With six teams on byes in Week 12, the mad scramble for fantasy football lineup streamers continues after the initial waiver wire run and Thursday night game. Heading into every weekend, I pinpoint players who still may be available in free agency and players on the end of your fantasy bench who you can waive or tell to “get in there.”
The analysis is based on PPR scoring, and players are listed in order of preference for pickup and lineup usage. Rostered percentages are from CBSSports.com.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, NYG (54 percent rostered): Robinson caught five balls on eight targets last week. Tampa Bay ranks 26th in receptions allowed to WRs, and Tommy DeVito has averaged 6.2 yards per attempt so far in his career, which would not rank in the top 30 at QB right now. The Giants’ new starting QB may not take too many downfield shots and will lean on Robinson to help him move the chains on critical downs.
Luke Schoonmaker, TE, DAL (7 percent): Jake Ferguson (concussion) is not expected to play against Washington, and Schoonmaker caught six of 10 targets last week. Cooper Rush posted better numbers in his second start of the season, and the tight end is a frequent target in Dallas’ passing game. Washington’s pass defense now ranks fifth overall, but at tight end, you are looking for opportunities over matchups when needing a lineup filler.
Xavier Legette, WR, CAR (53 percent): The matchup against the Chiefs seems daunting. But Legette was targeted six-plus times in two of the last three games and caught TD passes in three of his last four home games. Kansas City is also not a complete shutdown defense against WRs, ranking 13th in fantasy points per game allowed to the position.
Alec Pierce, WR, IND (38 percent): The Lions may be the best team in the NFL right now, yet they can be vulnerable to the pass. Detroit ranks 29th in receiving yardage allowed to WRs, and Anthony Richardson will not hesitate to throw to his downfield specialist. Pierce might be productive in any game script, helping to keep the Colts close or boosting his numbers in catch-up mode.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, TEN (35 percent): A run of five TD receptions in six games certainly does not seem sustainable. That said, Westbrook-Ikhine has a knack for finding the end zone from anywhere on the field, and Houston has allowed an NFL-high 16 TD receptions to WRs, including six over the past four weeks.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, SF (47 percent): Pearsall was a widely favored play against Seattle last week and was held without a reception. He posted double-digit PPR point totals in his previous two games, though. On Pro Football Focus for Week 12, Pearsall has a 76.0 WR/CB matchup grade as a slot receiver against Green Bay, which qualifies as “good.”
Jalen McMillan, WR, TB (32 percent): A Week 11 bye gave him more time to recover from a hamstring injury, and the return of Mike Evans should benefit McMillan in a complementary role vs. the Giants.
Devaughn Vele, WR, DEN (3 percent): The first-year Bronco is a sizable target at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. As noted by FantasyPros, the Raiders have allowed the most fantasy points per game to slot WRs since Week 6.
Noah Brown, WR, WAS (29 percent): Consider the old and fun revenge game narrative here as Brown faces the Cowboys. Dallas ranks 20th in receiving yards allowed to WRs over the past four weeks, and Brown was targeted six-plus times in three of his last four games.
Michael Wilson, WR, ARI (26 percent): Wilson has a 70.9 individual WR/CB grade (“good”) on PFF this week against Seattle, and the Seahawks defense will prioritize containing Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, LV (35 percent): Injuries might push Abdullah into a starting role against Denver, and rookie Dylan Laube (3 percent) should also be in the mix for carries. Abdullah is versatile enough to potentially post decent totals, and Laube is the desperation plug-and-play guy.
DeMario Douglas, WR, NE (42 percent): Miami ranks fifth in fantasy points per game allowed to WRs, yet when searching for plug-in types, you usually won’t find an ideal option on the free agent list or at the end of the fantasy bench. Douglas posted nine-plus PPR points in each of his last three games.
Gus Edwards, RB, LAC (49 percent): The surprising Chargers get a marquee matchup with Baltimore on Monday Night Football, and the former Raven might punch in a TD to finish a scoring drive.
Trey Benson, RB, ARI (54 percent): Benson may be available in some leagues and logged 18 carries over the past two games. He is a quality complement to James Conner, who could rip off a sizable run or two or potentially get in the end zone in a big game vs. Seattle.
Theo Johnson, TE, NYG (9 percent): Johnson is another option for DeVito in the middle of the field. The Giants rookie has been targeted six times in each of the past two games.
Sterling Shepard, WR, TB (8 percent): Shepard gets the revenge matchup against the Giants, so a TD reception is possible. When speaking with the media, Shepard expressed no animosity toward his former team, but it’s always fun for a player to make a notable contribution against his previous team.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, CAR (8 percent): Another deep rookie tight end option, Sanders deserves consideration because Kansas City ranks 29th in fantasy points per game allowed to TEs.
Troy Franklin, WR, DEN (6 percent): Bo Nix’s Oregon teammate caught his second NFL TD pass last week, and the Las Vegas defense may spend a lot of time on the field this week. And Nix is coming off a four-TD outing.
(Photo of Wan’Dale Robinson: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
