Another week in the NFL is in the books.
Week 12 kicked off on Thanksgiving Day with a three-game slate, starting with a duel between Andy Dalton and Jared Goff. The teams mustered 30 points. The other two games were thankfully a bit more exciting and included an overtime thriller between the Raiders and Cowboys with Las Vegas coming out on top. In the night game, the Bills pummeled the Saints, which may have resulted in Trevor Siemian losing his job.
Some starting quarterbacks returned after absences from the field, including Lamar Jackson and Zach Wilson, though both looked quite rusty and tossed five interceptions combined.
There were some other interesting upsets, though not as many as previous weeks. The Raiders defeated the Cowboys, the Jets beat the Texans in a sloppy affair, the Dolphins (or Cam Newton) beat the Panthers, the Giants bested the Eagles and the Broncos topped the Chargers.
We have four teams on bye in Week 13, and those teams are jam-packed with fantasy-relevant players, meaning managers will need to find replacements for the following:
Packers: Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, A.J. Dillon.
Panthers: Cam Newton, D.J. Moore.
Browns: Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt.
Titans: Ryan Tannehill, D'Onta Foreman, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Dontrell Hilliard.
Managers may also need replacements for Christian McCaffrey (ankle), D'Andre Swift (shoulder), Dalvin Cook (shoulder), A.J. Brown (chest), Dan Arnold (knee), Michael Carter (ankle), Justin Fields (ribs), Jordan Howard (knee), DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring), Kyler Murray (ankle) and Calvin Ridley (other), who all will, or are in jeopardy of missing time.
Whether you need bye-week fill-ins for Cleveland, Green Bay, Carolina or Tennessee players, or a Week 13 streamer, make sure to check out The Action Network’s top targets at each position — all of which are available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues — who you should prioritize come Tuesday night.
Note: Yahoo! roster percentages are reflected in parenthesis and as of Monday.
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups
Fantasy Waiver QBs to Target
Taysom Hill, Saints (5% rostered)
It appears the Trevor Siemian Project may be over (again) after another subpar performance this Thanksgiving. He completed 17 of 29 attempts for 163 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Saints' 31-6 loss to the Bills. Taysom Hill — who just got paid a huge contract — is now taking first-team reps and could be the starter come Sunday against the Cowboys. His rushing gives him a nice floor and he should be a serviceable streamer for any managers missing Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Baker Mayfield or Ryan Tannehill assuming he gets the start.
Priority: High.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington (36%)
Heinicke has yet to play in Week 12 (as of writing this on Monday afternoon), but he did have a solid Week 11 against Carolina's strong defense. He completed 16 of 22 attempts for 206 yards, three touchdowns and tacked on six rushes for 29 yards. He is currently QB14 on a per-game basis for fantasy this season, which includes a partial game in Week 1 that was started by Ryan Fitzpatrick. Washington faces the Raiders in Week 13, which should make Heinicke a good streaming option.
Priority: Medium.
Mac Jones, Patriots (38%)
Jones is coming off of his best game of the season. He was near-perfect against the Titans and completed 23 of 32 attempts for 310 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It will be his second top-10 finish in three weeks as the Patriots surged to their sixth straight win atop the AFC East. It may be tough to trust the rookie next week in Buffalo, whose defense will be the toughest he has faced all year. Consider Jones a QB2 streamer this week.
Priority: Low to medium.
Justin Fields, Bears (21%)
Fields is considered day-to-day after suffering cracked ribs in Week 11 against the Ravens. Andy Dalton stepped in and mustered an okay performance against the Lions on Thanksgiving, but Fields could return as early as Week 13 against the Cardinals. It will likely be a negative game script, which would favor passing. Fields could be considered a QB2 streamer with some upside this week.
Priority: Low to medium; higher in dynasty/keeper formats.
Fantasy Waiver RBs to Target
Jamaal Williams and Jermar Jefferson, Lions (39%, <1% rostered)
D'Andre Swift suffered a shoulder injury during Week 12 and is unlikely to play in Week 13 against the Vikings. His injury gave way to a big game for Jamaal Williams, who saw a season-high 15 carries for 65 yards and caught five of five targets for 18 yards. He should be considered a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside so long as Swift sits. Jefferson scored twice in two games when Williams was sidelined. He will back up Williams while Swift is out and offers some deep league appeal.
