocket with six teams on bye in Week 12. He's not the sexiest name, but Henry's production speaks for itself with rookie quarterback Drake Maye under center. Fire him up with confidence when New England heads to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 12.

Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers (24% Owned)

If the players mentioned above are unavailable with a bye-apocalypse ahead, I wanted to give you one more streaming option, and Chargers TE Will Dissly might be my favorite selection. Dissly has been fantastic over the last few weeks, and he's quickly become one of quarterback Justin Herbert's favorite targets.

The 28-year-old was second on the team in receptions and receiving yardage behind WR Ladd McConkey, and has at least six targets in four of his last five outings. Additionally, LA will likely have to throw a ton next weekend when they line up against the Baltimore Ravens. As mentioned above with WR Quentin Johnston, I expect there to be plenty of fantasy points to go around in this contest, and Herbert has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I want pieces of that matchup as the fantasy fireworks should fly.

Week 11 was full of exciting performances and important updates, especially for fantasy managers looking for streaming options and waiver gems. Detroit and Buffalo showcased their dominance, while injuries and player changes provided opportunities for savvy fantasy managers to capitalize on emerging talent. Whether you're looking to bolster your roster with a reliable QB like Matthew Stafford or take a flyer on a sleeper like WR Devaughn Vele, there are plenty of opportunities to improve your team.

With six teams on bye in Week 12, streaming will be more important than ever. Be proactive in making these key waiver adds and keep an eye on injuries to maximize your lineup's potential. If you need more help or deep league insights, don't miss ASL founder Leonard LaPadula’s "Streamers for the Desperate" column for even more strategic picks. Good luck navigating this exciting and unpredictable Week 12!