Have you ever noticed how the parity in the NFL this season has been very consistent? We can only count maybe four or five true postseason contenders right now, and the rest of the league is still in the playoff hunt somehow. Even for the bottom-dwellers, as not one team has been eliminated from playoff contention yet… and it’s already Thanksgiving weekend!
Of course, injuries have been the main reason this season, but also poor quarterback/offensive line play. And yet, the fantasy football world still keeps on turning and we cannot keep our finger off the pulse on who are the worthy weekly pickups, especially with our virtual postseasons just around the corner.
As such, let’s take a look at some of Week 12’s quality waiver wire pickups below to help boost your team’s prospects of making a solid push for the playoffs before its too late.
Afterwards, check out our very own sleeper picks if you’re in need of more advice, as well as our special feature on the Top 10 Thanksgiving Games of All-Time to whet your football appetite even more before Thursday’s festivities kick off.
[sc:Football ]Fantasy Football Expert Guide Pickups for Week 12 of the 2015 NFL Season
FantasyPros
| Position | Pick |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | Matt Hasselbeck |
| Running Back | Thomas Rawls |
| Wide Receiver | Terrance Williams |
| Tight End | Zach Miller |
[sc:NFL240banner ]We sure hope you’re not too late for the Thomas Rawls coming out party, because there’s no hotter pickup this week than Seattle’s undrafted rookie.
Nathaniel Reeves of FantasyPros and the other pundits we’ve gathered here are all in agreement that Rawls is a must-grab, especially after bagging two touchdowns and 255 total yards of offense on 33 touches this past Sunday against the Niners.
Apart from having three 100-yard rushing games already this season, the 22-year-old out of Central Michigan is projected to have an increased (or maybe even permanent) role in the Seahawks offense given that Marshawn Lynch is facing a season-ending hernia surgery. Heck, Rawls already has more rushing yards than Lynch this season, so expect the former to just “Rawl” along with those massive fantasy numbers from here on out.
Reeves is also high on taking a chance on 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck. Indianapolis’ backup QB, believe it or not, is still undefeated in all three games this season that he started in place of the injured Andrew Luck. And although Hasselbeck just threw his first two picks of the year last week, and that the Falcons passing D is no pushover by fantasy football measures, Reeves argues that hehas the necessary tools from the Colts’ receiving corps to pitch in for some solid numbers in Week 12.
Yahoo
| Position | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Running Back | Thomas Rawls | Javorius Allen | Ahmad Bradshaw | Spencer Ware |
| Wide Receiver | Devin Funchess | |||
| Tight End | Brent Celek | |||
| D/ST | Browns |
Over at wide receiver, Yahoo’s Andy Behrens highly suggests taking a second chance on Carolina’s Devin Funchess. While the rookie out of Michigan has had a rough start to the season, he now has 176 receiving yards and two touchdowns over the past three games, including being targeted a season-high eight times this past Sunday.
It’s clear that Cam Newton is getting more and more comfortable with Funchess in the passing game. Futhermore, the Panthers face leaky secondaries soon in the Giants and the Saints, so the 21-year-old’s numbers are about to skyrocket at just the right time.
As for a feasible D/ST streamer, Behrens goes with an odd choice on paper: the Cleveland Browns D. Yes, the Browns have been a total mess this season, but so are the Baltimore Ravens, the team’s opponent this week. Considering that Baltimore will have pick-machine Matt Schaub, and wild cards Javorius Allen and Kamar Aiken as the team’s top players on offense, Behrens’ suggestion may not be as far-fetched after all.
The Big Lead
| Position | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Brian Hoyer | Josh McCown | Matt Schaub | |
| Running Back | Thomas Rawls | Javorius Allen | Tevin Coleman | Ahmad Bradshaw |
| Wide Receiver | Tyler Lockett | Chris Givens | Devin Funchess | |
| Tight End | Brent Celek | Crockett Gillmore | Jacob Tamme | Kyle Rudolph |
Speaking of Javorius “Buck” Allen, just how unlucky is he to be just the second-best RB (looking at Yahoo’s and The Big Lead’s Jason Lisk’s lists) on the waiver wire this week? If you play in relatively deep and/or highly competitive leagues, Rawls before him has probably been picked up already as a handcuff or a borderline flex option. On the other hand, Allen has been quietly flying under the radar as Justin Forsett’s handcuff after early season scares of a potential serious injury.
Well, Forsett’s finally out for the rest of the season, leaving the rookie out of USC as the Ravens’ best shot at having anything close to an actual running game (even Lorenzo Taliaferro, who’s ahead of Allen in the team’s depth chart, is still ailing). Although the former Trojan’s numbers this season are not really something to smile about, that’s mainly due to Forsett’s heavy workload all season long. Now than Allen is the main man in Baltimore’s backfield, bank on him to bring you bang for your “Buck”.
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