Priority: Highest for Williams, low for Jefferson.
Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah, Panthers (39%, <1%)
Hubbard has been a non-factor since the return of Christian McCaffrey, which was short-lived and officially ended on Monday as the team placed McCaffrey on injured reserve. Hubbard had his moments while McCaffrey was sidelined previously and should be considered an RB3 with RB2 potential based on workload alone. We could see Abdullah siphon carries away from Hubbard, however, which could make him an interesting deep-league stash, especially if Hubbard were to go down with an injury. The Panthers have a Week 13 bye, which means they are probably not worth adding if you are fighting for playoff berth and need someone this week. If you've already locked up your spot and are looking toward the playoffs, you may be able to snag Hubbard at a discounted price due to the bye.
Priority: High for Hubbard (if not needed this week), low for Abdullah.
Matt Breida, Bills (23%)
Breida scored for the third time in three games since returning from injury and has apparently leapfrogged Zack Moss in this backfield. Moss was inactive for the Bills' Thanksgiving matchup against the Saints. Devin Singletary led the backfield with 15 carries for 44 yards while Breida saw nine carries for 26 yards. He also tacked on two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown and is going to continue to play a role on this depth chart — at least until Moss gets out of the dog house.
Priority: Medium.
Boston Scott, Eagles (19%)
It was Scott — not Miles Sanders — who led the Eagles' backfield in Week 12 against the Giants. He saw 15 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown while Sanders saw just nine carries for 64 yards. Scott also tacked on two catches for eight yards. Sanders, who only returned from injury last week, is apparently dealing with some soreness. With Jordan Howard out, Scott could be in line to take over this backfield, which may be relied on more moving forward given Jalen Hurts' passing woes.
Priority: Medium.
Dontrell Hilliard and D'Onta Foreman, Titans (29%, 46%)
Foreman led this Frankenstein backfield against the Patriots and saw 20 touches for 112 scrimmage yards, though it was Hilliard who ended up with the better day for fantasy. He tallied 13 touches for 133 all-purpose yards and a rushing touchdown, putting up his second week in a row with solid production. Both have a Week 13 bye and Jeremy McNichols could return then, so this puts them lower in priority. They are worth rostering if you have deep benches and are looking ahead to the playoffs. You may also be able to snag them at a discount with the bye week.
Priority: Low to medium.
Ty Johnson and Tevin Coleman, Jets (40%, 18%)
With Michael Carter on injured reserve, the Jets' backfield is a murky split between Coleman and Johnson. Coleman led the committee on the ground and saw 16 carries for 67 yards while Johnson saw six carries for 42 yards and caught two of three passes for three yards. Johnson strikes me as the more versatile and talented running back of the duo, though neither has particularly high upside in this Zach Wilson-led offense.
Priority: Low.
Brandon Bolden, Patriots (24%)
Bolden did not record a carry in Week 12, but was productive as a pass-catcher. He reeled in four of four targets for 54 yards against the Titans and could have some appeal in PPR formats with James White gone for the year.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver WRs to Target
Rondale Moore and A.J. Green, Cardinals (22%, 46% rostered)
Moore popped off in Week 11 before the Cardinals' bye and reeled in all 11 targets for 51 yards in Seattle. Green caught four of seven targets for 78 yards in the contest. Their increased involvement is an artifact of DeAndre Hopkins being sidelined for the last three games. Hopkins — and Kyler Murray — could return after the bye week, though it's unclear what kind of role he would play while recovering from injury. Moore has great upside and is worth rostering in most formats while Green is more of a deeper-league addition.
Priority: Medium to high for Moore (higher in dynasty/keeper formats), medium for Green.
Van Jefferson Jr., Rams (49%)
Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. each saw 10 targets in the team's Week 12 loss to Green Bay, but Jefferson wasn't far behind. He caught three of nine targets for 93 yards and a touchdown and has seemingly locked up the No. 3 role behind Kupp and Beckham with Robert Woods done for the year. The Rams face Jacksonville next week, which could put Jefferson — who just sneaks under the 50% rostership threshold — in the WR3/flex conversation.
Priority: Medium.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots (23%)
Bourne saw the second-most targets against the Titans this week behind Jakobi Meyers and was productive with his workload. He reeled in five of six for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns and now has two 20+ point games in half PPR over the last three weeks. The Patriots face the Bills this week, which isn't an ideal matchup. That said, the Buffalo secondary did lose shutdown corner Tre'Davious White and the Patriots offense has been firing on all cylinders of late. Bourne could be an interesting dart throw in this matchup.
Priority: Medium.
Russell Gage, Falcons (17%)
Gage has at least six targets in five of seven games this year and has seen increased involvement with Calvin Ridley out for an indefinite span of time. He caught six of seven targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 and has a nice matchup coming up against the Buccaneers' secondary. Ridley is eligible to return now, though there hasn't been any indication his return is imminent. Until then, Gage will remain the team's top receiver and No. 3 option behind Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson.
Priority: Low to medium.
Laviska Shenault Jr. and Laquon Treadwell, Jaguars (41%, <1%)
Shenault was lauded as a potential breakout candidate this preseason, but has been massive disappointment thus far. He has just one game with double-digit fantasy points and had seen his involvement drop off significantly. It's possible new head coach Urban Meyer just doesn't know how to use the gadget player properly, but he may need to figure it out soon. The Jaguars are down D.J. Chark, Jamal Agnew and most recently, Dan Arnold, for the season, leaving the team very lean at receiver. Shenault caught five of nine targets for 33 yards last week while Treadwell — who was a 2016 first-round pick — caught four of eight targets for 53 yards. Shenault would be the preferred add and could have WR3/flex appeal in light of the Jaguars' decimated receiving corps.
Priority: Low to medium for Shenault, low for Treadwell.
DeSean Jackson and Zay Jones, Raiders (5%, <1%)
Hunter Renfrow stole the show on Thanksgiving and caught eight of nine targets for 134 yards. Jackson wasn't far behind and actually finished with a better day for fantasy. He reeled in three of four targets for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Jones caught five of seven targets for 59 yards. Bryan Edwards was a complete non-factor and caught one target for 12 yards. Jackson has upside, but is historically inconsistent. He has slightly more appeal than Jones in terms of waiver priority.
Priority: Low to medium for Jackson, low for Jones.
Fantasy Waiver TEs to Target
Foster Moreau, Raiders (1% rostered)
Moreau did next to nothing last week against the Cowboys, but could have a shot at fantasy-relevance in wake of Darren Waller's injury. Waller suffered a strained IT band in his knee in the Raiders' Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys and his status remains murky for Week 13. Waller missed Week 7, which set up Moreau to have a huge game in which he caught six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. He would be inside the TE1 conversation if Waller misses this week against Washington's exploitable defense.
Priority: High if Waller is out, zero otherwise.
Tyler Conklin, Vikings (33%)
Conklin has been very unimpressive over the last two weeks. He has three targets in each of those contests for 35 yards and 25 yards against the Packers and 49ers, respectively. He gets a nice matchup this week against Detroit, however, and could bounce back as a streaming option with four teams on bye.
Priority: Medium.
Cole Kmet, Bears (24%)
Kmet saw a season-high 11 targets in Week 12 and caught eight passes for 65 yards. The targets are impressive, though the second-year tight end has yet to find the end zone because the Bears tend to use Jimmy Graham in those situations. Chicago could get Justin Fields back for Week 13, which could be an upgrade from Andy Dalton for Kmet's purposes. He is a deep-league streaming option if you are needy.
Priority: Low to medium, higher in dynasty/keeper formats.
Jack Doyle, Colts (1%)
Doyle isn't a name on many folks' radar this season, but perhaps he should be. He has scored three times in the last five games and his targets have been steadily increasing. Weeks 4 through 7, he saw exactly one target in each of the four games. Weeks 8 and 9, he saw two targets. Weeks 10 and 11, he saw five targets. Last week, he caught six of seven targets for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers. The Colts have Houston on deck this week, which should be a nice matchup. He also offers deeper-league streaming potential given how well this Colts offense has been playing.
Priority: Low.
